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Apologies and purpose are the words of the day for this week’s Lucifer where our devilish bad boy is working on a case of social media vengeance while at the same time questioning his lot in life.

It’s a bit ironic that a show about the devil starting off with a guy being burned at the stake but our case-of-the-week gives us just that. Even better is the conflagration of Nick, the social media exec from Wobble (the next gen of Facebook) is broadcast on the site for millions to see. It’s quickly followed by a similarly broadcast death—this time murder by apples in the throat—officially denoting the perp as a serial killer.

lucifer-203_scn11pt1_mc0338_hires1Sure, the procedural part is decent enough, it’s basically a paint-by-the numbers. They chat with Leila Simms, Wobble’s co-founder, who seems like she’s hiding something. Turns out Ray, the HR tech with a vicious case of halitosis is the punisher, breaking at the unending buckets of filth he’s seen from Wobble and, for that, he wants both Leila and the company to burn. Chloe and Lucifer solve the case, save the day, and Bob’s your uncle right?

Though the cop-by-numbers aspect of Lucifer has lost a bit of its luster over the show’s first season and change, it has done a fantastic job peeling back the onion, so to speak, on our cast of characters. Not only is Lucifer branching out, making acquaintances with Ella, the new CSI, he’s starting to do a bit less “it’s all about me” and a bit more existential pondering.

*Yes, it’s still mostly about him, but there’s a modicum of looking past one’s self as the center of the universe that Lucifer was missing last year.

lucifer-tricia-helfer-sin-eaterThough he’s happy to have Momma Morningstar back as his mum, Lucifer is still not quite sure where she fits into his life. Coincidentally, Mommy Dearest doesn’t understand her son’s current fascination with this humanly life. At one point she asks him, “why do you still punish people?” Lucifer’s reply is immediate and very telling—“It’s what I’ve always done.” She challenges his motivations and indirectly points out the irony. During his explosion in front of Dr. Linda in Season One, Lucifer railed on about being forever associated with sin and depravity; it’s the reason he left hell. And yet, he’s become what he loathes being known for—a sentiment he shares with Ray, the Wobble murderer. In a sense, Lucifer has been institutionalized, forevermore to live and accept his love of the role of punisher. As such, he keeps his promise to God, punishing his mum by forcing her to live out the human life of Charlotte Richards. It’s not the end of this familial strife, no doubt and that’s not even factoring in Amenadiel losing his angelic mojo.

The show may be named for him but Lucifer’s not the only one trying to find himself. With the help of Dr. Linda, Maze is still searching for her own place in the world. She wants to be her own woman but can’t fully let go of her attachments to her Lucifer. To add to it, she’s got a major hankering to dispense hellish justice on Momma Morningstar and it manifests in her inability to trust the woman (good instincts, girl!) It’s only a matter of time before she and Lucifer butt heads bigtime on this particular issue.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch on the unresolved tension between Chloe and Dan. They’ve come a long way since nearly getting back together last year, but it’s not in a positive direction. They go back and forth about how to handle the uncertainty and its effects on Trixie when, finally Dan realizes they need to stop tap dancing around  the truth; it’s best for all involved if they cut the cord…yes, the big D: divorce.

Our final image is that of Momma Morningstar—or should I call her Charlotte?—getting mugged at gunpoint and violently discovering the preternatural power coursing through her fragile human body. I don’t think the world is quite ready for her kind of wrath.

Lucifer: Sin-Eater rating:    3.5 pitchforks (out of 5)

Post-script

  • Amenadiel’s diminishing mojo continues to be an issue and it’s one he’s keeping to himself, a prospect that’s going to bite him in the butt sooner or later. More to the point, whatever’s causing his degradation is bigger than him. It probably won’t help matters that he’s going against God’s will as it pertains to Momma Mor…err, Charlotte.
  • I am firmly on the Maze-train as it pertains to Charlotte. While she’s pretty convincing in her love for her sons, one has to wonder if her need for revenge on the big G will override her motherly instincts. As a fantasy/drama, it’s almost guaranteed she’ll break Lucifer’s trust somewhere along the way and he’ll have to make a decision of how much of his own wrath he’ll need to pull out.
  • We can’t forget about Chloe. Not only is the final tether to her old relationship with Dan snipped, based on next week’s promo, will she become a casualty in Lucifer’s broken (he would call it somewhat bent) promise to God? And there’s still the question of why Lucifer’s mortal in her presence. I have the feeling we won’t know more about this until late in the season. Who knows, maybe God will provide the answers when he invariably shows up.