“It can be scary sometimes, but being who you really are is never a bad idea.”
There’s a line at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man where Peter Parker’s teacher mentions that there’s only one true plot in all of fiction: “Who am I?” Though we don’t truly go that deeply into our characters’ psyches in this week’s Lucifer, what we do get are several characters asking that question, even if the answer isn’t quite there yet. Still, it’s a start and hints at some character-defining changes and relationship as we move through Season Three.
The beginnings of this psychological deconstruction is somewhat innocuous when we catch Lucifer having a game night with Chloe and Trixie. Most folks wouldn’t find an issue with such a quiet night but when Lucifer returns home to find Amenadiel razzing him a bit about such a low-key evening, Lucifer fights like the devil he is to maintain the expectation of the Lucifer Morningstar persona. His over-the-top attempts to stay the world’s most interesting and exciting club owner is prevalent through the episode and, though we’re beat about the head and neck on his thoughts, it’s not outside the norm for Lucifer’s character. As much as we may love the character, Lucifer remains shallow, narcissistic, and (somewhat questionable for a punisher of the guilty) tremendously bad judgment in those whose surface attributes falls in line with his point of view. It’s no surprise that this particular character flaw once again plays into the night’s murder investigation.
Kim Jones, a generic computer engineer is found dead by Ester, her social media obsessed roommate. The investigation leads to Top Meet, an exclusive dating app and its CEO, Mack Slater. Now, while the overall investigation and cracking of the case is uninspired (Slater killed Kim, the creator of the app and the person who hired him because she wanted to make the app more inclusive), the procedural portion of “Chloe Does Lucifer” (a misleading title if there’s ever been one) is not without a few gems. Chloe trying to channel her inner Lucifer is played for laughs but harkens back to the message of what it means to be yourself.
Of course, being yourself may not always be a good thing. The curious case of Charlotte Richards is a perfect example. For some reason, since Ella pointed out the darkness in her eyes a few weeks back, Charlotte has wanted to confront Ella about said darkness. Seems reasonable but Ella wants nothing to do with it and though their one-on-one’s are played for laughs, said jokes rarely land. With that said, there is a bigger hit to this story arc and that’s the fact that Charlotte wants to refocus herself towards being a better person. Not only does she do this by helping with this week’s case but she’s hanging up her defense attorney pumps and heading to the more mundane world of the DA’s office as a prosecutor. For someone who’s paid the bills by obfuscating the truth (in the best of circumstances), she’ll now have to find a way to live her life abiding by the rules…and spending more time with all our LAPD friends. So, bonus!
The final, and maybe most meaningful, story vein is the interactions between Dr. Linda and Amenadiel. Taking charge of planning her ex-husband Reese’s memorial (see last week), Dr. Linda is emotionally strung out. It takes Amenadiel’s kind eyes and angelic patience to hit at the crux of her issue. It’s not that she felt more for Reese than she let on, but rather his death reminder Linda of her own brush with that long goodnight with Goddess Charlotte nearly skewered her. More than that, knowing that there’s a specific afterlife—a Heaven and Hell—puts the end of the mortal coil in perspective. For unexplained reasons, she believes her lot will be to head downstairs for an eternity of suffering. Allowing her to come to him, Amenadiel points out that, even in knowing the Truth, she still doesn’t really know anything.
“I found that it takes looking up to gain perspective. It’s a good reminder of just how much there is that we don’t know.”
His words calm the good doctor and she admits to the wisdom of those words. What she doesn’t admit—and neither does Amenadiel, for that matter—is the burgeoning something developing between the pair. Is it nothing more than two people who connect on a wholly spiritual yet completely platonic level or something much, much more? Take a look at those few seconds as they lay on the beach and decide for yourself. My guess is there are some legs to a potential romance between the pair. We’ll just have to wait and see how long it takes for one of them to make that move.
Post Script
- Be yourself is something we hear from the time we’re kids. Great advice that has become harder to follow with the advent of social media. The vapid Ester was the personification of that social media trap, one where we’re almost pushed to showing off, to being interesting (whatever that is).
- There were some really good quotes throughout the episode. One not mentioned in this review was Amenadiel to Lucifer: “We need the most love when we’re being most unlovable.” It may sound like a Hallmark card moment but doesn’t make it any less true. Now, if Lucifer can take a more critical look at himself and realize that, while fun and dynamic, his Club Master life is not something to build an eternity on, not if you want meaningful. That he stole the Monopoly shoe (the boring accouterment) is a sign that there’s hope for him yet…but maybe not anytime soon.
Lucifer: “Chloe Does Lucifer”
