Lethal Weapon: Sadly, an Inconvenient Ruth is not “ruthless”
With Riggs and Murtaugh feeling off their game, they search for a way to get their edge back. Lethal Weapon hilariously provides ample opportunity.
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While the guys try to solve a bank heist and a person targeted for murder, they each search for a way to reach their peak. Roger (Damon Wayans) wants to appear younger and reclaim his glory years. Riggs (Clayne Crawford) strives to remain the Lethal Weapon of the team.
Amidst great cultural references to Popeye, Knight Rider and Korean skin care purchases on the dark web, two sages take over. The dynamic duo gets a little help from Dr. Cahill (Jordana Brewster), and Bowman (Andrew Creer) along the way, but it’s mostly supplementary.
Riggs finds his sage.
Riggs gets the short end of the stick with the introduction of Ruth (Swoosie Kurtz). To put it plainly, she is a horribly irritating addition. She’s awkward, and not funny at all. The episode is only titled “Inconvenient Ruth” because her plastic surgery, imitation clairvoyant meets Sherlock Holmes, sarcastic hippy-knows-all routine is overbearing. It’s fingernails on the chalkboard. Vince Vaughn in Psycho. Alanis Morrissette as God. Orange juice after brushing your teeth. Since this episode’s title is a take on Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth, it’s only fair to use a line from Film Threat’s review of the source material. I’d say Ruth is a “blatant intellectual fraud,” and “shame on all of the people involved in [the] travesty” of including her in the series.
The inconvenience of Ruth merely takes screen time away from the one true person who can put Humpty back together again. She knows his mind, his personality, and has been saved by his heroism. Dr. Cahill makes a brief appearance to help Riggs work through his confusion. She also gets to take out a bit of her frustrations. Their interaction is easily the funniest part of the episode. Meanwhile, the sexual tension mounts. It’s just a matter of time people…
Murtaugh takes a ride.
Meanwhile, Trish (Keesha Sharp) continues to be both wife and mother to Roger. She constantly grounds him, providing just the dose of reality he needs. Which is interesting because this is Roger’s tour de force. After being called grandpa and getting stuck in slide, a series of events revitalizes him.
First, he jumps on the roof of a runaway car, which ends up being like a carnival ride to him. Unfortunately for him, none of the squad cars get video of the incident, which only emboldens him to take other risks for proof of his wild side and revitalization. As Scorsese (Johnathan Fernandez) says, “If it’s not on film it never happened.”
He consequently throws C4 into a dumpster just before explosion, gets into a gun battle in a cabin, and even goes into the gasoline-soaked cabin before an almost certain inferno. It’s not quite Johnny and Pony Boy, since he’s only saving a cat named Mr. Bell Bottoms, but for Roger it’s a lot.
Ultimately, Roger’s entire day is a day for Trish to shine. Once again, she proves her strength as a mother and wife, and her wisdom. It takes drastic measures and a powerful speech for Roger to even realize his folly.
The supplementary investigation gets resolved.
Riggs arrives on the crime scene fresh faced and sober. We all root for his recovery and sobriety as humanitarians, but without turmoil and inner-demons he’s not the same character. Even he realizes his hard drinking and anger fuels his propensity for violence and flouting of his position. In a discussion with Bowman, Riggs makes things perfectly clear, “I did like seven illegal things before I got here this morning.”
With Murtaugh taking the lead as risk-taker, the duo uncover a plot to collect insurance money and frame an innocent man. They also delve into the world of the “dark web,” which completely baffles Murtaugh and reinforces his aging issues. The coup de grâce has Roger diving through a window as a cabin behind him blows up. It’s a classic homage to the films and multiple risky moves in his partner’s past.
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Riggs and Murtaugh are finding their way, each trying to improve. They may find, however, they are best as they are: a flawed team. Indeed, Roger has a family and can’t be a ruthless risk taker. Riggs is the risk taker, and for the benefit of the show, should not only be more ruthless, but also “Ruth-less.”
Lethal Weapon airs Tuesdays on Fox.