Make Me a Perfect Murder

Make Me a Perfect Murder sees Columbo take on the television industry. I remember watching this as a kid because of the final shot of the ring on the corner of the screen.

Kay Freestone (Trish Van Devere) is a determined television executive in California, taking the reins of an expensive television movie in the editing suite. Her boss Mark McAndrews (Laurence Luckinbill) has been given a promotion by the network in New York. Kay is her secret lover and expects to go to New York with him or at least get his job in California.

He gives her neither, citing issues in the way she works and makes decision meaning she is not ready to step up. As they were lovers maybe Mark should had told her of her faults earlier and how to remedy it because he ends up getting shot dead.

Personally I think Kay should had got away with the murder as Columbo should had been jailed for the way he was driving so recklessly early on in the episode!

When Kay is temporarily put in charge in the California station, she proves that Mark's criticism was correct. She makes mistakes, she is seen as cold blooded. Then she has Columbo on her case who uses his guile to trap her.

The episode needed to be tighter and some of Columbo's shtick seems to be wearing thin. There was no need for that bad driving scene.