After a bit of a rocky start, the season may finally be back on track. A chief complaint about the standalones is that the writers hadn’t managed to incorporate them into this season’s story arc. Well, that’s still sort of the case, but at least they managed to anchor last week’s episode through this one. That’s quite ironic because of all the standalones so far that one seemed the most out of place. That makes it all more brilliant of a move that they managed to find a way to tie it into the actual storyline for this season. And just like that, there is a flow to the season and it was magnificent to see that ole Lucifer spark reignited. The big question is if the show can keep this up for the next episode. It’s unfortunate that the flow of the season returned just as a long two-week break sets in before the next episode airs. Everything considered this was easily the second strongest episode that was actually filmed as part of this season. The first is still held by Charlotte’s brilliant return episode.
It’s probably no coincidence that this episode also heavily involved Charlotte. The choice to bring her back this season was an inspired one. The route they’ve chosen to go with her opens up so many immense storyline possibilities. She was already on track to be one of the most compelling characters this season then they went and tied her to Ella and the storyline possibility exploded. Having Ella essentially become a morality coach for Charlotte is a truly brilliant choice. What is curious about that is Ella seemed very opposed to it. She’s usually eager to engage and help everyone. We’ve never really seen this side of her that runs from helping someone. Is it the darkness in Charlotte that freaks her out or is it something deeper than that? The character growth potential between these characters is massive. It’ll take some time, but they could become one hell of a duo. Not to mention Tricia Helfer and Aimee Garcia have such an exceptional dynamic that not only makes this new dynamic compelling but opens up a whole ton of possibility for hilarity. These two actresses have very different energies and acting techniques yet when they came together in this episode their two styles meshed flawlessly. This is a dynamic that the writers would be very smart to keep developing. They can milk a lot of story out of the characters and these gifted actresses.
While this was a fun new dynamic a fan favorite duo made their equally much-needed return. That was, of course, Amenadiel and Linda. Here is another pair of performers who have vastly different acting styles yet when they unite together in a scene their chemistry if flawless and their acting styles just perfectly mesh together. We’ve not had a great scene between these two for far too many weeks, but the wait was worth it. They are great friends and they really need one another right now. Both are dealing with complex feelings that only the other seems to really understand. Amenadiel went through a lot last season and was helped through it largely by Linda. She has had his back more times than he probably deserved, so it’s nice to see him being there for Linda as she processed everything she has been through.
There was an interesting development in their story this week. During the beach scene when Amenadiel was leaning over Linda there were some very distinct sparks of something slightly beyond friendship. Those sparks have been seen between these two before, but never quite to this degree. It seemed to actually startle Amenadiel for a moment. It could be quite interesting to see a legitimate relationship between a human and a celestial being especially when the human is in the know. However, with that said, it would be a darn shame if they hook the characters up then ruin the beauty of their friendship if they were to break up. The friend's route feels like the right one, but it’s hard to deny the chemistry D.B. Woodside and Rachael Harris bring to the dynamic between their characters.
This whole plot point was important for even more reasons than are noted above. Through this storyline, we got to see the impact knowing the truth can have on a human. All of Linda’s ideas of the afterlife have been turned on their head. She’s now forced to confront the very real truth of what comes next and can no longer hope for her ideal reincarnation as a chameleon. As if that wasn’t a big enough blow she’s also dealing with all the trauma left behind by her showdown with Mom. Her life as she knew it completely changed the moment she learned the truth about Lucifer. It is stressful for her and a burden she must carry alone at the moment. She has no other human to commiserate with and that too is starting to impact her. Having Lucifer, Amenadiel, and Maze to confide in is great, but having a human friend to turn to would likely help. What is good about Linda going through all these emotions is that the more she is able to process everything the better position she’ll be in to be able to aid whatever fellow human finds out next.
On a curious note, however, Linda seems to think she is condemned to Hell. Is that because she’s friends with Lucifer and she thinks she’ll be considered guilty by association by his father? From what we know she seems destined for a one-way ticket to Heaven. Surely her celestial friends will find some way to ensure that should the time ever come, but let’s just hope it never does during the run of the series. And even if she found herself stuck in Hell there is very little doubt that they’ll all move literal Heaven and Hell to get her out. Her concern was as baffling to viewers as it was to Amenadiel who seemed thoroughly perplexed that she thinks she’s destined for Hell. Though, major props to him for the way he handled everything. He was instrumental in helping her through everything this week. Their scenes were truly beautiful and the beach scene was one of the best of the whole episode.
While these other pairs were having their big profound moments together, Lucifer and Chloe were off on their own adventure of self-discovery. Chloe had to try and embody Lucifer’s essence to work through the case. What she learned along that way is that she needs to just be herself. Unfortunately, the writers seem to have hit a bit of evolutionary roadblock with Chloe. She takes small steps while the others take big massive steps forward. She’s sort of in a holding pattern at the moment, so an episode like this where she gets to have some good forward momentum is a plus. It still wasn’t anything spectacular in the evolutionary department, but it was something and that’s more than we’ve gotten from all the other actual Season Three episodes combined for her so far.
Thankfully a Chloe heavy main storyline led to the much-welcomed return of Trixie. Thanks to the nature of the episode the writers were able to include her a fair bit more than usual and it was so nice to see that kid back in the story. Episodes with Trixie always provide lovely mother and daughter moments and this one was no exception. Scarlett Estevez and Lauren German are terrific scene partners. What is nice is that these two actresses always work in unison together so flawlessly. In so many shows with young child actors, they tend to get stuck with adult performers who feel the need to constantly overshadow their young co-stars. That simply doesn’t happen in this show. For one fact, they got exceptionally lucky in how talented Scarlett Estevez is, but they also lucked out with the rest of the cast and they way they work with her. They all work on a very even level and it’s nice to see that sort of respect between performers. It makes the bond between their characters all that much stronger because it’s clear how much respect they all have for one another.
If there is one complaint to be made about this episode it would have to be regarding Dan. The writers are certainly stuck with Chloe, but they also seem a bit stuck with Dan as well. They do still have some viable avenues in order to keep evolving his character, but they are rapidly approaching the same roadblocks they are at with Chloe. Both of these characters need a serious infusion of some big life event to kick things into gear. Dan has only had very few moments to shine so far this season, so they need to figure out what they are going to do with him. To be fair, Linda was at this stage too last season right before they dropped the big reveal on her. If that pattern holds true again the writers are biding their time until they can get everything lined up for some big things to come. In the moment it’s hard to see the bigger picture, but hopefully, the writers are leading these characters to something that will blow everyone’s minds. The pace is a bit slow and tedious right now, but if they orchestrate the catalyst moments perfectly the wait will be more than worth it.
On another not so positive note, did anyone else feel a small tinge of dread when Pierce was mentioned? It has sort of been nice without him around in recent episodes. All we can do is hope that his time away will allow the writers to bring him back in a much stronger and more compelling capacity. The character was given a solid launch then he faltered rapidly from there. Let’s just hope that the disconnect had to do with the way the writers had to structure the first part of the season because of the standalones. Hopefully, once they get into the core of his involvement with Sinnerman, he’ll start to become a more compelling character.
The case of the week was actually kind of fun though pretty predictable. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but some genuine cheesy fun that turned into a rather gripping story about identity. It was a nice parallel to see the roommate fabricating her glamorous life while the others were busy questioning their own personas. Lucifer, Chloe, and even Charlotte tried to be people they weren’t while Linda was trying to find herself amongst the chaos. At least change was a positive thing for Charlotte and both Lucifer and Chloe learned a lot about themselves thanks to the case. This episode gave way to a lot of terrific character moments what made this episode something special. It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty darn good and a memorable episode. It'll be fun to see where they go with the Sinnerman story as they get back into that leading into the holiday break. Lots of great things seem to be on the horizon for this show.
To all the American readers have an amazing Thanksgiving this Thursday. See you back here in two weeks for the next episode of
Lucifer.
Don’t miss the next episode when it airs on
Monday, December 4th at 8/7c on FOX.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about this episode. Did you enjoy it? Do you think Charlotte and Ella will forge a friendship?
