It's been a while since I've checked in with Lethal Weapon. The show has had a strong 2017 so far, but it's sometimes struggled to recapture the emotional high-points it reached at the very end of last year, and in its attempts to drill deeper into Riggs' defining feeling of grief and numbness, it's found its intentions bumping up against its format. As it winds down into the home stretch of the season, here's how the most recent two episodes stacked up.
The Murtaugh File
The Murtaugh File is the kind of episode Lethal Weapon needs more of. Much like how the show focused on Captain Avery's past a couple of episodes back with rewarding results, this episode finds success by zooming out from the typical focus on the inner lives of Riggs and Murtaugh and diving into the motivations and back-story of a supporting character, who in this case is Dr Cahill.While we don't learn anything that completely changes our conception of the character - fundamental twists like that might be out of the ballpark of a show that prides itself on a status quo - The Murtaugh File still does a good job of fleshing out Dr Cahill's own quirks and layers beyond her role as the long-suffering therapist. It hits the mark most accurately when the episode strips away the layers of glib humour and finds the simple emotional realism at the core of the character, which is a cautious fear of placing unequivocal trust in others.
Jordana Brewster has always felt overqualified for the confined role of prior episodes, so it's great to see her given a much more substantial role here, which she plays with nuance and humour that pushes Cahill far beyond the parameters of an underwritten female character. Lethal Weapon's women have progressively become more engaging and interesting creations since the pilot, and it's good to see a previously undeserved character given an arc that explores her vulnerabilities, but doesn't fall into the trap of removing her agency and independence.
The mystery of her stalker is initially an intriguing one as Cahill's exes are bumped off one by one, and it allows for one of the show's more enjoyable action sequences to date, but it's far less interesting than the character work in the long run. The Murtaugh File opts for the old classic of having the real killer be a background figure from earlier in the episode, which makes for an impact-free reveal with zero foreshadowing that's hampered further by a weird decision to layer on a fake-out about the temporary 'outside therapist' just seconds before. This isn't an episode that's particularly concerned with the nuts and bolts of police work, but it's a shame that it can't construct a mystery thats quite up to scratch.Elsewhere, a parenting subplot with Murtaugh and Trish shifts from a seemingly pointless time-filler to a surprisingly sweet bit of character development for them as they learn to become more accepting of their kids' activities instead of reverting to overprotective parent mode every time a bit of unfamiliarity crops up. There's also a brief but genuinely affecting insight into Murtaugh's backstory as a cop with a tale of past trauma that drove him to the therapist for a while - a conclusion to a comic story that's refreshing in its sincerity and commitment to the dramatic weight of the situation. Neither are essential, but it's nice that Lethal Weapon has matured enough dramatically to work in satisfying little stories like these into the background of episodes.
All in all, this is a good, solid episode that churns away at a good pace and develops Cahill's character to a satisfying degree in a way that looks likely to pay off long-term by deepening her relationship with Riggs without ever shifting it from platonic. Some clumsiness with the stalker mystery and general lack of risktaking aside, this is a confident return to form for Lethal Weapon.
Episode Grade: B+
As Good as It Getz
One of the things I've liked most about Lethal Weapon is its unapologetic willingness to be plain fun. The show may dabble in dark themes and puts its characters in major peril at least once an episode, but at its core, this is a show that will gladly lean into the silliness inherent in many of its storylines. As Good As It Getz is a strong reminder of that lightness of heart, tempering a storyline about cartel vendettas with comedy that works surprisingly well.
The main source of that aforementioned comedy is the man in the name, Leo Getz. He's one of Lethal Weapon's clearest connections yet to its source material, having appeared in three of the four movies as a federal witness who never stayed in the same job for more than five minutes. Here, he's a classic sleazy lawyer in the Saul Goodman mould, and his presence livens up a reasonably humdrum central story no end.Thomas Lennon has a good grasp of the outsize nature of the character, playing up his moral bankruptcy and clumsiness to fit into this show's ever-so-slightly heightened world, but he also shifts well to a tone of genuine sincerity in the few dramatic beats he's given, ensuring that Getz feels realistic enough to transcend the caricature he initially appears to be.
As Good As It Getz doesn't always mesh both sides of Getz well - he can sometimes be incredibly useful or a complete waste of space depending on the episode's needs - but it's a generally successful exercise in parachuting a fresh face into the typical case of the week formula.
Another atypical presence here was DEA Agent Palmer, pushed firmly into the role of love interest after the hinting of her first appearance. Aside from the fact that she plays a more pivotal role in the case of the week as the main target of the DEA, Palmer's presence is mostly tied up with Riggs and their growing, fumbling attraction. Hilarie Burton and Clayne Crawford are a convincing pair on screen, creating a dynamic that's unusually relaxed for the both of them in a way evidently neither can quite notice, which bodes well for her forthcoming appearances as their relationship is presumably deepening further.
After a lot of cycling around the same plot points, As Good as It Getz finally shows a different side of Riggs. He hasn't fully cast off his grief, but he's exhibiting surprisingly grounded and normal emotions in his interactions with Palmer, which allows Clayne Crawford to finally play a new shade of Riggs after several weeks of alternating between numbed grief and flippant antics. It's the most significant development he's had as a character in quite some time, and I hope that Lethal Weapon commits to this shift and explores it in greater depth instead of reverting to the same familiar ideas as it can often do.Murtaugh and Trish were sequestered off for their respective character arcs of the week in their household, and their development takes a little while to get going - initially, the episode seems unsure just what perspective it wants on Trish's big career move given how it comes out of nowhere, and how the voice of support for Trish comes from Getz, in a typically sleazy context.
Once the episode figures out the serious side of Getz and articulates a coherent viewpoint on it all, it comes together to form a nice companion piece to The Murtaugh File's Riana story about the changing dynamics of the Murtaugh household bumping up against the anxious tendency to cling to the familiar exhibited by Roger. It's always good to see Trish's potential as a formidable professional tapped into, and as with Riggs, As Good as It Getz is unafraid to open up a completely different direction for the character if Lethal Weapon sees fit to follow through.
As Good as It Getz does suffer from a weak case of the week, squandering the chance for some greater connectivity between episodes by relegating the cartel villains to generic archetypes who don't bear much relation to any of the similar foes we've met before. With the show hitting the final three episodes of the season, and with some groundwork having been laid in past episodes, it'd be nice to have some semblance of an arc story coming to fruition in time for the finale.
But it recognises the benefits of fresh faces to provide a new twist on the formula, both in adding greater emotional stakes to the police work and a different dynamic that allows for both comedy and drama, and tells two simple but solid stories about Riggs and Murtaugh struggling to come to terms with significant changes to their lives. It's a strong way to push the show into new places as season one nears the end, encouragingly indicating that Lethal Weapon might not be as scared of change as it seems to let on.
Episode Grade: B+
