Sarcastic. Dramatic. Smart. Vulnerable. Inventive. Unapologetic. Brilliant. So many words can be used to describe this show but if I had to choose just one I would go with extraordinary. From smart writing to brilliant performances this show is everything I hoped it would be. More often than not all the hype leading up to a show ends in disappointment when a show fails to live up to all its pre-air expectations but thankfully Lucifer not only lived up to expectations but blew past them. This second outing of the show continued building the world these characters live in and got more in depth with the relationships of the characters. It also started to drop hints on what we can expect from each of the characters as the season progresses.
First off let me just commend the show for not allowing Chloe to magically be healed from the gunshot wound she sustained in the pilot. My biggest television pet peeve is when a show injures a character then by the very next episode they are magically healed. The fact the show embraced Chloe’s injury and showed her trying to cope despite it earned some serious respect from me. We learned in the premiere just how strong Chloe is but watching her not miss a beat despite having her arm in a sling was quite impressive. Shows that Lauren German is on tend to like to injure her so she is quite skilled at playing hurt or injured. I just hope Chloe has better luck than some of German’s other recent characters.
Speaking of Chloe I must bring up the topic of her dad which was a prominent factor in this episode. I may be over thinking things but when they mentioned Chloe’s dad had died it got me to thinking and I do wonder if this was one of our first clues to how she can resist Lucifer’s charms. Given Lucifer’s major daddy issues could the show be poising itself to introduce some daddy drama to Chloe’s life as well? I have a feeling that if Chloe does indeed have some sort of supernatural lineage she is unaware of it will be revealed to come from her dad. I can’t help but wonder if he is even dead. Could he himself be some sort of supernatural being who had to leave his family and return to Heaven or Hell for some yet unknown reason? Chloe’s ability to resist Lucifer has made me just as curious as him and I can’t wait to see what other tidbits get dropped as to the origins of her ability to resist Lucifer. She was stuck in Amenadiel’s time trick so she’s not immune to him as Maze and Lucifer are so why does he have an impact on Chloe but Lucifer does not? Surrounding Chloe in so many questions is a brilliant choice as it gives fans a mystery to latch onto which the show goes through the usual first season series setup rituals. Since I predict this show will be around for quite some time I look forward to watching the evolution of these characters.
While on the topic of setting up the series let me take a moment to thank the show for fully incorporating Dan into the story this week. I think the character definitely suffered from the recast in the pilot but we got to know him much better in this episode and while I think the character has the potential to be a major jerk he did have some redeeming qualities. German and Kevin Alejandro have good chemistry and they both do a brilliant job of playing that awkward ex vibe. Chloe makes it a point in the episode to say she moved into her mom’s house after her separation so could this couple one day reconcile? I wouldn’t be opposed to it but since the show seems like it’s on a track to one day bring Chloe and Lucifer together as a couple I predict any other relationships will be short lived. Before any of that can happen Chloe has to deal with the mystery surrounding Lucifer. This episode gave her many reasons to start thinking Lucifer may be who he says he is from magically ending up behind her at the poor attempt at a paparazzi mediation to the psychosis Lucifer induced in Jimmy Barnes. I’m hoping Chloe will eventually accept the truth and when she does it is sure to open up a lot more room for the story to develop her unusual ability to resist Lucifer.
I can’t leave the topic of relationships without talking about Amenadiel and Lucifer. This show has many intriguing pairings but this animosity filled brotherly relationship is one of my favorites. Tom Ellis and D.B. Woodside found a good rhythm in the pilot and this week they took the material they were given and really dug into the darkest depths of this relationship and added a whole other level to this brotherly tension. I think it was brilliant that Lucifer pointed out that the reason Amenadiel is so urgently pursuing him to get him home is because he doesn’t want to end up as the Lord of Hell himself. This is a truly interesting dynamic because it would be easy to consider Amenadiel the villain of the story except I believe he truly means no harm to his brother. Sure I think he will go to some extreme lengths to get Lucifer home but as of now there are no truly definitive signs that he will be crowned the villain of the story. This leads me to wonder who the series will setup as the villain because in a series where the Devil is the hero of the story the villain will have to be truly epic and I feel this is the sort of show that will eventually give us a big bad. However, I’ll admit, that ominous warning from Amenadiel did raise my curiosity. Will Lucifer be punished by his father and if so how will it be done? The writers are brilliant enough to setup these stories and drop just enough crumbs to get us interested before making us wait for more. So far I approve of the pace the story is going but I can’t wait to get further into this season to see how all these story points being setup grow and develop.
As with most pilots the number of sets was limited which means this episode had the honor of introducing us to many new sets I’m sure we’ll get to know more intimately. Firstly being Lucifer’s amazing mansion of a house. That was a really epic setting and I hope the show spends more time there because I really want to explore more of it. Did anyone else notice Lucifer had a guy and girl in bed with him in the house scene? It seems Lucifer is open to relations with anyone and that just adds another fun level to him. We also got to see Chloe’s house which I think fits her personality perfectly even if it is her mom’s house. And finally we got a glimpse inside the police station and given Lucifer’s new status as a civilian liaison I imagine that is a set we will see a lot of. I was very impressed by how each set was setup and the attention to detail that was paid to every aspect of the sets. They are all visually very appealing and promise to provide us with many fun scenes within their walls.
After being sort of sidelined in the pilot we got to see Maze embrace her more devious side and Lesley-Ann Brandt was brilliant. I watched her in
The Librarians so I had no doubt she could handle the dark side to Maze but it was still fun to watch as she got to mess with the paparazzi. I think she was holding back a bit to let Lucifer have his fun, but when we get to see Maze in a less controlled state I believe it will rival anything we’ve seen to date from even Lucifer. I do love her loyalty to Lucifer but she made it very clear she’s not a very big Chloe fan and it’s only a matter of time before she makes some attempt on Chloe in a screwed up attempt to protect Lucifer. When that happens I’m curious to see how Lucifer deals with her.
As we got to know the characters better in this episode we also got to spend a lot of time with Dr. Linda who is brilliantly played by Rachael Harris. She takes Linda from professional doctor to charmed lustful human within the same breath. It wasn’t clear in the pilot what kind of chemistry Harris and Ellis were going to have but thankfully Harris was perfectly cast as Linda and she makes Ellis work to hold viewer attention when she is on the screen with him. I hope at some point we get to see her outside of her office and interacting with the rest of the cast. Until then I can tell I’m going to immensely enjoy Linda’s sessions with Lucifer.
Another actress these actors have to look out for is Scarlett Estevez who was a scene stealer in the pilot and continues to make her costars work to be seen when she is with them. German usually dominates scenes in anything she does but in her every scene with Estevez the young actress was giving German a run for her money. It was especially noticeable in the couch scene where Chloe is trying to tell Trixie about her prior acting career. Estevez simply stole the scene from German and made it her own. I mentioned in my pilot review that the veteran actors needed to watch out for their young costar and she proved me right. Any actor in a scene with her is going to have to fight to be noticed against this young powerhouse. Trixie is wise beyond her young years which may come in handy when things inevitably start to go crazy seeing as her mom is working with the Devil. It should be fun watching this character evolve in the hands of this gifted young actress.
This was another brilliantly written, acted, and directed episode.
Lucifer must surely be making FOX proud right now. If the network gives the creative team behind this show room to work it could be a very long lasting series for the network who has garnered a bad reputation over the years for not giving shows like this a chance to grow its audience. It came out of the gate strong and its second episode ratings drop off was quite small. I believe this is just the beginning of a very long and entertaining journey with Lucifer and company.
Be sure to watch and support Lucifer at 9/8c on Monday on FOX.
Hit the comments with your thoughts on this episode. Do you think Chloe’s dad or her mom gifted her with the ability to resist Lucifer? If it was her dad do you believe we may get to meet him one day? What do you make of Amenadiel’s warning to his brother? What was your favorite part of this episode?
About the Author - Aimee Hicks
Aimee works for a newspaper in North Carolina and has a BA in Broadcasting and Cinema. She has been a TV lover since before she really understood what TV was. She has a long list of shows that she loves to watch and can be found on twitter (@ahicks83) live tweeting about each new episode whenever she can. If the show is sci-fi, fantasy, comic book based, drama, or action the odds are good she watches it or has at least watched a few episodes of it. She also has a love for comedies 2 Broke Girls and Mom. She was the original creator and co-founder of LOST Video Island (lostvideo.net) which is still operating under the management of the very capable and skilled group she turned it over to.
You can email her at aimee@spoilertv.com.
