Lucifer - The Angel of San Bernardino - Review: Masquerades

I’m watching two television shows right now with love triangles tearing couples apart.
And that other show is making Lucifer’s Pierce/Chloe/Lucifer look childish and ridiculous. The only good thing that can come out of the last few episodes of Lucifer is if this leads to a reveal. This show has so much more to play with than to have to resort to Lucifer’s Chloe/Pierce angst. The only kind of angst this show should do next is Chloe working through the revelation Lucifer really is the devil, Lucifer stressing over telling her, possibly losing her, and worrying his father might punish him. And then the glorious journey as both work through their concerns - until the two of them finally get together. There’s your season four Deckerstar arc, writers. You’re welcome.

“You have DNA on your shirt.”

Lucifer takes it all in as people act strangely around him, and with each piece he puts into place we see his heart break a little more.
By people, I mean Chloe.
Chloe, who is an adult and who should be able to say she came to a location with someone without overreacting and getting flustered because she and that someone had sex that morning. Sex that was had in an evidence locker - something that could not possibly feel more out of character for rule stickler Chloe.


Lucifer hasn’t been sleeping well, and when an angel stops a woman from being killed by an intruder he’s concerned it might have been him after Linda suggests he could be sleep flying. He’s so concerned he loses his cool with a suspect, leading Chloe to send him home to rest.

Lucifer handcuffs himself to a statue before going to sleep, but alas it’s not strong enough, and it appears he has indeed been sleep flying. Or has he?
Amenadiel was concerned about Charlotte telling people about divinity, but maybe the person they actually needed to worry about instead was Lucifer? Amenadiel goes full drama queen as he interprets it all as punishment from God for showing Charlotte Lucifer’s wings. But Lucifer thinks it’s just manipulation: first he gets his wings back, then he’s forced to play the part of an angel.


“I’ll get some take-out because being with you is the dessert.”
Say it like you mean it, Pierce. Because nothing about your voice, nor your body language when with Chloe, convinces me you care about her.

Charlotte has been changed by her revelation. Or, rather, she has regressed and is acting more like her old self. Now she thinks she has a free pass into heaven, so there’s no need for her to try and act good. Unfortunately for her it doesn’t work that way, and she realizes she’ll likely end up going back to Hell. Perhaps with this realization she can truly start to change herself, or maybe there’s no hope for her because even if she changes how she acts, inside she is still the same person.
She’s desperate to talk about what she knows, to tell someone and share the burden. It’s looking more and more like Dan is going to be that person. It would make for interesting TV if Dan and Chloe were both let in on the truth at the same time, so they could stumble and angst through their new-found knowledge together.

Lucifer’s downward spiral into sleep deprivation is manic, and a hell of a lot of fan. It starts with cocaine, and ends with him binge-watching all seasons on Bones on his new big-screen TV. Nice one, FOX.
When he returns to the precinct after a week of television and sleepless nights, he channels Brennan as he helps Booth – sorry, Chloe – solve the case. It’s cute, and fun, and leads to Lucifer recognizing that the victim’s roommate was actually an actor who played a killer on an episode of Bones (and yes, he really was).


Maze calls Chloe and appears to be trying to patch things up, but we all know Maze a little better than that. Maze is only pretending to want to make amends to get what she wants: a lift back to Hell via Cain’s death.
Later, Lucifer learns it’s Maze who’s been manipulating him, making him think he was sleep flying and doing the good deeds, when it was all her. Her arc this season has been tough to watch as she’s regressed to her demonic ways, and how it will all culminate for her at the end of season could really go either way. Will she find a way back to Hell and leave, or have a change of heart and try to redeem herself?


Lucifer yells at Chloe in the precinct, prompting her to haul him into an interrogation room. Chloe knows why her dating Pierce bothers Lucifer as much as it does, but she needs him to say the words out loud, which is why she asks. Lucifer, of course, is unable to say the words out loud, so he makes it all about Pierce.
“I happen to know him better than you and I know that you can’t trust him.”
And there’s no lie here. It’s not Lucifer adding further pettiness to a love triangle that’s already childish. I just hope one day soon he’ll be able to tell Chloe he’s in love with her. A big ask for the devil, I know.
The scene only cements that the truth has been hidden from Chloe for too long. Lucifer knows she needs proof, and he had the opportunity, in that room, to unfurl his wings in his sleep deprived state, and show Chloe exactly who he is. By doing this he also could have proved what he’d said about Cain – or at least made Chloe more open to believing her boyfriend is immortal.
But it’s all dragged out again. Because this season has too many episodes and it’s scrambling to fill them with gripping, emotional stories.
Cut the episode order back for season 4, get that one clear arc, like season one had, start moving your characters forward again instead of making them feel stagnant, and let Chloe in on the truth.


Pierce thinks he’s living in a Disney movie. When Chloe admits her true love for him the curse will be broken and he’ll be free. What actually sucks is that Chloe has fallen in love with Pierce. And what sucks even worse is that she admits that to Lucifer while in the interrogation room.

The song callback, with ‘In the air tonight’ playing as Lucifer drives the LA street’s to Chloe’s, to stop whatever Pierce has planned, only makes Lucifer’s current emotional state feel even more raw.
It’s interesting to note that when the song first played, a female sang the lyrics as Charlotte schemed against Chloe. In this episode, there’s a gender switch as Pierce attempts to use her for his own gain. This appears to not only be a Deckerstar theme, but a theme whenever someone believes Chloe is the answer to their problems.

Just as Chloe is about to confess to Pierce she’s in love with him, he has a change of heart and walks out on her.
Lucifer goes to Chloe’s, to find her sitting sadly on the couch. It’s enough for Lucifer to know Pierce has hurt her. He forces his way into Pierce’s home and punches him.
Lucifer’s ready for a little retribution – when he notices the mark on Pierce's arm is gone...
Because Chloe fell in love with him? Or because he couldn’t be selfish and use Chloe?
Or some other reason entirely?