#watched #LethalWeapon S1, E1-2

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The thing with the LETHAL WEAPON film series, was that it hinged on the odd couple schtick of the leads; Mel Gibson as “Martin Riggs”, and Danny Glover as “Roger -I’m too old for this shit- Murtaugh”. Amidst all the hooha and big-bangs - and huge they were too - we’ll still be enjoying the bickering of the two guys, and see them making up as buddies after the smoke has died down.

In the TV series on FOX, the attempt at the odd couple seemed hardly convincing, and any sense of connection might be a residue of my impressions of the film series … also having had the opportunity to watch a rerun on cable not too long ago (before watching the TV series), did indeed inform on my memories … but to be fair, I have the film-versions etched in my mind for comparison, so …

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One main difference here is, they gave Riggs a reason for his “death wish”, straight up in the first ep. They made him cry is despair over the death of his pregnant wife, which leads to his constant bouts of anguish disguised as insanity, meant to entertain the viewers, and provide him a reason for his daily showcase of chaos - perhaps hoping for both a air-fist over his triumphant exploits, and the need to pass him a tissue to wipe the snot and tears off his face. The sympathy-train came and circled the first two episodes, like vultures over barbecued deadmeat, as far as I am concerned.

Other than that, actor Clayne Crawford as “Riggs” has equipped himself pretty well - at least seen in the first two episodes of this first season, and he’ll be the reason I return to watch the series.

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The “Murtaugh” written and portrayed here, is a caricature of Damon Wayans (sorry dude, I could never get behind your humour), and is a character-guise we’ve seen often enough in the past, ala “Rock Keats/Jack Carter” in “Bulletproof” (with Adam Sandler) and even “The Last Boy Scout” (with Bruce Willis).

His acceptance of Riggs is as scripted as his continued whining about making his ribs and uptight trash talking that stopped being funny in Ep.1. Sorry buddy, but you’ll be the reason I don’t return to catch any more episodes of this series :p


I appreciate the efforts put into the happenings surrounding these two dicks (as in “detectives”, yo), even with the connection with the “higher-up” (even tho it has become a “convenience” to his chaos-escaping antics) and Jordana Brewster as “Dr. Maureen Cahill” could well be the red-herring of a pretty face everyone expects Riggs to fall for in the future …


But it is Keesha Sharp as “Trish Murtaugh” that is the standout.

The connection comes only between Trish and Martin - at the end scene of the second episode, when she asked Martin to bring her husband back to her after every shift, and the agreeable silent “yes m’am” that transpired between them, more than made up for all the to-and-fro-ing between the two mismatched dicks.

WHAT-IS: "Lethal Weapon is an American action comedy-drama television series that is based on the action film series of the same name created by Shane Black. The series premiered on Fox on September 21, 2016 and was ordered on May 10, 2016.” (Wiki)
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