If you would like to read my review of last week’s episode, click here.
Synopsis: Riggs’ childhood friends may be involved in a robbery-homicide case; Murtaugh thinks one of his kids is using marijuana. (TV Guide)
Writer: Terence Paul Winter
Director: Steve Boyum
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 44mins
We’ve been learning a lot more about Riggs this season and this episode gave us one of the last big pieces of the mystery that’s been his past. To do that, it enlisted the help of a few of his childhood friends.
This episode started with a flashback of young Riggs (Chase Mangum) along with his friend Jake (Austin Kane) joyriding across town until Riggs crashes the car and they run away. Back to the present, Riggs is testifying on behalf of Jake (Linds Edwards) at his parole hearing. Riggs got him released by making up a story about Jake being his informant. Riggs apparently owed him for something Jake did which was revealed later in the episode.
Now to the case of the week. It was clear that Jake would play a role in it somehow and that he did once Murtaugh and Riggs were investigating a robbery homicide where one the thieves appeared to have been shot by the other. The victim had been paroled the same day as Jake which led Riggs to believe that Jake may have been involved. Riggs, as he often did, took it upon himself to find it out on his own. The rest of the LAPD eventually caught up but he still kept most of the information to himself with his debt to Jake clouding his judgement.
Jake claimed to just be a getaway driver and that some third person showed up and committed the murder. Riggs wanted to believe him, however, Murtaugh didn’t trust him which was warranted as he caused an accident to escape Murtaugh. Evidence was found that suggested Jake may have been involved but Riggs still didn’t want to believe it.
While Riggs was surveilling his old friend and Jake’s wife Molly (Kristen Gutoskie), we got another flashback that explained why Riggs owed Jake. Both he and Molly were over at Riggs’ house until his dad showed up. After Jake and Molly left through the backdoor, his dad started beating on him for stealing a car. Riggs’s dad finally stopped after Jake came back and killed him and went to prison for it.
New evidence was uncovered that proved that the robbery was an inside job perpetrated by the homeowner who was having marital problems. He hired the thieves thanks to his parole officer who also worked with the dead thief and Jake. This led them to believe that the parole officer was in on the robberies and committed the murder. Meanwhile, Jake stole a lamborghini with the stolen gold inside. When he went back to Molly, Murtaugh and Riggs were waiting. The parole officer showed up to kill Jake and get the gold but ultimately, Murtaugh took him down and Riggs took the gold though he let Jake go because of his debt to him.
Avery knew about what happened with Riggs’ father and gave him a lot of slack in this episode for this so he let Riggs get away with it. Jake was on the run but he had to tell Avery if he knew where Jake was. Riggs told Murtaugh that Jake saved his life and went to prison for it though not what he did.
The other story started with RJ is back home from college to use Murtaugh’s free laundry detergent. Murtaugh found a joint and immediately blamed Riana and RJ who both denied it being theirs. Murtaugh decided to have each of them drug tested to find the joint’s owner. Once the drug tests showed that neither Riana or RJ were using marijuana, that left Trish. Trish was angry at the implication because it could also have belonged to Riggs. Riggs denied that it was his since he rolled his joints differently. Murtaugh eventually figured out that it belonged to one of their relatives with glaucoma who forgot it in their house after he ate several of her gummy bears laced with marijuana. The episode ended with Murtaugh and Riggs having another bonding moment while Riggs helped to bring Murtaugh down.
Overall. this was another good episode with a story that connected to Riggs and his backstory. We know Riggs had a tough life but the reveal of how his dad died came out of nowhere although the season had been leading to it. There were a few misfires however with the forced conflict between Bailey and Bowman and the joint subplot which kind of felt unnecessary except for the last scene.
Score: 8.5/10
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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.
