Wait! One more thing!
About "Prescription Murder," that is.
SO, the other thought I had about Gene Barry's murderous doctor is that he thinks he's really smart. And hey, he is smart. He's a psychiatrist. But I always wonder about the (regular) criminal element. Specifically the ones who rob and steal and are not in jail for drugs. I don't want to get into the politics of the latter. Murder happens whether it is thought out or in the heat of the moment. Our doctor 'protagonist' thinks he's going to get away with it because he's smarter than the police. Even smarter than our favorite detective, of whom Gene Barry points out uses his (Columbo's) off-putting clumsy and dumb-question-inquisitive demeanor as a front to disarm Columbo's suspects. Despite this, he still thinks that he's sooooo smart that he can plainly tell Columbo that the perpetrator of the crime is too smart to be caught. ("Give it up, police! The guy who killed my wife is waaaay too smart for you! I demand no retribution, and would rather pat the murderer on his back and congratulate him for his cleverness!" which I hinted at in the review).
I would think that as a psychiatrist/psychologist he would have more knowledge of the criminal mind. Maybe he's met some criminals and has thought, "these guys aren't that smart! Why, I could get away with MURDER compared to these dolts!"
I'm not saying that crime doesn't pay. I have often wondered what a career criminal (someone who can make a living, from lowlife who only manages rent & basic needs to the wall street plunderer living the high life in the Cayman Islands) is thinking. Are they mentally unbalanced? How do they justify what they do? Are they even concerned with their actions and the effect is has on their victims? What about the ones who just plain haven't been caught for multiple crimes? I know the answers vary.
But Gene's fatal flaw is that he just thinks he's too smart to get caught. Someone of his intelligence doesn't DESERVE to get caught, or even go to jail. He doesn't devalue his wife's life (well, at least not to the point where he thought he did no wrong). He just figured that no one would be able to outsmart him, simply based on the fact that he was a smart individual! He didn't even seem to worry about his girlfriend, who was in fact the weak link. Of no concern at all.
Anyway, fatal flaw. This isn't a public service message. But: You're never that smart to pull off the perfect crime.
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