Is there anything better than a good “Enhance!” scene? You know, the ones where a bunch of people are sitting around a computer watching surveillance footage and one of them sees a tiny thing on the screen that solves a mystery once some tech zooms in and clean the image up, often to a degree that is not at all scientifically possible? I vote no. Actually, wait. Being given ten million tax-free dollars is probably better. And so is being Matthew McConaughey, too, I bet. That guy seems pretty happy. So let’s amend that opening: Are there a lot of things better than a good “Enhance!” scene? Okay, now the answer is definitely no.
I bring this up because the Christmas episode of Fox’s Lethal Weapon reboot just had one of the best “Enhance!” moments I’ve ever scene. It was really quite incredible. I saw them setting it up and I got all excited, and then they paid it off and I actually said “Yesssss” out loud. It was that great. You don’t even need the video to appreciate it. I honestly think it’s better presented as a series of screencaps. So let’s do that.
The nice thing about an “Enhance!” scene is that you barely need any background to follow it, provided you’ve seen literally any TV show or movie before. There’s a bad guy. He killed a girl. They’re pretty sure it was him but they need to prove it, and their best chance at doing that is catching his face on the surveillance footage of the crime. That’s it.
But how?
Yes.
Oh my God, yes.
This is the shot where their chief realizes what’s happening and it all washes over his face. I am interrupting my excitement about the enhancing to point this out because heyyyyyyy, that’s Teddy Chaough from Mad Men! The 1960s’ favorite clinically depressed amateur pilot is now a hard-nosed chief who takes detectives off cases for being loose cannons. Who woulda seen that coming? This is what people mean when they call it “Peak TV.”
Anyway…
Yes.
YES.
That’s right, folks. On the Christmas episode of the television reboot of the classic Christmas action movie Lethal Weapon, Damon Wayans solved a murder by having another officer use a standard desktop computer to take blurry surveillance footage and zoom in extremely tight on a shiny ornament to reveal the crystal clear reflection of the killer’s face. This would be my runaway favorite for best television scene if not for two small facts:
- No one actually says “Enhance!” The closest we get is a “Zoom in.” This is unforgivable.
- The “Where’s the sloth?” scene from Zoo exists.
Still. Top five.
