“I think you’re amazing. All of you.”
The most unexpected spanner is thrown in the works of Lucifer and Chloe’s now tenuous relationship when the eater of the apple, Eve, shows up in LA, wanting to rekindle the romance that began millennia ago in the Garden of Eden.
After their last emotionally draining conversation, Lucifer and Chloe are no longer working cases together. Instead, she’s partnered up with her former hubby Dan as they investigate the murder of Pablo Silva, a jewelry designer, whose $3 million plus Desert Mirage necklace has gone missing. As it turns out, Silva’s the same man Eve hitched a ride with to get to the City of Angels. When Lucifer takes a gunshot to the head in relation to the theft and discovers Eve’s conundrum and potentially being in the crosshairs of Bashir Al-Fassad, the Concierge of Crime, he finds himself embroiled in a race to find this Desert Mirage to keep Eve safe as Chloe and Dan become his primary competition.
It’s not unusual for Lucifer to have his own angle when working a case; quite the opposite, really. As Father Kinley mentioned last episode, Lucifer makes these investigations about himself, a testament to the self-centered narcissist that he is. But rarely, if ever, has his re-purposing of a murder investigation contained such an air of willful disdain towards Chloe and her job as a detective. Still reeling and hurt from her inability to accept all of him, there’s a bite to their interactions, chiefly due to Lucifer throwing Chloe’s rejection of him in her face. On the one hand, it’s a natural instinct to bring hurt on the one who emotionally hurt you. And yet, as an eons-old celestial entity, there’s something so juvenile in Lucifer’s reaction it would strain the levels of credulity until we realize that, no matter how many snippets of his incalculable lifespan Lucifer has spent on Earth, he’s still a rookie when it comes to true emotional attachments and navigating the hazards therein.
As for Chloe, she has her own unbelievable situation, still trying to work through the insanity of having the devil for a partner. It’s not until Maze spills the beans that Linda has known the truth and “handled it much better” than she has, does Chloe get the chance to truly talk through her ordeal. And despite a well-earned momentary freak-out, Linda offers Chloe sage advice. While the Lucifer-is-the-devil thing is understandably off-putting, there’s really only one thing the detective needs to answer; does she want Lucifer in her life, warts and all? Unfortunately for Chloe, the answer to that question comes a bit too late.
Considering the title, Episode Four really is all about Eve. It’s not just the fact that she’s a wildcard in the Lucifer/Chloe dynamic; more than anything, it’s what she represents. She’s a wild-child, one whose boring first husband (Adam, of course) and the truth behind her creation had left an unfulfilled hole in Eve’s spirit, until she met the tempter in the Garden. Lucifer exposed a sheltered and naïve entity to the joys of life and, despite damning humanity in the process, it’s a feeling she’s never been able to shake off. To Eve, Lucifer embodies everything wonderful and fantastic about living and there’s nothing about him that she won’t accept. This becomes clear when he exposes her to his devil face. Eve’s reaction is diametrically opposite to Chloe’s. Where Chloe could hardly look him in the eye, Eve never flinches. For Eve, she sees past the beauty and, in the case of the devil face, the horror of her multi-layered first love, instead loving the man he is inside and out. After taking Chloe’s rejection so hard, there couldn’t be anything more soothing for Lucifer than to have someone like Eve accept every aspect of him. For the first time, Lucifer is rendered speechless, realizing that someone finds him worthy of the love he’s craved since God abandoned him so long ago.
Post Script
- One thing I have yet to mention in these episode reviews is the wondrous performance Tom Ellis has given us. The subtle layers he paints for a character that, on the surface, appears straightforward, is what makes Lucifer such a treat. The awe he expresses when Eve says “I think you’re amazing” is so emotionally touching. Whereas Lauren German has upped her game tremendously this season, Ellis has always been the spark that, even when the narrative has been less than impressive, has kept me coming back for more.
- Aside from the Lucifer/Chloe/Eve thing, the Amenadiel/Linda/Maze triangle makes for fantastic comedy. The protectiveness that the angel and demon have in ensuring Linda’s safety is both touching and comical. Now that Maze has decreed to move into Linda’s after her fallout with Chloe, the opportunity for hilarity is nearly limitless; especially if an angel baby flies into the picture. (Minor gripe/question: in this world, was there no such thing as the Nephilim? The offspring of angels and human women?)
