“It’s always the ones you least suspect—the ones you trust the most—that hurt you.”
Lucifer’s already unsteady relationship with Chloe gets even shakier after Father Kinley pays the devil a visit and the truth about Chloe’s trip to Rome and the depth of her emotional turmoil are revealed.
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Following up on the last episode, Father Kinley’s visit to Lucifer sparks the primary conflict in “Oh, Ye of Little Faith, Father”. Sprinkling in some truth to his tale, Kinley expertly preys on Lucifer’s already burgeoning insecurities about himself and Chloe’s behavior over the past few weeks. He knows that she’s been hiding something and the Father’s words only reinforce those suspicions. Adding to it is that, for the third straight episode, the procedural case does a bang up job mirroring the struggle the show’s protagonists are facing.
Two former gang members who have finally beaten the odds and started to realize a productive life are murdered by an unknown assailant. Evidence points to the fact that both victims knew their murderer and Ella’s throwaway line about the ones we trust most that hurt us is eerily on-point to the suspicions Lucifer has since Father Kinley’s visit.
It becomes even more pronounced when, after casually asking if she’s shared his secret with anyone and she lies about it. As a character who, more than maybe anyone on television, is a stickler in telling the truth, this is a blow to Lucifer. He even seeks out Dr. Linda’s advice and, for once, doesn’t run roughshod over her explanations on how to handle it. In fact, he takes her advice, which ultimately pays dividends on his search on what Chloe’s hiding.
It’s not just Lucifer who can relate to the murder investigation though. Dan, still having trouble dealing with Charlotte’s death, subconsciously relates the victims who had turned their life around only to die by senseless acts of violence with Charlotte’s own fate. Though it appeared that, after being put at ease by Amenadiel’s assertion to Charlotte’s eternal home in Heaven, Dan still has much to work through before accepting her death, including his focus on Lucifer being responsible for it all. This open loathing for Lucifer seems as if it will be something that will follow the detective throughout the season.
Getting back to this season’s primary conflict, Lucifer and Chloe finally have it out in what is unequivocally Lauren German’s finest single scene performance in the show’s entire history. After arresting Father Kinley for orchestrating the deaths of the two former gang members in an attempt to prove Lucifer’s true identity to Bishop Hoffman, Chloe tries explaining her relationship to Lucifer. His hurt is palpable and, when it seems as if he’s about to lay into her, Chloe’s “I’m terrified!” halts his advance. She spills her broken soul, the insanity of trying to rectify the story of Lucifer throughout history with the man she’s come to know and trust. But even with that, she still can’t look him in the eye when his devil face is on. “Can you accept me like this” he asks at one point and her discomfort and fear are the very things Lucifer himself has always had trouble with; the idea that no one will ever accept him for what he is. Only the pretty façade is tolerable and the scars and damages underneath the surface are too horrible to look at. Again, the show does a fantastic job peeling away the layers of the Morningstar’s persona, paralleling the doubts of this fictional character with the real-life insecurities so many of us face. It’s not when we are at our best that we fear rejection, rather those moments of self-doubt, powered by our past mistakes that so often break us down and expect the worst.
What does Chloe’s inability to embrace Lucifer’s darker side mean for the pair? Considering the wildcard introduced in the final moments of the episode—none other than Eve—it may be awhile before we get the answer to that question. Until then, there are few better catalysts than the addition of another player in what’s to be a fascinating love triangle.
Post Script
- Aside from Lucifer’s fears of not being accepted for what he is, Chloe’s continued attempts to change him only strengthen his doubts that he isn’t good enough for her. While her motivation is in part based on a fantastical circumstance, it doesn’t negate the truth of how people look to change those close to them, if only to make that person more acceptable to themselves or those around them. Even if you can recognize the impetus behind someone wanting you to be better, it’s not always clear and can often feed your own self-doubts. That latter aspect is precisely the feelings overtaking Lucifer’s usually confident veneer.
- Maybe more than any season before it, these first few episodes have done a great job highlighting the struggles of our supporting characters. Ella’s continued crisis in faith, Dan’s problems dealing with Charlotte’s death, and Linda’s unexpected pregnancy all make Lucifer a more lived-in world than before.
- With her up-and-down moments from last season (and absence due to her pregnancy), it was easy to forget just how much of a bad ass Leslie-Ann Brandt is as Mazikeen. Her take down of the Los X gang with Dan offered some primal action as well as setting up the possibility of the two to be a bit more than partners in violence. Whether more comes of their team-up remains to be seen but the absolutely make for an interesting pair.
- Expanding on Dr. Linda, the one character aside from Lucifer who’s had maybe the least bit of self-doubt finds herself in uncharted waters. A single, middle-aged career woman finding herself unexpectedly pregnant is jarring enough but to have the father be an angel multiplies her natural fears by a factor of ten…thousand. It doesn’t help that her demon best friend is morbidly fascinated by the potential of blood and pain accompanying the birth. The quiet moment she shares with Amenadiel, opening up on her need to have someone hold her hand, gives such weight to her struggle.
