What Happened to Martin Riggs on Lethal Weapon

Following the off-screen turmoil plaguing "Lethal Weapon," Flavour iii moves on from Clayne Crawford by spending extra time mourning Martin Riggs.

[Editor'southward Note: The following article contains spoilers for "Lethal Weapon" Season 3, Episode 1, "In the Same Boat."]

Wesley Cole says he "can't ever replace" Martin Riggs, but Seann William Scott has already taken over for Clayne Crawford. Following a slew of production issues stemming from a fractured human relationship between Crawford and Damon Wayans (which, unsurprisingly, ended with the more than famous face sticking around), the Season 3 premiere kills off Riggs for adept — equally was strongly implied in last yr's finale.

Now, Play a trick on'due south "Lethal Weapon" TV show is dorsum, and it'south a whole new abortion… except it'south besides exactly the same. The time-honored tradition  of swapping out ane partner for some other has been executed by shows like "NYPD Blue" and "The X-Files." Each has their own tricks to ease an audition into the new world, often based on how the dear star departs, but the "Lethal Weapon" team made savvy decisions to appease anybody who's (understandably) grown attached to Riggs over 2 seasons.

The modify came as smooth and slow onscreen as it was rushed and noisy off it. With pressure to keep fans on both side of the conflict happy, the premiere episode faced a daunting task. "In the Same Boat" needed to introduce the new atomic number 82 and hook viewers to his journey, all while explaining what happened to Riggs with the same comfy structure of old — a case-of-the-week tackled with funny quips and solid activity. A heated fanbase needed to be soothed, and bated from the #TeamClayne dice-hards, fans may non have felt a marked absenteeism in the return hour. That's all due to the subtle art of swapping leads, and hither's how writers Joe Smith and Matt Miller pulled it off.

Damon Wayans and Seann William Scott in "Lethal Weapon"

Ray Mickshaw/FOX

1. Make Seann William Scott Your Case-of-the-Week

Like many police procedurals, episodes of "Lethal Weapon" typically start with the case-of-the week. Some unlucky schmo suffers a hardship and so the hero cops step in after the titles to clean upwardly the mess. The Flavour three premiere opens with Seann William Scott as Wesley Cole, a CIA special ops agent stationed in Syrian arab republic. He'south cracking jokes with a kid who helped him trace a difficult drive to this grouping of bad guys.

Yes, it's immediately clear this kid is going to die, simply that doesn't really thing. What matters is it'south impossible not to experience for a guy who blames himself for the death of a kid, and that's exactly how Agent Cole is introduced. Miller and Smith tie his scenes into the current plot past making both their tragedies set on the same day, and before the words "Lethal Weapon" flash across the screen, there's merely 1 human being embodiment of that title alive.

But that'south how Cole is presented as an endearing figure, not why the episode goes down so like shooting fish in a barrel. Audiences are used to seeing someone they've never seen before at the start of "Lethal Weapon" episodes, and then it'southward the structure that lulls viewers into a familiar earth. That this fresh face up turns out to be the new lead may be a pleasant surprise for anyone with their head in the sand for the terminal few months, but it's not distracting whether you're aware of what'south going on or non.

Damon Wayans and Seann William Scott in "Lethal Weapon"

Ray Mickshaw/Play a joke on

2. Seriously Mourn the Loss of a Atomic number 82

After he was shot by his long lost brother to end Season 2, Riggs is rushed to the hospital by his partner, Murtaugh (Wayans). Only instead of a drawn out battle with death, the on-call surgeon goes from telling a distraught Roger, "We'll exercise everything we can," to a definitive "I'chiliad sorry" in less than 25 seconds. With those two words, Riggs is gone forever, but the rest of the episode spends every extra second honoring his retentivity.

For i, Murtaugh's entire plotline circulates effectually grieving. His family wants him to movement on (off the couch and into the shower); his dominate wants him to motion on (off the forcefulness and into retirement); yet he'due south stuck obsessing over a cocky-taught conspiracy theory that Riggs's killer is notwithstanding on the loose. Never mind the brother killed himself after killing Riggs. Murtaugh is convinced he's on the correct track, until he realizes what anybody else already knows: He's keeping the case alive so he doesn't have to procedure the death of his partner.

This leads to a mini-therapy session with staff psychologist Maureen Cahill (Jordana Brewster) and later on to him blistering Scott's Cole for a promotion to detective. But not all is well with Roger. He'south still feeling the loss of Riggs, as is everyone else — every bit evidenced by multiple people telling Murtaugh, "Nosotros miss Riggs, besides". Damon Wayans doesn't have to convince you he'southward sad Crawford is gone, merely he does accept to make viewers believe Murtaugh is torn up over losing Riggs. The funnyman does an admirable job; then much so, information technology doesn't feel like Riggs' spirit is going away any time soon, fifty-fifty if it does feel like a giant step toward a new life.

Seann William Scott, Damon Wayans, and Keesha Sharp in "Lethal Weapon"

Fox

three. Set Upwardly a Definitive Hereafter That's Easy to Get Behind

That new life is pretty articulate and pretty familiar. Murtaugh and Cole are partners at present. Murtaugh is still sorting through his rationale to keep working, as well every bit the fear of losing some other partner (undoubtedly). Cole, we're told, is trying to do right by his daughter for the first fourth dimension. He may take an ex-girlfriend to win back, and he'southward actually focused on doing well as a detective. Moreover, he'due south trying to accept the thought that "anarchy" follows him — a concept as beneficial for an activeness series as information technology is kinda giddy for a direct-laced police officer. (Riggs being addicted to anarchy was much easier to believe, given he was a self-saboteur who was quite possibly suicidal.)

Even so, the dynamic is dorsum in action. By the end of a tight 43 minutes, ii cops are back on the case, all the supporting players are lined upward to help them, and the narrative has worked through enough heavy drama to earn some laughs adjacent week (while non setting all of the dark stuff bated, since information technology can however exist used to drive future plots). Some may dismiss this kind of writing as an assembly line hack task; a bunch of writers trying to save the scraps of their series by bringing in a big proper noun (for this show) and putting his character in the about empathetic position imaginable.

Sure, at that place's some emotional manipulation going on here, and yes, there are some leaps in logic you'll but accept to go with. (How exactly did Cole become from beat cop to detective off just the discussion of an aging detective everyone hopes will just shut up and retire?) But saving a profitable franchise is never easy, peculiarly when some fans may simply give "Lethal Weapon" ane episode to run into how they like the new duo. A lot went into the Season three premiere, and it's pretty impressive how smoothly the results play out. Producers over at Warner Bros. TV may exist fixing up a formulaic police procedural, merely what they've done hither is its own special kind of art.

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Source: https://www.indiewire.com/2018/09/lethal-weapon-season-3-riggs-dead-episode-1-spoilers-1202006530/

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