Lethal Weapon Season 3 Penultimate Ep. Plays ‘A Game of Chicken’

[PLEASE NOTE: This recap of Lethal Weapon: Season 3, Episode 14: A Game of Chicken DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS. It is assumed you have already viewed the episode. If you have not, it is recommended you do so. Episode 14: A Game of Chicken can be seen on Fox, On-Demand or via your preferred streaming service.]

Coming into Lethal Weapon: Season 3, I know that many folks, myself included, had doubts about the state of this series. What with the changing of the guard and all. I can only speak for myself, but this season has exceeded my expectations. Stars Damon Wayans and Seann William Scott provide a different dynamic and have such on-screen chemistry that this season has been very entertaining! As Season 3 nears its end, we find its cast of characters in pleased places.
Wesley Cole (Seann William Scott) is continuing his relationship with ADA Erica Malick (Nishi Munshi); he’s even considering taking his new lady to his ex-wife’s wedding. Cole’s also thrilled to find that Rafi’s (Marwan Salama) collegiate career is going well; with the student even becoming a university lab assistant. Meanwhile, The Murtaugh household is being shadowed by an LA Tribune reporter for a big write-up on Trish Murtaugh’s (Keesha Sharp) political campaign. In other words, the family is all out of sorts and trying not to show it. Unfortunately, there is soon trouble at Raffi’s school when a security guard finds a dead professor with his lab assistant, Raffi, kneeling by the corpse. Of course, Rafi is immediately pinned as the primary murder suspect.
Soon enough, Rafi is on the run. Despite Cole defending his friend’s innocence, the partners soon get taken off Rafi’s case at the behest of ADA Erica. For this reason, our heroes go AWOL to help the college student. The boys’ good intentions result in Sonya Bailey (Michelle Mitchenor) and Gutierrez (Paola Lazaro)  crashing into a chicken truck. Meanwhile, once Cole and Rafi arrive back at The Safari Inn, the two find Erica and officers there to take Rafi back into custody. In the interrogation room with Cole, Rafi maintains that he heard his now deceased professor arguing with someone.
Cole soon finds that the most likely suspect may be Professor Brian Li (Philip Tan). See, Li’s “A visiting professor from Beijing with ties to the Chinese government.” It turns out that this hunch is correct as the partners soon see that Chinese intelligence not only has Professor Li, they also have this whole situation under mass surveillance. A foot chase commences, but our heroes are quickly evaded. Despite this new development, Erica refuses to back Cole, as do his fellow officers. Oddly enough, the Murtaugh family isn’t getting much back-up either, as they find the write-up to be a scathing one.
With nowhere else to turn, Cole resorts to his old CIA “buddy” Tom Barnes (Mykelti Williamson). However, the LAPD does soon get on the same page, seeking extradition for Li. Unfortunately, the department’s timing on such a request wasn’t fast enough as Cole and Barnes are preparing to break into the Chinese consulate to steal evidence which will prove Rafi’s innocence. Alas, Cole is quickly knocked out by a security guard. Later, our hero awakens in a captive state in the consulate’s basement and is promptly greeted with a little water torture. Meanwhile, Murtaugh’s in the building’s lobby asking the organization to turn Professor Li over to the police, unbeknownst to his partner. Finally kicking in some more help from the outside, Barnes remotely cuts the consulate’s power, allowing Cole to escape. Following that, Cole quickly finds Professor Li and runs into Murtaugh in the process.
Understandably, the partners feel betrayed by one another, and such feelings will not easily pass. Rafi’s proven innocent and is personally apologized to by Erica. However, the future of her and Cole’s romantic relationship is still in question. In other words, the narrative is well-stacked for what Fox’s promos are calling the upcoming “Explosive Season Finale!” Even though the network is no doubt prone to hyperbole, I look forward to seeing how all these events iron out.
For now, though, let’s get back to the episode at hand. Frankly, A Game of Chicken is a mediocre episode. Sure, it’s perfectly watchable, but it also has a stench to it. This episode reeks as being one that is doing nothing more than piling things up for a season finale. Yes, I understand that that’s how TV works, but that doesn’t always make for a satisfying episodic experience. I hope that this season will get back on its streak and end on a high note with the season finale.

Episode 14: A Game of Chicken can be seen on Fox, On-Demand or via your preferred streaming service.
The Season Finale, Episode 15: The Spy Who Loved Me is Also Available on Fox, On-Demand or via your preferred streaming service. Recap Coming Soon!