Just One More Thing: Double Shock

Notes and screenshots for Double Shock: Originally broadcast on March 25, 1973, starring Martin Landau as troublesome twins Dexter and Norman Paris, Julie Newmar, a rare Dabney Coleman sighting (blink and you'll miss him) and, of course, Peter Falk as Columbo.

"A smarmy TV chef and his identical twin brother, a rigidly proper banker, are suspects in the electrocution of their rich uncle."

-IMDB Summary

"You get twice the Martin Landau for the price of one admission, as he plays murderous twin brothers in “Double Shock.” One’s a devil-may-care host of a TV cooking show, the other’s a staid banker with a crippling gambling addiction. It’s up to Columbo to figure out how they’re tag teaming their killings. Along the way, he also has to deal with a cantankerous housekeeper and an awfully weird Julie Newmar. Abed Gheith (Rick and Morty, Channel 101) joins Jon and RJ to talk about the episode and many, many other digressions."

-RJ's episode summary

Listen to the original podcast episode here:

Episode 21: You Must Belong in Some Pig Sty! with our guest Abed Geith. 

Double Shock

Season 2, Episode 8

Director: Robert Butler

Writers: Steven Bochco, Jackson Gillis, Richard Levinson

I spent an inordinate amount of time and energy deciding which of the twins (played expertly by Martin Landau) in this episode murdered whom and if they’d see any jail time for it. 

During the course of the episode, we sussed out that probably the conservative banker twin Norman had murdered their uncle while flamboyant tv chef Dexter had murdered their uncle’s fiancee (played by an underused Julie Newmar). In either case, it could have been the other way around, though.

The real issue is that - confession aside - there’s no way to decide who specifically killed the uncle, and the murder of his fiancee is only really tied to the twins by circumstantial evidence (it’s strong evidence - there’s a means, motive and opportunity, but lacking anything to actually place one of the twins on the premises, there’s little to contradict their version of events that the family lawyer had committed the crime (he too had means, motive and opportunity, plus was actually apprehended on the scene).

Which led me to wonder how the charges would come down. At best, I’m sure it would be some sort of conspiracy charge in the murder of the uncle, but no actual murder charge leveled at either brother, and charges may not have been pursued in the murder of the fiancee. That’s my best guess.

But anyway, that’s not what we watch Columbo for! The conviction is the least important element (that’s why we never see these things go to case, right?). The performances in this one were amazing, even if Julie Newmar (who would’ve made a great killer in a 70s ep, I’m sure) was criminally underused.

Next episode: Lovely But Lethal