The title of this episode, "His Last Bow" is a direct reference to the same-named Sherlock Holmes story. Besides that, however, the title has a double meaning within the world of "Furuhata Ninzaburô" as well. For one, it is a fitting title for the final episode of the first season (especially if you're not sure if you're going to get a second one). The second meaning refers to the episode itself in which the ageing Superintendent Kogure decides to kill the man who was arrested and then acquitted for murdering his daughter. Despite coming up with a fairly decent alibi, Kogure seems oddly resigned to his fate as if he's aware that his life is over whether he gets caught or not.
"His Last Bow" has an interesting premise of seeing Furuhata suspecting his superior of murder. The bare essentials of the storyline are similar to the "Columbo" episode "A Friend in Deed" except that Kogure does not try to disrupt Furuhata's investigation by pulling rank. In fact, despite his sometimes bumbling behaviour, Furuhata is held in high regard by Kogure who exhibits a lot more patience for the inspector's mind games than most other suspects do.
Kogure is played by Bunta Sugawara who lends the ageing policeman the cool, confident air of a yakuza. Kogure is written as a man of few words but Sugawara does a splendid job of suggesting the emotional pain and emptiness of a father who's lost his daughter. There is a disquieting stillness to Kogure making one feel like he is about to strike at any minute. It's little wonder that he inspires such awe among the other policemen, not least Shintaro who finds himself physically unable to relax in front of the superintendent. Masahiko Nishimura provides comic relief in what is otherwise a rather sombre episode.
Under Hidetomo Matsuda's direction, the episode has a noirish quality to it. It is shot in small, sparse rooms enveloped in shadows. The darkness is only broken by occasional flashes of neon signs coming through the windows. The main setting is a seedy motel across the road from an equally seedy bar. The atmosphere is musty, stuffy, and tense.
Writing what he thought might be the show's final episode, Kôki Mitani puts in a nice little coda for the character of Furuhata Ninzaburô. He even gets a little monologue in which he outlines his determination to not be the judge of the criminals he catches but rather simply lead them to justice. Had this really been the final episode of the show it would have been a fitting send-off. As a standalone episode, however, it is merely a reliably adequate entry into a series which has already proven its ability to transcend its formula and be stylish and inventive in a way "His Last Bow" is not.