The check popped up again at the end when Riggs decided to give all his money to the boy -- which I get, but also don't get -- but by that point things had spiraled into all-too familiar territory and the boy was hugging Riggs more than his mother who'd just awakened for the first time after getting shot in the head. Sure, Riggs mentioned that some of the hugs should go to her, and it was good to call that out, but it didn't quite help dissolve the awkwardness.Just the fact that the mother wasn't killed, and was destined to wake up, sort of signaled the temporary nature of this situation. It made everything feel too safe. I know Lethal Weapon isn't exactly a dark, gritty affair, but you also don't want things to feel overly manufactured.
That being said, the moments at the end when Riggs had Ethan (Teo Briones) hide in his mostly empty fridge during the shootout, and then carried him out over the parade of bodies in the sand, crackled with more urgency. It is possible to pull the "kid in peril" card in a meaningful way and here, at least visually, it worked to create tension.
It's a long shot, I know, but it'd be nice if Lethal Weapon started building up a sprawling set of recurring characters who could be called back into the fold someday. Like, if Ethan somehow returned in the future this adventure might wind up feeling less disposable. It also might help Riggs if he were to occasionally run into people from his past that he helped save. It would just helped fill out the world of the show a bit more and make these episodic characters feel more vital.
Oh, and Murtaugh is totally a motorcycle guy. Don't let anyone tell you different, big man.
