Season One, Episode Two – “Lucifer, Stay. Good Devil.”
© Copyright 2016, Fox Broadcasting Company. All Rights Reserved.
By Shay Revolver. When we last left our dark feathered hero was just coming to grips with his newly-found humanity, and the discovery that he can dole out punishment here in Earth just as well as he ever did in Hell. The second episode of the premiere season starts with our old pal Lucifer striking the fear of Satan into the heart of a non-believing street preacher. Since this show is part dramedy and part crime procedural I was anxious to see which side the coin this episode was going to land on. It turns out this episode is more procedural than comedy.
Don’t get me wrong, the laughs are still there (and so is the drama), but this episode sets our unlikely (yet still dynamic) duo on the recognizable trail of a paparazzo serial killer. So many secrets and even more lies have Luci using his powers of persuasion a lot more in this episode than in the previous one, but he tempers it by giving the object of his Vulcan-esque mind meld a wee bit of free choice. He also finds himself going straight up vigilante and doling out punishment for the wicked here on earth in the most delightful ways since Hell is now, much to God and Amenadiel’s dismay, closed for business.
WHAT WORKED: The dynamics between the characters. Tom Ellis is just as charming as he was in the pilot and Chloe is just as good at bringing her straight man A-game. I felt like the two of them found their stride in this episode and if they can sustain this level of chemistry and near perfect timing this show could be a hit. We also got to see more of the interaction between Lucifer and Maze. Their relationship is a huge part of what I loved about the comic book. In a weird way Maze was more a part of Lucifer gaining humanity than anything else.
I was also impressed with the procedural aspect of this episode. (Unlike in last week, where Lucifer’s motivations for helping find Delilah’s killer remained unclear. What’s more, the killer turned out to be an uninteresting character with very little in the way of motive.) This week, Lucifer gave us a meaty story that was equal parts Criminal Minds and Supernatural. I love me a good serial killer story and this episode delivered a sociopath with a plausible motive. It was a treat to watch the story unfold, and I continue to hope that the show finds its balance between procedural and dramedy soon.
WHAT DIDN’T: Chloe’s boobs being out in a movie seems to be a running “gag” that’s really starting to get old. We’re only two episodes in and everyone acting like it’s a huge elephant in the room. It’s completely useless to the story. They’re boobs. Get over it. I’m glad they addressed it towards the end of this episode and I really hope that this is the last we hear of it, unless we’re leading up to her actually showing her boobs on the show itself.
I get that Chloe and Lucifer have to work together for the show to make sense. But, she’s a cop and he’s, for all intents and purposes, her supernatural stalker. He pops up at crime scenes and her home without invitation or notice. In this episode we learn that she once knocked a paparazzo out for invading her privacy and space so, her responses to his intrusions in her life don’t seem in line with the character or in any manner that could be deemed realistic. The pilot may have been all about Lucifer but, Episode Two seems to be more about Chloe. From what I’ve learned about the character, Chloe isn’t the sort who would let the creepy club owner who thinks he’s the devil into her home.
BEST LINE(s):
“NO! It’s puff, puff, pass. Not puff, puff, stomp angrily!” – Lucifer, to Chloe at the crime scene.
“Let’s go deliver some punishment.” – Lucifer, to Maze.
“You’re lucky I figured out your insane, ironic punishment before anyone got killed.” – Chloe, to Lucifer at the Mexican Stand Off. It’s one of the best bad lines ever spoken!
Chloe: “What’s an ‘Eiffel Tower’?” Lucifer: “It’s marvelous! It’s when two chaps high five at the top and then the young lady…”
BEST MOMENT: The (almost) Mexican Stand Off was amazing. Lucifer seemed to really enjoy punishing the sinners on Earth and Maze really enjoyed having what seemed like the old Lucifer back. There was something that seemed real and kind of devilish in watching two pretty bad people being forced to come to terms with their sins and atone through gunplay. I was even okay with Chloe showing up last minute to stop the bloodshed even if I kind of wanted to see how it would play out. *sigh* If it wasn’t for Chloe and her mangy sense of justice.
EPISODE’S MVP: Beatrice. Chloe’s daughter wins it. Nothing is secret and nothing is safe in the era of the internet and Chloe finds that out the hard way when she tries to come clean to her daughter about her previous acting role in Hot Tub High School. It turns out the kid isn’t at all freaked out or disappointed by her mom baring her boobs. In fact, she thought the movie was cool (except for it only being available in SD). Her daughter created a judgment free zone and it was beautiful. It was nice to get to know more about Chloe and this scene showed her at her most vulnerable, making it easy to connect with her. Showing the two main characters dealing with interpersonal relationships that are independent of each other helps establish a connection between the characters and the viewers, which is crucial if Fox wants the series to succeed.
© Copyright 2016, Fox Broadcasting Company. All Rights Reserved.
THE DEVIL’S DUE:
– How can Lucifer never tell that Chloe’s playing him and she will probably never be affected by his charm?
– Why hasn’t Lucifer been arrested for obstruction of justice or stalking yet?
– Did Lucifer just gaze longingly at an apple?
– Amenadiel is giving off some serious Hannibal Lecter vibes during his one-on-ones with Lucifer. He really looks like he’s going to eat Lucifer’s soul with some fava beans.
– There’s something kind of endearing about Lucifer trying to play fetch with a grade schooler and then asking if that was too advanced for her.
– Am I really about to Google Eiffel Tower?
– Lucifer is still doing coin tricks. I like the little breadcrumbs they’ve been putting into the episodes. I hope they keep giving us throwbacks to the comic book.
– Is that Mason from Veronica Mars? Ripped from the Law & Order playlist. If you see a face you recognize and they’re not a series regular, THEY DID IT! Ergo, of course Mason did it! It’s Procedurals 101.
– I really want to see Hot Tub High School. It sounds like Porky’s meets every other Eighties teen movie, and I <3 the 80’s!
– Exactly who does one call to get a supernatural restraining order?
– Are cops in LA really as lax about actually solving crimes as Nick is?
– I really wouldn’t want to run across Maze in a dark alley. I’m really glad they did her character justice.
– I’m wondering if this series is going to tie more into the Death of God storyline that the comics is supposed to be getting into. That would be a game changer and I could see it being a nice starting point for Season Two, provided there is one.
– They actually managed to fill another entire episode with songs about sinners, the Devil, and Hell.
– Instead of being ripped form the headlines, Lucifer seems to be getting it’s storylines straight from other media. The killer was stripped straight from the movie Nightcrawler.
7.5 out of 10
Next: “The Would-Be Prince of Darkness”, soon.
Before: “Pilot”, here.
