this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2026
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Columbo

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I have no stance on this, and love that it could be either. Is he skirting by on coincidences that he runs into, or is he highly intelligent, observant and skilled, and lulls the perps into a false sense of security?

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[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago

That one is an especially niche happenstance but a lot of things happen to a person during the day or week, and it takes a certain kind of mind to turn those little bits of information into insights that can help solve a murder. The director focuses us on the moments which will move the story, whether that's the random person in the elevator or the parking ticket or the dentist appointment.

Also there's a compression that's necessary in episodic shows, especially those old ones people didn't stream in a binge. In a realer world, Columbo's cheekbite might have happened a month earlier but he'd remember it when he saw the victim's wound. In a modern show they might even have it happen 3 episodes back, because they know you will remember it from yesterday, not having to hope you recall it a month later.

Columbo is a packrat of details, observations, nuances and coincidences. And he's expert at making smug people uncomfortable without ever being rude or claiming to know more than he does.