“All About Her”

Lucifer returns the plotting to the present day after a brief hiatus and picks up where it left off on the Pierce reveal.

From this point on I’ll call the man that once went by Pierce Cain because that’s who he really is and the show will be exploring the impact of this reveal for a little while. As with most answers on this show they come with more questions. For example the Cain reveal also comes with the answer to how Lucifer wound up in the middle of the desert.

Basically it’s because an immortal being is really good at noticing things and has made it his life’s work to monitor celestial activity which led him to the knowledge that Lucifer can be hurt when Chloe is around. To investigate this he requires time alone with Chloe so he engineers Lucifer being knocked out and dragged out to the desert to separate them. Cleverly he arranges this for a time Chloe is close by to make it possible to knock him unconscious.

What isn’t answered is how Lucifer’s Devil face was taken from him and his wings restored. Naturally the answer is that it’s all God’s doing but the “Why?” question still lingers in the background. What is clear is that Cain had absolutely nothing to do with and it lacks the power to make it happen so Lucifer is left with a partially solved mystery.

The fact that Lucifer has his wings restored straight after Cain had him knocked out leads him to conclude that God’s plan also involves Cain in some way which means that they are connected in the eyes of the Lord. Again, the reasoning behind that eludes him but there’s a sense that he is starting to rationalise these events in a way that makes sense to him. Of course God might have nothing to do with it and Lucifer is just being obsessive again but the fact that he is motivated by this is interesting.

Cain telling Lucifer the truth about the Sinnerman while apparently leaving some details out was a mixed bag. On one level I like the fact that Cain is the Sinnerman for his own reasons and has a stooge working with him who went rogue and had to be taken out but the show fails to deliver a valid explanation as to why he would do that and what the endgame really was. I suspect there are more answers to come but it doesn’t quite add up so far.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Cain and Lucifer in this episode. The idea that Cain still feels all the pain of death but can’t actually die is a nicely tragic idea and him playing the straight man to Lucifer’s more comedic persona works brilliantly. Having them officially partner up at the end of the episode so they can both work towards the things they want is a good set up for the coming episodes and keeps Cain relevant in ways that support Lucifer’s arc. The scene where Lucifer makes him admit his deepest desire to be allowed to die is really strong and Tom Welling brings across an impressive level of vulnerability here which makes him a far cry from the tough guy persona he has adopted since his introduction. There’s a lot to work with here and there’s clearly a lot more to get from their interactions.

Chloe is still really angry at Lucifer for his actions in the previous episode. Part of it has to do with the fact that she put her career at risk by going against what she had been ordered to do so that she could help him before he threw it in her face. Chloe has felt marginalised by Lucifer all season due to the lingering feeling that he isn’t being completely honest with her. From her perspective he’s a flaky narcissist who doesn’t value their friendship as much as she does and that’s something that Chloe is hurt by.

Of course Lucifer has other reasons for not being honest with her that Chloe is unaware of. As good as Lauren German plays this version of Chloe it’s also very difficult to forget that all of this could be resolved by Lucifer showing her what she needs to see and coming clean with her completely. I forgive the show to some extent because they make entertaining drama out of it which almost makes dragging this out worthwhile but there has to come a point where Chloe learns the truth. After that some other method to entertain the audience will have to be invented by I have faith that the writers are up to the challenge.

Chloe’s response to Lucifer’s behaviour is to cut him out completely which definitely doesn’t work because he does what he always does and forces himself into her life as well as the investigation. The way he obliviously goes about his business unaware of why Chloe is upset with him is hilarious in an emotionally tragic sort of way and the casual idea he has to make up for it so that she will help him hilariously misses the point.

Even his conversation with Linda points him in a self centred direction. He decides that if he goes out of his way to show Chloe how great a friend he is and does everything he can to make her life better for a day then she’ll forgive him and go back to helping him with everything he needs help with. Linda’s defeated reaction to this is priceless.

The Linda and Amenadiel relationship progresses more quickly than I had expected which I find to be a nice surprise. Their main obstacle is the fact that Maze asked them not to get together because she feels uncomfortable with it. It’s a big step for Maze to admit when she’s feeling vulnerable and it’s pretty much the only time she has objected to something and asked for a favour from her friends.

Naturally Linda feels guilty because Maze is her friend and betraying a friend is something she isn’t comfortable with but she and Amenadiel continue to sneak around anyway. They are having a secret affair in the hopes that Maze doesn’t find out which surely must be obvious to Linda at the very least that this deception is unsustainable. Especially considering how poorly Linda is covering it up with her guilt filled glances whenever Maze brings it up among other things.

In true Lucifer tradition this potentially angsty drama comes with a comedic twist. Amenadiel is told that he has Chlamydia which means that he has to speak to previous sexual partners so that they can get themselves tested. Linda’s reaction is about what you would expect it to be which contrasts wonderfully with Maze casually mentioning it as if it’s no big deal before joking about Linda dodging that bullet. I am slightly disappointed that it turns out to be a false positive and Amenadiel doesn’t actually have Chlamydia but the plot serves its purpose in the episode by allowing some fun to be had with what could easily have been a tired love triangle. I really enjoyed the scene where Amenadiel was told the bad news because his reaction was played excellently by D.B. Woodside. The denial followed by the overshare was great and the Doctor rolling his eyes when Amenadiel tells him that he’s an Angel. It’s just an excellent moment with a great deadpan comedic performance.

The moment Maze finds out about Amenadiel and Linda was great as well. Her violent reaction to the news shows how deeply betrayed she feels while moving this plot onto the next stage. I’m interested to see what Maze will do after being lied to by her best friend. It can be debated whether it was fair to forbid Linda from getting together with Amenadiel but it’s hard to deny that both of them went about it in entirely the wrong way.

A dead surfer is the subject of the case of the week and it’s about as interesting as any other case on a mechanical level. The real meat comes from Lucifer trying to prove that he’s a good friend to Chloe as well as giving Dan an opportunity to gain some development. We learn that he used to surf some years ago and is trying to get back into the hobby so this case is an excellent chance for him to get involved. I’m always up for adding layers to Dan and this episode does a good job of it.

Ella is still reeling after being yelled at by Cain in the previous episode. She feels self conscious about the fact that she talks a lot and takes steps to change that about herself. It’s basically a character driven plot where Ella learns that its best to be true to herself which both works and doesn’t. Aimee Garcia is charmingly captivating as always and there’s plenty of comedy to be mined from Ella trying to stop herself after delivering the bear minimum of necessary information but it feels out of place for Ella to accept that talking too much is somehow one her flaws. It does also allow for an endearing pep talk from Charlotte about how she routinely ignored people’s opinions of her.

Her realisation that she needs to embrace who she is allows for development in her relationship with Cain which now progresses beyond her fangirl adoration for him. She now learns that he is a flawed person and they are able to find commonalities that allow them to have an open and frank conversation for the first time. It’s good progression but it’s a shame that it was preceded by out of character self doubt from Ella.

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Verdict

Another strong episode that capitalises on the reveal that Pierce is Cain and moves things forward when he agrees to work with Lucifer. The reveal comes with answers to some questions but confusion over others. It’s clear what role Cain played in Lucifer being knocked out and abandoned in the desert but how he got his wings back has yet to be answered. Cain being the reason for Lucifer’s kidnapping suggests to him that God has a plan for both of them so they team up against him which will allow Cain to have his wish of finally being able to die. Lucifer trying to be a better friend to Chloe makes for an entertaining plot mostly due to his ability to make everything about him even when he tries to help others. It develops the relationship and brings entertainment in the way that only Lucifer can.

Amenadiel and Linda’s relationship continues to be interesting and it’s appreciated that the show takes a more comedic approach to the triangle that exists thanks to Maze forbidding them from getting together. This culminates in a really violent reaction from Maze when she finds out which should prove interesting. The case of the week is the usual mechanical plotting but it allows various characters to develop such as Dan who is trying to get back into surfing and Charlotte who bounces off Dan really well. Ella’s subplot involving her trying to speak less after Cain yelled at her both works and doesn’t. Aimee Garcia is as charming and captivating as ever but it doesn’t make sense for Ella to have her confidence dented so completely.

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