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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 277345" data-attributes="member: 23">Any Old Port In A Storm continuedEven for Columbo, taking a suspect out to dinner to set them up is an extreme, but the restaurant scene is without question one of the best in Columbo history. All the pieces are carefully laid out, with Columbo asking to speak to the wine waiter beforehand. Carsini on his guard is at his most delightfully mercurial, and he sets the tone on arrival by immediately berating the waiter for daring to seat him near the kitchen. I don’t think he actually says “Don’t you know who I am”, but that’s the essence. And it’s very clear that the waiter does know who he is and wouldn’t have dreamt of seating Carsini there had he known because it’s more than his life is worth. Donald Pleasance has everything going on in this moment: the control and power (it’s clear he’s spent years making the staff aware of his foibles in order that they can give him the level of service to which he feels he is entitled); the mercurial nature (he swings between shouted outburst and warm, polite conversation). Naturally this amazing scene builds to a memorable and hugely entertaining climax:[MEDIA=youtube]OQ6ibOT4gVE[/MEDIA]As a viewer, I like to be surprised, but I also enjoy when the writers allow me to feel a bit clever by spelling it out without initially saying it. This was the case with the port. At some point during the scene I realised it was going to be from Carsini’s cellar, taken while Columbo was “locked” in. And this added to my enjoyment. The Gotcha was enjoyable enough, as Columbo waited at Carsini’s car on the clifftop as he returned for more spoilt wine to destroy (with a nice zoom for effect). All the “T”s were crossed and the “I”s dotted, with Carsini even agreeing to give a confession. But this episode went one better with a post-Gotcha scene, which would be unnecessary in most episodes. We saw the two bonding over a drink chosen by Columbo, having studied well. It harks back to earlier episodes in which Columbo often bonded with his quarry over a drink mid-episode. Here it made an already satisfying episode even more so. The “Liquid filth” scene might be more memorable, but this final scene shows us a real depth to both characters, with great chemistry between the actors. It’s one of those episodes that I felt really sorry to leave, and so this final scene of Carsini accepting his fate, while feeling reflectively sad to leave the vineyard in other hands, was most bittersweet, quite touching and very welcome. </blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?