Mistakes And Crime
Some of the best things that have ever happened to me in my life happened because of a mistake: like the time I went to get the bus, tripped over and smacked my face into the ground and awoke with blood in my mouth and my eyes feasting upon a twenty pound note! That never would have happened had I actually got the bus, would it? No, I’d have ended up spending money if anything–
Now, the following post was a mistake.
But in this case I have to stand up and say it was a naughty thing to do: posting on a Columbo forum about something entirely non-related to the great detective? That’s just wrong! I dread to think of all the people who clicked on this link hoping it to be a joke and were met with quite the opposite!
That said, Columbo would probably be proud of such a thing, wouldn’t he? He was a great lover of tangents after all. You could say he practically invented tangents and being ridiculously vague for TV. I can’t recall one episode which didn’t see Columbo talking about something that had absolutely nothing to do with the case in hand. Columbo proved that it wasn’t about the destination, it was about going wherever the mood took you; if it takes all day then what the hell!
Maybe that’s what is missing with modern crime drama: it’s just all so predictable, isn’t it? You know how things will pan out, it’s obvious within the first five minutes. That’s what I loved the most about Columbo, among his amazing catch-phrases. Yes–Often you knew how it would turn out, but getting there was a fun thing to be a part of. All hail Columbo! He knew how to be different and he didn’t give a monkeys what anyone thought.