Ho boi.
1. Case of the week
Lucifer, where the cases are made up, and really don’t matter.
I’m just going to go ahead and cover most of the case of the week here, because it might be the most contrived one this show has had yet, and that’s saying something. So a famous ballerina is murdered. First suspect is a tv producer who she allegedly blackmailed, then her older lover is accused, and finally, the real killer is her dance partner, all so he could dance with her understudy because he’s in love with her. All of this of course is a most elaborate metaphor as Lucifer marches gallantly on stage at the end of the episode to keep the lover from killing the dance partner. Just like the rest of the episode, the ballerina is subject to the whims of the men around her, treated, mistreated, and killed, because she wouldn’t do exactly what everyone wanted. All the while, no one has to kill anyone if you’re just honest. Guess that doesn’t make for good TV. Anyway, you’re not here for the case, you’re here for the drama. But if you wanna know how the episode goes, the metaphor is there in Vegas lights. Yeesh.
2. I wantcha back
Alright so now onto the important things. Pierce’s mark is gone, Lucifer wants to kill him, he no longer wants to die. Didn’t we just spend like 10 episodes trying to kill him?
Perhaps I’m really cynical, but if I was an immortal being who had been trying to commit suicide for thousands of years, I’d probably go ahead and off myself and not let get in the way. But that’s not what we get here! Instead, we get Pierce trying to win Chloe back with presents and such, and telling her he loves her. You think it might work cause commitment for Chloe is a big deal, she’s got a kid, she puts up a front. Then of course Lucifer sets himself up as the alternative, tries to outdo Pierce’s gifts and such with fancy ass things of his own. Ho boi. Bro, just tell her you love her. You don’t even have to show the wings off immediately.
This whole Chloe being a celestial catnip thing is gonna bother me, especially Amenadiel and Lucifer’s reminders of how cosmically graced Chloe is and the bad theology of God’s plan. Watching Chloe be reduced to a play toy though is not my favorite thing. At least Pierce sort of respects her. Lucifer just comes off as more of an idiot here than he ever has.
3. We’re on a mission from Gahd.
The biggest thing that worked for me this episode is good ol Charlotte Richards playing for God’s team. Amenadiel comes to her and says let’s get Pierce arrested for all the Sinner Man stuff (was wondering if we’d come back to this) and she is all onboard if it gets her out of hell. Charlotte on redemption road, for real instead of faking her way through being a public defender, is a quality addition to the show, and a much needed humanizing factor for Charlotte. Watching her and Amenadiel spy on Pierce and then her put the moves on him when she gets made is pretty convincing.
“You don’t quit when you’re doing God’s work” might be favorite line of the whole episode and I definitely chuckled a little bit. Sometimes God’s work isn’t door to door to evangelizing, sometimes it’s stopping your friends from making dumb mistakes. Or going on a twisted Suicide Squad-like quest for redemption. I like Nu-Charlotte.
4. Maze sinking slowly
Maze didn’t get much to do this episode (continuing a season long trend) but what she did get were the most emotionally resonant bits of the episode. In all honesty, she’s the only one I’m routing for at this point. Maze got two scenes this go around. The firs one with Pierce being pissed he’s calling the plan off because he was her only shot to make it home back to hell. Her declaration of taking matters into her own hands going forward really worked for me, and I think we’ll see Maze go full villain by the end of the season, whatever that truly means.
Continued belowThe second scene was more wonky, but really only because it’s hard to believe Chloe would be trusting enough to let Maze back in her home after she trashed it and devastated her daughter. The Chloe/Maze dynamic is definitely misguided here as Chloe, throughout the episode, is very quick to forgive. But, the moment where Trixie sees Maze and goes back to her room and slams the door, that was effective. Trixie wins this episode as that might be the most real emotion in an episode with a marriage proposal. Speaking of which…
5. “What do you truly desire?”
So Lucifer screws up with Chloe (again) and Linda helps him realize at episode’s end that he loves Chloe and probably should’ve told her that from the beginning. Would’ve saved everyone a lot of trouble. Especially since in their dinner scene it’s like Chloe wanted him to tell her that so she wouldn’t have to go back to Pierce. Linda asks him, “What do you, the devil, truly desire?” Great question, great music, but…Instead, he arrives too late and Chloe and Pierce get engaged. What the fuck?
They don’t have any conversation about his commitment weirdness, or his past, or the fact that Chloe has a daughter and needs someone truly committed and if he runs out on her ass again she’ll bury him. Nah, they just get married. Shows spend seasons hyping marriages, they’ve been dating like 3 episodes? The worst part is, again, the whole proposal only serves as an agenda to piss Lucifer off more and put him at odds with Pierce and Maze. Chloe never had a choice.
And that’s all for this week folks, we got 3 episodes left. Sound off in the comments below and join us again next week!
