“What you should be worried about is that he’s unfathomably narcissistic, utterly terrified of intimacy, and sabotages every thing good that ever happens to him.”
Last episode, I said that I hoped that Chloe and Lucifer would be able to spend some time together being happy. Instead, I immediately got a jealousy plot.
And it wasn't even a good jealousy plot. A single, very brief conversation could have immediately cleared up matters. But I suppose that was the whole moral lesson of the episode, so I can see why they didn't. Still didn't stop it from being annoying and childish. While I did admittedly enjoy the not so subtle calling out of the "Moonlighting Curse," why on Earth did Lucifer listen to Jed? He was warned that Jed was manipulative!<
This episode also suffered from a similar problem that "Mr. and Mrs. Mazikeen Smith" did in that the supposedly ultra charming, romantically appealing lead kinda just... wasn't. Jed was fine, maybe even a little dull. I never really bought into him as a credible threat that even Dan, who is very easily romantically threatened, had feelings of inferiority about. That's a fairly significant issue when you place so much focus of an episode on a jealousy plot.
If I can take a step back, I can sort of see why such a decision would make sense in Lucifer and Chloe's current relationship. They never actually confirmed what they were to each other. And while Lucifer's face in the early scenes make it clear that they were undeniably committed and exclusively dating, Chloe still felt more in the uncertain grey area that comes with a new romance. It's a difference that can understandably lead to conflict and tension. Still, it doesn't exclude the poor execution.
Thankfully, the episode did get a lot better once we went into our ladies' night/guys' night. Any time our full female cast gets to be together and share the screen is a cause for celebration, even if the time they spent as a group was relatively short. Maze and Ella really stole the spotlight here. Over the course of the whole episode, they bounced from adorable to amusing to very bittersweet. So Maze thinks that her lack of a soul is why everyone leaves her now? What would a soul even give her that she doesn't already have? Maze can clearly feel the full spectrum of emotions, can form lasting attachments to people. What would a soul add? Oh well. At least she managed to convince Ella that she deserved more than jerks with shaved heads and tattoos. (More on that in Random Thoughts.)
But I think I actually enjoyed the guy's misadventures in soothing Charlie more. Yes, there were flashes of annoyance due to Lucifer being "mysterious" and throwing his phone away for plot conveniences. But overall? I thought it was hilarious. Specific honorable mentions go to Amenadiel's face when he realized why Linda was upset over what he said, Dan walking around with stuffed animals on his wrists, and Amenadiel and Lucifer's reactions when they realized that his devil face calmed baby Charlie.
Which segues nicely enough to the first of very Big Things that happened at the end of the episode. Dan finally knows the truth due to Michael's meddling. He took it about as well as I expected. The real question is: what does Dan now do with this information? Or maybe a better question would be: how will he react when he finds out that Chloe already knows? I somehow can't see him taking it that well, especially considering that Trixie is also in the mix.
I think that I only just realized writing this review how much this reveal is going to destroy Dan's mental health. He already struggles with guilt and shame over the less than legal actions he's taken over the years. Knowing that Hell is real, that the devil is real is just going to make those feelings worse. And right when he and Lucifer were really good friends again too!
The other Big Thing that happened was that Chloe and Lucifer had sex. I was not necessarily expecting that to happen this season, although I suppose the episode title is appropriate enough for it. That is a very big step forward in their relationship, and you really felt that in the scene. Richard Speight Jr. knocked it out of the park. It was just really beautifully directed.
I now noticed that I haven't actually talked about the case itself. It felt like a step down compared to the recent cases. The opening scene felt very CSI with the two shadowy extras having sex and then seeing the victim actually die. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, but that's the comparison I'm making. Otherwise, it felt very dragged down by the whole jealousy thing. Instead of spending time delving in DJ culture like the show would normally do we had awkward posturing.
Random Thoughts
Ella has a new love interest, Pete. He is the Good Guy that she deserves and that will finally break her trend of bad boys... I fully expect him to secretly kick puppies on the weekend.
I can't quite put my finger on why, but Jed naming his charity Cherry Jane felt very creepy to me.
Lucifer is still wearing the bracelet that Dan gave him. I wonder how much longer that will last.
Out of all the concert outfits, Linda's was by far my favorite. I think it was the pink pigtails.
I've mentioned this before, but I am so glad that Lucifer let Dan and Chloe still be friends and care about each other after their divorce, that Dan is able to and comfortable with giving Lucifer romantic advice on his relationship with Chloe. It's an incredibly mature dynamic that I feel like I never see on screen.
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An Honest Fangirl has dearly missed this show and is very, very glad to have something to binge again.
I thought the making out at the beginning was supposed to make us think that Chloe and Lucifer were finally consummating their relationship. Glad it happened at the end of the episode instead.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Victoria -- it was nice that it happened at the end. I also thought our four female cast members at the club made the entire episode worthwhile. They're such a hoot together when it's just them. I especially enjoyed the counterpoint of the women "undercover" and working while Amenadiel, Lucifer and Dan were all on baby detail.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if anyone noticed that Jed was supposed to show us that Chloe had an type for choosing men, was she actually looking for Lucifer and just hadn't found him yet? Many of the shots of Jed showed his similarity in looks and behavior [standing with his hands in his pockets] to Lucifer. The main differences were height and color of his hair. Lucifer also mentions that Jed and he have similar tastes in décor.
ReplyDeleteWhat I didn't care for was the writers still thinking they have to put so many obstacles in the way of Lucifer and Chloe enjoying their relationship. I'd love it to be problem free for a least a couple of episodes. I mean it is almost the end...Makes me wonder what season six will hold since it is the final, final season.
Great episode! Great review! Thanks for writing it!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe Dan knows! I can't believe Dan knows! I'm both so curious and so worried about the possibilities this opens up. It'll be interesting to explore someone who knows Lucifer's the devil without Lucifer knowing he knows. We haven't really seen this before. I mean we saw it briefly with Linda's ex, but not from a main character who we've known for a long time, so I think Dan knowing will be really interesting.
Now that that's out of the way, I really enjoyed both the girls' night out and the boys' night. Both were incredibly fun! And hilarious!
Great conclusion to the episode. Great girls night out. Great review.
ReplyDeleteBut: Ugh, DJs.