Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo story
The episode is partially told in flashbacks from the funeral of Columbo's wife. Vivian Dimitri is a real-estate executive whose recently deceased husband had been sent to prison by Columbo. She seeks revenge by plotting to kill the Columbos. But first she murders her boss, Charlie Chambers, her husband's partner who avoided prison by informing on him. Vivian shoots Chambers in his office, using her affair with married Leland St. John to establish an alibi. Then she plants evidence to make it look like Chambers was killed by disgruntled residents of a new housing development he was constructing. Her plan is then to kill the Columbos with a jar of poisoned marmalade. Roscoe Lee Browne plays her psychiatrist, Dr. Steadman. Final clue/twist: Figuring out Dimitri's plan, Columbo and the police fake the death of his wife. After the big "funeral", Columbo invites Vivian into what she thinks is his house. He makes himself toast with marmalade. While Columbo pretends to be dying of poison, Dimitri confesses to all three murders. He then breaks character, and tells her that he'd suspected her all along, and had the marmalade tested as soon as she gave it to him. They are actually in the home of another officer, who recorded the confession, and the marmalade jar is a different one. Directed by: Vincent McEveety. Story by: Peter S. Fischer.
19 total · 3 choice · 5 major · 11 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| coping with the death of a spouse | choice | The viewer is led to believe that Columbo was torn up over the sudden and unexpected passing of his beloved wife, Mrs. Columbo. The story's villain Vivian Dimitri was hell-bent on exacting revenge on those she held responsible for her husband dying in prison. |
| how to murder someone and get away with it | choice | The real-estate executive Vivian Dimitri hatched an elaborate plot to kill Columbo and his wife by means of a poisoned jar of marmalade. She first, however, shot her boss, Charlie Chambers, dead while it seemed she was out having dinner with a love interest, thus securing an ironclad alibi for herself. |
| the desire for vengeance | choice | The story turns on Vivian Dimitri exacting revenge on those she held responsible for her beloved husband dying in a California prison. In particular, she shot Charlie dead for ratting out her husband, and tried to dispatch Columbo's wife by means of a poisoned jar of marmalade to get back at him for playing a prominent role in putting her husband behind bars. She tried to take out Columbo with the same poisoned marmalade when the opportunity presented itself. |
| extramarital affair | major | The story's villain Vivian Dimitri maintained a relationship with the married man, Leland St. John, to secure an alibi for her homicidal antics. |
| framing someone for a crime | major | The story's villain Vivian Dimitri went to elaborate lengths to frame Mr. Connolly for murder the murder of her boss, Charlie Chambers. Mr. Connolly's bad temper combined with his having made an unhinged threat on Mr. Chamber's life made him an easy target. Columbo, however, didn't buy it for a moment. |
| law enforcement | major | The bumbling but sharp-witted homicide detective Lt. Columbo was tasked with solving the following murder mystery: was the real-estate executive Charlie Chambers shot dead by a disgruntled resident of a new housing development that Charlie was building, or was the resident perhaps being framed by the real killer? |
| obsession | major | The story's villain Vivian Dimitri became obsessed with exacting revenge on those she held responsible for her beloved husband dying in a California prison. In fact, she became so hell-bent on it that she didn't care whether she ended up in prison herself. |
| poison murder | major | The story's villain Vivian Dimitri hatched a plot to take out Columbo and his wife by gifting them a poisoned jar of marmalade. |
| corporate executive | minor | The story's villain Vivian Dimitri was a real-estate executive. In one scene, she was show assessing a property before putting it on the market. |
| embezzlement | minor | It came to light that Pete Garibaldi had embezzled money from his clients. |