On to the last part of the Lucifer Season 4 episode-by-episode review. This season went by so quickly, it’s hard to believe we’ve nearly reached the end of it. Nevertheless, here we go with the last three episodes.
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; to read the reviews of episodes 4-7 click here.
Episode 8 – “Super Bad Boyfriend”
If you’ve come out of this episode with tears in your eyes, know this: you’re not alone.
It should have been a joyous episode for us. Lucifer broke up with Eve; Amenadiel learned how to be a father; Dan seemed to finally understand just how far down he’s come; Maze found a new connection (though Eve doesn’t deserve her); and Lucifer finally learned to face things rather than deflect. In every respect, this episode was huge progress for most of the show’s characters.
But that final heartbreaking death (and Amenadiel and Lucifer’s response to it) and Lucifer’s realisation of the depth of his own self-hatred almost make everything else seem inconsequential.
Putting Lucifer’s devastating realisations aside, though, I want to take a moment to focus on Amenadiel’s storyline. I’ve said it before – I’m not thrilled about the whole baby storyline. But it needs to be said, without it, we’d never have gotten the chance to see Amenadiel stressing over being a father. We’d never have gotten to see him form that beautiful relationship with Caleb. We’d never have seen the kind of father he would be.
And you know what? It was beautiful. Even though it started completely unintentionally and lasted about a day and a half, Amenadiel’s relationship with Caleb was deep and fuelled by genuine affection. Amenadiel clearly cared about Caleb; the way he fought for him, both against the drug dealers and the police, shows as much. He took him under his wing (pun unintended), almost as if Caleb was his own son. It was lovely to see just how much he was willing to do to help the boy, and it made me happy to see the two of them talking about meeting for a game (of what?) and having ice cream together. It was a joy to see them growing so close to one another in such a short time; especially when you consider Caleb’s obvious (and understandable) trust issues.
In terms of Amenadiel’s storyline, this episode is easily my favourite so far this season, and possibly in the entire show, too. It’s not until this episode that you see just how much fatherhood has changed him – and the baby isn’t even born yet! Seeing Daddy-Amenadiel was definitely a highlight, and despite my feelings about the whole baby storyline, it actually makes me excited to see what happens when the boy is born. We’ve known Linda for quite some time, and there are, in a sense, certain similarities between therapy and parenthood, so it’s easy to see Linda as a mother. But seeing Amenadiel as a father? Definitely new and definitely thrilling.
This part of the episode wasn’t just about Amenadiel and Caleb, though. It was about the current state of affairs in the United States as much as it was about their relationship. And boy, what a well-needed, clear-cut criticism it was.
The fact black people are more likely to get convicted of committing a crime or get treated brutally by the police in the United States isn’t new. Sometimes it feels like it’s always been a part of social constructs in the States; maybe it really has been. But in recent years we’ve seen more and more extreme cases, from harsh treatment and a “guilty until proven innocent” approach to actual murder of innocent people. Their “crime”? Being black.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that this side of the episode is a reflection of what’s happening in the States. And in this world we’re living in, this sort of reflection and criticism is exactly what we need. It’s easy to forget about other people and problems that have nothing to do with you, but the only way forward – for any and every society on the planet – is by fighting to make this world better and fairer. For everyone. Not just for people like you. Not just – cliche as it may sound – for the middle-class straight Christian white guy. More specifically, the sort of behaviour we see in this episode mustn’thappen. It’s a clear reminder of the world we live in and the wrongs in it, and a clear message that it’s time for change. The way Caleb and Amenadiel are treated; Caleb’s lack of faith in the police; even Dan’s helplessness at the policemen’s brutality – this can’t keep happening. We can’t let it keep happening.
Because you know what? Amenadiel is right. We have lost our way. But it doesn’t mean we can’t still find it again.
As said, this episode was an important one for Lucifer, too. He started the episode with an attempt to decorate this wings, which, of course, failed miserably (did anyone doubt it would?). Clearly still focused on the monster he nearly became and on his own guilt and pain, he went on to assume that anything that went wrong around him was his fault (self-centred but sure), until Chloe told him about the prophecy Kinley told her. Lucifer then cheered up to no end, because as always, he takes the wrong conclusion from every conversation, and if the prophecy is true, the reason for his new wings wasn’t him at all – it’s Eve! In which case, the solution is simple: breaking up with her.
There’s certainly something very Lucifer-like about this episode from there on. It’s almost expected to see him projecting on the case and asking suspects questions about the things he’s dealing with. Even the “super bad boyfriend” sequence is typical Lucifer, and let’s be honest, despite his recent progress, we wouldn’t have expected him to do it any differently. Funny and Lucifer-y as it is, it’s also exasperating watching him do all of that to get her to break up with him instead of actually breaking up with her properly. One might say he had tried that in the beginning of the episode, but it was more of a half-hearted attempt, brought on by excuses rather than the real reason he wanted to end it. And he knew it, too. He just wouldn’t admit it until the very end.
Still, it was worth going through the whole “Lucifer’s way of processing things” (thanks for that term, Chloe) to get to that final conversation about their relationship. Even as he broke up with her, it was clear that he cares a great deal about her – just not in a romantic way. His gentleness as he tells her what he sees in her and how she deserves better is beautiful; you can tell he’s trying to do it right, to hurt her as little as possible. He snaps in the end, yes, but he tries so hard not to, and frankly, with Eve’s insistence, his reaction is only natural. Sometimes there’s no other way but to be harsh, even towards the people you care about.
The interesting thing is that the way he speaks in that conversation isn’t surprising in the slightest, and yet Lucifer himself doesn’t seem to realise what it says about him. He’s finally aware of the fact he’d been trying to please her; of the fact he doesn’t like the man she’s turning him into. Yet even as he apologises for hurting her and tries to break the news to her as gently as possible, he still doesn’t see just how un-monster-like his behaviour is. In that conversation he’s very much the Lucifer we’ve grown to know and love, but he still doesn’t see it, and there’s something heartbreaking about the fact he can’t see the goodness in him.
That sense only becomes stronger when he talks to Chloe at LUX later on, after he and Amenadiel punish the drug dealers for murdering Caleb. He doesn’t see what Chloe sees in him – the man he’d become. Deep down, he still sees a monster when he looks at himself, and while there’s a sense of wistfulness in his voice when he tells Chloe she’s special, he just doesn’t believe he can be the person she sees in him. He wants to, but he’s almost scared to try, because in his mind, it’s clear he’s going to fail. In his mind, the only thing he can be is a monster. Lashing out at Chloe is his way to protect himself from believing in the possibility of being a better man (which he feels would only lead him to a heartbreak when he inevitably fails).
That conversation with Chloe, as well as everything that’s happened in the past few episodes, seems to bring Lucifer to another realisation: he despises himself. He’d spent thousands of years telling himself that everything that happened to him was his father’s fault, but now, for the first time ever, he finally acknowledges the truth. He admits he’s been lying to himself, because the depth of his self-hatred is almost too much to bear, and living with that, with pain and the hatred and the voices telling him he’s a monster, is just too difficult. And if he thinks it’s his father’s doing then maybe, just maybe, he can still live.
That had to have been one of the most difficult scenes we’ve ever seen on Lucifer, and it’s simply heartbreaking to see the pain he’s drowning in. He’s lost and afraid and in pain and desperate, and you can feel every single one of those emotions in every word he says. You can feel them even when he’s silent, tears shining in his eyes, his emotions written clearly all over his face. And to me it was absolutely heartbreaking, not only because it was so real, but also because I know he doesn’t deserve it. And when this episode ended, all I wanted to do was to find him and show him just what an amazing man he’d become. Because he is amazing, whether he sees it or not.
What else have we seen in this episode? Ella discovered that it may have been a cop who told Tiernan about Lucifer’s part in his son’s injury, which in turn terrifies Dan (as we all know he did it). Ella and Dan were adorably awkward after hooking up, and while I still think Ella deserves better, it was really funny to see them behaving like teens. Dan went looking for punishment (quite right) and nearly got into a fight with Maze, but she stopped herself. And Maze did something surprising and actually started dating – or rather, trying to date. It wasn’t going well, but then Eve showed up, and they started talking, and… is that a new romance I’m seeing? A bit surprising for Maze (I didn’t think Eve was her type), and definitely a step down in my opinion (Maze deserves better), but I’m curious to see where it goes.
Bonus: The “super bad boyfriend” sequence was absolutely hilarious, as well as veryhuman, so that’s definitely the bonus in this episode.
Questions: How is Eve going to take Lucifer breaking up with her? Will Amenadiel take his baby to the Silver City like he told Lucifer?
Final Score: 9.5/10, because of Eve. Otherwise outstanding.
Episode 9 – “Save Lucifer”
AKA: The one that was named after the twitter campaign to save the show!
One of the beautiful things about this season so far was watching Chloe somehow managing to reach out to Lucifer and catch him as he fell, somehow reminding him of who he is and who he can be, even when it seemed impossible to him. In that sense, this episode is very much the natural progression of this entire season – the entire series so far, even.
As this episode begins, Lucifer is surprisingly cheerful. Why? Because now he finally knows what his problem is. He’d spent so long trying to deflecting and avoiding the real issue, but now he finally faced it and in a very Lucifer-y way, he simply assumes that means his problems are all gone. Soon enough, though, he realises that this is hardly the end. It’s a breakthrough; but it’s not a solution.
Understandably, Lucifer is horrified at the spreading change to his body. He’s doing everything he can to hide it, but the panic in his voice as he tells Chloe about the changes is loud and clear. He’s furious when Linda suggests that he needs to understand why he hates himself, and instead tries to find a quick way to solve it. Again, it’s very Lucifer to look for the quick and easy way out, but it doesn’t really work like that in real life.
Not that I’m judging in any way. It’s important to me to say that. I’m absolutely not judging. I know how he feels like, and I know just how painful it is to live with all these emotions he’d been trying to run away from. Sometimes, when your emotions are that strong and that overwhelming, the only thing you can do is to run away. To deflect and project and repress. Because when you’re dealing with this much pain and self-hatred and guilt living is just too impossible.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Lucifer’s guilt (most notably in season 2’s Monster and A Good Day To Die), but this time it seems even more powerful and overwhelming. And not just because of his body, no; it’s through his interactions with the people around him that we see just how deep his guilt is. We see it when he talks to Eve and demands to know why she doesn’t hate him. He tells her he’d been using her, hurting her knowingly, almost as if he’s trying to make her hate him. Perhaps he is. He believes he deserves to be hated by her, almost as much as he hates himself; maybe if he told her these horrible truths, she, too, would hate him. She doesn’t, which seems to infuriate him further, but it’s easy to tell that it’s him he’s mad at, not her. We see it when he talks to Chloe and tells her that he’s poison and she’s better off without him; that the only thing he ever did was to hurt her. Even with his entire body changed (at that point), what brings out the depth of his emotions isn’t the Devil body, but the anger and pain in his voice. Even the Devil body doesn’t seem to be enough to show just what a monster he thinks he is.
It’s painful to see just how deeply he believes he’s a monster. I’ve said it so many times before, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Lucifer we know now is extremely different than the Lucifer we met nearly four years ago, and the man he is now is definitely a better man than the man he was. He just is. The Lucifer we met was self-absorbed and lived for pleasure, and even though he did feel guilt (remember the pilot episode?), he barely acknowledged it. He wasn’t a monster back then either, but if there’s any Lucifer who deserves to be “The Devil”, it’s that guy. Because the Lucifer we know now sees people, and cares about them, and he fights for what’s right. He’s gentler, kinder, nothing like the monster he thinks he is. The fact that we know what he sees is twisted by his own emotions just makes it more heartbreaking to watch.
By the time they flush out the killer and get a cop to take her away, Lucifer gives up. He no longer believes the change can be stopped – it’s only a matter of time before he destroys everyone around him. He referred to the Prophecy – Evil shall be released – throughout the episode, but now that his transformation is complete, he seems to finally see that this isn’t about the prophecy, and it never was. It’s about the way he’d hurt people, and especially the woman he loves. He can’t bear the pain of knowing that he hurt Chloe – just like he can’t bear to see the horror in her eyes when she sees his form.
At this point, it feels like we’ve come full circle. In the beginning of this season, when Chloe had just returned after a month away, Linda asked Lucifer whether he wants Chloe to reject him. Now, as he reveals himself to her, there’s something about his behaviour that almost encourages Chloe to reject him. It’s the same behaviour we saw earlier, when he talked to Eve, and it very much answers that question Linda asked him. Yes, he does want her to reject him. But not because he doesn’t care about her, or because he wants to drive her away. He wants her to reject him because he honestly believes he deserves it.
But here’s the thing: Chloe doesn’t care what he wants. They say that true friends are the ones who give us not what we want, but what we need, and in that moment, it’s clear that Chloe is quite possibly the best friend Lucifer has ever had. She doesn’t care that he thinks she should leave and she doesn’t care that he’s expecting rejection. She’s horrified by his transformation, yes – again, completely understandable – but she doesn’t give up. She follows him and tells him not what he wants to hear – someone agreeing he’s a monster – but what he needs to hear. That it’s about time he stopped using her as an excuse. That it’s about time he looked into his own soul and saw just how much guilt he’s been carrying with him for his entire life. That it’s about time he learned to forgive himself.
And in what might just be one of the strongest moments of the season – if not the entire show – he finally admits to her that he can’t forgive himself. Because he just doesn’t know how, or where to begin. It shouldn’t be this heartbreaking to hear, because we already knew it – we’ve been seeing it throughout the entire season – but it is. It’s heartbreaking to see just how lost he is; in that moment, he’s almost a child, desperately looking up to someone – anyone – to tell him how to feel something so impossible. Because truly forgiving himself after everything he’s done – and everything that was done in his name, even though it’s hardly his fault – just feels that impossible.
But Chloe’s understanding and persistence do something – perhaps convincing him that he, too, deserves forgiveness – and he eventually tells her, “I want to”. And for the first time in this episode Lucifer sees that he can feel something positive about himself. He can live with the guilt and pain within him. He can beat that self-hatred. For the first time in several episodes – possibly in the entire season – he really has faith in himself, and that glimmer of hope is what turns him back to his regular, human-looking self.
And if I’m being completely honest, I’m not sure which element in this scene makes me happier: the fact that Lucifer finally began to see something good in himself, or the way he and Chloe worked through it together. No, I do know which it is – the former. Because Lucifer deserves to see the man that he is, regardless of anyone else. But the two were definitely close.
While saving Lucifer was – unsurprisingly – the main story in the episode, we did get to see quite a bit about the rest of the characters. Ella confronted Dan about telling Tiernan that Lucifer was responsible for his son’s injury; Dan finally got help; Linda went into labour; Eve attempted to get Lucifer back; and Maze tried to show Eve how she feels about her. It was certainly a busy episode.
Following the previous episode’s revelation that it was a cop who told Tiernan about Lucifer’s involvement in his son’s injury, Ella went ahead and checked which of the police cars were parked by his offices before Lucifer was attacked. She discovers it was Dan and confronts him, but to his surprise, she tells him she deleted the records, thus stopping anyone else from finding out. Dan – who obviously still wants to be punished, just like he showed in his fight with Maze in the previous episode – gets angry and practically demands she reports him. He’s furious over how much everyone lets him get away with (or so he feels), but Ella sees through the fury and she tells him he should get help, because he’s clearly in far more pain than anybody saw so far.
Thankfully, Dan listens to her, and we see him having a session with Linda. He admits to her that he’s been blaming Lucifer for Charlotte’s death because it was easier and it felt good, but he knows it wasn’t Lucifer’s fault. With a bit of help from Linda, he admits that he feels like it’s his fault, and that he’s done stupid things lately, all in an attempt to be punished. It’s a beautiful, open little scene, one of the few Dan scenes I actually liked this season. It allowed us to feel his pain and relate to him, and actually gave somewhat of an explanation to his weird behaviour throughout the season. While I understand his pain and know how impossible it must feel to him, I do hope he finds peace, because despite his mistakes, he deserves it.
We didn’t get to hear much more, though, because at that point Linda’s water broke. Dan must’ve taken her to the hospital, because the next thing we see is Maze arriving to the hospital. It was lovely to watch just how close the three of them – Maze, Linda and Amenadiel – were, and how both the Angel and the Demon helped Linda go through giving birth. It was also really sweet of Amenadiel to name the boy after Charlotte – Charlie. That being said, I did not like what he said about taking the boy back to the Silver City forever. Most certainly not.
While Lucifer was changing, right before Linda gave birth, Maze was trying to help Eve get over Lucifer (offering to hurt him for what he did to her, because she’s Maze). Eve constantly insisting that she can get Lucifer back was pretty annoying, and if I were Maze, I’d have snapped at her (“Sometimes you have to accept it when someone doesn’t feel the same way about you”) way earlier. It was also annoying to see her scheming and trying to change reality just for her own fantasy (i.e, that Lucifer loves her), especially since she was hurting Maze in the process. Maybe I could’ve ignored her if it wasn’t for that, but the way she used Maze and practically toyed with her feelings in this episode is unforgivable, and it only supports what I said before: Maze deserves someone better. Eve is just toxic.
Maze’s feelings for Eve led to a lot of pain, but they did give us some beautiful moments. Her conversation with Dan in his car was lovely to see – both she and Dan allowed themselves to be a bit vulnerable, and the connection between them really showed in that scene. The way he knows Maze and the way Maze really listened to him tell you a lot about the two of them and about their relationship. Maze’s grand gesture – singing a song to her at LUX – was utterly beautiful (and as Lucifer said, “I’ll be damned!”) and you could really feel the emotion in it. It was wonderful to see this other side of Maze, which we only really glimpsed at in season 3’s Mr and Mrs Mazikeen Smith, and I hope we get to see more of it (with someone worthy of her, though).
I just wish she hadn’t helped Eve kidnap Kinley, because with Eve’s insane plan and what we saw in the end of the episode, I have a really bad feeling about what’s coming next.
Bonus: Maze singing! I had no idea Lesley-Ann Brandt could sing like that, but I definitely want to hear more of it now.
Questions: Will Amenadiel take the baby to the Silver City? And what the hell has Eve done?
Final Score: 9.5/10 + an Emmy for Tom Ellis.
Episode 10 – Season Finale – “Who’s da New King of Hell?”
Lucifer is saved, Linda and baby Charlie are well, Kinley is dead – along with his prophecy – and it seems that all might just end well. But as it happens, the priest’s death and subsequent descent to Hell (oh the irony) only opened the door to more trouble.
Following his latest revelation that he actually wants to learn to forgive himself, Lucifer is joyous. More than joyous – he’s ecstatic. In a very Lucifer manner – simplifying everything emotional, as ever – he takes said revelation as actually forgiving himself. And the way he sees it, now that he forgave himself, he has no more issues. He ignores Linda’s disagreement and advice (she knows him too well by now to think he’d listen) and Chloe’s repeated attempts to send him home to rest and insists on joining the latest case.
Eventually Chloe gets her way, though, as a photo posted on social media reveals their victim is alive. But something she sees in that photo makes her halt. Even as she tells Lucifer he can go home, something clearly bothers her. And as Lucifer goes home to LUX, Chloe heads out on her own to investigate.
We already know the other man in the photo is Kinley – we saw him and the victim earlier in the episode – so it’s not a surprise that she’s heading straight to the church where she used to meet the priest. As she walks through the church, she runs into Maze, who’s incidentally there for the same reason – finding Kinley.
After ensuring Linda and the baby are safe, Maze heads back to their home. She realises releasing Kinley was a mistake and wants to take him back to the police (finally she’s seeing sense), but by the time she gets home, he’s already gone. Eve tells her Kinley tried to strangle her and then escaped, conveniently forgetting to mention she stuck a knife in his throat and he’s currently possessed by a demon. Maze pretends not to care about Eve – understandably, as she’s still hurt – and heads out to find the escaped prisoner. She follows him to the church, where, as said, she runs into Chloe, who tells her about the weird case she’s dealing with. Within a moment, Maze already knows what’s happening.
As Maze explains to Chloe about demons and possession, we rejoin Lucifer at LUX, where he’s greeted by Dromos, a loyal demon servant who came – along with another demon called Squee – to help Lucifer go back to Hell. Lucifer is baffled at first, but as Dromos explains about Kinley’s arrival to Hell and their consequent jump into human bodies, Lucifer begins to understand what the priest’s plan was. He refuses to go back, and when Dromos insists the demons need a king, Lucifer makes him the new king. That doesn’t work, though; only an Angel can be King of Hell. Dromos attempts to convince Lucifer to come back with him, but Lucifer tells him he’s now an uncle, and there’s no way he’s leaving his nephew in Amenadiel’s hands. Reluctantly, the demon gives up, telling Lucifer they might just stick around for a bit longer and torture some humans. This really infuriates Lucifer – as Maze told Chloe it would – and he orders Dromos to go back to Hell immediately. The demon surrenders.
Meanwhile, Linda and Charlie have been released home. Amenadiel does anything he can to force Linda away from the baby long enough for him to take him to the Silver City, as he decided to do, but Linda refuses to let go of her baby. Eventually Amenadiel manages to convince her she needs sleep, but before she goes to bed, she tells him she hired a night nurse, so they can both sleep, and the nurse should be there any moment. At least it halts Amenadiel’s plan; after everything we’ve heard about it, I doubt that the Silver City really is the best place for Charlie to grow up in. He’s half-human, after all.
Now that they know what’s happening, Chloe and Maze head to LUX. They wake Lucifer up and tells him about the demons on the loose, but Lucifer isn’t impressed; he tells them he already talked to them and ordered them to go home. After Maze leaves to get her knives – I’m surprised she went anywhere without them – he asks Chloe how Maze got her involved in this mess. Chloe admits she was trying to find Kinley (why would you even do that without Lucifer? Haven’t you learned anything from the beginning of the season?) and tells him she didn’t call him because she was worried of what the priest might trigger in him. It’s painful to see the betrayal on Lucifer’s face as he asks, “Afraid he might turn me into a monster?” Chloe blurts out, “Yes”, before realising what she said and attempting to backtrack, but Lucifer tells her to leave.
They are forced to put their emotions aside, though, when Chloe receives a message: baby Charlie is gone. At the precinct, Dan reveals the night nurse was told not to come, and Ella hopes perhaps it’s because Amenadiel – who hasn’t been seen for several hours and doesn’t answer his phone – is with him. It seemed Amenadiel committed his plan to take Charlie to Heaven after all, and I have to say I was somewhat disappointed by that.
At Linda’s, Chloe questions the panicked mother. Lucifer slowly puts two and two together and, at last, tells Linda about Amenadiel’s plan to take Charlie to Heaven. Linda is terrified by the thought her son died, but Lucifer assures her that because the baby is half-angel, he can come and go through the Gates of Heaven freely; all he needs is someone to take him. Amenadiel finally comes home, and our faith in him is restored when he confirms he intended to take Charlie, but couldn’t do it to Linda. He tells them he gave Charlie to the night nurse, and thanks to some help from Ella and Dan, they discover he gave the baby to a foreign woman. Upon seeing her photo Lucifer remembers seeing her at LUX the night before, which means he knows who has the baby. Obviously, it’s Dromos and his demon friends, who reveal (to us) their plan to use Charlie as their new king.
Back at the precinct, Dan and Ella talk. Ella confesses that she misses “the big guy” and that she was wrong to base her entire faith on whether things are okay. Everything that happened to Charlotte made just made her so angry. Dan admits he’d been angry, too, and Ella tells him that she doesn’t think it’s God’s job to stop the bad things happening; he’s there to give strength when they do happen. This conversation seems to help both of them – two lost souls – and sad as it is, it’s a conversation that should’ve happened a while back. But I suppose it takes time to come to term with things; it’s only at this point they’ve finally managed to move on from everything that’s happened.
We don’t see more of that conversation, though it would’ve been interesting to hear more of Ella’s thoughts. Instead, Chloe and Lucifer join them at the precinct in an attempt to find where the demons took Charlie. It doesn’t take long before Chloe realises just how difficult it is to work effectively when half your team doesn’t know what’s really going on (i.e, demons possessing human bodies), and Lucifer suggests the two of them go back to the penthouse, where they can plan freely.
Meanwhile, Eve finds Dromos. Annoyingly, it appears she went on with her plan (not surprising in the slightest but still annoying) and now she wants results. Dromos tells her they don’t need Lucifer anymore and he doesn’t care about their deal. Again, not much of a surprise, but certainly eye-roll-worthy.
Arriving at the penthouse, Chloe and Lucifer find the place a complete mess. Lucifer assumes the demons ruined the place as revenge (which brings up the question why the hell you still don’t have a lock on the elevator?) but Chloe theorises they were looking for something. Lucifer checks his breached vault to find the vial – yes, the same vial he took from Chloe; why didn’t he get rid of it? – is missing. Now with the vial and the baby in the demons’ hands, Lucifer figures out they’re planning to replace him with Charlie.
As if this scene wasn’t annoying enough – there are so many ways this could’ve been prevented, if only Lucifer had been more careful – Eve joins the two in the penthouse. She reveals that she was the one who summoned Dromos in an attempt to convince Lucifer to go back to hell, an idea that didn’t really make sense before but explained to Lucifer it just sounds plain stupid. It also highlights the fact that Eve doesn’t actually love Lucifer – because when you love someone, you want to do what’s best for them, not you, and going back to Hell is definitely not the best for Lucifer. If I’m being honest, I think Chloe’s and Lucifer’s reactions to that admission was mild – I’d have punched her.
The two put aside their anger, though, and focus on trying to find Charlie. Chloe brings up whatever few details she remembers about the ceremony Kinley was going to perform – you’d think she’d remember more of something this significant but sure – and with Eve’s help they manage to figure out where the demons have gone. They head out to The Mayan, warning Eve to stay there and presumably notifying Maze and Amenadiel.
Outside The Mayan, Lucifer tells Chloe to stay away from the fighting. Chloe argues at first, wanting to help, but Lucifer reminds her she makes him vulnerable and therefore will only make things worse. Eve appears out of nowhere (you again?) and tells Lucifer she doesn’t so she’s coming with him, whether he likes it or not. She apologises for what she’s done (in what might be one of the worst apologies in history) and tells them she wants to make things right. Maze and Amenadiel, who arrive at that moment, don’t seem thrilled about it – understandably – but Lucifer agrees and the four head inside.
A fight breaks out between Team Lucifer and the demons, and it is pure joy to see Maze, Amenadiel and Lucifer fighting together. It’s always wonderful to see the non-humans – and especially Maze – fighting; it’s almost like watching a beautiful (and violent) dance. Watching Maze and Amenadiel fighting in almost perfect sync, and in total awareness of what’s happening in the battle, was wonderful. Seeing Lucifer joining them? Even better.
As the three fight Dromos’s crew, Lucifer hands Eve the baby and tells her to run. She doesn’t get far before one of the demons gets in her way, but Maze takes him out with a beautifully executed throw of her hell-forged dagger. As she leaves the room she runs into another demon, and this time it’s Chloe who saves her with several shots that anger the demon into turning on her rather than Eve. Chloe and Eve manage to kill the demon, saving Charlie, but it needs to be said: Chloe’s move is reckless and dangerous. Now that she’s this close to Lucifer, the demons actually stand a chance at hurting him. And that’s bad.
No one seems to notice Lucifer is vulnerable, though; other than Dromos, the demons are all dead. Lucifer prepares to punish the rogue demon when Chloe comes into the room, effectively stopping him (worst timing ever, Decker). She tells him she wanted to make sure he’s alright, but Lucifer ignores her concern, telling her she needs to leave. When she says it’s because she’s making him vulnerable, he admits that he doesn’t want her to see him like that – as the Devil. He knows it scares her.
At last, Chloe is saying what we’ve been desperate to hear since the beginning of the season: she’s not scared of him. He’s baffled; if she’s not scared of him, why was she worried about his Devil form coming back? She’s been trying to say it from that moment in the penthouse in the beginning of the episode, and now, right in the middle of the battle (if I’m being honest, it seems somewhat irresponsible to deal with that right now), she finally gets the chance to tell him. She wasn’t afraid of him; she was afraid of losing him to the whole Devil thing. She was afraid he’d forget about her. As if that’s even possible.
I know I literally just wrote it’s irresponsible to deal with that right now and there are bigger issues at stake, but I couldn’t help but feel happy at that. Finally! We’ve been waiting for this moment for nearly ten episodes, and now that it’s here, it doesn’t matter that it comes in a pretty lousy timing. It doesn’t matter they’re surrounded by dead people or that they have an audience. All that matters to the two of them – and therefore to us – is that Chloe accepts him, and Lucifer knows it.
And then the show’s writers remind us they get a certain joy from giving the fans what we want only to take it away somehow, and all of a sudden, the room is filled with demons (where did they all come from? And how is it that everyone who died during Confession went to Hell? It seems too convenient). They try to separate Chloe from Lucifer, and at first Lucifer fights to get to her, but surprisingly he gives up, leaving her reaching out to him with a look of horror and betrayal on her face. We barely had the chance to feel that betrayal ourselves, though; Lucifer’s voice rings around the room, crying out, “Enough!”
It’s a beautiful moment, seeing Lucifer accepting and utilising his Devil-self. There’s such power to him as he commands the demons to bow to their King and to leave earth and return to Hell. It’s even more beautiful to see the little smile Chloe gives him afterwards, as he turns back to his normal self, and the little nod he gives her in response. The connection between the two of them is so deep, it’s practically visible onscreen in that moment. The fact Chloe accepts him as he is – and more importantly, loves him as he is – gives Lucifer the strength to accept that Devil side of him; somehow, she manages to show him it’s okay to be him, even when he doubts it. In a sense, it’s the perfect way to end the season, after both of them learned to accept all of him.
But it’s not the end just yet – we wouldn’t be that lucky. Eve and Maze finally talk, and Eve admits there’s a connection between them but decides she needs to figure out who she is before getting into another relationship. Linda and Amenadiel talk about the baby, and after Linda tells him to take Charlie to the Silver City, Amenadiel tells her his home is here, and they’ll protect him. Dan seems to finally be able to let go of Charlotte. Ella returns to her faith (symbolically marked by putting her cross necklace back on). It’s almost the perfect ending to this darker, emotional season.
Almost. In the final scene of the season, Chloe comes to join Lucifer at LUX. They talk about the attack, and Lucifer tells her that this isn’t the end: now that the demons know he isn’t coming back, they’ll just keep rebelling. It makes him see that Chloe was right in what she said earlier in the episode – the prophecy was never about him changing. It’s about demons on earth, and the only way to stop it is for him to go back to Hell and keep them at bay. Chloe begs him not to leave and finally tells him that she loves him, but Lucifer believes that’s the only way he can keep her safe, so there’s nothing that could make him change his mind. He does, however, tell her they were wrong about another thing: Eve was never his first life – it’s always been Chloe. They’re both clearly shattered by the idea of separating, of Lucifer going back to Hell, but after a long, loving kiss, Lucifer spreads his wings – his Angel wings, which apparently returned – and leaves. And then he’s back in Hell, on his throne, all on his own.
It’s been a busy, heartbreaking finale, beautifully written and executed, and in a lot of senses, it was exactly the finale that we needed. Dan finally seemed to get a grip on himself in Save Lucifer and in this episode, which is wonderful because his storyline this season was pretty awful; Ella came full circle and found her faith again; Linda and Amenadiel are ready to raise their child together; Maze is there for both Charlie and Trixie; Eve is finally out of the picture; and Chloe and Lucifer both learned to accept each other fully and admitted their love to one another. All those things felt very much like the perfect conclusion to this year’s storylines, and particularly Lucifer’s and Chloe’s; the season’s struggle over identity turned into a certainty and a sense of acceptance. There’s really no other way it could’ve ended in that respect.
And yet… it’s difficult not to feel for Maze, who really deserves to be happy. And it’s quite impossible not to be heartbroken over the ending; you can literally feel Chloe and Lucifer’s pain over having to say goodbye. It wasn’t an easy scene to watch, especially since we’ve been waiting for that for four seasons now, and I can’t help but resent the writers for – once again – giving us what we wanted only to take it away a heartbeat later. Gee, thanks. We love you too.
Bonus #1: That dance sequence in the beginning. After the initial “what the hell” reaction, it was really funny to see. I may or may not have watched it several times since.
Bonus #2: Seeing Lucifer, Amenadiel and Maze fighting together. Absolutely beautiful.
Questions: Where the fuck is God? When Lucifer first quit, he sent Amenadiel to keep the Demons behaving (Lucifer, Stay. Good Deviland Wingman); why is it that now Lucifer has to go back down there? And now that he is back, couldn’t he just deal with the rebellion firmly (i.e, killing any rogue Demon) and then come back? When will Lucifer come back? He has to come back, right?
Final Score: 9.5/10, because of the tiny annoying things that didn’t fit, but it was a magnificent episode regardless.
PS: If you’re wondering about Lucifer’s Angel wings coming back, Tom Ellis gave a beautiful answer about it at the Season 4 Twitter Party. Click here to see if it you haven’t.
A Word About The Entire Season:
While it started a bit slow, season four turned out to be pretty magnificent. It was interesting to see some of the “supporting” characters getting a bit more screen time and their own storylines, but to me the most fascinating story was actually Lucifer’s. I wrote quite a bit about his identity struggles over the years (episode 6 review, I think), because to me that’s always been one of the most fascinating things about his character, and in this season we got to see the natural progression of those struggles. It needs to be said – I feel that Lucifer’s storyline this season was very real; the writing was honest and it was easy to believe because it’s simply that true. Tom Ellis brought that storyline to life in a magnificent, emotional, heartbreaking way; he truly outdid himself this season. It needs to be said, that storyline, and particularly the final few episodes, wouldn’t have worked if it wasn’t for his amazing work.
Chloe’s journey started off a bit oddly, but I’m glad she got back to her senses quickly, and I’m glad Lucifer found out fairly early on, too. It was far more interesting to see them trying to figure out a way to work with it rather then seeing them sneaking around each other. It was wonderful to see Chloe managing to reach Lucifer even when he was going through his worst moments. The connection between them is so deep and powerful and they know each other so well that even the whole betrayal thing didn’t ruin things for them. And of course, it was beautiful to see Chloe accepting him and, to an extent, teaching him to forgive himself (in Save Lucifer). I feel like she’s the only one who could’ve done that. Lauren German did brilliantly this season, and just like in the previous seasons, she and Ellis played off of each other beautifully.
I’ve said it a million times before but I don’t like the baby storyline. Still, it was interesting to see more of Linda – we got glimpses with Amenadiel in season 3, but nothing more – and it was fun to see a new side of Amenadiel. The whole fatherhood thing is certainly good for him.
The one storyline I really didn’t like was Dan’s. It’s both annoying and somewhat of a waste. I didn’t miss “Detective Douche”, and I didn’t enjoy seeing him throughout most of the season. He had some beautiful, more open and emotional scenes, and it was fun to see him teaming up with Maze, but other than that, this season was really annoying for him.
I am disappointed by how little of Maze and Ella we’ve seen this season. Maze did get to have some beautiful family scenes, but there was barely anything to her otherwise, which doesn’t seem fair for her. We got to see hints of romance, but it was only in the last two or three episodes and even then it was just hints. Ella, on the other hand, did go through quite a lot, but it felt like most of her journey was done off-screen, which, again, doesn’t seem fair. I think it’s actually far more interesting to see Ella trying to find herself than it was to see Dan doing the same; the whole faithlessness thing could’ve been brilliant to explore (it’s a show about the Devil, for crying out loud!). But I guess we’ll have to fill in the blanks ourselves.
And there was another character I’ve missed: Trixie. We’ve had a couple of scenes of her and Maze, and a couple of scenes with her parents, but other than her sneaking out to go see Lucifer we didn’t really see her getting involved in any of the main storyline. I loved how involved she was in the previous three seasons; this season it was almost like she vanished. And you reallyfelt it.
Still, for the most part, this season was brilliant, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed we’ll be hearing news about season 5 soon. They certainly deserve it, and we certainly need it, after that finale.