The newer Columbo episodes are not consistent in quality, though fortunately this particular one is pretty entertaining. It's not a perfect episode. For starters, while it was established in the 1970s episodes that Columbo is fluent in Italian, in this episode it's illustrated that he doesn't know the language at all. Also, the way that Columbo manages to get the killer at the very end somewhat smells of entrapment, if not very elaborate and unbelievable. Fortunately, the merit in the episode manages to outweigh the shortcomings. Columbo may be older, but he's still sharp and at the top of his game, and his method of operation here is for the most part plausible. And while actor Rod Steiger at this stage of his career was best known for hammy performances, here he tones it down considerably and makes his mob boss character interesting. This is not a classic episode of the series, but it shows that even in 1995 there was still life in our favorite television detective.
Review of Strange Bedfellows
