History Recap / ColumboS07E02

Creator/LouisJourdan (''Film/{{Gigi}}'') is Paul Gerard, snooty, highbrow restaurant critic. His opinion is important, important enough that certain restaurant owners have been paying him sizeable kickbacks in return for good reviews and to prevent bad reviews. One restaurateur, Vittorio Rossi (Michael V. Gazzo, who played Frankie Pentangeli in ''[[Film/TheGodfather The Godfather, Part II]]''), has had enough of Gerard's extortion scheme. He says that not only will he no longer give payoffs to Gerard, he will expose Gerard and ruin him.

Since this is an episode of ''Columbo'' Gerard decides on murder. Gerard meets Rossi for dinner and poisons the wine (just how is not revealed until the end) with poison extracted from a Japanese fugu fish. Lt. Columbo of the LAPD is naturally suspicious of Gerard, the man that Rossi had dinner with and had an argument with. He discovers that Gerard knows how to prepare fugu and that Gerard was using his secretary Eve (Shera Danese, in her second ''Columbo'' appearance and one month after she married Peter Falk) in a money-laundering scheme involving the payoffs from the restaurateurs...but can he prove murder?

* SexySecretary: The gorgeous Eve, who is eager to be Gerard's lover as well as his secretary but is actually only a pawn in his money laundering. When she finds this out from Columbo, she quits.

Creator/LouisJourdan (''Film/{{Gigi}}'') is Paul Gerard, snooty, highbrow restaurant critic. His opinion is important, important enough that certain restaurant owners have been paying him sizeable kickbacks in return for good reviews and to prevent bad reviews. One restaurateur, Vittorio Rossi (Michael V. Gazzo, who played Frankie Pentangeli in ''[[Film/TheGodfather The Godfather, PartII]]''), has had enough of Gerard's extortion scheme. He says that not only will he no longer give payoffs to Gerard, he will expose Gerard and ruin him.

Creator/LouisJourdan (''Film/{{Gigi}}'') is Paul Gerard, snooty, highbrow restaurant critic. His opinion is important, important enough that certain restaurant owners have been paying him sizeable kickbacks in return for good reviews and to prevent bad reviews. One restaurateur, Vittorio Rossi (Michael V. Gazzo, who played Frankie Pentangeli in ''Film/TheGodfatherPartII''), has had enough of Gerard's extortion scheme. He says that not only will he no longer give payoffs to Gerard, he will expose Gerard and ruin him.

Louis Jourdan (''Film/{{Gigi}}'') is Paul Gerard, snooty, highbrow restaurant critic. His opinion is important, important enough that certain restaurant owners have been paying him sizeable kickbacks in return for good reviews and to prevent bad reviews. One restaurateur, Vittorio Rossi (Michael V. Gazzo, who played Frankie Pentangeli in ''Film/TheGodfatherPartII''), has had enough of Gerard's extortion scheme. He says that not only will he no longer give payoffs to Gerard, he will expose Gerard and ruin him.

Guest Starring: Louis Jourdan, Michael V. Gazzo, Shera Danese, Creator/{{Mako}}]

Guest Starring: Louis Jourdan, Michael V. Gazzo, Shera Danese, {{Mako}}]

{{Mako}} appears in one scene as Mr. Ozu, a visiting Japanese businessman who enjoys fugu with Gerard. Creator/JonathanDemme, who directed, would go on to a hugely successful movie career. Fugu poisoning was also the plot of [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E11OneFishTwoFishBlowfishBlueFish an episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.

Louis Jourdan (''Film/{{Gigi}}'') is Paul Gerard, snooty, highbrow restaurant critic. His opinion is important, important enough that certain restaurant owners have been paying him sizeable kickbacks in return for good reviews and to prevent bad reviews. One restaurateur, Vittorio Rossi (Michael V. Gazzo, who played Frankie Pentangeli in ''Film/TheGodfatherPartII''), has had enough of Gerard's extortion scheme. He says that not only will he no longer give payoffs to Gerard, he will expose Gerard and ruin him.

Since this is an episode of ''Columbo'' Gerard decides on murder. Gerard meets Rossi for dinner and poisons the wine (just how is not revealed until the end) with poison extracted from a Japanese fugu fish. Lt. Columbo of the LAPD is naturally suspicious of Gerard, the man that Rossi had dinner with and had an argument with. He discovers that Gerard knows how to prepare fugu and that Gerard was using his secretary Eve (Shera Danese, in her second ''Columbo'' appearance and one month after she married Peter Falk) in a money-laundering scheme involving the payoffs from the restaurateurs...but can he prove murder?

{{Mako}} appears in one scene as Mr. Ozu, a visiting Japanese businessman who enjoys fugu with Gerard. Creator/JonathanDemme, who directed, would go on to a hugely successful movie career. Fugu poisoning was also the plot of [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E11OneFishTwoFishBlowfishBlueFish an episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.

'''Columbo''': Mainly because he was murdered, sir. The two, trouble and murder, they seem to go together.
* FoodPorn: The whole episode, starting with the Italian meal Rossi and Gerard have right before Rossi dies, the fugu that Ozu and Gerard have, the procession of fancy foods at the banquet, and the veal scallopini that Columbo prepares for Gerard as he explains how Gerard pulled off the murder. Columbo even gets offered delicious cake at the bank.

* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: Ozu asks "Do you have a hot suspect?" Columbo answers "Well, I've got my eyes on one," and then looks straight at Gerard.
* PoisonedChaliceSwitcheroo: Although really an unnecessary one. Columbo switches out the wine glasses and then drinks his wine. As Gerard is reaching for his glass Columbo warns him not to drink, and then explains that the poisoned wine will send him to jail.
* SexySecretary: The gorgeous Eve, who is eager to be Gerard's lover as well as his secretary but is actually only a pawn in his money laundering. When she finds this out from Columbo, she quits.
* TakeThisJobAndShoveIt: Eve has found out how Gerard is manipulating her. After Columbo gives his speech about Rossi at the writer's dinner, she says "That was a lovely speech. Would you like to hear mine? I quit."

* YouJustToldMe: Columbo suspects that Eve is "Irene [=DeMilo=]", the person with access to the slush fund from the payoff checks. After a little casual chatting Columbo does his AndAnotherThing thing, calling out "Oh Mrs. [=DeMilo=]?" Eve says "Yes Lieut--" and then stops, realizing she has been caught.