No Time to Die story
Columbo attends the wedding of his police officer nephew Andy Parma. While Andy is showering, his new bride Melissa Hayes, a fashion model, is abducted from the bridal suite. Andy enlists Columbo's help in catching the kidnapper. Melissa has been kidnapped by Rudy Strassa, a sadistic psychopath who intends to kill her once he consummates "their marriage". This episode is based on the 87th Precinct novel So Long As You Both Shall Live by Ed McBain, although not credited as such. Uncharacteristically dark, this is the only episode in which no murder occurs and in which Columbo does not meet the criminal. Directed by: Alan J. Levi. Story by: Ed McBain, Robert van Scoyk.
12 total · 3 choice · 6 major · 3 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| crime against the person | choice | The sadistic lunatic Rudy Strassa abducted Melissa on her wedding night. |
| obsessive love | choice | The story concerned Rudy Strassa's unwholesome infatuation with the fashion model Melissa Hayes. He abducted her on her wedding night, and held her captive, declared her marriage invalid, and planned to marry her himself before slitting her throat from ear to ear. |
| what if I fell into the clutches of a homicidal maniac | choice | Melissa was held captive my a sadistic lunatic who was intent on slitting her throat from ear to ear, after consummating what he considered to be their marriage. |
| coping with a loved one being in peril | major | Andy was devastated by the revelation that his bride had been kidnapped on their wedding night, and worked closely with his fellow law enforcement officers to effect her rescue. |
| human vs. captivity | major | Melissa was held captive my a sadistic lunatic who was intent on slitting her throat from ear to ear, after consummating what he considered to be their marriage. She took such measures to escape her captivity as applying vinegar to the rusted hinges of a door. |
| law enforcement | major | Lt. Columbo led a police investigation to rescue his nephew's new bride from the clutches of a sadistic lunatic who was hellbent on slitting her throat from ear to ear after forcibly marrying her. |
| newlywed couple | major | Andy and Melissa's wedding night was ruined when a sadistic lunatic kidnapped Melissa just minutes before the happy couple were to consummate their holy union. |
| sexual assault | major | The sadistic lunatic Rudy Strassa abducted Melissa and intended to have his way with her before slitting her throat from ear to ear. |
| uncle and nephew | major | The story follows Columbo and his nephew, Andy, as they team up to rescue Andy's new bride from the clutches of a sadistic lunatic. |
| marriage ceremony | minor | The story opened with Andy and Melissa's wedding party. Columbo reminisced about waltzing with Mrs. Columbo at their wedding reception which the viewer learns had been held in an Italian restaurant. |