Season One, Episode Ten — “Pops”
© Copyright 2016, Fox Broadcasting Company. All Rights Reserved.
By Shay Revolver. Last week left us contemplating Amenadiel’s plot with Malcolm to kill Lucifer in a desperate bid to force him back to Hell. This week, we all sat on pins and needles waiting for Malcolm to put a bullet in an unsuspecting Lucifer, and… it looks like we’re going to have to wait a little while longer for that conspiracy to bear fruit.
As usual, the show’s procedural paralleled Lucifer’s struggle. The case-of-the-week concerned itself with a murdered restaurateur and his relationship with his wayward son, so naturally we’re about to watch Lucifer wrestle with his feelings about his relationship with God.
That could be considered trite, but there is so much going on with “Pops” and it’s all good. Lucifer spends most of the episode laying out his Daddy issues, and while it gets in the way of the case for a bit, things tie together nicely when Morningstar finds a kindred spirit in his new compatriot, Junior. Here Lucifer discovers a prodigal son trying to impress his father, all while feeling isolated and far from home. So you don’t have to imagine too hard how their emotional connection is made.
This episode fit very nicely as a footnote to the goings-on of last week’s episode. It seems God (or some unseen force) keeps putting people in Lucifer’s path to call him home, maybe to show that there’s no hard feelings. I’m curious to see what comes next, though it really sucks that we have to wait two whole weeks to see how this all shakes out.
WHAT WORKED: The relationships between the central characters. This episode laid everyone’s issues out for the viewers to see, and this week saw all of their emotional skeletons out in the open. We got to see everyone’s vulnerability and watch them open up to each other, making this one of the most cast heavy, real-talk episodes this season. It’s also the first episode where we got to see the actors stretch their chops and be more dramatic than comical and they did one hell of a job.
WHAT DIDN’T: The abandoned parking lot scene with Malcolm and Dan seemed a bit off. I’m not sure why Malcolm wouldn’t just kill Dan as opposed to putting him in a sleeper hold. Dan’s already acquired the gun for him, and it isn’t like Malcolm can’t find a way out of the murder, especially since he’s already killed his old partner. When Dan decides to arrest Malcolm for attempted murder and it’s quite clear that Dan is willing to deal with the consequences, why didn’t Malcolm just kill him and tie up what could be another loose end? Also, I’m not sure about how Malcolm sees this whole thing playing out. Let’s say he does manage to “kill” the King of Hell, Malcolm has to die again eventually. Has he thought about the punishment that Luci will dole out on the poor soul that snatched him out of humanity and stuck him back in the literal Hell hole he left?
BEST LINE(s):
“There are so many reasons to commit murder, I don’t want your Daddy issues affecting your judgment.” – Chloe, to Lucifer
“They probably chased the dragon together after Junior killed his dad and then stared at the twinkly lights.” – Lucifer.
“Heroin inspector. I’m afraid your spoons aren’t up to standard.” – Lucifer, to Junior’s girlfriend.
“For someone who hates acting you’re sure being a bit dramatic.” – Chloe’s mom, to Chloe
“Which one of them wants you to look like an old drag queen.” – Maze, to Trixie.
“The devil gets burned by fire? Can this be any more ironic?” – Lucifer, after saving Chloe
BEST MOMENT: Trixie walks into a bar. No really, she walks into Lux during closed hours dressed like a prostitute and finds Maze tending bar. She was looking for Lucifer, but instead makes a new friend who is a lot softer than she usually is. Maze listens to Trixie’s problems and tries to help her through it. She even offers her a sip of whiskey and says it’s a Shirley Temple. To be fair, I don’t think Maze would have forced her to drink, nor do I think she did it with malice, but it’s Maze. I’m sure she thought it would be funny to see her face when she took a sip, I mean she’s still the devil’s henchwoman and she still has a little hell-raising stuck in her.
I thought it was a beautiful moment that showed Maze going through the same changes that Lucifer was going through, and it provided another parallel to the Daddy/Mommy issues outlined in this episode. It was also nice to see how Maze takes to Trixie a whole lot better than Lucifer does, especially since Lucifer doesn’t seem to like kids all that much. It was a nice sidebar in the midst of all the murder, relationship turmoil, and deception going on in the world.
EPISODE’S MVP: Maze! This week we didn’t get to see Maze kick ass, take down a crew of gang bangers like a ninja assassin, or play the back end and double-cross Lucifer for his own good. Instead we got something better. We got to see her try to be human and she killed it. Between cheering up Trixie and asking Lucifer’s therapist out for drinks she was finding her own way in the world, in the most “Maze” way possible.
© Copyright 2016, Fox Broadcasting Company. All Rights Reserved.
THE DEVIL’S DUE:
– Seriously, Lucifer. It’s not always about you.
– Seduction by strawberry? Nice touch.
– Junior isn’t coming off as someone with something to hide. I think you’re barking up the wrong tree, Chloe.
– This show seems to be really good at having recognizable guest stars and then making them a red herring. It’s like Scooby-Doo.
– How mortal is Lucifer? He can still walk through fire. I wonder if a bullet from Malcolm could actually do the job.
9 out of 10
Next: “St. Lucifer”, soon.
Before: “A Priest Walks Into A Bar”, here.
