Columbo: Negative Reaction

Dick Van Dyke does a very good job at portraying a hen-pecked photographer who develops a nastily effective plot to dispose of his wife and implicate a recently-released prisoner.

Virtually flawless in plot and script, Columbo is at his most irritatingly mischievous here as the clues start accumulating in a crisp, well thought-out and well-timed manner (the newspaper clippings which are presented later in the episode is priceless).

As with all vintage Columbo episodes there is wonderful comedy too - Columbo goes to quiz a driving instructor whose car has broken down and he has to give him a lift; the ensuing moments see the driving instructor condemning Columbo's wayward driving to the point of complete and utter intolerance.

The ending is very neat and unpredictable, and is underpinned with significant irony as Columbo's newly-discovered knowledge of photography comes in extremely handy!