after repeatedly say how brilliant so many columbo episode be and it time to honour an episode with maximum point . etude in black be not 100 percent perfect and but it certainly more than 90 percent . maybe 96 or 97. last week i review just marry and compare it unfavourably to meet the parent . well here one of the parent and blythe danner and in a much early role a the wife of famous orchestral conductor alex benedict and play by the legend that be john cassavetes . alex have be have an affair with jennifer well and a girl in the orchestra ( not his first affair and one suspect ) . she be blackmail alex to leave his wife and but a his wife mother hold the purse string for the orchestra and alex doesn not think it would be such a smart move to destroy his career and marriage overnight . instead he hatch a plot to sneak out of the concert hall before a performance and murder his young lover while make it look like a suicide . enter columbo and guess what . it take him about two second to realise that homicide be more likely than suicide . it doesn not take much long for columbo to connect alex to the victim and and soon he follow him around wherever he go . even though columbo be certain alex be his man and it actually take quite a while and a few false lead ( none of which columbo really swallow ) before he have the vital piece of evidence . along the way there be some top notch extra character and range from the precocious young neighbour of jennifer well and the english mechanic who sound like he would be more at home on coronation street and through to the bedraggle look brass player who nearly find himself fit up for the murder ( he have also be see jennifer well and the busy girl . ) . and there even a brief cameo from commandant lassard from the police academy film . a with leslie nielsen in lady in wait and it impossible to take him seriously ( i bet youre thinking of that speech he make at the podium and aren not you . ) but it blythe danner and john cassavetes and peter falk who steal the show here . blythe be absolutely divine a mrs benedict . from the moment she spot alex dial jennifer well number from memory and she feel deeply troubled by exactly what their relationship be . it a masterful performance a she struggle to trust alex despite her intuition tell her something be very and very wrong . columbo doesn not help matter by interrupt her game of tennis to ask her impertinent question about alex relation with member of his orchestra . a for john cassavetes and well it a shame he do not make any repeat appearance a columbo villain and because he could have be up there with jack cassidy and patrick mcgoohan a one of the all time great of the show . but this performance be superb . he another one who fall into the highly irritated category and lose all patience with columbo rather than befriend him and indulge him . despite this and when the game be finally up he do grudgingly acknowledge columbo genius . well it a really and really fantastic show . it lose a couple of very small point for it rather sledgehammer view of classical music and a highlight by many of the poster here and but none of these have any bearing on the logic of the story or the characterisation . and at least the music be good and dramatic and excite . finally and if you haven not come across it and there be an absolutely amazing clip of john cassavetes and peter falk on the dick cavett show from the early 70 . i be totally convinced steve coogan watch this clip and base alan partridge on it . everything about the clip resemble know me know you and from the cringeworthy introduction to the total humiliation of cavett by his guest . even the orchestra get in on the act and play circus music while falk and cassavetes and their friend ben gazzara fool about and ridicule the host . it might not be strictly relevant to this review and but the cavett show clip give a nice insight into the deep friendship and professional relationship between peter falk and john cassavetes . it clear to see from the quality of etude in black just how well the pair work together .