Lucifer – Season 2 Episode 6

Nov 1, 2016 | Posted by in TV
Lucifer

“Monster”

Lucifer deals with the fallout of the titular character killing his brother as he and Chloe investigate a Halloween themed case.

You’d be forgiven for assuming that this episode was going to have a distinctly comedic edge judging by the opening sequence where a couple got married while made up like zombies. Normally something like this sets the tone for what you’re about to see but it’s one of the few instances of fun in an otherwise glum episode. A lack of fun isn’t a bad thing in this case as the events of the previous episode would suggest that things should be taken a lot more seriously.

Lucifer

A spooky wedding

Lucifer killing his brother is a really big deal for a variety of reasons. He has been many things since the show began but a killer isn’t one of them. Punishing those that he feels deserve it is something he enjoys but that’s not really the same thing as killing. When he was in charge of Hell he was punishing people who were already dead so had no desire to kill anyone. This remains the same now that he’s on Earth.

Killing his brother is his distate for killing amplified to a massive extent. It was probably the only way to protect Chloe and his mother but it doesn’t make it any easier for him to swalllow. His self destructive reaction is a really understandable one and it’s very tragic to watch.

Tom Ellis delivers what could be his best performance since the show began as the broken Lucifer. He does everything that he always does such as drink heavily, sleep around and behave disrespectfully around people he has no regard for but there’s a sense that he’s not really into it and just going through the motions before he completely collapses. Lucifer is a ticking time bomb throughout the episode and the way this builds is expertly handled.

This proves to be a logical place to bring Linda in as she understands him in her own way. She assumes that he’s delusional about being the Devil and all the other outlandish things he says but she believes that he’s a man with lots of issues to resolve and needs help doing that. She comes to him when he’s at his most self destructive and tries to encourage him to let her help him. This is a relationship that has evolved beyond therapist/patient and this episode is a good example of why.

Lucifer

Uriel’s final resting place

The pay-off of this is that he shows Linda his true face at the end of the episode and her reaction is equal parts fear and disbelief. It’s a powerful moment as it comes right after her assuring him that he can share the truth with her. Now that she knows what that is she can’t deal with it and Lucifer knew that going in. For him to have his fears confirmed in his hour of need is heartbreaking and the quiet, defeated way he leaves Linda’s office is very effective. It remains to be seen if Linda will convince herself that it was a hallucination or not but I’m interested to see where this goes.

Lucifer being unable to share his problems with mortals ties into the dysfunctional family angle. All Lucifer, Charlotte and Amenadiel have is each other but they also happen to be the last people they want to talk to. It’s a complex problem and there seems to be no real solution to it at this point.

I liked how Charlotte and Amenadiel spent the episode together when Lucifer was pretty much on his own. Amenadiel’s immediate reaction is to internalise everything so he goes straight to blaming himself for being unable to take Uriel down before things got as bad as they did. His self loathing also extends to not having his powers which would have allowed him to put an end to this.

There’s plenty of blame to go around as Charlotte is conscious of the fact that this could all have been prevented had she simply went with Uriel and removed the horrible choice that Lucifer made from the equation altogether. This is fuirther evidence that Charlotte does care deeply about her children and her desire to get Amenadiel to open up seems genuine based on their interactions. She also knows Amenadiel well enough to know that she has to trick him into showing her where Uriel is buried. It’s the only way Amenadiel will do it and it makes sense that she would want to pay her last respects to her son.

Lucifer

Trixie gets to celebrate Halloween her way

The episode wasn’t entirely without its fun moments but they are mostly reserved for Maze and Trixie who are forming a really interesting relationship. Chloe and Maze may butt heads over her…hobbies but it’s clear that Maze likes Trixie a lot and feels protective of her in some ways. She also represents an adult figure who can teach her different lessons such as being confident and assertive in getting what she wants. In this episode it amounts to Trixie not dressing as a Princess for Halloween but when you dive deeper into it there’s a lot more to it. This is the first time that Trixie rationally went after something she wanted and she gets it.

I also like that Trixie sees Maze’s true face and it doesn’t change their relationship at all. It was assumed that it was part of a costume but it’s a good moment as Maze is relieved that Trixie is excited about it. The fact that this happens in the same episode as Linda’s opposite reaction to seeing Lucifer’s true face.

The main purpose of the case of the week was to show Lucifer spiralling into an emotional black hole but on a mechanical level it was very forgettable. More work could have been done to tie this into Lucifer’s grief and guilt over killing his brother. It might have had more weight if he was also dealing with a homicide involving brothers. It may have been a huge coincidence but it would have provided a better link to what Lucifer was going though.

Outside of Chloe wanting to support Lucifer when he won’t let her there wasn’t an awful lot for her to do outside of the standard investigations and arguing with Maze. Chloe keeps fading into the background despite her character having so much potential. Living with Maze has a lot of untapped potential that the show will hopefully get around to exploring in the near future.

Lucifer

Lucifer shows Linda his true face

Verdict

An excellent episode that offers a really frank portrayal of guilt and grief. Tom Ellis’ performance is excellent throughout and the way Lucifer spirals out of control is expertly handled. There are also a number of powerful moments such as his reveal of his true face to Linda who reacts with fear and disbelief. Charlotte and Amenadiel have some powerful moments as they both grieve in their own way. The dysfunctional family angle ties into this as they only have each other but don’t want to confide in one another.

Thankfully Maze and Trixie are around to provide some relief from the grimness of the rest of the episode. They are developing a really fun and interesting relationship which involves Maze finding someone who accepts her for who she is. Chloe still disapproves of Maze and her hobbies but Trixie has a lot of time for her. As always the case of the week fails to tie into the main plot beyond allowing Lucifer to fall into an emotional black hole and Chloe still isn’t getting enough to do but it doesn’t distract too much from an otherwise excellent episode.

  • 9/10
    Monster - 9/10
9/10

Summary

Kneel Before…

  • Tom Ellis’ performance
  • Lucifer spiralling out of control
  • the family dynamic and how they handle grief as a unit
  • a really powerful ending

Rise Against…

  • the case of the week not properly connecting to the main plot
  • Chloe still having little to do
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