This is so nice Columbo episode for sure. Although the surrender of the murderer at the end was easy as usual, like we'll never watch one car chase at the end of any Columbo's episodes!, but solving the mystery was fun, the scenery from that ship was fabulous, (Peter Falk) is genius as ever, (Robert Vaughn) as the killer was at his ordinary level as icy actor, however with little progress because of the "Falk" presence.
Then we come to the matter of the mysterious Mrs. Columbo. Well, that's a puzzle in itself. Why this lady is that invisible?! At the first episodes, whenever Columbo talks and talks about her along with his endless talking about his relatives, cousins and God knows who else, I thought that they were all lies as tricks to distract the killer or to make the wicked conversion longer. So all of those characters is nothing but his own useful fictions, especially when he didn't ever wear a ring on his hand!
I thought that they intended to make it his own fantasy. Like in season 1 of "Scrubs", when they wanted to make The Janitor as a complete figment of JD's imagination (but they didn't), and as the last scene of earlier episode, (Columbo: Dead Weight - 1971), where he was lightening a sad women by a story about his niece Marilyn, and when the women doubts the truth of that story she asks him: "Do you really have a niece?", he tells her seriously: "Of course, and her name is Nancy!", so in (Troubled Waters) on the cruise which Columbo and wife were having together, we finally had the opportunity to see that alleged wife after 7 years of Columbo's first emergence in (Prescription: Murder - 1968), and 7 years of talking about her, but we've seen nothing at all!
I believe they made it like that as a nice suspense which turned out to be just a gimmick at the end, putting in mind that she didn't have even one appearance in any of Columbo's episodes. Such as other gimmicks of the same time: Charlie in (Charlie's Angels), Robin Masters in (Magnum. P. I), although in those two cases we heard the voice, but in this mystery lady's situation we didn't even hear a thing!
And I hated when they made a show named (Mrs. Columbo). I don't believe for a second that his wife is a detective too! The man can't live it this way, even if he loves the investigation work that much. I always think that he goes home to rest, not to continue the work with the wife. That will be a nightmare already! Moreover, I felt that the whole thing was cheap profiteering from the success of Columbo's character, episodes and name; which simply confirmed, as an early proof, that Columbo was the best and the most popular among all the era's TV detectives (McMillan & Wife), (McCloud), (Quincy M. E.), and so on.
Troubled Waters is not super (Columbo) movie, however smart and watchable, and for me, it thrilled me by the matter of the wife appearance more than the real mystery itself!
PS: when (Columbo) was going to meet (Hayden Danziger) during some festival on the ship, wearing a nice colored shirt (rare time to see him without the familiar eternal outfit), the people on the ship, whom seemed like real ones not extras at all, just stopped to shake hands with him as (Peter Falk), because nobody knows (Columbo) on the ship that much! So as the camera rolling, you'll observe quickly his factual modest smile.. I think that's real piece of trivia for you.
Then we come to the matter of the mysterious Mrs. Columbo. Well, that's a puzzle in itself. Why this lady is that invisible?! At the first episodes, whenever Columbo talks and talks about her along with his endless talking about his relatives, cousins and God knows who else, I thought that they were all lies as tricks to distract the killer or to make the wicked conversion longer. So all of those characters is nothing but his own useful fictions, especially when he didn't ever wear a ring on his hand!
I thought that they intended to make it his own fantasy. Like in season 1 of "Scrubs", when they wanted to make The Janitor as a complete figment of JD's imagination (but they didn't), and as the last scene of earlier episode, (Columbo: Dead Weight - 1971), where he was lightening a sad women by a story about his niece Marilyn, and when the women doubts the truth of that story she asks him: "Do you really have a niece?", he tells her seriously: "Of course, and her name is Nancy!", so in (Troubled Waters) on the cruise which Columbo and wife were having together, we finally had the opportunity to see that alleged wife after 7 years of Columbo's first emergence in (Prescription: Murder - 1968), and 7 years of talking about her, but we've seen nothing at all!
I believe they made it like that as a nice suspense which turned out to be just a gimmick at the end, putting in mind that she didn't have even one appearance in any of Columbo's episodes. Such as other gimmicks of the same time: Charlie in (Charlie's Angels), Robin Masters in (Magnum. P. I), although in those two cases we heard the voice, but in this mystery lady's situation we didn't even hear a thing!
And I hated when they made a show named (Mrs. Columbo). I don't believe for a second that his wife is a detective too! The man can't live it this way, even if he loves the investigation work that much. I always think that he goes home to rest, not to continue the work with the wife. That will be a nightmare already! Moreover, I felt that the whole thing was cheap profiteering from the success of Columbo's character, episodes and name; which simply confirmed, as an early proof, that Columbo was the best and the most popular among all the era's TV detectives (McMillan & Wife), (McCloud), (Quincy M. E.), and so on.
Troubled Waters is not super (Columbo) movie, however smart and watchable, and for me, it thrilled me by the matter of the wife appearance more than the real mystery itself!
PS: when (Columbo) was going to meet (Hayden Danziger) during some festival on the ship, wearing a nice colored shirt (rare time to see him without the familiar eternal outfit), the people on the ship, whom seemed like real ones not extras at all, just stopped to shake hands with him as (Peter Falk), because nobody knows (Columbo) on the ship that much! So as the camera rolling, you'll observe quickly his factual modest smile.. I think that's real piece of trivia for you.