A Matter of Honour

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I agree that this is one of the worst endings in all of Columbo, but surprisingly, not for the reasons you suggest. Given all the circumstantial evidence Columbo had amassed that Montoya killed Hector, and having it come on the heels of Curro’s wounding, I don’t think it was such a stretch for Columbo to reach the conclusion he reached, once he learned about the whole “matter of honor” with bullfighters. I also don’t think it is a stretch to think it would happen again, because I believe they mention in the episode that he froze because of his leg injury and the realization that he no longer was qualified to fight and escape a bull’s wrath. Who the audience was mattered little, as this was a physical reality-based fear, not a psychological one. Speaking of which, who’s noticed the Columbo character development we’re seeing in Season 5? In Identity Crisis, the Lieutenant was a much more dominant force with his fellow officers than we’ve seen in the past. He took control of the crime scene and was much less meandering than usual in his investigations. That trait is ramped up here as Columbo is the man in charge – even though he’s well outside his area of jurisdiction. Marinaro thunders out and makes a beeline for Curro, who bolts behind a partition. Montoya, meanwhile, caught out in the middle of the ring, is rooted to the spot with terror– stunning the onlookers, who revere him for his legendary courage and poise. As the angry bull charges towards the frozen Montoya, men leap out to distract the beast with fluttering capes and lure him away to be caged. His life is no longer in jeopardy, but Montoya’s legacy and legend is now in tatters.

A scene filmed but cut for time showed the engineering room of the Pagh. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (2nd ed., p. 75)) A maquette of the engine room was already completed, photographs of which have been published in The 24th Century Technical Manual. Ricardo Montalban was 54 or 55 at the time of filming, which is listed as the compulsory retirement age for matador in Spain. (I don’t know about Mexico.) I think it is possible that Montoya, approaching the end of his career, started doubting himself. That could be literally the kiss of death for a matador as he obsessed on the loss of his skills. Both UK individual releases gave the title of this episode as "A Matter Of Honour", using the British English spelling. The 10th Anniversary collection uses the title as broadcast. The first few chapters build up the story after which the action starts, with a few deaths of course. (How will it be a thriller otherwise, huh?) There are layers and layers of mystery. Initially, it was a bit amusing to see Adam's unawareness about the situation, a man who's on the run for his life without even knowing why. What he thinks of as inheriting a mere painting to be auctioned off and earned money from, unknown to him is actually a worldwide political drama, where no one is to be trusted. Most people brought up during the classic Columbo-era remember Ricardo Montalban as the curiously non-stereotypically named “Mr. Roarke” from the truly dreadful “Fantasy Island” television series (where aging, washed up actors found a second chance for face time on Friday nights)…..as well as those glorious car commercials for the Chrysler Cordoba, most notably his warm regard for the fine “Corinthian leather” that graced the car’s interior…pronounced “Ko-reen-thee-uhn leah-thorr”. Classic!

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The Hero is tasked to go and find Makimbah's bride who was kidnapped by someone from a different village. Visibly seething after a public humiliation, Montoya give every impression of a man out for blood as he stalks toward the Lieutenant with a face like thunder and a deadly estoque in hand. It’s one of those rare occasions when Columbo himself actually looks like he believes he’s in trouble. On the other side of the world, the Russians are after an icon, said to be the famous Tsar's icon, which contains an important document. If found within the specified time, it would change the course of history. And Alex Romanov has been assigned to the task of retrieving it. The motive was a little unbelievable – even if Montoya was an exceptionally prideful man, it’s hard to believe he would kill his right hand man of so many years like that. But taking it at face value, it was still entertaining. The ending felt like a sweeps week stunt; get Ricardo Montalban in the ring with a live bull for a big dramatic moment! Wasn’t really a “gotcha” in the sense that it proved anything about the murder though. Don't let's worry about that today," said Margaret consolingly, but in a voice that accepted that her mother was right. "I wonder what can be in that envelope, Adam," she added, wanting to change the subject.

Part Two starts in 10 Downing Street, London on June 17, 1966, and Part Three is based in The White House, Washington DC on the same date. While Part Four has us returning to The Kremlin, Moscow, but it is now June 19, 1966. Once Adam is in possession of the icon, the story takes place within three days, spanning Russia, England, America, and a couple of European countries. Riker goes to the phaser range, where he and Captain Picard get in some phaser practice. Picard comments that Starfleet thinks it would be a good idea for someone from the Enterprise to participate in the exchange program. He also notes that there is a Klingon vessel, the IKS Pagh, in the area. Riker gets the idea, and volunteers to be the one to participate in the exchange because "nobody's done it before". No dog in this one though. The car figures in the plot. And the script is engaging as Colombo, a complete ignoramus when it comes to Mexican culture, unravels a plot centering on bullfighting mores. However, rather than run his adversary through, Montoya decides against making a bad situation worse. Instead of wrapping the sword around Columbo’s insides, he wraps it in his muleta and hands both over to the policeman: a clear and public sign of the respect he holds for the man who has brought his world crashing down. We see in this moment that Montoya is not entirely irredeemable and he is, at the last, a man of honour.

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The freezing up in the ring was hid own final proof. He could no longer live with himself unless he destroyed the witness to.it. Because, my dear Zaborski, during the past eighteen momhs, the age of all the treasures in the Winter Exit the hut via the ladder to the roof and start to trek out the village entrance. The way to Gaia Falls is straightforward, as its the same route as you took with Jin to reach the village in the first place during the main quest Welcome to the Jungle. One big issue for me would be how Montoya could calibrate exactly that the drug would render Hector woozy enough to be lurching helplessly about, but not in enough control to simply drop to the ground and play dead. Off what they said about bulls (and I have no personal knowledge), the bull would probably have then left him alone. Set in 1966 A Matter of Honour is quite the spy romp, whilst the main character himself isn't a spy per se, he nonetheless is thrust into the world of international men of mystery when his father bequests to him an envelope within which is a letter from Hermann Goring (the German Reichsmarschall) containing instructions enabling him to collect a Russian artifact which was seized by the Nazis.

He is the author of two stage plays: BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT which opened in London in September 1987 and played for two years and, more recently, EXCLUSIVE.That’s a wrap, muchachos. I’m going to have a lie down in the southern pasture with a bottle of mescal. Remember to let me know your views on A Matter of Honor below. Am I being too hard on it? Or have I hit the bullseye (pun, again, intentional)? Nevertheless, a tale of the East vs the West of powers that be, it was a thrilling ride from the get-go. There was also talks about a movie being made, I wonder when it would materialise. Defeat Equals Friendship: Riker is tested right away when his Second Officer, Klag, calls him a liar to his face. Riker doesn't have to be told what to do next to maintain his authority. Klag treats him with respect after this, rather than hold a grudge. Captain Adam Scott, MC - Scott is a decorated officer of the Royal Wessex Regiment and known for his father, Colonel Gerald Scott and the stigma brought on him by his father's acts. Scott ends up in possession of the famous icon of Saint George & the Dragon, by Rublev, and is pursued by the KGB. He has a clear, calm demeanour and devises schemes to stay ahead of the Soviets.

I find this perhaps the poorest written of any episode. It is entertaining for me because of the cast and the colorful Mexican setting. Aside-I had no problem with Emilio Fernandez’s character. Seemed realistic for an old ranch hand to drink on down time. Now in the ring together, Montoya waits until Hector turns away, draws a dart gun and pops a cap, literally, in Hector’s ass. He’s only used a tiny drop of tranquilliser in it, though, leaving Hector woozy and shambling but just about operational. He’d need to be on his A Game for what’s coming though, as Montoya releases Marinaro from his pen. The giant bull makes short work of poor Hector. Even though the story is good I found the ending to be quite underwhelming. I was anticipating an action sequence or a mind boggling revelation about the Russian Agent who was chasing but I was disappointed with it. Though all the lose ends are tied, I still was expecting a bit more for the kind of books he’s written in past. A Klingon Officer, J'Dan, used the program to serve aboard the Enterprise-D and attempted to gather its information to hand over to the Romulans in " The Drumhead".The Pagh leaves and Picard heads for the observation lounge. Mendon catches him and tries to tell him about his ideas and suggestions on procedural changes, but Picard brushes him off, telling him that on the Enterprise, the crew follows the chain of command. Thus, he should report this to Worf. Hector’s motivation for leaving also seems opaque to me. Keeping the fact of Montoya’s freezing a secret until the ending didn’t allow any exploration of what Hector was really thinking, and so it becomes fill in the blank guesswork. Commander Kurn would later serve in the Officer Exchange Program aboard the USS Enterprise-D as first officer, and as way of observing and meeting his elder brother Worf in the third season episode " Sins of The Father".