If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.
Synopsis: Murtaugh and Riggs discover that Cahill is being targeted by a murderous stalker after a violent car accident; Riggs begins to obsess over Murtaugh’s past after finding his file in Cahill’s office; Roger and Trish find their daughter’s fake ID. (IMDB)
Writer: Seamus Kevin Fahey
Director: Matt Barber
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 45mins
The best episodes are the ones that involve all the characters within the main plot and this one was another example. One would probably assume that based on the title, the episode would be about Murtaugh but it wasn’t as this one was about Cahill. Through 13 episodes, we haven’t yet learned too much about her backstory but this episode helped to flesh out her character a little more.
In regards to the episode title, The Murtaugh File, it was mainly just a subplot between Murtaugh and Riggs as he saw a file in Cahill’s office with his Murtaugh’s name on it and he tried to figure out what was inside. At least according to Cahill, his file was not as big as Riggs’ as he had a whole drawer. We later learned that Murtaugh’s file came from a earlier visit with her after working a case with Avery. He froze when a gang banger had a gun pointing at Avery. He and Avery had a signal in those types of situations but Riggs wondered why they didn’t have one.
The main plot for the episode was that Cahill had a stalker who kept sending her flowers and such. He also happened to run her new boyfriend off the road and killed him. The main focus was to find her stalker which meant the three of them spent a lot more time together. Despite what was happening, she wanted to remain involved. She didn’t think that the problem was serious so she refused protection but that obviously didn’t happen.
In order to find a suspect, they went through her old case files with the help of another psychiatrist who she was familiar with. She did not appreciate the interference as he pretty much took over for her. Their first suspect was a shorter man whom Murtaugh and Riggs had a hard time taking down in a scene that was funny to watch. They also ran into Cahill’s ex-husband who hadn’t yet signed divorce papers. His appearance seemed a little too coincidental but he was also innocent.
Over the course of the investigation, Riggs and Cahill spent a lot of time together, allowing them to get closer to one another. She even took him to dinner, hoping that her stalker was watching, so she could lure him out. Of course Murtaugh and Riggs happened to save her from the stalker using one of Murtaugh and Riggs’ old signals. He ended up not being who you would expect which was a surprising choice.
She thanked Riggs for saving her life because of his impulsivity and lack of judgement. Their dynamic was changing so she had to refer him to another psychiatrist but in typical Riggs fashion, he was standing on her balcony threatening to jump if she didn’t take him back. She took him back but that just showed how much she meant to him which was a feeling he didn’t show often. Clayne Crawford and Jordanna Brewster were great together in this episode and I would love to see more of that in the future.
The other subplot of the episode involved Riana. Trish and Murtaugh wondered what she was doing at night, telling them each different things. They both started to snoop which made her mad because she thought they didn’t trust her. They later found a fake ID which we learnt was for getting her into clubs so she can work as a DJ.
Overall, this was a great episode where we learned a more about Cahill and a little more about Murtaugh. The conflict with her stalker thrust her and Riggs together which began to transform their dynamic in an interesting way.
Score: 8.5/10
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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*
Stay tuned next week, as the episode will bring back another character from the original movies, Leo Getz (Thomas Lennon). Check out the preview below:
https://youtu.be/h5sO2lpmRm0
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.