If I had to describe this episode in one word, that word would be: "Wow."
Lucifer's mother issues are front and centre in this week's premiere episode, and for the most part they came off as rather amusing. The cold open between Lucifer, Amenadiel and the jewellery thief was entertaining, especially when Lucifer childishly acted out while the man was frozen. Apparently he was one in a long list of people that the two brothers suspected could be their mother, who apparently can jump from freshly dead body to freshly dead body. Lucifer's frustrations with not being able to find his mother, as well as his overall negative feelings towards her are evident in his session with Linda. He believes that she just stood by and did nothing while God banished him to rule Hell, and he resents her for that. When mum was cast down to Hell much later, Lucifer returned the favour and did nothing to help her, letting Maze have her fun, despite mum apparently never breaking under torture. Whether or not Lucifer's version of events are true or not is up in the air.
Lucifer's revelation that he's terrified of what his mother could possibly want with him if she's not trying to get revenge, as well as his thanking Dr. Martin for getting him to see that he was being selfish and blaming everyone but himself, shows that Lucifer is indeed changing. If this had happened during season one, it would definitely have felt too soon. But considering everything that has happened, and Lucifer's promise to his father in the season finale, it feels organic. I only hope that Lucifer takes heed of Martin's speech at the beginning of the episode that Lucifer manages to twist her advice to suit his own purposes to heart, and doesn't revert back to being extremely annoying like he was early on in season one, especially around Chloe.
Amenadiel’s powers are on the fritz. Over the course of the episode his freezing ability became weaker and weaker, with him barely able to keep hold of time during that scene in the police station. Does it have something to do with what Maze did in the finale, or is it similar to Lucifer and his mortality issue? The scene between him and Chloe at Lux was intense and I was honestly concerned that he was going to die. His explanation of Lucifer’s abilities to Chloe as being bullet-proof vests, blood bags and the power of persuasion was interesting, but for some reason also left me feeling a little bit annoyed.
We were also introduced to a new character, in the form of Ella; a forensic pathologist with the LAPD. She's young, chipper, religious despite thinking that the Devil had a bad rap in the Bible, while also making me think that if this were a show with time travel, she could be a grown-up version of Trixie. I mean, how many people just walk up and hug Lucifer like that? We don't see too much of Ella other than her initial scene and the conversation about God and faith with Chloe, but I reckon she's going to be rather pivotal throughout the season. With the introduction of another LAPD member, I have an awful feeling that the procedural format will still be around this season, and I guess I am just going to have to get used to it.
And Maze survived the season finale! Hooray! Naturally she makes her re-entrance saving Lucifer from his attacker. Things still aren't great between the two of them, with Maze being rather cagey about where she had been for however long it was, but it definitely involved talking to Dr. Martin. She's accepted that she and Lucifer are stuck on Earth, and she's trying to adapt, much like Lucifer did. Lucifer's reaction was one of either disbelief or scepticism, naturally. Maze is, after all, a demon and Lucifer's chief torturer. However, Lucifer is still of the belief that Maze has something to do with mum's escape, but Maze seemed genuine in her surprise that she had surfaced. I really enjoyed seeing Maze and Amenadiel reunite, even if she did dump him, quite justifiably. Her reasoning that she needed to get away from both Lucifer and Amenadiel is completely understandable considering what they put her through at the end of season one. Poor Amenadiel can't seem to catch a break this week.
For all of Lucifer's searching this episode, his mother doesn't turn up until the very end, and what an entrance that was. For someone who has dragged herself out of Hell, mother dearest certainly knows how to pick a body to jump into. Was that a screwdriver in Charlotte's hand? Was that what had originally killed her host body or did Charlotte kill some people on her way up to the penthouse? Either way, I'm already a fan of Lucifer and Amenadiel's mother and it will definitely be interesting to see where it all leads.
Bits and pieces
- It’s apparently only been two days since the season one finale occurred?
- Not sure how I feel about Ella yet; it’s only been one episode so I’m going to hold judgement until episode four or five.
- The jewellery heist with Lucifer and Amenadiel was a hoot.
- I haven’t seen Battlestar Galactica, but I am a big fan of Tricia Helfer from her work in the Mass Effect games. Plus, she liked my tweet so I like her even more.
- Dan, despite his involvement in Palmetto, is still employed by the LAPD, even if he was demoted and now taking orders from Chloe.
- Have they updated the LAPD precinct set or did I just not notice it before?
- Dr. Martin is doubting herself when it comes to helping Lucifer, giving voice to half my issues with her character from season one.
Quotes
Lucifer: A Devil emoji? Right, I’m talking to a copyright lawyer. Today.
Lucifer: Once upon a time, a boy met a girl. They fell in love. They had sex. The only trouble was they were celestial beings and that moment created the universe.
Dr. Martin: The Big Bang?
Lucifer: Never knew how appropriate the name was until now, did ya?
Lucifer: I just pictured you in bed with my mum. Urgh, can't un-see that now.
Mazikeen: Now that we are stuck here, I need to figure out... where I fit in.
Four out of five naked men in tiaras.
Morgan India, who is excited to see what is coming up this season.
What an entrance! And preceding it with Lucifer's version of 'All Around the Watchtower' was such a nice touch. (It played quite a significant role in Battlestar Galactica, so it was a very cool nod towards Tricia's previous role)
ReplyDeleteI was also a bit disappointed by Chloe's easy acceptance of Amenadiel's explanation. At least she wasn't completely convinced, but I really hope that she will actually be a believer by the end of the season.
Wow indeed.
ReplyDeleteWell, I was right about one thing. As soon as Amenadiel (we really need a nickname for him, as Luci and Maze already have theirs) stopped talking, I knew he actually pushed Chloe in the other direction. She is a cop, for ... ehm... celestial body's sake, and is used to hearing lies.
But I also had a weird theory about angels losing their powers when they do something non-angelic (like Lucifer falling in love, or Amenadiel sneaking into Chloe's desk... yes, stupid, I know). Then, at the end, I was proved wrong when Amenadiel (seriously, so many letters to type!) didn't do anything specific and still his powers were glitchy at best.
Could it be related to Big Celestial Mama being there?
And another thing I was right about: the perpetrator. I knew very soon after that person appeared on screen.
BTW, the time travelling theory is awesome and actually makes a lot of sense. I mean, there is no time travel now, but Supernatural's first season didn't have it either.
Wow, indeed. What a terrific start and my my, how I love Tom Ellis in this part; the "real" Lucifer, the hurt little boy, peeked out several times in this episode. The fact that he sang "All Along the Watchtower" had to be an homage to Tricia Helfer's amazing work on Battlestar. And for some reason, I loved the fact that the plot hinged on lawn flamingos.
ReplyDeleteEven though you found it annoying, Morgan, and I get that, I liked the way they finally made some significant progress in the "Chloe not believing he's really Lucifer" bit. After Amenadude's little attempt at explaining how Lucifer could get shot and recover, it would have been an easy out for the writers to let Chloe believe it. Instead, Chloe's excellent detective skills pushed her into disbelieving Amenadude and toward the truth. No matter what she believes, the way Lucifer always supports her and has her back made Chloe toss that blood sample in the trash. It doesn't matter to her if Lucifer is a human being with psychological problems or if he's the devil himself, because she's choosing him as her friend and co-worker based on his deeds. That's really wonderful.
I don't remember the police station looking like that, either. :) And I really liked your comparison of new character Ella with what Trixie would probably be as an adult. I liked Ella right away. Much better co-worker character than Detective Douche.