Lethal Weapon Season 2 Episode 16 Review: Ruthless
Jasmine Blu
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I'm not ready to say goodbye to Ruthie just yet!
Lethal Weapon Season 2 Episode 16 may have been the farewell for easily one of the best characters ever introduced on the show, but hopefully, it won't be the last that we ever see of her.
She has to come back to visit Riggs, right? Right?!
It was a fun-filled and occasionally emotional hour. In other words, it was a solid hour of Lethal Weapon that struck all the right chords. In a season that has been uneven, that's an accomplishment.
You know who was fun throughout this hour? Roger. I like it when Roger can get in on some of the action, humor, and fun without being regaled to the "straight man" to Riggs' chaotic shtick.
It's too bad that Trish doesn't enjoy Roger this way. Though the car lady who was hitting on him definitely did.
I liked seeing the flirty side to Roger. It was harmless, but I enjoyed how confident he was during that scene.
Bystander: Hey, aren't you going to give me your number?
Roger: My number, baby? It's 911.
The Murtaugh marriage is usually one of the best marriages on television. They love and support one another, and they balance one another out, and most of the time they're #MarriageGoals.
Unfortunately, they had a bumpy go of it on Lethal Weapon Season 2 Episode 15, and that spilled over into this hour and may become a full-on arc that could be equal parts amusing and frustrating depending on how it plays out.
Am I the only one disappointed in Trish throughout all of this? She's protective of her husband, and that's completely acceptable and expected, but why is Roger obligated to walk to the beat of her drum and meet her expectations just to appease her?
Both of them are stubborn individuals, and they both have valid points in this ongoing dispute that they're in, but I'm not fond of Trish's "My way or the highway" attitude to every little thing.
Does she expect Roger to be in a plastic bubble? He's a cop, for one, and a grown man with interests that may include dangerous hobbies.
When she deliberately ran over his motorcycle, it was appalling and not the least bit funny. She doesn't have to like or agree with his choice to ride a motorcycle, but there is nothing she can do about it.
She's supposed to be an equal partner in their relationship. She's not his mother or his keeper.
It's funny that it took Rianna to point out just how childish she and Roger were being. Trish was so obstinate in her "rightness" that she couldn't see how immature she was coming across.
Riggs: When I talked to Trish I thought maybe she was overreacting.
Roger: You talk to Trish? That is an unbelievable betrayal.
Riggs: Oh she calls, I don't want to be rude.
Roger: You ignore my phone calls all the time.
What is funny is how everyone else is affected by the Murtaughs being at odds.
Trish has taken to calling both Riggs and Avery. Poor Avery is willing to spend his own money to send the two of them somewhere just so they can reconcile and he doesn't have to be bothered.
All of their friends and colleagues are dragged into their marital issues. That doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon because after days of sleeping on the couch, and an almost reconciliation, Roger is out in the cold again.
The Murtaugh marital saga may be aggravating, but Roger bunking with Riggs in that tin can Riggs' calls a home is prime television for the viewing! Bring on more of that bromance.
Speaking of, the Riggs and Roger partnership was at its best during this installment. Sure, the case left the door open for a few cracks about killing their partners, but it was the fun bickering that we love so much.
Riggs had to be attuned to Roger's problems for a change.
Of all the people to be dragged into Roger's marital woes, I don't mind Riggs being one of them. He gave unusually solid advice on the issue and did everyone a favor by tearing up that Sun Tzu book. But overall, he was an attentive and supportive friend.
He was protective too. When Booker took Roger hostage in the elevator, Riggs wasted no time doing what he does best: being a hero/lunatic. He always has his partner's back.
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Honestly, even when Strickland was urging Roger to shoot him, it was like Riggs was giving the OK and willing to sacrifice himself just for his partner. That was an interesting scene because no matter how much he bickered with Roger about it later, he was willing to take the bullet.
Riggs: You shot me!
Roger: You told me too!
Even when Riggs is making emotional progress, there are tiny moments like that one which reminds the audience that he's still a work in progress struggling with his depression and suicidal tendencies. He's so resigned to dying when he feels like there are no more options.
When he and Roger ran out of bullets and had their sweet exchange that would have served as a goodbye if the team didn't come in to rescue them, Riggs simply accepted it.
Of course, Ruthie had him all mixed up. It's a testament to the progress Riggs has made with Cahill that he was able to work through and come to the realization why Ruthie affected him so much.
He didn't want her to leave him.
They had a nice thing going for them with their nightly games and exchanging wise-cracks. Yes, Ruthie kept him sober, but he also genuinely enjoyed her company.
She's so much like him in all the best ways. In a way, he was able to be himself with her more than he could anyone else currently in his life.
So that protective streak reared its head when he overheard her on the phone with her son.
He wanted to get to the bottom of who or what had his new friend fleeing. Ruthie didn't appreciate it, and she certainly lashed out in an ugly way, but she had to have understood Riggs' desperation.
Ruthie: I'm not your crutch, Marty. I wasn't put her to save you.
Riggs: I didn't ask you too.
Ruthie: Good, because some people are beyond saving.
Did anyone else find it interesting that Riggs never went out of his way to explain his relationship with Ruthie to anyone?
Everyone kept assuming or making jokes about them having sex, including her son, but he truly didn't give a crap what anyone thought about their relationship.
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I think Riggs missed out on a maternal figure in his life, and he wanted to hold onto Ruthie as long as he possibly could. Hell, I did too. She was very good for him. It kind of sucks that she can't be a permanent fixture.
The case felt timely because it related to guns and a gun buyback going wrong. Booker was a complicated character because his undercover work was dicey from the beginning of the hour all the way until the end.
Sometimes it was hard to figure out if he was good or bad. He kept everyone on their toes, however. The best moments of the installment were his handler and Avery bonding over their respective lunatics.
So Lethal Weapon Fanatics, how did you feel about this hour? What are your thoughts on the Murtaugh marital problems? Are you bummed that Ruthie is gone? Hit the comments below!
As always, you can watch Lethal Weapon online right here via TV Fanatic!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
