#14.8.26

it does in fact just seem like we're doing the part in a re:zero story where we've figured all the stuff out so the narrative just smoothly progresses to the end huh, but 7 more episodes of this arc so who can say for sure.

IT'S SO FUCKING RETRO HOLY SHIT

Reflections on the end of 70s Columbo to come later, for now the episode. I did broadly like this. Devlin is legitimately quite charismatic and I think has a good rapport with Columbo, a particular highlight to me comes in the scene wherein the latter phones in on Devlin's radio show, and he bares some of himself and the philosophies he admires out to the world, it's genuinely characterful. The setting is also very unique, I'd compare it to doing what diplomatic immunity did almost but I think a bit more interestingly grounded. The titular conspiracy involving gunrunning to Northern Ireland during the Irish Troubles is a very tense and thrilling one to follow, and the two-faced nature of the Friends of Ireland "pacifist organisation" being the one doing it is good, in general although they don't appear very frequently I enjoyed the supporting cast. Yet another favourite aspect of this episode is the desperation from Devlin as the situation turns from bad to worse - trying all manner of illegal arms dealers to load onto the ship, and the panic following as the ship is secured and everything on it investigating. It's good stuff. If I can make a broad statement I prefer my Columbo murderers to be caught more in this type of ensuing chaos of the murder, rather than making a bunch of flubs at the start. In that sense the main thing holding this episode back for me are just the mistakes Devlin makes extremely early on that get Columbo on his tail to begin with. I don't like to suggest it's a problem with an episode if a murderer has a few slip-ups but I do just find it more enjoyable when the chase is a little harder, you know? Devlin shouldn't have left the bottle with his fingerprints all over it at the scene of the crime, and he shouldn't have lied about knowing Pauley to Columbo. He doesn't need to know the man well he just needs to say "that name's familiar, oh I think I signed for him just the other day". Knowing him doesn't mean he killed him, you know? A few of the usual problems with longer episodes too, while I did like Devlin seeking other arms dealers the fact that the first guy he talks to kinda just comes back later makes me think you could have cut a whole lot of that stuff, and Columbo's little library visit where the gag is just "lol he's horny" just kinda sucked. Neither of those bad enough to hurt the episode overall though, and I'd call it one of the better ones. Gaming.

you see he's kind of the goat