Flashbacks and serial killers, more Cain backstory, more Charlotte stuff, more Maze spiraling makes for a pretty coherent episode. Let’s dive in!
1. Couples who die together, stay together
The episode opens with a fun flashback sequence, a thing we’ll get to and which the episode refers again to, and we get a bit from Chloe and Pierce talking about how they enjoyed their date and it’s awkward and cute, and then we get to the case. The case this week finally felt like one that mattered and had consequences, and more so that the show was framed around the case rather than the case was framed around where the writers wanted the show to go. So often the past few weeks the cases have been background features, and really unsophisticated, mostly there because that was the format of the show. This week with a copycat serial killer from a case that Pierce worked on when he was being a detective in the 50s, it mattered. It gave the show the ability to highlight Pierce’s loneliness, his thoughts on other relationships, it made Lucifer less whiny, but called him on his whininess, and it gave every single character something of importance to do and all their appearances felt necessary and uncontrived (except maybe Maze). I’ve been harping for weeks about the show not giving Dan, Chloe, Amenadiel, Linda, and Charlotte much to do, but the sparing scenes they got this week were good, and good character development and great momentum. All in all, we got a really balanced episode this week with some fun gimmicks and it really worked.
2. Back to biblical times: 1958
So Pierce has at least been a cop since the 50s. Why a detective? Anyway, he’s been hopping all over the United States for many years, transferring and probably changing aliases and disappearing for spells. I wonder how he keeps doing it and hasn’t been found out by now? Must all be “part of God’s plan or something.” Anyway.
The flashbacks sequences to when Pierce was working on the Broken Hearts Killer case in a bar were really interesting and it’s fun to see Tom Welling do period stuff. If, and when, his stint on Lucifer ends he’d fit in great in a Mad Men style universe. Pierce hitting off with the bartender, and then having the same actress play her granddaughter in 2018 was a little contrived, but cute. Pierce’s partner from this case going on to marry the bartender was a great parallel to seeing what Pierce has been missing out on by being so cut off from the world and not letting anyone in. It actually gave you a little bit to invest in emotionally, even if we know by the end of this season he’s going to screw over Chloe and Lucifer. At least now we get it.
3. Maze on a bender.
Maze still continues to be the unfortunate loser of this season. Being mostly exiled by all the main characters, most of her connection still to the show is that she lives with Trixie and Chloe. Well not anymore. Dan and Maze getting into a row because Maze trashed her apartment and had a bunch of drunk people still there gave Dan a little bit to do (and reminded us he’s still a crooked cop, a fact this show is very eager to move on from). What was even better (worse) though was seeing them argue the second time about the pot brownies when Trixie hears her call her a brat. We haven’t seen much of Trixie this season, which is really unfortunate, but watching Maze destroy this relationship she’s built up with her was a great moment. You know Maze cares about her, and Chloe and everyone else, but feeling betrayed all season has really brought her to a new low. At least this moment of destructive behavior was more than just squabbling over Amenadiel. Not sure where Maze’s character goes from here, but I’m imagining she’s gone from the show for good by the end of the season.
4. “You were my mom.”
Onto the other subplot of the week, Amenadiel realizes that Charlotte is actually alive! Unfortunately everyone else already knew…
Continued belowI still am baffled Amenadiel didn’t know by now, but that’s a whole other thing. How does he spend his days? Just drinking coffee moping? It really makes no sense at this point that Charlotte doesn’t know she was actually in hell, actually dead, and that Lucifer is actually the devil. If Linda knows, she should know, and really at least Chloe should know too but that’s a whole other thing. Imagine how many real jokes the show could make instead of shoehorning awkwardness. Anyway, Amenadiel goes to Linda of course when he realizes Charlotte’s alive, to protect her since she almost died from the Goddess. Then she gives him advice, warns him not to tell Charlotte the truth, but then he stalks her for no other reason than to further the arc of them meeting. I’m just glad he finally fills her in on the big cosmic secret, we need more humans on the show who know. Although I guess there’s no guarantee she believes him.
5. Cain and Chloe
So Chloe and Pierce go on a “second” date during the sting operation and Chloe is skeptical about them actually going on more dates, even though she really likes him, because he is too secretive like literally all the other men in her life. It’a great moment for her, but of course Lucifer ruins it in sort of Lucifer fashion. Chloe calls Lucifer on his sort of whiny, immature, possessiveness the last few weeks and he of course apologizes. Clearly they both want to be together, and if he would come clean about everything eventually it would all be fine and they could, but of course the show is going to make us wait. I don’t understand though why he gives her the blessing to date Pierce if he knows Pierce is Cain and totally still morally ambiguous. Anyway, by episode’s end, Chloe calls Pierce up and they get their third date, and he ends the episode saying he’s going to finally get what he wants in the most evil way possible. Whelp at least she’ll be drawn into the cosmic world soon enough.
That’s it for this week folks. Sound off in the comments below, and come back next week for Lucifer‘s 50th episode, and a Maze-centric adventure.
