the milieu here be the family and friend of the commodore ( john dehner ) and very rich folk . the commodore be murder and just a we think columbo have the killer ( robert vaughan ) corner and he murder too . columbo assembles all the possible suspect in a room at the end and go through a charlie chan or hercule poirot routine to expose the real killer and whose motive turn out to be greed . this be thin stuff although the director ( patrick mcgoohan and a talented actor ) try to lay it on with a trowel . i would guess the script start off a an hour long show for mannix or dan august or something . there be many attempt to pad it out with humor and none of them be funny . ( see lieutenant columbo try to wrestle himself into a full lotus position . that will be ten cent . ) character get rather elaborate introduction and then play no more than the usual minor role . bad and this be a somewhat different columbo than the character his fan have come to know . he bumble and of course and and have to cope with the difference between a mainmast and a mizzenmast and but on top of that he cute . he wink . he smile . his comment be coy . and what do it all boil down to . a two minute experiment at the end in which the killer reveal his guilt . the rest be all red herring . there would be bad episode after the series be revive and wring out and but this be certainly one of the weak of the original series and despite the talent in front of and and behind and the camera .