Lucifer has had a lot of fantastic episodes, this season in particular, but this one was something special. If I had put together a list of all the things that the writers could have done to create a near perfect episode this one would have checked off the mass majority of things on the list. Almost every part of this episode was perfectly done and executed. I think it is impossible to watch this episode without laughing or smiling or both. The comedic beats hit with perfect timing while the serious moments were hard hitting. In terms of comedic to dramatic moments this episode achieved the perfect balance. Every single character moment was true to the characters and how they are each growing individually as well as a group.
This episode relied on established character relationships to drive it but divided up the characters in interesting ways. After a few episodes without a good therapy session, Lucifer was back in Dr. Linda’s office rekindling that special spark that only comes from their time together on screen. I didn't know how the dynamic between them would work once they stopped sleeping together last season, but their special something has only grown since which is a testament to the writers. More often than not big drastic character dynamic shifts like that fall flat, but in this case, it actually advanced each character. Well, that is, as much as Lucifer will allow himself to advance. He's definitely a being still in need of some serious therapy. And as is usual with him, during this session, he found new ways to avoid delving deeper into his personal issues. For someone who acknowledges needing therapy, he spends a lot of time making Dr. Linda's job as hard as possible as she tries her best to help him.
By the way, am I the only one who didn’t notice until it was pointed out that Lucifer had never used a cell phone? For some reason, I just always figured he had one which is how Chloe got a hold of him all the time. I’m glad I was wrong because it was hilarious to see his first outing with his new phone. While I love seeing Dr. Linda interact with other characters I’m glad that moments between her and Lucifer haven’t been completely discarded. She is one of the few people he is open with about his internal feelings. Even though he tries to hide behind quips most of the time there is an emotionally complex being under the playboy exterior that has been greatly affected by his upbringing. I find it very true to both characters that she has such a fundamental understanding of him despite not being able to believe he is the Devil. She has learned to accept his antics while also figuring out what she can say to get him to open up tiny bits at a time. She is very good at what she does, but don’t mess with her friends because there is a feisty side to her.
That brings me to my favorite scenes of the episode involving the girls night out. These were my favorites for so many reasons, but mainly because it delved into the relationships between these four characters that interact but never really share long in-depth moments together. In fact, I think this is the longest any of them have been on screen together consecutively. This fun night out also finally started to develop Ella’s story outside of her career. Interestingly enough the bombshell was dropped that she used to steal cars. I don’t know about anyone else, but I feel like this little tidbit wasn’t dropped just for the fun of it, and I really want to know more about her criminal past. Given her bubbly personality and brilliant mind, I would have never pegged her as a car thief. Then again, I never would have thought Dr. Linda was a sex line operator once upon a time, so what do I know? What I do know is that Ella is very feisty when taken outside of a work environment. When Chloe was being verbally attacked she was the first one to stand-up to the lady even before Maze stepped in. Ella might seem all sweet and innocent, but I’m starting to see a broader picture developing that shows her as a bit of a badass in her own right. She was right in the midst of the fight brawling for her new lady tribe. In fact, she was the one egging Maze on while the others were initially trying to hold her back. I hope this is just the first of many moments where Ella will get to shine because Aimee Garcia is doing amazing work developing Ella despite minimal screen time so far.
The Dr. Linda and Ella reveals were the two big shocking reveals of the ladies alcohol-fueled sharing, but Maze and Chloe each shared important moments too. Maze, as almost everyone already figured, was birthed in Hell to basically be an enforcer. Not a big surprise, but the amount of longing on her face was a bit of a surprise. For all its faults Hell is her home and I do believe that one day she does truly hope to return to it. Though, her new friends do seem to be giving her reasons to stay Earthbound. The mysterious identity of whom created her still remains unknown. I just can’t imagine God creating her given his strife with His son though he is supposedly the creator of all, so I guess anything is possible. One being I can’t imagine creating her is Lucifer, because that would make the special bond they have quite awkward. So, who created Maze? I kind of hope for some crazy reveal that Lucifer’s mom created her to spite her husband and aid her son. Oh, the irony that would create, given that Maze was her torturer. For now, the mystery remains, but hopefully one day it’ll be spelled out. Until then it is fun to speculate. Chloe, on the other hand, was much more intimate with her reveals but didn’t drop any shocking revelations that hadn’t been evident throughout the episode. The world is weighing heavily on her right now and in a brief moment of vulnerability she let her new close friends in on what was bothering her. I’m actually surprised by how much her divorce from Dan is affecting her, but it is evident that at one time they did really love each other. At least her reveals acted as the setup to what could be one of the best roommate pairings ever in a genre show.
From the beginning of the series Maze has hated Chloe. In turn, Chloe hasn’t been a big fan of Maze’s. They are two very different women, both literally and figuratively, yet, somewhere along the line, they started to respect each other. Respect didn’t quite translate to friendship, but there was something that kept Maze from killing Chloe when Lucifer’s back was turned. A big factor for Maze was her growing bond with Trixie who is one of the few humans that she actually understands. Trixie offered Maze her first true human friendship with no strings attached and for the first time, she saw a human as being worthy. Well, for Trixie to be the person she is Chloe had to have done something right in creating her so by default Maze had to begrudgingly extend a certain amount of respect to Chloe. They may not be best friends, but this episode definitely solidified them as friends. Chloe seemed to genuinely want that female friendship that their newly formed tribe allotted her. When she found out that Maze, who she thought had initiated the whole night, had done so only because of a bet she was genuinely hurt. While she may not understand Maze, she has come to see her as a friend. Okay, well, frenemy may have been a better term prior to this episode, but I think it is safe to say that they have officially branched over into full-fledged friend territory. Chloe’s anger was even enough to make Maze seduce her way into the precinct to corner Chloe. Speaking of that, with Maze exploring her place within the ranks of humans, I really want to see her get a human girlfriend or boyfriend. In fact, I kind of wish that for all the supernatural characters just because I’d love to see how they would all react to having a human love interest. It has been fascinating to watch Lucifer grow and change as he’s gotten closer to Chloe as just a friend, so I could only imagine the potential for character growth if anyone of them entered into a human romance. Let’s face it, Maze is stunning, so Lucifer’s concern over Maze seducing Chloe isn’t entirely unwarranted. All I know if these two as roommates is one of the best things this show could have ever done.
These two women have a lot more in common than either one of them would like to accept. While this whole girls night out event started because of the bet Maze made she seemed to genuinely enjoy herself. To the point that I think she may have felt a tiny tinge of guilt over the bet. Only a tiny one though because she’s Maze and Maze is still a bit of a newbie at the whole guilt and apology thing. Dr. Linda should add that to her list of things to work on with Maze. She’s doing something right, though because there was a noticeable shift in Maze when Chloe was being harassed. She went ultra protective in a way that we haven’t even seen regarding Lucifer. I’m honestly surprised she managed to contain her demonic self because she was in a heightened state of fight readiness. Someone was targeting someone that she cares about and she wasn’t going to let that stand. It took both Chloe and Dr. Linda to initially restrain her. Maze talks a big game, but at the end of the day, she does really care about Chloe as a friend. They have a lot to teach each other as was evident by Maze amending the terms of the bet with Lucifer to force him to pour her a drink. She is definitely changing a lot this season thanks to these new friendships in her life. Now, thanks to the brilliance of the writers, Maze will get more time to further develop her unique friendship with Chloe now that they will be rooming together. Whatever genius in the writer's room came up with this idea and pitched it in order for it to become reality has my gratitude. Lauren German and Lesley-Ann Brandt are amazing scene partners with a very easy chemistry and I can’t wait to see them work together way more. The world of
Lucifer is rapidly expanding this season and I for one couldn’t be happier about it.
This episode wasn’t just about the ladies, though. The guys got to share in the fun too as they went undercover to get into the elusive party where they believe their victims were initially poisoned. Dan and Lucifer may hate each other, but they are a surprisingly good team. I was as confused as Dan when Amenadiel showed up to join them, but the way they worked him into the story worked perfectly for the awkward dynamic already happening between Lucifer and Dan. D.B. Woodside, Kevin Alejandro, and Tom Ellis nailed the tension between their characters and managed to play perfectly into the hilarity of the situation. While Dan isn’t my favorite character I still love every scene he is in because of the way Alejandro chooses to play him. His acting choices show the complexities to Dan that make me seesaw back and forth on what I think his true intentions are. For the most part, Dan seems to be just a man that loves his family and I think that despite the irony of the situation the divorce is his way of showing how much he loves them. He is giving them a chance to break free of the burdens his past actions have placed on them. Still, Lucifer’s nickname for him is usually pretty appropriate because even on a good day Dan can be quite the douche. However, I must agree with Dan that Lucifer inviting Amenadiel to join them probably wasn’t the best choice given they were working a homicide case. From the standpoint of a fan, I am so glad that Lucifer invited him because Woodside doesn’t get to let loose as Amenadiel nearly enough. Woodside has surprisingly great timing when delivering comedic beats, something I would have never guessed given how brilliantly he plays Amenadiel as tough and by the books. I am curious though how Amenadiel was able to get drunk when Maze and Lucifer seem to be more or less immune to the human after effects of alcohol. I’m starting to think that his punishment is that he is being turned more human.
On the topic of Amenadiel, it was kind of heartbreaking that he was basically opening up to his brother only to be dismissed. The same thing happened when he was talking with Dr. Linda. Twice in this episode, he tried to confide in someone about his dying powers only to get nowhere. He’s still dealing with this awful situation all alone. This actually might be a great opportunity for the show to build up at least one more relationship for his character. Ella is a character who is kind of on the outskirts of the story and a chance encounter with Amenadiel could lead to a fun new friendship. It would also bring Ella a bit deeper into the overall story. Since Amenadiel is striking out within his current social circle it might be time for him to expand a tiny bit.
At this point, the most likely option is that Amenadiel will have to turn to his mom for help. While mother and son seem to have a sordid past he did react favorably to her last week. While his brother, human friend, and demonic ex-girlfriend all seem to be oblivious to his plight something tells me that motherly intuition would allow her to be more sympathetic to him. At least “Charlotte” is learning to be a good human mother and wife, so perhaps she can use some human maternal skills to help her son in his time of great need. It would also ensure that she is kept a core part of the story instead of only brief scenes like happened in this episode. At least it was a scene with Maze because the tension between these two always makes for some really fun scenes. I was kind of hoping that “Charlotte” was going to crash the girl’s night out, but in the end, I think it was best for her to have limited involvement in this episode. Especially since I think that the arrival of another of her sons next week will keep her busy.
Something tells me that son might be a bit more of a daddy’s boy so all of the Earthbound kin of God might be in for some turbulent days. Lucifer’s mom seems poised to be tossed right back into the middle of everything again. Especially with Chloe’s life potentially on the line, I predict a full out sibling battle for her soul. With Lucifer’s mom as the collateral, she too better hope that Lucifer can figure out a way to spin the loophole he thought he discovered because it seems like his dad is out to collect one of the women that mean the most to Lucifer. The big question is, who is he willing to fight to save and who is he willing to sacrifice? It might just be time for his mom to be concerned.
While this was one of my favorite episodes of the series thanks to all of the interpersonal relationships of the characters the case of the week kind of got overshadowed. It was an interesting enough case, but I’m not sure any case of the week was ever going to be able to hold up to the strength of the rest of the episode. By the time they took down the murderer I’d almost forgotten that they were chasing after a killer. The characters were driven by trying to solve the case, but the heart of this episode was the characters interacting. It wasn’t a bad case of the week, but it never had a chance to shine in this episode where everything else was done on a grand scale of perfection. Also, worth noting is that every episode without Trixie always gets docked at least one perfection point. So, it is very close to being the perfect episode, but it has those two small dings against it. Though, I do think this is the closest the show has come to perfection which is a strong statement for me to make especially in this season of near-perfect episodes. The writers haven’t really stumbled at all yet this season in their creation of these amazing episodes. If they can keep this up they may yet deliver the ultimate elusive gold star episode of complete perfection before this season concludes.
Don’t forget to watch the next all-new episode of
Lucifer next
Monday, October 24th at 9/8C on FOX.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about this episode. What were your favorite parts? Did you like the case of the week? Did you enjoy the guy’s night out or the girl’s night out more? Are you excited to see Chloe and Maze as roommates?
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 and has a passion for analyzing performances and theorizing what may happen on her favorite shows. Her interest in television covers just about every genre, but her first love is the sci-fi/fantasy genre. For the 2016/2017 season she will be reviewing Chesapeake Shores, Dark Matter, Frequency, Gilmore Girls, Jessica Jones, Lucifer, and Orphan Black. She will also be handling the Best Scene Polls for Supergirl and previewing several new and returning shows. She also oversees the popular SpoilerTV feature, Performers of the Month (#POTM) which highlights the most outstanding actor and actress from each month. You can email her at aimee@spoilertv.com.
