Lethal Weapon Season 1 Episode 18 Review: Commencement
Lisa Babick
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Leave it to Lethal Weapon to tear our hearts apart.
It wasn't surprising that Lethal Weapon Season 1 Episode 18 would turn out to be an emotional roller coaster ride, but wow, that was intense. What a superb hour of television.
It finally seemed like Riggs was moving on with his life when Palmer dropped the major bomb on Lethal Weapon Season 1 Episode 17 that the cartel was indeed involved with Miranda's death.
All the progress he seemed to make emotionally took a nose dive as we found him once again with a bottle and gun in hand. He was definitely going down a dark road, but it wasn't the dark road we were expecting.
I would imagine that his emotional state might have been worse had he not had those few days of bliss with Palmer. It took the edge off what he could have done to Gideon which might have been much worse than what he did do.
He was angry and he wanted justice for Miranda. And he was going to do whatever he needed to do to get it.
It was pretty shocking to see him put the ax down on the guy's hand, but he showed a great amount of control...until Gideon almost convinced him he was there for her murder.
I'm not sure if Riggs really would have killed him had Murtaugh not arrived, but one thing is for sure, Riggs' journey to avenge Miranda's death is not over.
And how could it be? She was the love of his life. And knowing that Ronnie, her own father, was involved was a shocking revelation. How could a father do that to his own child? And then stay straight-faced and be all lectury about it?
Remember when Ronnie told Riggs not to use Miranda's death as a reason to drink? That was pretty ballsy of the guy to do, especially knowing his role in the whole thing.
The seething anger in Riggs' after he figured out Ronnie's involvement was palpable. I'm surprised Riggs didn't lose it right then and there, especially when Ronnie said he had to protect his other daughters and grandchildren.
And then for Ronnie to have contacted Gideon to take Riggs away was like a kick to the gut. But through it all, Riggs maintained his cool and it was the most awesome thing ever.
But eventually he was going to pop and that time came when he and Murtaugh ended up being held hostage together. This was more than jumping out of buildings and hanging out of car windows.
This was a true life and death situation. These guys were not joking around and had they zapped Murtaugh one more time there definitely wouldn't have been a season two of Lethal Weapon. At least not with Murtaugh.
Murtaugh had some tough choices to make, but despite all his doubts, he showed us what a Murtaugh man is all about. He didn't give up on his partner. Logic was telling him he needed to go his own separate way, but his heart was telling him something different.
I loved that he saved Riggs' ass in the beginning, but that was the end of the line for him. At least that's what he told himself. And he was serious about it.
Riggs had stepped over the line with Gideon, and he wasn't ready to keep following him down that road.
He had a family. His son was graduating from high school. He needed to keep it real. And being with Riggs at that moment wasn't where he wanted to be.
When Riggs went to Murtaugh's house convinced that Gideon was lying all along, he was looking for some affirmation that it was going to be okay, but instead he was squashed.
Riggs lost so much and now he was losing his other family despite the fact that Trish came out to tell him he'd always be part of their family even if Murtaugh requested another partner.
It was heartbreaking to watch.
And had Murtaugh not been kidnapped himself, he may very well have traded partners. He was definitely pretty serious about it, but there is such a connection between him and Riggs, it would take a lot for him to truly let go.
Being held hostage might have been the thing to seal the deal, but what it did instead was solidify their partnership. Murtaugh almost gave his life for Riggs in that subway cell.
After they escaped, he could have washed his hands of Riggs and no one would have blamed him.
As much as Murtaugh wants to let him go, he can't. Riggs is too much a part of him. And the great thing is that Trish understands. What other wife would let her husband go to save a man who almost got him killed...like seriously almost got him killed?
Murtaugh isn't giving up on Riggs and he'll never give up on Riggs. That much has been made clear.
That final shot of Murtaugh's car driving off in the distance was as awesome an ending as Matt Miller said it was going to be in my recent interview with him. As intense as everything was this hour, that shot gave me hope. For Riggs. For Murtaugh. For everyone involved.
Lethal Weapon has knocked it out of the park nearly every episode. Everything has been top notch from the writing to the directing to the acting.
Each Wednesday night I've let these characters come into my life and they've hit on every single one of my emotions. I have no regrets. It's been a lot of fun, Lethal Weapon. See you in the Fall.
What did you think of "Commencement"? Were you surprised about Ronnie? What did you think of the season overall? Hit the comments and share your thoughts! If you missed anything, you can watch Lethal Weapon online right here via TV Fanatic.
