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I can’t believe I missed this! I loved your writing and as a fellow old I also loved Columbo. I’d be lying if I didn’t love “lesser” detective series as well though. Just watching this list of guest stars makes my eyes tear up.
Gwen Ihnat
gihnat
Gwen Ihnat has been an A.V. Club member since 2013. Also member of the Television Critics Association. Current recapper of And Just Like That…, epic chronicler of Gilmore Girls.
Not to sound snarky at all, but I thought Gwen already left. Read more
Gwen thank you for one last fun ride, nostalgic with a personal touch. Loved seeing the clips—my late mother was a fan, I watched many of these as a youngster, and I enjoy seeing all the retro looks. Read more
Well, this is a mixed blessing, a terrific article on a truly brilliant piece of TV, and some smart observations on the added footage which I never noticed before, but it’s your last piece! Read more
Ironically, the absolute worst episode of Columbo (older or newer) was also an episode with a close friend directing, Patrick McGoohan.
s5e06 “Last Salute to the Commodore” was filmed as a likely series finale with Falk heading back to make movies. For that reason, they decided to change it up and go off formula. Read more
Thanks for all of your great work. Best of luck, and I will be looking for your byline in the future.
Gwen, you’ve been one of my favorite writers across all the sites for a while. Maybe it’s being a fellow old in watching shows that don’t have splosions and shallow characters, or maybe it’s that you put an awful lot of work in to whatever you do. Read more
I can’t guarantee it 100%, but I strongly suspect this will be my last ever comment at this site, after near two decades. I will miss your work, Gwen, and this site as it was. Read more
Great article.
And being of the same era, I think what a lot of us loved about Columbo was how it didn’t insult its viewers’ intelligence. Faulk had a great way of connecting with the audience. I was always disappointed when Sunday was an episode of McCloud or McMillan.
They tried to reproduce that Sunday vibe on… Read more
I’ll admit, it’s getting harder to visit the GMG site, now that all the best writers are leaving nearly every week. Read more
Good article. Sorry to see you go, but I understand why.
As a child in the 1970s I though Columbo was a transformative show that I loved. His hidden unassuming brilliance really stuck with this under 10 year old. I remembered some episodes all the way until my 50 when I got to pandemic binge them all on Peacock. Thanks for this and good luck.
https://columbopodcast.com/ Read more
It’s great to see these two friends on each others turf, here and in Cassavetes’ own films. Falk talks about the relationship at length in the doc A Constant Forge, and other places, for those who want more. Thanks for a great article, and best wishes going forward!
Great send off article! Wave goodbye to the smart site you started with and hold your head up to start another chapter. G/O is a shitshow that doesn’t deserve your attention.
The 70's Columbo episodes worked so much better then the 90's ones. I think one of the overlooked reasons was the sound design had changed. There is something comforting about 70's tv sound design. It almost has an ASMR quality to it. On a side note did anyone really like McLoud?
I’ll miss your writing. Be well, and good luck.
I can hardly think of a better show to go out on. Thanks for all the writing over the years, and best wishes on your next (current?) venture.
Definitely one of the top 5 episodes. The final scene is chilling, with Benedict whispering in his wife’s ear, then saluting her with his baton and giving her a wink. Just brilliant.
Damn, one of the few worthwhile writers left over on this website. Guess it’s Barsanti all the way down from here. Read more