"Last Salute" is an episode directed by Falk's friend McGoohan and from start to finish the viewer can enjoy what is almost a pastiche of a crime mystery. Columbo lingers in the harbor, in no hurry at all, works together with Mac (because his boss insists), makes him drive his car, gets entangled with Robert Vaughn in the car, with the telephone, tries TM on the deck of the boat. He seems in a jolly mood all the time. Note how he touches and lays his arms around everyone in this episode. It is an episode as calming as the waterfront itself. And it probably isn't up to what most viewers expect. But that always is a problem. We need to accept it as a creative thing too. And Columbo always had it's own patterns and in-jokes, but because of many different directors as well as guest stars and considering the fact that the show ran for 35 years, there is no such thing as the one formula it sticks to. So it is really quite sad that there are always these remarks 'the last of the real Columbo's', 'the final good episode', 'here's where episodes became to long', 'here's where Falk was too old', etc, etc. Enjoy every episode for its own merits. "Last Salute" is in no way possible to be compared with outings like "Double Exposure" of "A Stitch in Crime". So don't. Just sit, relax and watch this episode. And there is no episode like it, it is beyond comparison.
Review of Last Salute to the Commodore
