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He then deletes the story about his porn star past from Clarke’s computer and replaces it with a story from his own floppy disk, which he subsequently prints out and places it in front of his former rival, covering the front of the printout with the dead man’s fingerprints before he beats his retreat to an alibi-establishing party at his producer’s home. And the ridiculous scene where Trish (Shera Danese) puts the screws to Hugh — the “you used me to help you” scene — isn’t merely a “cheat” (as CP correctly observes), it’s idiotic. She never asked previously why he was sending her to Pasadena in his car, wearing a mask with his face on it, and told her when to speed past a traffic camera? That's because the perpetrator took a second bottle of champagne and he poured it into the first bottle and the glass. What's your theory? - I don't have a theory yet, but it looks like she knew who killed her and she knew him very well. Elsewhere, an otherwise enjoyable scene with Columbo annoying a tightly wound housekeeper is marred by the questionable decision to have Columbo carrying on while wearing a stupid cap with NFI emblazoned over it. Word on the street is that Falk simply borrowed the cap from a bystander and decided to wear it for sh*ts and giggles. Would he have done this in the show’s golden age? Not a chance! So why do it now? And why weren’t people telling him not to?
Interesting. This has been one of the things that really annoyed me about this plot – like CP says, there’s no way an intelligent lawyer’d make such a stupid mistake – but you raise a decent point. Not that I think it ever came to the writers’ minds, I’m pretty sure they just intended this to be a slip-up, but it didn’t necessarily have to be. We always liked this story but, because he never told us the title, we could never find the episode and I was starting to think it didn't really exist until very recently I found it in the complete Columbo set! But to someone who has a gut feeling that she may have been used to manufacture an alibi and as an unwitting accessory, the time of the murder is the most important thing on her mind, not the circumstances that any normal, completely innocent person would be concerned with. Yes, I can see where you’re coming from. Columbo’s culinary skills in Murder under Glass never bothered me, because he articulates his delight in tasting and ‘having it right’ still in his own modest way. But maybe you’re right and it was a bit too much, then. Oh, now we're getting ridiculous, aren't we? Where would I get a mask of myself? And even if I did, there would still be a shadow under the nose, right? I think I can explain that, sir.Shout-Out: The private detective that Hugh hired to spy on Marcy is named "Sam Marlowe" for Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. And if that isn't enough, Sam has The Maltese Falcon in his office. Columbo wearing a gun, however, or needing the mafia to catch a killer, I think is appaling. Not just sloppy, they are deliberate choices really damaging the character. This only makes sense if the two had collaborated and why would the money-hungry Leon collaborate with Nancy unless she was giving him some on the side? Even more sadly, a lot of what I do remember are the lowlights of the episode: the idiotic nature of the car prang scene; the awful pervy guy in the mac in the porn shop winking at Columbo as if he were a kindred spirit; and Wade Anders’ implausible naivety about cigarette filters, which erodes the edge of what should have been a clever murder.
After three unconventional episodes, Butterfly in Shades of Grey marked a return to the standard Columbo style.
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The other two actors to share this distinction are Ed Begley Jr (a canine control officer in 1978’s How to Dial a Murder and a double killer in Undercover in 1994); and Fred Draper (murderer Swanny in Last Salute in 1975 and a police forensics guy in Negative Reaction a year earlier). And what about the ridiculous scene where Trish (Shera Danese) puts the screws to Hugh. The “you used me to help you” scene. What’s with: “You borrowed my car and sent me on that research assignment” and “I’ve been trying to figure out why”? Aren’t you leaving something out, Trish? Isn’t it: “Now I know why you sent me to Pasadena in your car wearing a mask with your face on it, and told me when to speed past a traffic camera”? In retrospect, this scene isn’t merely a “cheat” (as CP correctly observes), it’s also idiotic. I always like reading your assesments and views, as much as I like to read Richard’s, because you are thorough and know how to write and expand your views. Here I think you are looking for, and loving, a certain consistancy that would be impossible to find in any human being, not in any fictional character who is simply ageing and gaining experience. Danese appeared in several Columbo episodes during it's run and I actually think this is one of her best performances, playing well off of Coleman and obviously Falk, although I've seen plenty of real life acting couples who have zero onscreen chemistry. But the writers (and I'm guessing Mr. Falk) smartly never had her play nothing other than peripheral characters to the pesky Lieutenant. In addition to Danese, the episode features another beauty in redheaded 70s icon Sondra Currie playing the uniformed officer doing legwork for Columbo on the case.
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