Things have not been easy for Lucifer lately and that didn’t change in this episode. He finally found someone to connect with that understood him only to have that person ripped away right before his eyes. This was an emotional episode for Lucifer and his turmoil was a driving force. He uses his sarcasm to deal with life because he doesn’t want to face all the harsh realities surrounding him. As Dr. Linda so expertly points out Lucifer is lonely and with each passing episode he becomes more isolated.
At first glance the case of the week seemed like the joke the title of the episode made it out to be. Then the case started to evolve and it became apparent this wasn’t going to be the normal no consequences case of the week. This one was going to leave an impact on Lucifer. The moment Father Frank Lawrence (Colman Domingo) walked into LUX a case began that would ultimately end up having a profound impact on Lucifer. He wanted to treat Father Frank like another misguided loyalist to his Father. Yet the more he got to know Father Frank the more he began to understand his own Father. He doesn’t understand his Father’s reasoning anymore now than before but he seems to now understand that a bigger plan is at work. A plan that not even his Father’s favorite son is privy to and I think that perplexes Lucifer. What could Lucifer’s Father be working towards?
I have a theory about that very question. Lucifer has always been the favorite son and that seems quite obvious to almost everyone. He fell from Heaven and was banished to the throne of Hell but he never lost the love of his Father and while he took it as a punishment it seems like that is not what his Father intended. It is my theory that his Father wanted Lucifer to hit rock bottom (literally in this case) and find his own inner strength to redeem himself. In the context of this series, I don’t believe God ever meant for Lucifer to remain Fallen for all eternity. Like any good parent He wants Lucifer to rise again and be everything he knows he can be. Still he needs one of his children to sit on the throne of Hell. While Lucifer was, and likely always will be, the best for the job I also don’t think He’ll deny his son the opportunity to return to Heaven if that is what he wants. I believe He has seen the darkness in Amenadiel and sent him not to bring Lucifer home but to see if Amenadiel could replace his brother. That would then free up Lucifer to be redeemed and be graced with new wings so he may return home. I know it’s a bit of an unrealistic theory but it would explain why the all seeing and all knowing is allowing Amenadiel to run around doing stupid things like resurrecting psychos like Malcolm. I think He is allowing Amenadiel to make these mistakes intentionally in the same way He is allowing Lucifer to have his adventures with Chloe. After all He did seemingly send Father Frank to Lucifer to aid in the saving of a lost soul. That is not the sign of a Father who doesn’t believe in his son. Amenadiel’s mission will destroy him while Chloe will help save Lucifer.
Chloe got herself pulled into Lucifer’s investigation of Father Frank basically by being bored. She had nothing else better to do than get dragged along with Lucifer. I suspect Chloe could have found something else to do but she genuinely likes spending time hanging around with Lucifer so she let him drag her into his investigation. He certainly makes her life more interesting and has managed to become someone she cares about as a friend. They have this wonderful banter that is likely amplified by Tom Ellis and Lauren German who both have a brilliant gift for sarcasm and line delivery. I found it interesting that when the drive-by shooting happened Chloe dove for Lucifer instead of Father Frank. Protecting him was her first natural instinct and it was very telling of the way she has come to care for him. I did question her pursuit of talking to Dan about the kiss, but I guess they have to keep him involved in Chloe’s story to up the stakes regarding Malcolm.
Making Malcolm and Dan partners is pure brilliance on the part of the writers. In the last two episodes Dan has gone from a character that didn’t seem to have a place within in the story to a very interesting character. It was confirmed that Dan has looked the other way in the past regarding Malcolm but he may not be as dirty a cop as I suspected. If Malcolm’s account of the night of his shooting is to be trusted Dan shot him because Malcolm knew Chloe was there and was planning to shoot her. Still doesn’t fully explain why Dan was there in the first place though. I’m not convinced he’s completely dirty but he is definitely a morally challenged cop. I’m going to reserve full judgment until it’s confirmed exactly what Dan was doing at Palmetto. Either way he shot another cop and staged a very elaborate cover-up. Malcolm is going to do anything in his power to make life hard on Dan including threatening Chloe and Trixie. However, he did get one fact very wrong by saying that they’d be vulnerable if Dan went to jail. The truth is they have Lucifer looking after them so they’d be much better off with him than Dan anyway. I think Trixie actually likes being around Lucifer more than her own father anyway. She’s a very intuitive kid so it wouldn’t be stretch to theorize that she can tell her dad has darkness in him while Lucifer has a growing light inside of him that she can sense. If Trixie ever returns from whatever television series black hole she’s fallen into perhaps we can make better deductions.
I found it very interesting that Malcolm seems to be very clearly in the know about Amenadiel’s angelic status. He also made some sort of arrangement with the increasingly dark angel to avoid returning to Hell. That implies that he spent some time in Lucifer’s former domain. I’m guessing the two must have met there before Amenadiel resurrected him. That would imply that Amenadiel is spending some time in Hell which plays into my above mentioned theory. I can’t help but think the show is setting him up as the future King of Hell but I’ve been very wrong before so who knows what direction this show is aiming for with him. What is truly interesting is that Amenadiel was warning his brother that without him on the throne demons and evil souls could escape Hell then he himself went and released one. I can’t believe that their Father would allow this if he wasn’t truly trying to teach Amenadiel a lesson. His son is sinning left and right lately and it’s only a matter of time before He has himself a new Devil. Then He can begin the long journey to fix things with the son He seems to really want back home. I just hope He realizes that it’ll take way more than an apology to get Lucifer back home. When Father and son meet again I suspect some massive tension.
The look Lucifer gave Malcolm as they crossed paths at the elevator was interesting. It’s as if he sensed something off about the guy. Malcolm’s 30 seconds in Hell were recent therefore he and Lucifer would not have crossed paths before. I’m curious to see how this plays out now that we know Malcolm is tasked to kill Lucifer. Truth be told Malcolm would be better off having a deal with the actual Devil versus Amenadiel. Which leads me to a curious question; does Amenadiel want to be the King of Hell? He’s resurrecting bad guys, spending time in Hell, and trying to kill his own brother. Maybe he’s finally accepted that Lucifer is indeed the favorite son so maybe he thinks taking over his brother’s throne will lead him to favorite son status? He can’t possibly be dumb enough to think there won’t be major consequences for all he has done. When all is said and done there is no way he can remain a pure angel. He will Fall and the startling revelation for him will be that being the King of Hell does not automatically make you the favorite son.
As I was writing this review a startling theory came to mind. With Malcolm and Amenadiel gunning for Lucifer that puts Chloe firmly in the crosshairs. Is anyone else concerned she’ll end up in peril and perhaps even killed? That would then either put Lucifer in a position to have to resurrect her or to trade himself to his Father for Chloe. Given he wasn’t able to save Father Frank I wonder if resurrection is a power Lucifer doesn’t poses. On the bright side that would surely have to finally make Chloe realize exactly who Lucifer is. I mean, come on, one can only remain ignorant of the facts for so long before they start to look a bit oblivious. It already seems a bit out of character that she’s still in denial but I’m hoping that changes soon.
Maze wasn’t in the episode much but it does seem like she is keeping a bit of a low profile in the wake of her secret being revealed. It was surprising to me that Lucifer is still allowing her to work at LUX and even more surprising that Maze is still standing loyal to Lucifer. Yes, she screwed up, but she seems to own up to that and seems to want to repair her friendship with him. She knew he’d want to meet with the priest and she was her normal snarky self with him when he finally asked something of her later in the episode. She’s trying to move on as business as usual which is exactly the opposite of how I thought she’d react to Lucifer’s scolding from the last episode. Whether that remains is yet to be seen, but for now she seems to be standing true to her words to always protect Lucifer. However, I still suspect she has plans for his wing feather. Whether that be to help him get home one day or for her own means is yet to be seen. Dr. Linda has even pointed out how much Maze means to Lucifer so I don’t see him being able to let her go very easily. It will be interesting to see what brings them back together as a unified team or finally separates them for good.
This episode was one of the strongest yet as it got deep into Lucifer’s psyche and showed us the hurt soul behind the fallen angel. He developed a real fondness for Father Frank and even by Lucifer’s account these two should have been mortal enemies. He found a real connection with the Father and by virtue found some real meaningful guidance regarding the situation with his own Father. To have him ripped away in such a senseless way shocked and stunned Lucifer. It was surprising that in that moment he didn’t go full on Devil because his rage was at its peak. I love how Chloe is always the one who can talk Lucifer down from the darkest of places. I’m really starting to think Chloe was intentionally placed in Lucifer’s life to teach him some important lessons and to help redeem him. Just like his Father sent Father Frank to him I believe He sent Chloe to Lucifer as well. Is she gifted in some way? I still think so, but there is also the very plausible reality where she was blessed by Him to be able to withstand Lucifer’s charms. No matter all that, it’s all theory, but what’s not theory was the real anger and emotion Lucifer felt over losing Father Frank. I do believe that is the most real and honest we’ve ever seen Lucifer. And that’s taking into account everything he went through trying to recover his wings.
There were so many great scenes in this episode but I have to commend Domingo for the delivery of Father Frank’s story of the night of the accident. I was as enthralled with his story as Chloe seemed to be. Domingo’s voice mixed with the raw emotion he infused into the story sucked me right into the story. You could feel the Father’s pain and then you could feel his comfort as he explains that it led him to God. I’m not a very religious person myself yet through his delivery I couldn’t help but understand what he was explaining. An utterly heartbreaking story beautifully delivered to pull the audience in. Domingo was amazing throughout this entire episode and I wish Father Frank would have survived the shooting but it looks like this is yet another Lucifer had to learn. At least Lucifer can rest easy knowing Father Frank is back with his daughter. Still doesn’t do anything to help ease the pain of losing a friend which Lucifer is already in short supply of.
The most poignant scene of the episode for me was when Chloe showed up at Lucifer’s to just be with him as a friend. She ditched Dan, which was a very good choice, and instinctually knew Lucifer needed a friend in that moment. Lucifer joked around about sex but in truth I think he was happy to have someone to be with him as a friend with no expectations. At the start of the episode he said he didn’t know what Chloe was to him. After everything they went through in this episode I hope he has come to realize she is indeed his friend. When the rest of the world seems to be turning from him she’s running to him. Her goodness and kindness is teaching him things and making him a better being in the process. If his Father did indeed send Chloe to him then He made an excellent choice. She is exactly who Lucifer needs in his life at this very tough and lonely moment in time.
I have to comment on the piano playing. I’m not positive that the piano playing is Ellis but I suspect it is him playing. The more they incorporate Ellis’ natural gifts the more I want more of him doing it. I’m not one to encourage shows to do musical episodes. I think the storylines that bring them into being are usually convoluted and ridiculous. I can count on one hand the number of times musical episodes of shows have been done well. With that said I really want an episode where Ellis has to sing and play the piano at least once an Act. Come on, it would be awesome, and since it’s already a part of his character it wouldn’t be that big of a stretch. Maybe he can help out with a musical play for Trixie’s school or something. That is said with the hope that the mysteriously missing girl returns soon.
I only have a few complaints with this episode starting with the scene where Lucifer yells at his Father. Can someone at FOX please up the budget for CGI?! Every time this show uses green screen it’s so painfully obvious. If and when the show gets another season I hope it comes with a budget increase for green screen shots because currently they are just awful. The other thing that bothered me about this episode is what I just mentioned regarding the lack of Trixie yet again. Surely the writers have to have some way to weave her back into the story. I get it though, Scarlett Estevez is just a kid and there are child labor laws and that whole school thing, but the show can’t employ such a talented young actress and not use her on the regular. Bring her in for an hour after school and shoot something. A fleeting glance is better than Trixie just disappearing for episodes upon episodes for no obvious reason.
I have to say this was one of my favorite episodes so far. It got deep into Lucifer’s emotions and showed us a lot about how he is evolving. The death scene of Father Frank was brilliantly acted, the scene where Lucifer yelled at his father for allowing the death was heartbreaking, and the moment Chloe showed up to be with Lucifer was heartwarming. The stories flowed perfectly and every bit of the episode had something to do with the overall plot. Dan’s evolving storyline is fascinating and Malcolm is a welcome addition to the show as he brings a whole new element of bad to the series as he teams up with Amenadiel. Things are starting to get very interesting and despite a few bumps in the road this is turning into a very strong first season. As long as Chloe somehow learns to accept the truth about Lucifer before the season ends I could easily overlook everything else.
Tune in to
FOX on March 28th at 9/8C to learn what happens next in Lucifer’s ever evolving life.
Hit the comments with your thoughts. What do you think Dan was doing at Palmetto in the first place? Will Chloe get caught in the crossfire of the men in her life? Do you think Amenadiel is being setup to be banished by his Father as Lucifer was or do you think Amenadiel actually wants to be King of Hell?
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.
