History Recap / ColumboS08E02

* UngratefulBastard: Early in the episode, Alex's boss asks him if he can speed up the completion of the film from a summer to an Easter release as the board has need of one. Alex declines, suggesting he tell the board Alex is being difficult, and humiliatingly drapes a necklace of paper clips over his neck. [[KickTheSonOfABitch This was apparently one step much too far]], as the boss later invites Alex into his limousine and coldly informs him that henceforth he will only authorize daily payments for Alex's film, essentially crippling production. Alex himself seems to realise his mistake when he's called into the limo, but by then it's much too late.

* {{Symbolism}}: Invoked. Alex uses a spotlight and shadows from a picket fence to give the illusion that he and Columbo are on different sides of an actual picket fence. In this little mind game, it's a question as to which one is on the "free" side of the fence and which one is on the "imprisoned" side of the fence. Is Columbo Alex's prisoner, or is he Columbo's prisoner? To drive the point home, the picket fence ''does'' resemble bars of a prison cell. When Columbo tries to reason that they could just move away from the fence to be free of this "prison", Alex points out that by leaving the spotlight it would just symbolize one of them dying, or even Columbo losing his case. And to drive home his veiled threat to Columbo, Alex says he can destroy our detective with but one word: "Kill (the spotlight)!" Cue the two of them being bathed in darkness.

* UngratefulBastard: Early in the episode, Alex's boss asks him if he can speed up the completion of the film from a summer to an Easter release as the board has need of one. Alex declines, suggesting he tell the board Alex is being difficult, and humiliatingly drapes a necklace of paper clips over his neck. [[KickTheSonOfABitch This was apparently one step much too far]], as the boss later invites Alex into his limousine and coldly informs him that henceforth he will only authorize daily payments for Alex's film, essentially crippling production. Alex himself seems to realise his mistake when he's called into the limo, but by then it's much too late.

* AlwaysABiggerFish: Alex uses the fact that he's a superstar director to get his way for much of the episode, but after getting on his boss's bad side he's quickly put in his place towards the end of the episode by the boss dramatically reducing his financial support.
* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: Alex's personal secretary invites him to lunch, where she "casually" observes that she was quite surprised that Alex left some details out concerning Leonard's visit to him. Alex quickly asks if she's interested in an all expenses paid trip around the world, which she naturally finds appealing. Unluckily for Alex, it's a trap: at Columbo's behest she attempted to pressure him into offering her a bribe for her silence.

* AGodAmI: Alex effectively sees himself as God in regards to anything having to do with him, applying his directorial skills to manipulating everyone around him and going on philosophical rants about reality via light and shadow, with him as the light and everyone else as the shadow that he can make and unmake at will. Columbo solves the case by stealing Alex's position and the light and leaving him a mere shadow, breaking him into pure silence.
* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: Leonard very foolishly does this to himself when he says to Alex, "I couldn't tell anyone! Not until I could face you."

* LaserGuidedKarma: All of Alex's actions come back to bite him in the end. His ungrateful rejection of a favor for his boss/mentor convinces the latter to ensure Alex's career is ruined, while his soulless manipulation of Ruth and poor treatment of his secretary Rose convince them to join Columbo's show to get Alex to incriminate himself. Even his letting Leonard's sister Jenny die long ago, as beyond being the catalyst for Alex to murder Leonard, the tape of it ends up in Columbo's hands anyway, rendering all of Alex's efforts for naught.

* PlotHole: The episode ends in typical ''Columbo'' "gotcha" style, but Columbo never does anything to place Alex at the murder scene or at the body disposal scene. All he really proves is that Alex tried to misdirect Columbo's investigation. And although this evidence is circumstantial at best, he does have the old footage showing Alex's presence at Jenny's death, which leaves Alex on the hook for negligent manslaughter and establishes a motive for Leonard's death. Either way, Alex's career is over by this point [[note]]In addition, thanks to his insulting treatment of his boss earlier in the episode Alex was being stripped of most of his financial support anyway [[/note]].
* ShoutOut: As Alex is putting the moves on his actress/girlfriend Ruth Jernigan (Molly Hagan), he makes ice cream sundaes for the both of them. She says "So, you ever gonna find true love, Film/AndyHardy?"
* StagingTheEavesdrop: Alex has two actresses sit near Columbo in the commissary and have a conversation designed to mislead his investigation. However Columbo figures out it was staged because one was dressed as a nurse and the other as a bridesmaid, but there were no hospital or wedding scenes being filmed that day.

* UngratefulBastard: Early in the episode, Alex's boss asks him if he can speed up the completion of the film for a summer release as the board has need of one. Alex declines, suggesting he tell the board Alex is being difficult, and humiliatingly drapes a necklace of paper clips over his neck. [[KickTheSonOfABitch This was apparently one step much too far]], as the boss later invites Alex into his limousine and coldly informs him that henceforth he will only authorize daily payments for Alex's film, essentially crippling production. Alex himself seems to realise his mistake when he's called into the limo, but by then it's much too late.

* {{Symbolism}}: Invoked. Alex uses a spotlight and shadows from a picket fence to give the illusion that he and Columbo are on different sides of an actual picket fence. In this little mind game, it's a question as to which one is on the "free" side of the fence and which one is on the "imprisoned" side of the fence. To drive the point home, the picket fence ''does'' resemble bars of a prison cell. When Columbo tries to reason that they could just move away from the fence, Alex points out that by leaving the spotlight it would just symbolize one of them dying. And to drive home his veiled threat to Columbo, Alex says he can destroy our detective with but one word: "Kill (the spotlight)!" Cue the two of them being bathed in darkness.

* DeadManWriting: How the story gets rolling. Alex and Leonard's old friend Buddy Coates, who was wielding the camera that recorded Jenny's fatal accident, apparently felt guilty, and arranged for the film to be sent to Alex after Buddy's death.

* PlotHole: The episode ends in typical ''Columbo'' "gotcha" style, but Columbo never does anything to place Alex at the murder scene or at the body disposal scene. All he really proves is that Alex tried to misdirect Columbo's investigation. And although this evidence is circumstantial at best, he does have the old footage showing Alex's presence at Jenny's death, which leaves Alex on the hook for negligent manslaughter and establishes a motive for Leonard's death. Either way, Alex's career is over by this point.

* UndercoverCopReveal: Done by Columbo, revealing that the busboy and waitress who overheard Alex trying to bribe his secretary were in fact police officers.

Guest Starring: Fisher Stevens, Creator/MollyHagan]

Alex Brady (Creator/{{Fisher Stevens}}) is a hotshot young Hollywood director, currently starting production on a new picture on the Creator/{{Universal}} lot. He is met by an unwelcome visitor from his hometown, one Leonard Fisher. After bailing from the Universal studio tour (he didn't [[Film/AnimalHouse ask for Babs]]), Leonard confronts Alex in Alex's studio bungalow. He reveals a long-hidden 16mm film reel from Alex's past as an aspiring studio filmmaker. It seems that Alex was making an amateur film with Buddy Coates and Leonard's sister Jenny. Jenny attempted a stunt on a motorcycle, but had an accident and was thrown from the motorcycle. Alex and Buddy then left Jenny to die, and made it seem like Jenny died en route to the filming. An enraged Leonard, who came into possession of this incriminating footage upon Buddy's recent death from hepatitis, promises to expose Alex and destroy his career.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

Guest Starring: Fisher Stevens, Creator/MollyHagan

Guest Starring: Fisher Stevens, Molly Hagan]

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Columbo sees the waterbed and says that his wife wanted one. At Alex's suggestion, he tries lying down on it.
--> '''Columbo''': Well to tell you the truth it feels all swimmy. I wonder what Mrs. Columbo had in mind.

Enter Lt. Columbo of the LAPD. It turns out that found next to the body, presumably dropping out of Leonard's sport coat, was a paperback copy of "The Films of Alex Brady" that had Leonard's direct office number written on the inside cover. When interviewing Alex, the lieutenant notices two, not one, incompletely consumed ice cream sundaes on Alex's counter. And then there's the matter of Alex ordering a water truck to wet down the streets of the brownstone set the night before for no particular reason...

* ShoutOut: As Alex is putting the moves on his actress/girlfriend Ruthie (Molly Hagan) he makes ice cream sundaes for the both of them. She says "So, you ever gonna find true love, Film/AndyHardy?"

Alex Brady (Creator/{{Fisher Stevens}}) is a hotshot young Hollywood director, currently starting production on a new picture on the Creator/{{Universal}} lot. He is met by an unwelcome visitor from his hometown, one Leonard Fisher. After bailing from the Universal studio tour (he didn't [[Film/AnimalHouse ask for Babs]]), Leonard confronts Alex in Alex's studio bungalow. He reveals a long-hidden 16mm film reel from Alex's past as an aspiring studio filmmaker. It seems that Alex was making an amateur film with Leonard's sister Jenny. Jenny attempted a stunt on a motorcycle, but had an accident and was thrown from the motorcycle. Alex then left Jenny to die. An enraged Leonard promises to expose Alex and destroy his career.

Alex claims that the film is faked and promises to show Leonard how it was done. In reality, he takes Leonard to the famous Universal "Brownstone Street" set and causes Leonard's death by electrocution when Leonard tries to flee and grasps an electrified gate. Alex then strips Leonard's body of ID, smashes his face to pulp, and dumps him on the beach, hoping to leave Leonard as a John Doe vagrant.

* PlotHole: The episode ends in typical ''Columbo'' "gotcha" style, but Columbo never does anything to place Alex Brady at the murder scene or at the body disposal scene. All he really proves is that Alex tried to misdirect Columbo's investigation. And although this evidence is circumstantial at best, he does have the old footage showing Brady's presence at Jenny's death, which leaves Brady on the hook for negligent manslaughter. Either way, Brady's career is over by this point.

* PlotHole: The episode ends in typical ''Columbo'' "gotcha" style, but Columbo never does anything to place Alex Brady at the murder scene or at the body disposal scene. All he really proves is that Alex tried to misdirect Columbo's investigation.
** Although while his evidence against Brady for the murder of Leonard is circumstantial at best, he does have the old footage showing Brady allowed Jenny to die of an on-set accident, so there's still the matter of a negligent manslaughter charge. Either way, Brady's career is over by this point.

* ShoutOut: As Alex is putting the moves on his actress/girlfriend Ruthie (Molly Hagan) he makes ice cream sundaes for the both of them. She says "So, you ever gonna find true love, Film/AndyHardy?"

* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: Leonard very foolishly does this to himself when he says to Alex "I couldn't tell anyone! Not until I could face you."

* PersonalArcade: Alex's tricked-out bungalow on the Universal lot not only has old-timey arcade games, it has a model train set and a working ice-cream soda fountain.

Alex Brady (Fisher Stevens) is a hotshot young Hollywood director, currently starting production on a new picture on the Creator/{{Universal}} lot. He is met by an unwelcome visitor from his hometown, one Leonard Fisher. After bailing from the Universal studio tour (he didn't [[Film/AnimalHouse ask for Babs]]), Leonard confronts Alex in Alex's studio bungalow. He reveals a long-hidden 16mm film reel from Alex's past as an aspiring studio filmmaker. It seems that Alex was making an amateur film with Leonard's sister Jenny. Jenny attempted a stunt on a motorcycle, but had an accident and was thrown from the motorcycle. Alex then left Jenny to die. An enraged Leonard promises to expose Alex and destroy his career.

* DeadManWriting: How the story gets rolling. Alex and Leonard's old friend Buddy Coates, who was wielding the camera that recorded Jenny's fatal accident, apparently felt guilty, and arranged for the film to be sent to Alex after Buddy's death.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Columbo sees the waterbed and says that his wife wanted one. At Alex's suggestion, he tries lying down on it.
--> '''Columbo''': Well to tell you the truth it feels all swimmy. I wonder what Mrs. Columbo had in mind.
* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: Leonard very foolishly does this to himself when he says to Alex "I couldn't tell anyone! Not until I could face you."

* ShoutOut: As Alex is putting the moves on his actress/girlfriend Ruthie (Molly Hagan) he makes ice cream sundaes for the both of them. She says "So, you ever gonna find true love, Film/AndyHardy?"

* PlotHole: The episode ends in typical ''Columbo'' "gotcha" style, but Columbo never does anything to place Alex Brady at the murder scene or at the body disposal scene. All he really proves is that Alex tried to misdirect Columbo's investigation.

Alex Brady (Fisher Stevens) is a hotshot young Hollywood director, currently starting production on a new picture on the Creator/{{Universal}} lot. He is met by an unwelcome visitor from his hometown, one Leonard Fisher. After bailing from the Universal studio tour (he didn't [[Film/AnimalHouse ask for Babs]]), Leonard confronts Alex in Alex's studio bungalow. He reveals a long-hidden 16mm film reel from Alex's past as an aspiring studio filmmaker. It seems that Alex was making an amateur film with Leonard's sister Jenny. Jenny attempted a stunt on a motorcycle, but had an accident and was thrown from the motorcycle. Alex then left Jenny to die. An enraged Leonard promises to expose Alex and destroy his career.

Alex claims that the film is faked and promises to show Leonard how it was done. In reality, he takes Leonard to the famous Universal "Brownstone Street" set and causes Leonard's death by electrocution when Leonard tries to flee and grasps an electrified gate. Alex then strips Leonard's body of ID, smashes his face to pulp, and dumps him on the beach, hoping to leave Leonard as a John Doe vagrant.

Enter Lt. Columbo of the LAPD. It turns out that found next to the body, presumably dropping out of Leonard's sport coat, was a paperback copy of "The Films of Alex Brady" that had Leonard's direct office number written on the inside cover. When interviewing Alex, the lieutenant notices two, not one, incompletely consumed ice cream sundaes on Alex's counter. And then there's the matter of Alex ordering a water truck to wet down the streets of the brownstone set the night before for no particular reason...

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Brady is a very thinly veiled Creator/StevenSpielberg, wearing Spielberg's trademark glasses. This is doubly ironic as, when Spielberg was working as a TV director before he got famous, he directed the first regular Columbo episode, 1971's "[[Recap/ColumboS01E01 Murder by the Book]]".
* PlotHole: The episode ends in typical ''Columbo'' "gotcha" style, but Columbo never does anything to place Alex Brady at the murder scene or at the body disposal scene. All he really proves is that Alex tried to misdirect Columbo's investigation.