Season One, Episode Six — “Favorite Son”
© Copyright 2016, Fox Broadcasting Company. All Rights Reserved.
By Shay Revolver. Last week we had the pleasure of watching fun return to the Lucifer series. This week finds us tempering our expectations yet again for this more placid episode, but there are still rich rewards to be enjoyed. For instance, we get to see Lucifer sing (and what a voice), but there’s a murder going down on the docks that sadly pulls him away from the piano. Meanwhile, Chloe attempts to get a confession from Trixie about… some missing chocolate birthday cake. (Yeah.) But things take a turn towards the naughty fun we commonly associate with Lucifer once Morningstar and Chloe find their bearings and begin the search for their culprit. All in all, a fine hour of television that seeks to evaporate any and all memories of the awfulness that was Episode Four. (Seriously.)
WHAT WORKED: This wasn’t as exciting as we’ve come to expect from Lucifer, but it wasn’t as out and out bad as two weeks ago. (Here’s hoping we never have to experience that again.) It was a purposefully written episode that explored the motivations and lives of its characters, and that’s what made it engaging. As mundane as the hunt for Lucifer’s missing container was, the episode allowed us to sneak a peek into the lives of the characters. Dan finally seemed like a real person (see below for more on that), Maze got to do more than look pretty, the therapist got to go toe for toe with Lucifer, and even Amenadiel seemed less like a wooden soldier and more like a real boy.
It seems that the show’s writers have hit their stride with these characters, as the dialogue in this episode seemed totally on point. There wasn’t a wasted word uttered during the episode’s 45 minute run. I liked the very human deflection technique Lucifer employed during his therapy session to avoid opening up. (By, y’know, disrobing. Whatever works.) The banter between all of the characters was decidedly more clever than in previous weeks, which seems to imply that Lucifer is finally going places. Fingers crossed.
WHAT DIDN’T: Nothing major. Nothing unforgivable. “Favorite Son” sought to do little more than push the series’ overarching plot forward some kind of reckoning (I’m hoping for a battle). If I had a bone to pick with this episode, it would be that Lucifer wasn’t given ample time to properly punish his quarry, let alone find out who set up this episode’s heist. Yes, Lucifer showed his Morningstar face during the confrontation, and yes, the totally normal reaction would be to run, but maybe killing yourself in the process isn’t the best way to go. Wouldn’t it have made more sense for the theif to confess and live a few more years on Earth, rather than spend eternity in the torture tunnel of someone who hates you and actually has a reason to punish you? That little interaction seemed oddly placed in the grand scheme of things.
BEST LINE(s):
“Is the Brittany buffet still serving?” – Lucifer, to Maze, after screwing up a foursome.
“We were like fish and chips, salt and pepper, hipsters and condescension.” – Lucifer, to Chloe, regarding their partnership after assaulting the ice cream man.
“Pardon the intrusion, you Village People rejects, but one of you has stolen something that belongs to me. Identify yourself so that I can punish you accordingly.” – Lucifer, to the soon-to-be-suffering biker gang.
BEST MOMENT: The Prince Of Darkness walks into a biker bar. Sounds like the start of a very funny joke, but it’s not. Lucifer walks into a biker bar… and he’s pissed. From the moment he entered the room, unplugged the jukebox, and climbed on top of the bar, everything that followed was pure magic. His swagger was explosive, and I’m fairly certain that had Chloe not taken down the first guy that approached him, there would have been blood, fire, and pure Morningstar face.
EPISODE’S MVP: Up until this episode I’ve found Chloe’s ex to be annoying. He seemed to serve no purpose at all besides showing up, being a jerk, and bouncing. I’m a huge fan of Kevin Alejandro from his stint on True Blood to his stint as Brother Blood on Arrow. I was excited that he was going to be on Lucifer, but up until this episode, I felt that he had become little more than an underused asset. Tonight’s episode showed us that he’s more than some cop with a permanent bro-dude face.
Dan is this episode’s MVP. Not just because he actually had something to do, but because the energy he put into his time onscreen was riveting, purposeful, and relieving. It moved the story forward, established character relationship boundaries, and fleshed out the tone of the show. He had so much to do in this episode: he used pillows as his own personal fig leaf, he rocked a pink sweat suit, N’Sync tee, and fuzzy slippers, he went verbally toe-to-toe with Maze, and he negotiated with a teeny-tiny terrorist (aka Trixie). Welcome to the series, Dan. It’s nice to meet you.
© Copyright 2016, Fox Broadcasting Company. All Rights Reserved.
THE DEVIL’S DUE:
– What’s in the box? What’s in the box??!
– Maze just pulled the male ego fox trot and used Lucifer’s hubris to get him to go after this case.
– Lucifer just went all WWE on the ice cone man.
– Maze remains seduction master general.
– When DB takes the wings off and puts on his shirt, he’s a lot more fun.
– Dan just isn’t having luck with the ladies: Chloe’s mad at him, Trixie has her extortion hat on, and Maze strips him naked & puts him in Chloe’s bed. Talk about a bad week.
– Is it just me or is Amenadiel even sneakier than Lucifer?
– Seriously Lucifer, you’ve got to stop showing people your Satan face. Yeesh.
– What was in the hidden compartment? Is it wings? Is it souls? Is it a bondage costume? Oh, it was the wings. That means somebody’s gonna die.
7 out of 10
Next: “Wingman”, soon.
Before: “Sweet Kicks”, here.
