Lethal Weapon: ‘Unnecessary Roughness’ Review
“ROGER MAYFIELD MURTAUGH!!!”
This Lethal Weapon review will contains spoilers for this week’s episode.
Fresh off the exciting news that FOX has renewed this show for a second season, Lethal Weapon’s sixteenth episode focuses on a new case, but carries over themes from its previous episode. These themes created personal conflicts for our characters this week.
Trish is still unemployed (and enjoying her time off) causing Roger to worry about their financials. His daughter’s calculations didn’t help matters. Thanks, Riana. I guess she won’t be working with Leo Getz after all. Probably for the best. This gets Roger to think about a job offer given to him by an retired cop buddy. Roger is given the opportunity to work as the head of security at a local college. Obviously, we know he won’t get the job in the end, but with stable hours, triple salary, and all kinds of perks, man, I almost wanted my boy Rog to get the job. But of course that would put quite a dent in the show, now wouldn’t it? That’s why the story was all about showing us what makes Roger’s work as a cop so important. It was mostly successful, but the extra money and security would have been nice for Rog.
The case hit a personal nerve with Roger since it dealt with a promising 18 year-old star football player, Jesse who becomes a victim of a shooting, leaving his friend, Steven dead, and him shot in the shoulder, ruining his football aspirations. That’s too bad that Roger had to re-live the memory of being told he couldn’t go pro after suffering a knee injury. But it was nice to see Roger become somewhat of a mentor to this kid, assuring him there are other outlets to success. It was kind of messed up for Riggs to give him Murtaugh a hard time for rambling on his glory days. In a way, I feel kind of bad Roger never lived out his dream. But considering all the good work he’s done as a cop and as a friend, you can easily admit the path he took was the right one.
Riggs was mostly in a good place, but he wouldn’t allow himself to enjoy it. He did end up hooking up with Agent Palmer (Hilarie Burton did not make a physical appearance, only in voice), and he is clearly happy about it. However, he feels guilty having taken steps to be with someone else while still grieving over Miranda. I’ll admit, while hooking up with Palmer (something I wanted to see happen eventually anyway) is much better than banging a random chick at the bar, this event happened faster than I would have liked. Palmer is a very forward gal, but I was hoping Riggs would pump the breaks a little, making Palmer have to work harder and eventually understand his situation. However, things seem to be moving along, even if Riggs gets moody in the process.
Those still shipping Riggs and Cahill may have felt a sting this week. His scene with Cahill was odd and a little mean spirited. Cahill saw that Riggs seemed on edge towards having spent the night with Palmer. She understood it was because of him not being over Miranda, and she was trying to work with that, but Riggs took offense to it and stormed out her office. But really, it was because this new relationship with Palmer is messing with his emotions. His emotions are also messing with his sobriety. Watching him almost take a drink from the mini-bar in his hotel room was actually a tense moment. I found myself relieved when he put the bottle away. I’m actually invested in Riggs trying to stay sober and well. Unfortunately, hearing the voicemail of his current lady friend, only to switch to a screenshot of his deceased wife on his phone once the call had stopped, was too much for him. It stung watching him take a swig of whiskey after that. You could just feel that level of instant regret he had before bashing his head in a mirror. This means that he still has some miles to go on his road to recovery.
Between Murtaugh getting a good job offer and Riggs having some dick-ish, reckless moments, including ruining Roger’s job interview, this episode once again tested the partnership of the two. Nothing too serious, but Riggs’ behavior gave Roger plenty of incentive to take up the job at the college. However, like every episode that has this issue, it all comes down to their teamwork. Emotionally, they are a dysfunctional pairing, but when sh*t goes down, they get the job done.
Riggs had a great comical moment with Bailey as she was on a stakeout watching a suspect. When he spoke of cheeseburgers, she reminded him she was a vegetarian. She said they had that conversation before. It was such a minor scene but one of my favorites. Now that Michelle Mitchenor has officially been picked up as a series regular (I thought she already was), I am so hoping for more scenes like this with Bailey. I want her to get her own plot.
It seems like just about everyone in the cast had a moment. Scorsese guessing the beer Riggs was drenched in after he tackled a suspect at a frat party was very funny. Avery taking offense to Murtaugh talking down on marching bands and being bummed about his season tickets to the college games being useless was also enjoyable. It was sweet seeing Trish so happy not working for a week. A relatable feeling for most people. Of course, she assured Roger she’d get back to the working field soon enough.
Once again, the characters and their actions outweighed the plot, but the case still produced some good material. I felt bad for Jesse having his dreams crushed, then finding out his mom taking money from the wrong people is what caused the attack. The frat party scene was entertaining. And, my favorite, once the boys figured out who the suspects were, it resulted in a shootout (with real guns) at the Rose Bowl with Riggs tagging two of the shooters. I like not knowing who actually shot Wendell. Riggs is obviously a more accurate shooter, but Murtaugh was far closer. The scene could leave the door open for some friendly debates.
Overall, another cool episode aired this week with these two crazy cops. It certainly felt more comforting watching this episode knowing we’re getting a season two. There’s only two more episodes left this season, so hopefully they end up being great and connected with these past couple of episodes. I hope we get more development with Riggs and Palmer. Sorry Riggs/Cahill shippers, I don’t think anything’s going to happen with those two. Congrats to the cast and crew for the renewal. This show is already doing things right in the reboot department. Can’t wait to watch the final two episodes this season, and see what season two brings.
