Looking at it im not that big a fan of season 1. Short fuse, lady in waiting and Dead weight i dont like for a few reasons, dead weight being the most annoying as as soon as the general goes dating Helen Stewart anyone would know he was guilty of murder, an incredibly stupid move.

Going back to short fuse, yes he's meant to be but quite simply Roger is irritating and makes it far to easy for Columbo to catch him which completely ruins it unlike How to dial a murder which yes its easy for Columbo in the end but its a wonderful episode that i love to see.

God bless,

Matthew

Roger's arrogance and enthusiasm makes for a strong sense of self-confidence. Keeping his great self-confidence in mind, I do not believe it is such a cinch that he will fall into Columbo's trap. Regardless, the final scene helps to make "Short Fuse" end with a bang (not literally.)

Without going into specifics about the final gottcha (Heaven knows cassa doesn't want to be a "SPOILER" ) I think Columbo (or who ever did it) makes the piece of evidence look quite authentic..and at this point Roger is sinking deeper and deeper into his complicated plot...so maybe his mind was a bit rattled and he wasn't thinking clearly or rationally.

The final scene of "Short Fuse" was very well directed, well coordinated with the flashback to the opening darkroom scene and the building tension. Terrific work by Edward Abroms, who also did an excellent job directing the final scene of "The Most Dangerous Match" one season later.