I got Hulu Plus for you all. I caught up on this show. I made it through 31 episodes in the past two weeks for tonight. You’re welcome.
Having not reviewed the past two seasons, I just want you all to know, this show is insane, it follows multiple narratives, does some of them well, but when it’s focused it’s on point. Outside of the shallow theology, and questionable character beats, lack of depth, and apparently easy to close cases, is a show that if it took itself a little more seriously could be really good. All that being said here we go season 3!
1. Cliffhanger resolve is disappointing.
The season 2 finale (which I watched yesterday), ended with Lucifer finally gonna tell Chloe he’s the devil in a believable fashion, which needs to happen so their relationship can finally be interesting again and have some depth blah blah blah. Instead he’s knocked out delivering her a message about coming over (which people just do in this show and violate personal boundaries but ok) and deposited in the desert with his wings magically back. All the promos made it seem like he’d be wondering and gone for awhile, but he’s only missing for two days! The cliffhanger is resolved in like 5 minutes maybe. Kind of a let down. I wanted real conflict, I wanted him gone awhile and Chloe to be pissed and them to make up and get over the hurdle and get back to kissing like the only good episode of season 2…oh well.
2. Hell yeah Tom Welling
I realize Tom Welling on another DC show is a big deal. I have tried really hard to watch Smallville to no avail, but I understand it’s a hallmark for some people. All that being said I think Welling is going to be a good addition to this show. He’s curt and unapologetic, doesn’t want to be here (just like me) and calls all the characters on their bullshit, reminding us of all the illegal things all the characters have done, which is really true and everyone should be in jail. I’m sure there will be some big, holy reveal with him down the road, and if it’s super convoluted and stupid so be it, but good on him for being here.
3. Bad bad bad theology
So if it’s not clear from my bio, I’m getting a master’s degree in a religious studies program. That being said, the obscene theology in this show has driven me crazy from the beginning. Don’t get me wrong, I love the premise, and I love “Sandman.” I haven’t read the “Lucifer” comics but I’m working on it. I can safely assume without a doubt though that Mike Carey approaches theological concepts with at least a smidgen more depth than the writers of this show, because constant references to God’s “plan” or cliche terms like “God works in mysterious ways” are commonplace all through this. And there is so much more depth to all religiosity than simple evangelical buzzwords and phrases.
Ella and Amenadiel always particularly bother me, because outside of them spewing their generic, pseudo-religious, rhetoric, they’re interesting characters. Ella used to be a criminal, but she’s Catholic and shouldn’t talk in this non-Catholic jibber-jabber, and Amenadiel is literally an angel who should definitely be doing more angel-y things. This show has so many opportunities to full explore religious dialogue, questions, concepts, in a beautiful way, and really has tried to and maybe a third of the way succeeded. There’s been some interesting ideas, there just could be more depth. Please Lucifer take yourself a little more seriously.
4. Who is the Sinnerman?
Well we’ve found our bad guy folks.
We learn Luci was abducted by the Sinnerman, who has also given Luci his wings back, maybe, and taken his devil form, but he can still do his desire tricks. The guy who actually abducted Lucifer (which I have no idea how because surely a human couldn’t have knocked him out, especially since Decker wasn’t around and she’s his God-given “weakness,” was brutally murdered at the end, setting up a search for the next big thing for Lucifer. This begs the question who is the Sinnerman? Will it be connected to the comics? Will it not? Will it at least be more nuanced than Lucifer’s Mom was last season? Who knows?
Continued below5. Overall, very standard fare
Having very recently watched every episode of this show very recently, I’m here to report this was all very standard fair. There’s a murder, it’s somehow related to Lucifer, Lucifer is cryptic to Decker because she doesn’t get he’s actually the devil (show her the wings), Lucifer then ruins the plan and goes rogue, tortures people, and then the real law arrives and credits role. All the while everyone is fine with his ridiculousness, and Dan and Chloe just go along with it all. Don’t tell me you’ve heard this one before.
I think this just highlights again that this show could be more. Lean either into the cop stuff (season 1) or the mystical stuff (season 2 eh), but pick one and do it well. Don’t half ass both because then you get like 75% of all the episodes of this show that are extremely cringeworthy. Pursue the Chloe/Lucifer relationship and reveal she was dictated by God, make Amenadiel a villain again, have Chloe struggle with Lucifer actually being the devil, get deeper with Trixie, do something! They did use God’s name more this episode which was good, maybe they’re going to dig deeper instead of continually talking about “Father.” Who knows. This show just really pisses me off. I want it to be good, I want constructive dialogue, I want real religious interaction, I want some depth and someone to be serious! This show could be so good, maybe it’s that it’s on Fox, who knows. But the lack of depth is gonna be real bad if I gotta make it through 26 episodes of this. It’s ok to piss Christians off, they’ll get over it. Protest is good do something crazy!
Additonal Thought: Where the hell was Maze the whole episode?
That’s all I got, praying for better, sound off in the comments below about what you thought of the season premiere!
