Recap / Columbo S 05 E 03

Episode: Season 5, Episode 3
Title:"Identity Crisis"
Directed by: Patrick McGoohan
Written by: William Driskill
Air Date: November 2, 1975
Previous: A Case of Immunity
Next: A Matter of Honor
Guest Starring: Patrick McGoohan, Leslie Nielsen, Barbara Rhoades, Bruce Kirby

"Identity Crisis" is the third episode of the fifth season of Columbo.

"Geromino", a CIA spy who has stolen the identity of an advertising exec named A.J. Henderson (Leslie Nielsen), arrives in Los Angeles and seeks out "Colorado", real name Nelson Brenner (Patrick McGoohan). It seems that some time ago while on an operation in South America, "Henderson" and Brenner scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars in a currency scheme, and Henderson wants his cut. Brenner puts him off, instead getting Henderson to assist in a meeting to obtain some secret microfilm. As it turns out, there is no secret microfilm; the mission was just an excuse to lure Henderson to a rendezvous below the Santa Monica Pier, where Brenner murders him.

That area is so frequented by muggers that it's actually known as "Muggers' Haven". Everyone assumes that the man known as "Henderson" was killed by a mugger—everyone except for Lt. Columbo, who as usual notices the odd details, like the two halves of a broken poker chip near the body, or how the dead man's jacket was removed.

Second guest appearance for Leslie Nielsen, who previously starred in Season 1 episode "Lady in Waiting"—Leslie Nielsen Syndrome wouldn't kick in until 1980 and Airplane!. Second guest appearance for Patrick McGoohan, who played the killer in Season 4 episode "By Dawn's Early Light" and would appear as a Columbo murderer twice more. First of five Columbo episodes directed by McGoohan.

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Tropes:

• The Alleged Car: Another instance of the Running Gag with Columbo's rusty old Peugeot. When Brenner walks Columbo to the Peugeot he says "This will be your car." Columbo cheerfully replies that there are only three like it left in the country.
• Amusement Park: The Long Beach Amusement Park serves as the setting for Brenner and Henderson's Overt Rendezvous.
• As Long as It Sounds Foreign: A few times, Brenner speaks something vaguely Asian-sounding to his house servants. It's actually gibberish that McGoohan made up on the spot.
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • The comments about China pulling out of the Olympics, first reported in a news bulletin the morning after the murder. This is how Columbo gets Brenner in the end. Brenner's alibi was that he was writing his boss's speech. But he wrote into the speech a joke about the Chinese withdrawal, when that wasn't announced until the next morning, hours after the murder.
  • Brenner tells Henderson to go unarmed to his meeting with Steinmetz, but Brenner balks at it. Investigating the murder, Columbo wonders why Henderson's jacket was removed. When Columbo finally gets Brenner to confess, he asks why he took off Henderson's jacket—and the answer is Brenner needed to remove Henderson's gun and shoulder holster, because he'd disregarded Brenner's earlier instruction.
• Distracted by the Sexy: Columbo is inattentive during the questioning of the bartender, as his attention is on the nightclub's belly dancer. He eventually reveals that he was trying to work out what was odd about her performance - that, despite her revealing costume and dance, she was actually very shy.
• A Dog Named "Dog": This is the episode where it's confirmed that Columbo's dog, who actually isn't seen onscreen, is called "Dog".
• Double Agent: Turns out that Brenner is actually a double agent. He is "Steinmetz", the bad guy that the CIA is hunting, and the person Henderson thinks he's going to meet before Brenner kills him.
• Fall Guy: Lawrence Melville is allegedly hired as a go-between for meetings with Steinmetz. In reality, Brenner set it up so Melville would be seen following Henderson out of the bar just before the murder, and thus become the prime suspect. When Columbo doesn't take the bait, Brenner sets Melville up even further, tricking him into getting in a car crash with Henderson's car, and with Henderson's money and credit cards on his person.
• Going by the Matchbook: The matchbook from Sinbad's nightclub found on Henderson's body leads Columbo and Kramer to that nightclub, where they find a witness who saw Henderson.
• Insistent Terminology: According to the CIA Director, Brenner and Henderson are not "spies", they are "operators".
• Membership Token: Henderson and Brenner's stooge Melville make themselves known to each other at the rendezvous by matching the halves of a broken poker chip.
• Navel-Deep Neckline: Joyce the busty photographer (Barbara Rhoades) is wearing a sort of vest that is actually open down to her navel. Naturally, she bends over for the camera.
• No Name Given: We never do find out the real name of the spy billing himself as "A.J. Henderson."
• No Sense of Personal Space: Columbo is at a gas station, when Brenner unexpectedly greets him from within his car: rather than waving back, or standing by the car to talk, the detective comes closer, and closer, and sticks his head through the right window all the way until he's a couple inches away from Brenner. Justified since they were talking about rather sensitive information.
• Overt Rendezvous: Brenner meets Henderson at the amusement park. Henderson doesn't like it, sarcastically suggesting they could meet at a busy freeway instead, but Brenner explains that he prefers to meet in public places. This comes back to hurt him when a photographer working for the park snaps a picture of him and Henderson together. Brenner buys the photo and the original negative from her... but unknown to him, he and Henderson appear in the backgrounds of several other photos, which is enough for Columbo to prove the meeting took place.
• Plot Hole: A fairly weak gotcha. Columbo blows up Brenner's alibi by noting that he wrote a joke about the Chinese "may withdraw from the Olympics" in the present tense, which wasn't announced until the morning after the murder. But Brenner could have parried by saying either he had advance knowledge of the Chinese withdrawal through his CIA connections, or that he was simply making a cynical prediction.
• Pool Scene: When Columbo first arrives at Brenner's lavish mansion there's a party going, with lots of attractive people in swimwear by the pool.
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Henderson was thought to have been killed in South America, which is why Brenner is unpleasantly surprised when he turns up and demands his cut.
• Revealing Cover-Up: Brenner removes Henderson's gun and shoulder holster as part of his ploy to disguise the murder as a mugging gone wrong. But he has to remove Henderson's jacket to get the holster off, and he's interrupted before he can put the jacket back on the body. Columbo wonders why the jacket was taken off, and quickly deduces this wasn't a mugging.
• Shout-Out: To McGoohan's most famous role on The Prisoner. Several times he says goodbye by saying "Be seeing you," which was a Catchphrase on that show. Brenner is also dressed for his first meeting with Henderson in a blue piped jacket similar to the one that Number Six wore on The Prisoner.
• Special Guest: Nielsen gets a "Special Guest Appearance" credit.
• Spy Speak: Brenner and Henderson identify themselves to each other by saying "Colorado is a river" and "Geronimo is an Indian". Colorado and Geronimo are their CIA code names.
• Stealing from the Till: The motive, although you might miss it if you don't pay close attention to the dialogue: Brenner and Henderson stole a whole lot of money as part of some currency scheme in South America, and Henderson wants his money.
• Wig, Dress, Accent: For his identity as "Steinmetz", Brenner puts on a fake beard and glasses and nose and wig, when meeting Lawrence Melville.

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