Columbo is one of my favourite TV series of all time, and once again Fade in To Murder is a solid and very enjoyable episode. I like Fade in To Murder especially for one of the most cleverly executed murders in Columbo history, the fact that the murderer leaves evidence, clues and questions helping Columbo in a sense, and the scenes between Columbo and Fowler which are very dynamic. What I didn't quite like so much was that was final solution was a little underwhelming, I liked Shatner's final line but other than that the ending could have done with a stronger build-up and at the end of the day considering how well-executed the murder itself was it felt somewhat amateurish introducing the incriminating clue that wasn't even mentioned until then.
However, it is slickly filmed, with everything looking beautiful especially the settings, the dialogue amuses and the story is clever and interesting a vast majority of the time. Pacing is solid and Kowalski's direction shows why he was one of the more consistent directors of the show. Peter Falk is as always brilliant as Columbo, playing with humour, an inquisitive air and cunning. William Shatner, whose performance is better than in Butterfly in Shades of Grey(an episode I was mixed on and I wasn't crazy about Shatner in it), can be seen as hammy and a little stiff at times, but considering the ego of his character and the story concept it works.
All in all, very enjoyable and a solid entry in one of the all-time great detective series. 8/10 Bethany Cox