Continuing our Lucifer episode-by-episode review, it’s time to move on to the second part of this year’s storyline, starting with Eve’s arrival.
This post contains spoilers. Each episode contains spoilers to that episode and any episode before it. In order to avoid spoiling the season, the episode reviews are separated by episode – do not read reviews for episodes you haven’t watched yet unless you don’t mind spoilers.
To read the reviews of episodes 1-3 click here.
Episode 4 – “All About Eve”
Linda freaks out, Maze lashes out, Dan acts out, and in the middle of it all, Lucifer and Chloe find that however hard they try to stay away from each other, they’ll still end up drawn to one another.
Following Chloe’s betrayal and rejection, Lucifer is, quite literally, a mess (understandably). He stays in the penthouse, only coming down to LUX to get more alcohol to drink on his own. That is, until he sees a familiar figure in the crowd – Eve (as in, Adam and Eve). He takes her back to the penthouse to talk, and Eve tells him she’s come back to Earth to have fun (though it’s obvious she’s back there for him). Lucifer helps her out with a place to stay, but is clearly neither in the mood for connecting nor cares about her the way he used to. Even though he gets a grip on himself while they talk, he’s clearly still heartbroken over Chloe.
Meanwhile, Chloe does her best to pretend she’s fine. She tells Dan and Ella she’s done working with Lucifer and pretends she doesn’t care – and that they’re better off without him – even though it’s clear she doesn’t believe that. She spends a fair bit of the episode trying to convince herself – more than anyone else – there are more advantages to working without Lucifer than there are to working with him, quite unsuccessfully, if I might add.
But as we’ve seen in the season 3 bonus episode Once Upon A Time, it doesn’t really matter what happens – Chloe and Lucifer would somehow still find their way to each other, whether they want to or not.
There was something heartbreaking about watching Lucifer sneaking around, trying desperately to avoid Chloe. When questioned about it by Eve, he dismisses it as something that’s already over, but the pain seems to be radiating from him even before he meets Chloe at the bar. You can hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes whenever the Detective is mentioned, and you can even feel it as he tells Bashir Al-Fassad that Eve – standing next to him – isn’t his love interest. His heart is still set on Chloe, and watching him trying to deal with the pain of rejection and betrayal while still loving her makes my heart ache.
By the time they meet at the bar Chloe – thankfully – starts to realise she misses him. Lucifer doesn’t let her say anything, though; when she asks why he’s there, he only tells her she wouldn’t be able to accept it before leaving. He puts on a brave face, trying to act distanced as if he doesn’t care, but you can tell his anger is fuelled by pain. Again, you can practically feel it.
Chloe still doesn’t really know how she feels about the whole “Lucifer really is the Devil” thing, but thankfully, Linda is there to talk some sense into her. She reminds her the same thing we’ve been saying to our screens from the very beginning of the season – just because he’s the Devil doesn’t mean he isn’t the amazing man we’ve come to know (and love). It takes their collaboration at the auction, though, for her to realise she misses him and needs him in her life, even as the two of them spend the entire time there pretending they don’t care about each other. They’re not fooling anyone, though; they’re too good a team and they’re enjoying themselves far too much to convince anyone of that.
Lucifer tries not to get drawn back to her – you can see it at the auction; once he gets back into the old case-solving groove, he’s having difficulty pretending not to care about her side of the case (finding the murderer). When he asks about the murderer, Chloe retorts, “I thought you didn’t care”, and he replies, “I don’t”, but it’s obviously nothing but a pretence, just like when Chloe tells him she doesn’t need him a moment later. It’s somewhat painful to watch, as well as extremely frustrating – their behaviour is childish, and after three years, it’s really irritating that they still do that.
Still, I suppose I can understand Lucifer. That rejection, from someone who meant so much to him, and to someone as insecure as he is… it must’ve been extremely painful. I’m not sure I’d want to go back to the person who brought me this much pain.
Of course, it doesn’t help that Eve is there, looking for an opportunity to get Lucifer back. She sees how devastated he is about Chloe, but is determined to get him back, whatever it takes. After Lucifer confronts her about hiding something from him, she admits she came back to earth because she wanted to be with him (duh). He tells her he’s not the same person he was and practically tells her he feels nothing towards her, but she’s not deterred (hardly a surprise given the fact she came down from Heaven for him). She reacts to his Devil face when he shows it to her (in a last ditch attempt at pushing her away), but she accepts him immediately, exactly as he is, Devil face and all.
At this point I have to admit I’m torn between hating Eve (Deckerstar need to be together, there’s nothing to say about it) and being happy for Lucifer. He spent so long believing he’s a monster, thinking that no one could possibly love him – and just when he started seeing himself as the good person he is, he killed Cain and was consequently rejected by the woman he loves. So now that he finally found someone who accepts him as he is, it’s difficult not to be touched by it. There’s such longing in his eyes after she kisses him that it almost breaks your heart. He’s that hungry for the love he never got from his family, the love he believes he doesn’t deserve, and all you want to do is to hug him and show him how amazing he really is. So as annoying as I’m finding Eve right now, I have to admit… she’s done something right, at least.
That being said, seeing Chloe – after she finally accepted that she needs him, thanks to Ella – stepping away from there, having come to LUX to tell him she wants him in her life… that was painful. And if I’m being honest, it’s all the more reason for me to hate Eve. Not that I need any more reasons.
There was more to this episode than just Lucifer and Chloe, though. We’ve seen Linda have an ultrasound – with Maze and Amenadiel as her “supernatural support team” – and then freaking out about the idea of an Angel baby. While her meltdown in front of Chloe was hilarious to watch (kudos to Rachael Harris for making this new side of usually-calm-and-collected Linda so believable), I can definitely understand her fears and worries about this Angel-Baby-That-No-One-Has-Ever-Seen-Before. Amenadiel’s excitement about it irritated me a bit, though; there’s something about this “oh it’s all exciting and will be perfectly fine because” attitude that annoys me. Still, it was lovely to see them working together on getting the house ready. I’m not thrilled about the baby storyline, but I have to admit, I’m quite excited about “Auntie Maze” and the supernatural support team. Bring it on.
Meanwhile, after finding out Trixie isn’t mad at her anymore (as opposed to what Chloe told her in Everything’s Okay), and after Linda told her to give Chloe time (In Somebody’s Been Reading Dante’s Inferno), Maze has been doing her best to avoid Chloe. This ends in this episode, though; the two run into each other as Chloe comes in and Maze heads out, and Maze confronts her about betraying Lucifer and lying to her about Trixie. Chloe admits what she did was wrong and tries to explain, but Maze lashes out at her, partially in real anger and partially to cover up how hurt she feels. She tells Chloe maybe she should move out, and when Chloe doesn’t reply (tell me I’m not the only one telling my computer, “Stop her you idiot!”), she leaves and – as we see later on – moves out. While I understand Maze’s pain and anger – this was her friend – it was frustrating to watch, and I really hope they find the way to sort it out later on. I liked their friendship.
We also see Dan continuing to be rash and irresponsible, which felt a bit off-character for him, even after his team-up with Maze in the previous episode. It could just be me, but something doesn’t feel right about him this season. I do hope he gets a grip on himself.
Bonus: I’m really fangirling too much, but that bar fight? Sexy as hell. And we know; he’s the Devil after all.
Questions: ?
Final Score: 8.5/10.
Episode 5 – “Expire Erect”
Well that was a busy one.
Quick recap: Lucifer decided to do one last case with Chloe to get closure (as if that’s as easy as that); Eve referred to him as her boyfriend, bringing back some old doubts and thoughts; Ella got stoned and found what she currently believes in; Dan and Maze worked together to end a hostage situation; and Lucifer and Chloe found out some things about their relationship, while dealing with said hostage situation from the inside (and Lucifer getting shot).
It’s been a week since All About Eve, and as it turns out, Lucifer and Eve have spent most (if not all) of it together. Yes, it’s exactly what you think. Sex, drinks and the way we know Lucifer, probably some drugs, too. But the fun gets halted when Eve refers to Lucifer as her “boyfriend”, which brings him straight back to the present. Boyfriend? Him?
Naturally, Lucifer isn’t happy about the whole “boyfriend” idea. As he tells Linda when she reminds him of it, the last time he was willing to change and get into a serious relationship, things went very, very wrong. Chloe hurt him, probably more than he’s willing to admit to himself, and while he’s having fun with Eve… well, he’s not willing to go back there. At least – that’s what it feels like to me – not for her.
It seems Lucifer, too, senses that, because when Amenadiel talks to him about Eve being on earth, Lucifer admits to him that he’s not even sure he wants to be with her. It could, of course, be a response to his brother’s nagging (who really couldn’t say something more wrong than he did), but there’s a ring of truth to Lucifer’s tired, annoyed response. While he’s having fun with Eve, he doesn’t really see himself being in a serious relationship with her. Chloe was special; a one-off. Well, at least he’s aware of that much, even if he doesn’t really admit it in words.
His therapy session with Linda does give Lucifer a sense of what he still needs, though: closure. And as usual with Lucifer, he immediately assumes if he needs it, he’ll get it, just like that. If only getting closure was that easy.
Still, this search for closure leads to plenty of amusing moments. From Lucifer saying things he really, really shouldn’t say at a police station, through Chloe rolling her eyes at his puns, to some classic Good-Cop/Demon-Cop action (Lucifer’s words, not mine). You know, like that beautiful sequence in which the suspect attempts to run away and while Chloe runs after him, Lucifer casually walks to a nearby stand, grabs a tire and throws it at him (scoring a direct hit). There’s even a bit of going undercover (at MME) for good measure. And the best thing about it? It reminds Lucifer just how much he missed working with Chloe.
While it was obvious the two of them won’t be able to stay away from each other – especially after their reluctant collaboration in the previous episode – it was very satisfying to see Lucifer constantly trying to convince himself that leaving is the right thing to do. Seeing it becoming increasingly difficult was part of the satisfaction, of course; even though he refuses to admit it (instead pretending it’s because the case isn’t properly closed), he knows his place is right there, working with Chloe.
Things went slightly off-track, however, when Ella practically solved the case (being completely oblivious to Chloe and Lucifer’s desperate attempts to keep it going). It seems a bit odd for Ella to keep contradicting every argument the two brought up; up until now Ella has been very aware of what’s happening around her, especially when it comes to people, so this sudden blindness seems off-character. To be honest, I couldn’t quite believe that scene.
That odd scene brought us to LUX (presumably the point of it), where Ella meets Eve for the first time. Eve offers her Ecstasy and after a moment’s hesitation Ella throws caution to the wind and takes it (in a move that seems very like her current, lost self). It’s around that time that Chloe arrives to the club, looking for Lucifer; their suspect has escaped, which means they haven’t solved their case after all. Lucifer is, of course, thrilled about it, and more than willing to get back to work. They don’t get the chance to, though; the suspect comes to LUX and shoots Lucifer, and from there on, things spiral out of control about as quickly as possible.
Even in the most desperate moments, though, there’s always time for something good. Lucifer seems to be in danger of bleeding out while Chloe desperately tries to find a way out of the situation for everyone in the club. She starts panicking – who wouldn’t, being in the middle of a hostage situation you have to deal with on your own? – but Eve encourages her, citing all the good things Lucifer said about her. Admittedly, it’s incredibly difficult to hate Eve when she’s being so sweet (both to Chloe and Ella, earlier in this episode).
The hostage situation also gives Chloe and Eve a chance to talk away from everyone, and Chloe asks Eve about Lucifer’s Devil face. Eve tells Chloe about her history with Lucifer, and her simple view of the situation (Lucifer is Lucifer, and nothing else matters) seems to strike a chord with Chloe. In fact, it seems – just like Linda’s words in the previous episode – Eve’s view is a reminder to Chloe about who Lucifer is and how much she cares for him. I didn’t think I’d say it, but maybe something good can still come out of Eve’s presence. And as Chloe tells Amenadiel later on, Eve genuinely seems to care about him. And that’s certainly something Lucifer needs.
But Deckerstar areDeckerstar, and at the first sign of a bomb tearing LUX down, Chloe immediately throws herself at injured Lucifer, attempting to shield him. The bomb never goes off (thanks to some brilliant work by Ella), but that doesn’t go past Lucifer, who’s very surprised – and touched – by the fact Chloe tried to protect him. While I understand Lucifer’s doubts, after everything that’s happened, there’s also a part of me that feels a bit exasperated at that. I mean, come on, of course she’s trying to save you, even at the price of her own life. Do you not know her?
Still, all’s well that ends well, because this moment is what gives Lucifer his very much needed closure – for everything that went down between him and Chloe since the beginning of the season. And now that that’s out of the way, he’s finally ready to come back to work, right where he belongs. Of course, the Devil pays his debts, and after Eve tried to save him when he was bleeding, he suggests to “make things official” between them, but the fact she still can’t make him bleed (unlike Chloe) seems to me like a good sign for the future.
While all of this is happening, Dan and Maze are trying to solve the hostage situation from the outside. While Dan repeatedly ignores Maze’s logical advice (as she tells him in the end, the whole thing could’ve been solved if he listened to her instead of going his own way), they do work together to find the suspect’s wife (his only request upon taking everyone at LUX hostage). Dan’s behaviour is somewhat puzzling to me this season – in this episode he seems a lot more like the Dan we’ve come to know over the past couple of seasons, rather than the Dan we met in the beginning of the show (and who seemed to have made a comeback this season). His moment with the suspect’s wife, explaining to her that inside LUX there are people he cares about, was the first moment that I could actually relate to Dan this season, let alone like him, so that was good progress. But still, I’m not entirely sure what to make of Dan’s zigzag this season (though his team-up with Maze is pretty cool).
And this episode was a big one for another character: Ella. Over the past few episodes we’ve seen more and more of Ella’s search for meaning and loss of faith. What started with a couple of hints in the first two episodes turned into a big issue for Ella, who seems completely lost now that she’s not sure what to believe anymore. Between some hilarious stoned moments, telling Lucifer off (thank you, Ella, for once again saying what we all think!) and diffusing a bomb she’d never seen before (go Ella), she learns something about herself and her faith. And that’s a big one: she needs to learn to depend on herself, rather than some unknown god. She also tells Dan God doesn’t exist, but it’s hard to tell how much of it she really believes in, given the amount of drugs in her system. Only time will tell if this is the final stage of Ella’s move away from her faith, but it seems like a fairly good bet it might be it.
While I don’t like seeing Ella like this, I’m glad to see her learning to count on herself. I mean, she’s awesome. She just is. And I think learning to count on oneself is a lesson we all need to learn at some point in our lives if we want to be happy. So if this whole period of confusion and pain would bring Ella to a point where she can believe in herself… I guess it’s all worth it. And I can’t wait to see what’s next for her.
Bonus #1: Stoned Ella. Seriously. One of the funniest things we’ve had on this show. And when she tells Lucifer off for distancing Chloe and sticking to his view of “this can’t be solved”? My hero.
Bonus #2: Amenadiel’s scene with Chloe was absolutely lovely. We hardly ever get to see the two of them interacting, and him telling her about her dad in Heaven was incredibly sweet. Telling Chloe her dad’s proud of her… it was beautiful.
Questions: Is Eve going to do something about the relationship between Chloe and Lucifer? She certainly doesn’t seem to like it. And does that all have something to do with the prophecy Kinley mentioned?
Final Score: 9/10, because Deckerstar reuniting and stoned Ella deserve that.
Episode 6 – “Orgy Pants to Work”
Six episodes in, we’re finally touching the very issue of this season: Who is Lucifer Morningstar?
It’s fascinating, because identity has always been somewhat of an issue for Lucifer. Looked at as evil by some of his family (remember Amenadiel’s words to him in season 3’s City of Angels? about why he asked Lucifer for help?) and apparently even seen as such by himself (the Devil face was his creation, after all), Lucifer has been struggling with the question of who he was for thousands of years. As he started working with Chloe – as he started getting attached to her, wanting to become a better man for her – he’d changed, but it wasn’t until season 3 that he began seeing himself as something other than a villain. He hates the notion that the Devil is evil and responsible for people’s sins, and he’s been going against that image for years, even with his own family (as he tells Amenadiel, he’s not evil – he punishes evil). Yet when he gets his wings back in the end of season 2, it rattles him so deeply that he spends the entire following season trying to get rid of them. And then, just as he’d started believing that maybe he’s not evil… he killed Cain. And lo and behold, his Devil face returned.
We’ve seen Lucifer evolving quite a bit during those three seasons, so watching Lucifer sliding back into the person he used to be – constantly busy with sex and drugs and alcohol – is a painful thing. To me, at least. The “hedonistic Devil”, as Linda described him, is what he used to be, yes; but we haven’t seen him as such in a very, very long time. Ever since he fell in love with Chloe. He’d made such progress during that time, becoming a better man – kinder, caring, gentler. But now it seems that all that progress went down the drain, all thanks to Eve.
And it’s difficult to watch. It’s difficult to watch him hurting himself like that – because even if he’s trying to pretend otherwise, this behaviour is hurting him. It’s difficult to watch him questioning himself, trying to figure out who he is, and which parts of his current life are still him. It’s difficult to see him trying to convince Linda – and himself – that this is exactly what he’s always wanted and he’s happy, when it’s very clear that he isn’t. He’s exhausted. And deep down, no matter how hard he tries to pretend it’s not true, he knows it, too.
That’s part of why this episode works as well as it does. Eve is clearly bad influence on Lucifer – just as Amenadiel told him in the previous episode – but Lucifer needs to be accepted so desperately that he’d change almost anything for her. He goes back to parties and orgies and drugs and irresponsible behaviour – clearly not comfortable with going back there – just because he thinks that’s what she wants. It’s heartbreaking to see just how much he needs that acceptance and how much he’d do for it. It’s one of the most human things we’ve ever seen Lucifer going through – this identity crisis – and that makes you care about him even more than you did before. Because it’s just that natural.
But even while willing to do practically anything for Eve – to change practically anything – he still can’t go back entirely. Because he can’t let go of working with Chloe. Deep down, she still means the world to him, and I think he’s feeling worse about letting her down than he does about letting Eve down. In the end of the day, even though he makes mistakes at work (donuts with drugs, going home in the middle of the day, wearing bottomless trousers), he sacrifices more of his relationship with Eve for Chloe than the other way around. He joins Chloe at stakeouts; he stays at the precinct at night to do the annoying work (which he never volunteered to do before, except for a disastrous attempt in season’s 3 All About Her); he even leaves Eve at home as soon as he finds a mysterious note related to the case in his jacket. That says a lot.
I suppose it’s not surprising that Lucifer opens up to Chloe about the whole identity issue. Lucifer, who had just been told by Eve that he’s pretending to be someone he’s not (which he is, but with Eve, not with Chloe), asks Chloe whether she thinks he’s different at work than he is in other places. For once, instead of projecting his issues, he allows himself to admit that there isan issue; for Lucifer, that’s a massive sign of progress. He and Chloe then have a conversation on identity and progress (where Lucifer admits this job makes him want to be a better man) and “finding what’s right for you”. There’s such a deep bond between them and they trust each other so much that they both allow themselves to open up and be vulnerable. It seems a lot like the Lucifer we’ve grown to know and love, and it’s utterly beautiful to see how much he’s trying to be better; at the same time, the depth of his insecurity and self-doubt is heartbreaking. It’s an emotional scene, even though the emotion is somewhat hidden, an undercurrent. And yet, it’s the strongest and most emotional scene of the episode.
As their suspect, Julian, arrives to the place and starts loading women off the ship, Chloe and Lucifer have to pause their conversation and get into action. Some shots are fired, but eventually Chloe and the police force take down Julian’s men. Chloe calls out to Lucifer that Julian is getting away, and Lucifer goes after him, determined not to let him escape. He finds him, but this part of the scene brings out some of the suppressed emotions within Lucifer, as well as firing up his self-doubts all over again. Something Julian says – about his dad trying to pretend he’s something other than he is – strikes a chord with Lucifer; in a way, it reminds him of himself, constantly busy with pretence. After everything that’s happened – his Devil face coming back, Chloe’s rejection, Eve’s acceptance – he’s not even sure who he is anymore, and he doesn’t understand what we do: what he does with Chloe isn’t pretence at all. Who he is at work is who he really is now; that’s how we evolve. That’s how he evolved.
But we all make mistakes, and this time, Lucifer’s mistake is letting Julian go, even for a second. His escape – and murder of Joan the policewoman – aren’t entirely on Lucifer, because Lucifer had no intention of letting him run away, but nonetheless, it couldn’t have happened if Lucifer kept hold of him. And that mistake costs Lucifer dearly. It’s heartbreaking to see his cry of horror at the sight of Joan and the way he picks her up and holds her, as if he can somehow stop the blood pouring out of her. And while it’s true that it’s partially on Lucifer – something he’d have to live with for the rest of his life – it’s nothing like what Dan paints it to be afterwards. His words to Lucifer (with respect, a complete bullshit) and the way Chloe walks away from him only serve those self-hatred and self-doubt he’s already feeling, pushing him further away from the man he’s become and closer to Eve.
And unlike everyone else, Eve stays there with him. Again, she accepts him. She picks him up and reminds him who he is – he’s the Devil. There’s only one problem with that. Three years ago, it might have seemed normal to us (remember the first episodes of season 1?) that he goes off to punish people like that. But now… is that who he is now? Didn’t he tell Chloe, just four episodes ago, that punishing the guilty was a job he was forced to do? Isn’t the Lucifer we know a different man? Be that as it may, the man who goes after Julian is very much the Devil we first met three years ago; in fact, one might argue he’s even worse. He takes his doubt and self-hatred and pain and turns them all into anger, using them to fuel Julian’s punishment. Continuing the running theme of the episode, he lets Eve change him, pull him further down, back to the person he used to be.
While it’s absolutely satisfying to see Julian getting his just deserts, it’s actually painful to see Lucifer being pulled back down like that. Seeing him partying again was one thing; this is actually dark, in a way we’ve hardly ever seen before. And judging by the way he now believes he can’t be anything but evil, I have a feeling we’re going to see it again. After everything Lucifer achieved in the past three seasons, it actually hurts to see him like that, at what must be his lowest point. It just hurts.
And right now, all I want is to force Eve away from him to give him time to think, because clearly she’s not good for him. Sweet as she seemed, she’s actually toxic. And I doubt anything about her is going to change. The only thing that can be done is to get him as far away from her as possible.
There was more to the episode than Lucifer, of course, although he’s clearly the main focus. It was nice to see Eve getting a life for once (thank you Maze!), and it was – admittedly – a tad funny to see Chloe reluctantly admitting to sleeping Lucifer she’s jealous. Dan kept being a douche, which was extremely annoying. Ella and Lucifer having fun at the nudist sanctuary was hilarious, especially with their excitement as opposed to Chloe’s clear dislike. We did have some fun in this episode, despite everything.
Seeing Linda preparing for the birth (it’s been months since Expire Erect, apparently!) was nice too, although in my opinion, the really beautiful scene for her was after the Lamaze class, when she opened Maze’s present. There’s a real sense of family in that scene; whatever happens, however long Maze leaves for, no matter what changes and where they are, they’re still a family, Maze included. I loved the fact we got to know a tiny bit more about Maze and her mother (or lack thereof), and I love that we got to see just how important Linda and the baby are to Maze. Sometimes the family we find is just better than the family we’re born into.
Speaking of family, we got to meet another one of Lucifer’s siblings: Remiel. Having sensed a new celestial being, she comes down to earth to find it (and naturally assumes it’s actually Lucifer’s baby). Amenadiel spends most of the episode trying to keep her away from Linda, refusing to use his time-slowing powers under the excuse of enjoying the brother-sister hunt. He does, however, blurt out that he can’t use his powers, before quickly claiming he doesn’t want to, which brings up the question what happened to his powers. We assumed he got them back with his wings, but is it possible he didn’t?
There was a certain joy in seeing him admitting he was wrong about humanity, though, especially once he admitted to Remiel the baby isn’t Lucifer’s but his. And it was definitely good to see him standing up for Linda and the baby, going against his family and his old self. Remiel’s words to him about humanity sound very much like those he said to Lucifer all those years and episodes ago, and it’s certainly satisfying to see him coming to his senses and seeing just how much humanity has to offer.
Food for thought, though: when Remiel assumes the baby is the result of Lucifer’s constant meaningless sex, Amenadiel defends him, telling her it could be something more than just a sexual encounter, but a real relationship that changed Lucifer’s viewpoint and taught him about himself and the world. To us it’s obvious he’s talking about himself – it’s his baby, after all – but if you think about it, what he says is actually true to Lucifer, too. The man Lucifer is now is very different, thanks to Chloe; he learned a lot about himself since they met. And she isspecial to him. Maybe the two brothers aren’t as different as they’d like to think, not really.
Bonus: A tie between Lucifer and Ella having fun at the nudist sanctuary (I never say no to seeing Tom Ellis and his abs) and that beautiful scene between Maze and Linda. Because our best friends are the best family there is.
Questions: What happened in the months between Expire Erect and this episode? How did Lucifer handle the two sides of his life before (as this is clearly a breaking point)? What happened to Amenadiel’s powers? And how much of this new darker Lucifer are we going to see?
Final Score: 9.5/10.
Episode 7 – “Devil Is as Devil Does”
They say the darkest hour is just before the dawn, and after this episode, I certainly hope it’s true.
I thought watching the previous episode was painful, but it wasn’t nearly half as painful as watching this one, and particularly the end of it. I don’t normally cry watching TV shows and movies, but it was hard not to get emotional over that final scene. The pain and fear in Lucifer’s voice were so real you could almost touch them; the self-hatred in him – presumably the reason for his new wings – was absolutely clear. We got to see a visual proof of just how much he hates himself, of how big a monster he thinks he is – and you know what? It hurt.
I wrote in the previous episode’s review that it was painful to see Lucifer spiralling downward, and this episode wasn’t different in that respect. In fact, it was even more difficult. This was a step further. In the previous episode he’d gone back to his “punisher” role; in this episode he genuinely seemed to enjoy it. He and Eve were certainly thrilled about it, and to me, that was the most painful part of all, because it made it clear just how far down Lucifer had gone. Remember when I said one might argue he’s worse? Well, in this episode there’s no need to argue. He isworse.
Watching the episode almost made me missed simpler times. You know, when Eve was just that annoying but rather sweet and innocent girl who kept getting in the way. Remember that? Back when work was work and personal life was personal life. Before Eve weaselled her way into cases (what the hell?) and tried to make Lucifer take a step back from Chloe. Before she proved to be such a bad influence.
Not that their relationship ever seemed normal. Lucifer is clearly desperate for something she gives him (love and acceptance, of course), and while I think she really cares about him, the fact their relationship is built on Lucifer doing nearly anything to please her tells you a thing or two about how healthy it is. No, their relationship wasn’t healthy at any point, but now it’s clearly far worse than it used to be, and frustratingly (and painfully), Lucifer doesn’t seem to realise it. He’s too blinded by his own guilt and pain to see it.
Eve joining Chloe and Lucifer at work was extremely annoying to watch. She acted like a spoiled princess, trying to get Lucifer to punish every other criminal they met and constantly getting in the way. Whenever things didn’t go her way, she started making a scene. Honestly, with all the time Lucifer spent criticising human children, you’d think he’d recognise a child when he sees one.
Then again, I suppose we’re all blind when it comes to people we love. Or at least, people we care about, who give us what we need. Because the thing is, you’d be willing to do a lot for someone who offers you acceptance, especially if you never had that at home. You’d be willing to change who you are. You’d be willing to take that controlling or abusive behaviour. You’d be willing to close your eyes to anything wrong that person does. And in the end of the day, as we’ve already seen, angels aren’t that different than humans. Lucifer is exactly the same as we are in that respect.
And things only got worse once they discovered it was probably Tiernan who was responsible for the death in question. If any of the things his son said about him are true, the man clearly deserves whatever punishment Lucifer had in mind for him. While questioning him, Lucifer snaps, telling Chloe to get out and let him deal with it (the Devil way, presumably, and we’ve seen what happened to Tiernan’s son when Lucifer dealt with him), but Chloe stops him. Somehow, she manages to reach him, convincing him not to do anything even while Eve keeps telling him to punish him. Later, when they’re back at the precinct, Chloe confronts Lucifer about it, telling him she knows he wanted her to leave because he knew it was wrong, but Lucifer refuses to admit it. Instead, he tells her he broke Julian’s back – confirming Dan’s suspicions – in a chillingly emotionless admission, and that the only reason he told her to leave was she’s clearly not comfortable with that side of him. He’s not fooling anyone, though; there’s clearly still a side of him that believes in right and wrong and wants to be better, and that side it tied to her.
But he doesn’t see it, not just yet. He’s too consumed by his own guilt and pain. Letting go of Julian caused one death; his punishment caused another. Quite rightfully, he’s feeling responsible for both deaths, and he wants to believe that if he stops the man responsible, things will be alright. He doesn’t seem to realise – not just yet – that his punishments are what led to this mess in the first place. For the first time ever, he takes on the job God forced him into, and he does it willingly. That’s what makes this so painful to watch; that desire to punish brings out that frozen anger in every single word he says, and you can tell by Chloe’s face it’s like he’s stabbing her, over and over again. The pain in her is so heartbreakingly obvious that you almost want to shout at the TV, “How can you not see what you’re doing to her, you idiot?!”
In a way, it’s only thanks to Dan and Trixie that he sees just how far down he’s fallen. He’s not thrilled about Trixie coming over – those scenes were hilarious – but when Trixie and Eve are in danger (thanks to Dan telling Tiernan his son was hurt by Lucifer), he immediately springs into action, doing whatever he needs to in order to protect them. It’s Chloe’s arrival – along with Dan and another cop – that stops him before he does something he’d regret, and it’s in that moment that he realises how wrong his behaviour has been. After all, sometimes it takes nearly losing someone or something you love for you to understand the magnitude of your mistakes.
And despite his rough attitude towards her, Lucifer does care about Trixie, and the fact she comes to see him because she’s worried about him touches him. He’s furious – and obviously planning to do something to punish Tiernan – but thankfully, Chloe is there once again to remind him of the man he’s trying to be – the angel that he is. It’s beautiful to see how Chloe can somehow reach him even in the worst times, draw out whatever he’s feeling and somehow understand what he’s thinking. She lets him be vulnerable, just like she always did, and it’s beautiful to see that even now, after everything that’s happened this season, he still trusts her that deeply. It’s beautiful to see how she manages to help him get up, even in the darkest times we’ve ever seen, and start climbing back up to where he was. In a way, she’s like a ray of sunlight in his world – they both are, to one another. Especially in the darkest times.
She succeeds, too. It’s a process, and it will certainly take some time, but Lucifer slowly takes the first steps back to being the person he was before this whole mess, before Chloe’s rejection and Eve’s reappearance. Instead of punishing Tiernan the way he clearly wanted to, he takes him to the precinct – doing the right thing.
It’s satisfying, after two rather dark episodes, to see Lucifer doing the right thing again. It’s satisfying to see the man we’ve come to know reemerging, pushing away all of Eve’s bad influence. But just when you think things might be alright after all, we finally get the answer to the question of Lucifer’s wings. And it’s absolutely heart-shatteringly painful.
As we discovered in the previous season (and as I mentioned before), the angels’ appearance is very much the result of their own feelings about themselves. Lucifer’s Devil face showed up after his rebellion failed and he felt like a monster for the first time; Amenadiel lost his wings after attempting to kill Lucifer and hating himself for it; and Lucifer’s wings returned the moment he started feeling good about himself. He doesn’t tell Chloe whether he saw his wings when she asks, but she assumes he did and that was the reason for his change of heart. But as we discover when Linda comes to see him, he didn’t exactly see his wings. Or at least, not his Angel wings. And it seems like a safe bet to say that his own self-hatred and guilt are what turned his wings into something else.
And if I’m being honest, I’m not sure what’s worse – knowing he hates himself as much as he does or feeling the terror in his voice when he desperately tells Linda he doesn’t want to be a monster. It doesn’t really matter, though; they both hurt like hell.
Kudos to Tom Ellis for this magnificent performance, though. These two episodes would never have worked if it wasn’t for his incredible work.
Much like the previous episode, this episode – while also centred around Lucifer and his identity – was pretty busy for nearly everyone involved. Ella’s current beliefs (mainly that God doesn’t exist) were challenged by Chloe, who needed an advice about Heaven and Hell and what to do with Lucifer (though she didn’t tell Ella any of it). Ella herself kept trying to find a new direction to her life (one with less alcohol and drugs), and eventually hooked up with Dan, which I have to say is one of the weirdest matches we’ve seen on this show. I really feel like she could do better than him, especially with how annoying he’s become lately.
Speaking of Dan, his hatred towards Lucifer seemed to reach a new record. I think I wrote it before, but his behaviour this season really reminds me of season 1’s Dan, and in all honesty, I didn’t miss him, and I’m really not happy to see him. While he was right about Lucifer’s involvement in Julian’s punishment, the way he did things in this episode was pretty appalling. Nearly getting his daughter killed by accident did seem to bring him back to his senses, though; from his conversation with Ella before they kissed you can tell he’s finally acknowledging how lost he’s feeling. Baby steps, eh?
Meanwhile, Maze took Linda’s “you’re family” notion from the previous episode a tad too deeply. It was, admittedly, pretty funny to see her insisting on following Linda around to protect her, or hiding around the house trying to “give Linda space”, or telling the unborn child gory stories about her life. Our standards of raising children are obviously different to demons’ standards, and as we saw before in the show, it tends to be funny when the two cultures – human and divine – clash. With a human mother, an angel father and a demon aunt, I can’t wait to see what this baby will turn into. Linda is probably right, though, in telling Maze to find a meaningful connection of her own; you can only take this helicopter-mum behaviour from a murderous demon for so long.
Funnily enough, the only real danger Linda and the baby were in wasn’t even dealt by Maze (and understandably, her nonexistent threats clearly drove Linda insane). Now that Amenadiel admitted to Remiel that the half-human baby is his rather than Lucifer’s, he takes the time to try to show her how much good there is in humanity. She’s not convinced, though; he’d spent far too long telling her the exact opposite, and she clearly admires her brother and took his words seriously. Eventually, after a day of “tour of humanity” by her brother, she snaps and tells him she picked up the baby’s scent and she’s going to get it, with or without his help. The two end up fighting, and despite his apparent weakness (which Remiel comments on), Amenadiel wins. In what might just be his most important conclusion so far, he tells her that life on earth hasn’t made him weaker – but stronger. It’s a beautiful way of seeing love, and a real sign of progress from Amenadiel – one we’ve slowly been building up to for the past two years.
Two whole years. I mean, think about it for a second. The thought Amenadiel has come from “humanity is nothing” to “being with humanity made me stronger” seems almost impossible to believe in. And yet, here we are. Amenadiel attempting to convince one of his siblings in humanity’s worth. What a journey.
It was also fun to see a bit of Remiel. Again, she clearly admires her brother, and they were clearly close back in the Silver City; it would’ve been interesting to see more of her. I don’t suppose we will – she seems fond of the Silver City – but Amenadiel was, too, before he fell, so maybe there’s a chance we’ll see her again. Who knows? I guess only time will tell. I would love it if it happened, that’s for sure.
Bonus: Trixie and Lucifer. Absolutely Trixie and Lucifer. Trixie coming to the penthouse to have Lucifer chasing her in horror was absolutely hilarious. And it’s impossible not to love that girl. She cares about Lucifer so much, and she’s such a sweetheart – you really can’t dislike her.
Questions: Is the prophecy referring to Eve? If so, is it possible to stop it or is it too late? And what’s going to happen to Lucifer (and those wings)?
Final Score: 9/10, because Dan’s scenes spoiled the beauty that’s Lucifer’s storyline in this one. Otherwise it was an even better episode than the previous one.
This marks the end of the second stage of this season’s storyline! Third part coming soon (hopefully tomorrow).
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