If you would like to read a recap of last week’s episode, click here. Last week’s episode gave us the first real test of Murtaugh and Riggs’ relationship when Murtaugh’s family became involved. They seemed like they were both back on track by the end because they wouldn’t stretch out the tension for too long.
The episode starts off in a jewelry store with a man named Chad Jackson (Michael Raymond-James) being interviewed for a security guard job. For some reason, he asks for some milk. Looking at his qualifications, which included being a former Navy Seal, he tells him that he is overqualified for the job. As retaliation, Jackson tries to make a point by beating up the current security guard and taking off with some jewelry and the manager’s car.
Murtaugh and his daughter Riana (Chandler Kinney) are having an intense basketball game. Murtaugh wins the game and starts showboating. Murtaugh figures out that she let him win and gets upset. Riana was just worried when she saw him sweating so profusely that she thought he was going to have another heart attack. Before they can have a rematch, Trish pulls her away so she can go to school.
Riggs is late for a meeting with Avery, Dr. Cahill, and Murtaugh, meanwhile Riggs is balancing himself along the ledge of the roof of the nearby building. Avery briefs them on the case involving Jackson where Cahill gives her analysis. Avery advises that Murtaugh go see Jackson’s therapist but he should go get Riggs first. As he’s leaving, Murtaugh sees what Riggs is doing from the window.
Murtaugh and Riggs visit Jackson’s therapist. Riggs isn’t really paying attention while Murtaugh is talking to him but begins to take issue with how he was treating him. When Murtaugh hears the therapist talks about Jackson, he can’t help but to see the parallels between him and Riggs. He is just worried that Jackson may break but he kind of already has.
Jackson is at a pharmacy and berates the pharmacist when he demands that she tell him what kind of medication he has. She doesn’t know what he has, making him angry. A guard comes in but Jackson quickly dispatches him. Murtaugh asks Riggs questions about his military service. Riggs was not there as long as Jackson. Murtaugh is just worried that Riggs would snap in the same way that Jackson has. He wants insight since Riggs is more familiar with his situation.
The cops find Jackson in the pharmacy where he had possibly taken hostages. Riggs wants to go in alone but being his partner, Murtaugh goes in after him. Cruz also goes in, telling Bailey that he’s watching the front like Riggs said. Riggs finds Jackson drinking more milk. He tries to talk him down by trying to relate to him since they were both in the military. Jackson won’t surrender until he’s completed his mission. Jackson spots Murtaugh and Cruz and then flees. Riggs chases him but it doesn’t last long as Jackson jumps off a roof and onto the top of a truck. Riggs doesn’t follow him and realizes that he may be crazier than him.
Riggs is looking over Jackson’s file when Cahill comes in. Cahill talks to him and drinks with him. He tells her about the time he spent as a Navy Seal. Riggs thinks that Jackson lost control of himself and admits to her that he’s aware of when he is being crazy. Scorsese identifies Jackson’s medication as some sort of a drug that isn’t widely available. Riggs finds that all of the other soldiers in Jackson’s regiment died. Riggs and Cahill figure out that they may have been part of a clinical trial but they would need a good lawyer to get information.
Murtaugh visits Trish at her office and meets her new hot assistant. He’s helping her get them the clinical trial information. Murtaugh tells Trish that he doesn’t like her new assistant. Trish hands him the information. Murtaugh and Riggs visit the pharmaceutical company running the trial. They try to press them for details but they can’t give them any. They ask for a list of the patients on the trial and learn that Jackson’s therapist gave them their patients. Murtaugh calls him and learns that he’s dead.
Based on the evidence, it appears that Jackson killed him. Riggs is skeptical since the evidence doesn’t make any sense. Avery wants to go public with the information but Riggs disagrees. He thinks there is more going on but Avery wants more evidence. Avery asks Murtaugh and he thinks that Riggs is too close. Riggs is upset.
Avery has a press conference to alert the public about Jackson. The cops are then bombarded with tips until Murtaugh gets a tip about a man in a park with a milk carton. Murtaugh and Riggs go the park. Murtaugh is sweating a lot so Riggs suggests he take a break but he keeps going. Murtaugh and Riggs stumble into Jackson’s kill zone. Riggs tries to talk Jackson down. He says that he didn’t kill the therapist and that he just want him to confess to what he did and that he was alive when he left. Riggs wants to bring him in but he still has to complete his mission. Murtaugh stumbles onto a tripwire attached to a bomb. Riggs saves him by knocking him away from the wire before the bomb explodes.
Trish wakes up and notices that Murtaugh isn’t there. He’s playing basketball outside. He shares what happened with Trish. Because of his heart attach, he feels like he’s lost a step and that Trish’s new hot assistant is getting him off his game. Trish reassures him.
Avery grills Riggs about what happened at the park. He thinks he should have called backup and almost got Murtaugh killed. His one-on-one approach resulted in Jackson getting away twice. Avery pulls him off the case. Bailey and Cruz talk to a demolitions expert that he happens to know. He reveals that based on the evidence, Jackson is looking to do a lot more damage.
Riggs is drinking alone once Cruz comes in and offers information he just learned about Jackson’s plan and that nobody else know yet. Murtaugh and Riggs go after him. They go back to the pharmaceutical company and on the way up, the elevator breaks down. Jackson is already there. They get out of the elevator and then Riggs calls for backup, prompting Avery to send everyone over.
They are in a standoff with Jackson, who is now wearing a bomb vest, and they are not going to leave. A bodyguard shoots him in the vest which accelerates the timer. Backup has now arrived. In order to save everyone, Murtaugh and Riggs jump out of the building with the vest and Riggs shoots it to make it explode before they land in the swimming pool below. Riggs is impressed that Murtaugh would do that.
Murtaugh and Riana are playing a closer basketball game. Riggs visits Jackson in the hospital. Riggs asks him to trust Cahill like he trusted him. Cahill confronts Riggs about what happened. Cruz reveals to Bailey that the demolitions expert was someone who he grew up with. Avery is looking for Riggs so he can apologize to him. They are on the roof with Riggs sitting on the ledge drinking. Riggs opens up about coming back from the war, how things aren’t the same. His wife Miranda helped him through it. She was his guardian angel.
Murtaugh says that Riggs can talk to him and he would listen. Murtaugh takes away the beer and then reconsiders. He brings the beer back and sits on the ledge facing the other way. Riggs feels like talking but Murtaugh doesn’t want him to ruin the moment.
Overall, this was the best episode of the season so far where Murtaugh and Riggs’ relationship was on full display with Murtaugh showing a more vulnerable side and Riggs finally starting to open up. There were some great quips and there wasn’t as much action but the show doesn’t need it all the time.
Score: 8/10
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Note: These may come later on certain weeks as this show airs on the same day where I attend advanced screenings
The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.