S02.E06: Gold Rush

[dwmarch]

As there is no thread yet for tonight's episode I thought I'd get it started.

This was an average fun episode of Lethal Weapon up until we found out what Riggs' old friend had done for him at which point it became spectacular. I loved that Avery knew the whole story and decided that he hadn't heard it.

The only sour note for me was Murtagh being so OTT about the joint he found. I can see his attitude being a product of his era but this is still Damon Wayans here so seeing him go all Reefer Madness upon finding a joint (and not even a good one according to Riggs) was a little silly. I did find myself wondering how Murtagh is doing all of this running and gunning despite his seemingly forgotten heart condition and I would love it if his doctor prescribed marijuana for his anxiety. Trish did not seem to be that much against it.

The B-team brought some laughs and there's some interesting tension there. I also couldn't help but love Scorscese and his mind-meld theory.

[Happy Harpy]

It was a good episode.

Really loved how it integrated the side characters, with Avery truly shining. I even kind of wished that Riggs were just a bit more receptive. The B-team shenanigans got me interested, although Bowman was a bit too much of a klutz again.

It's also nice that the show doesn't take Riggs/Murtaugh for granted now that it's S2 and doesn't forget to show moments of bonding between them.

Trish had her "Hell to the No" face. Yay! This plot was predictable in a good way (see below) and Damon Wayans was plainly hilarious.

I must say, nevertheless, that childhood friends tropes aren't my favorite at all and it's a very tame way of expressing it. I'm aware this show isn't ground-breaking or supposed to be, and usually I have fun with the trope-y aspects. But when I mentally check all the boxes with light but increasing annoyance because neither take nor tone are fresh, and I end with getting a strong whiff of love-triangle-ness, it isn't a good sign.

I  was surprised that they showed Riggs' father beating him up graphically (it's a different type of violence from the usual guns-cars-kaboom) but I understood why with the outcome of the scene.

[AnimeMania]

I didn't quite understand how the gold got into the trunk of the fancy car and then how Rigg's friend gained access to the car to drive it.

[MaggieG]

On 11/15/2017 at 6:49 AM, Happy Harpy said:

Trish had her "Hell to the No" face. Yay! This plot was predictable in a good way (see below) and Damon Wayans was plainly hilarious.

I loved their conversation on the couch. "Trish, you are a drug addict." Calm down Rog, it's only one joint.

I also loved the end scene with Riggs and Rog eating the cheese and crackers.

[Guest]

I had to fast forward the scene where his father was beating him; this child abuse storyline is really hard to watch. 

Other than that, Riggs has got to stop being such a terrible cop - he almost got Murtaugh killed.

[dargosmydaddy]

Eh, I admit Riggs has done many questionable and downright awful things both on and off duty (most notably drinking on the job last year and driving drunk this year), but I don't put leaving Jake with Murtaugh anywhere near the top of that list. He says Jake is not a killer, and he is right in that assessment. I admit he was alarmingly blase after Jake hurt Roger, but honestly, that's as much on Rog as anyone. Rog didn't trust Jake, and knew his (adult) criminal activity. He could have put Jake in the back of the car, handcuffed him behind his back, or sat with him somewhere (which might have been the smartest choice anyway, so he could have put his full focus on eating his tacos). 

Personally, the whole scene seemed contrived to let Jake make his getaway, just like the fact that no one remembered Aunt whoever and her stash sooner. Whatever. I still love this show. But I need some Baby Harper sightings soon...

[kmcarte]

The flash backs are my favorite parts of this season.  I thought that this one was a little confusing though.  Did Riggs' father come into the house and start beating on Jake? Both of the kids looked a lot alike to me so I had some trouble figuring out exactly what was going on in that scene.  

 

I thought that Bailey was super unprofessional and rude here.  If you look at her behavior from what she thinks is going on in the first scene--she thinks (Boone? is that his name) thinks that she sent him an inappropriate sexual message, which he rejected, so she behaves especially rudely to him?  Does she want him to think that she's punishing him for refusing her?  

 

The Molly and Ben things were pretty okay, I like adding them to Riggs' usual deal.  

 

Man, Jake is so much worse off at the end of this episode.  He's been shot, can't go to the hospital, had no money, is on the run from the law, just got out of jail and has possibly had his illegal connections poisoned with rumors that he worked as an informant.  Riggs really didn't do him any favors by letting him go.  And why would Jake think he needed some big score anyway?  The house his wife has is perfectly nice.  This cliched story line only works when the family he's coming home to desperately needs the money.

[dargosmydaddy]

2 hours ago, kmcarte said:

Did Riggs' father come into the house and start beating on Jake?

Senior Riggs came into the house and started beating on Martin. Jake and Molly ran when they first heard him come in, but Jake comes back and shoots him when he hears him hurting Martin.

[kmcarte]

2 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

Senior Riggs came into the house and started beating on Martin. Jake and Molly ran when they first heard him come in, but Jake comes back and shoots him when he hears him hurting Martin.

I saw Jake and Molly run, and Jake come back and threaten Riggs senior with the gun, but that's where I got confused.  The dad calls Jake's bluff but leaves him with the gun and somehow he's starts hitting Riggs junior again?  When I saw the scene I thought he took the gun from Jake, and started hitting Jake for threatening to shoot him, then Martin shot him.  But judging by how things shook out apparently not.  

[dargosmydaddy]

2 hours ago, kmcarte said:

I saw Jake and Molly run, and Jake come back and threaten Riggs senior with the gun, but that's where I got confused.  The dad calls Jake's bluff but leaves him with the gun and somehow he's starts hitting Riggs junior again?  When I saw the scene I thought he took the gun from Jake, and started hitting Jake for threatening to shoot him, then Martin shot him.  But judging by how things shook out apparently not.  

I only watched it once, and it was a couple weeks ago... Now that you mention it, I think Riggs was the one who grabbed the gun and pointed it at his father (to defend himself; I think Jake and Molly were out of the room by then), and the dad took it from him and started beating him. Jake then returned and shot the dad, which led to his sealed (juvenile) record that Avery ended up reading. 

[Guest]

On 12/2/2017 at 6:12 PM, dargosmydaddy said:

I only watched it once, and it was a couple weeks ago... Now that you mention it, I think Riggs was the one who grabbed the gun and pointed it at his father (to defend himself; I think Jake and Molly were out of the room by then), and the dad took it from him and started beating him. Jake then returned and shot the dad, which led to his sealed (juvenile) record that Avery ended up reading. 

I think the whole thing was over the top and super unrealistic.  His father was beating Riggs to a pulp by that point. I have a hard time believing a teenager served jail time for what could have easily been seen as saving his friend's life.  

[Coconuts]

9 minutes ago, deaja said:

I think the whole thing was over the top and super unrealistic.  His father was beating Riggs to a pulp by that point. I have a hard time believing a teenager served jail time for what could have easily been seen as saving his friend's life.  

This was a teenager with a record of increasingly serious felonies though. They're not going to get the benefit of the doubt.

[kassygreene]

Also, Texas.  Where a drunken father certainly had the right to beat the hell out of his son.  Also where a woman I once worked with had lived in the early 80s with her drunken lout of a husband, and who vividly remembered kneeling in her front yard, with two black eyes and many other bruises, while her DLoaH told the two cops who had responded to a noise complaint that no, nothing was happening here.  The two cops, seeing nothing worth an arrest (wife w/ 2 black eyes and other bruises == not worth an arrest), left.

Riggs' memories of his father are among the most believable parts of this show.  His nightmares of his father are of course fiction.  And creepy.  And yeah, kind of logical in context.