Lucifer Love Handles

This is why we can’t have nice things.

Hot off the kiss heard round LA, Chloe threw caution to the wind/took a leap of faith/add whatever other metaphor you’d like, and laid a big, fat kiss on Lucifer after he laid himself bare.

So what happens next? A good make out session to the tune of Florence and the Machines’ Seven Devils where Lucifer shows Chloe his “love handles”, better known as devil horns? Nope, sorry folks, but that’s nothing more than a Chloe sex dream—one Maze greedily observes while enjoying a bit of popcorn. But enough of the small stuff; let’s hop right into the episode.

Lucifer Love Handles chloeRight off the bat, the relationship dynamic between Lucifer and Chloe are off-kilter. After a chat with Dr. Linda—one where Lucifer, again, doesn’t quite process the good doctor’s advice—the devilish anti-hero is a bit more subdued in he and Chloe’s interactions. But Chloe, taking a page from Mazikeen’s sage advice, decides to let loose a bit, channel her inner flirtation goddess, one who is wholly out of practice, and unleash on the unsuspecting Lucifer. All the while the pair are investigating their newest case, one borrowed and repackaged from the Saw movies. In this case, it’s James Carlyle, a former professor who, after a bad car accident, decided to save his dissertation instead of his Uber driver. It comes as no surprise when we find that it all was caught on film, shaming the good doctor into obscurity.

But now he’s back and his experiment—putting successful people in no-win situations to maim their primary money makers (for the actor, his face; for the surgeon, her hands)—is to prove that it’s human nature to save one’s self. Despite his small role, Carlyle is a most disgusting foil. Where the most interesting villains are those the viewer can almost see his/her point of view, nothing Carlyle does is remotely understandable, save for his massive ego. And yet, if his ego was truly that of a villain, how much would he really care what other people thought? It’s a shame that he slits his own throat but even that is self-serving as he tells Chloe soon after she corners him: “I’m not a monster: I’m human. You call it biology, you call it God but choice is an illusion…you’ll understand, soon enough.”

Even then, he can’t go quietly.

Hopping back onto the Lucifer/Chloe train, it’s a slow burn where the generally confident Lucifer is in an awkward place; why would a woman like Chloe, immune to his charms and knowing his rakish ways, want to have a relationship with him? Rarely have we seen the Morningstar so off-balance and showing such a surprising lack of confidence. Again, Tom Ellis is fantastic showing this aspect of his character in a way that shows growth. It’s in contrast to Chloe’s awkward attempts to spice things up: we’re reminded that Chloe is who she is; she’s not the party, up in your face type of gal but that’s okay. She is strong, determined, loyal, principled, and full of heart—traits Lucifer’s previous lovers do not quite possess. Despite her attempts to move things forward, it’s not until she reacts to him being okay after they thwart Carlyle’s latest ‘experiment’ that Lucifer realizes whatever it is between them is real. Happy endings, anyone?

Yeah, about that…

Even if Maze won't tell him, have no fear, a 35 year old picture (that just so happens to be there)tells Lucifer all that he needs to know...
Even if Maze won’t tell him, have no fear, a 35 year old picture (that just so happens to be there)tells Lucifer all that he needs to know…

You see, we can’t have nice things because those lovely writers want us to suffer and, by that, Chloe and Lucifer. Happier than he’s ever been, Lucifer’s world is turned on its head when Charlotte and Maze call him to meet. Mummy dearest wants to come clean about Chloe the Miracle Baby though Maze balks after seeing Lucifer so happy. It just so happens that, as the women argue, Lucifer catches sight of a picture of Amenadiel and Penelope, Chloe’s mother, at the very same bar 35 years prior. He puts it all together and rages, heading to confront Chloe…

…only to find her upset and bleeding from the nose. A nose bleed that, like the other poisoned victims, just won’t stop.

Post Script

It was good to see the Lucifer and Chloe’s role reversal. Chloe’s turn as aggressor may not have been pretty or smooth but Lucifer’s uncharacteristically reticent nature was a good change of pace, as was our favorite bad boy’s exuberance at discovering the realness of he and Chloe’s new dynamic. Alas, nothing gold can stay…

  • That bastard Carlyle, already ruining two lives, now has also poisoned Chloe. He got off easy but here’s hoping that Lucifer is able to pay him a visit in the afterlife.
  • Ella was back and her return paid major dividends for the gang as they cracked Carlyle’s identity. Still, she wasn’t quite her normal self, though part of that may have been the lack of interaction between her and Lucifer. I’m sure now that Chloe’s been poisoned, Ella and Luc will resume their buddy-ship…still, it won’t be the same.
  • On that “it’s not the same” subject, how will Lucifer’s knowledge of Chloe’s true identity affect their relationship—after she’s cured, of course. And what the hell is Charlotte’s plan for Chloe? At first it seemed as if she needed Chloe and Lucifer to play house but after outing Chloe’s true nature as the Miracle Child, it’s obviously not that simple.

Lucifer: “Love Handles” –4/5

4 pitchforks