“Vegas With Some Radish”

Lucifer takes the Prince of Darkness to Vegas to investigate the murder of his “Wife” Candy in another rescued season 2 episode.

The prospect of incorporating unaired season 2 episodes into the third season is a little baffling when you really think about it. Even at their most disposable those episodes would feed into the overall tapestry of the second season in some way which might make their presence stand out. This season’s earlier rescued episode “Mr. and Mrs Mazikeen Smith” fit in really well because it was designed to be an off format adventure with a secondary character taking the focus. This episode is a bit more traditional in that Lucifer is the focal point and the episode is about his relationship with Chloe.

Does this episode fit in with what we have seen of season 3 so far? The answer is a firm “sort of”. One advantage the episode has is that the Chloe and Lucifer relationship hasn’t progressed in any meaningful way this season and the “previously” segment includes the season 3 moment of Lucifer attempting to show her his “Devil Face” as an addition to the list of things causing a rift between the two of them. This aspect of the episode fits in neatly as we are at a point in their relationship where there is a bit of a rift between them so it does fit in that regard.

Sometimes the best way to explore the relationship between two characters is to separate them and reflect on their emotional state while the other isn’t there. A common saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” comes into play and it’s certainly true here though more so for Chloe than Lucifer.

Chloe’s biggest issue is that she has great difficulty understanding Lucifer and his actions. The episode begins with a lavish birthday party complete with a stripper courtesy of Lucifer which Chloe actually enjoys. His abrupt exit from the celebrations causes her to become insecure and recall the last time he bailed on her in “A Good Day to Die” just as their relationship was about to progress. Chloe’s problem is that she doesn’t believe the full story as she is unwilling to accept that Lucifer is truly the Devil but she humours him for the sake of their friendship so that is always going to be a source of confusion for her. She spends so much time trying to figure out what he means when he says things but the answer is that he’s usually being literal. Once she is able to understand that a lot of her confusion will disappear.

Her reaction to his disappearance is to get Linda and take advantage of his penthouse when he isn’t there. This results in dancing, drinking and some questionable attempts at safe cracking but also introspection about feelings. Linda is in an interesting position on this occasion as she is speaking to someone who doesn’t know the truth rather than her usual interactions such as Maze or Amenadiel who she is able to talk freely in front of. The reminders of Linda’s role in keeping Lucifer’s secret are well done such as her finding the first draft of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and making sure Chloe doesn’t see it. It’s an amusing image and shows that Linda is committed to keeping the secret even if it means depriving Chloe of a sense of closure.

The issue that these scenes have despite how fun they are to watch and the fact they allow Chloe to open up for once is that these are earlier versions of the characters. Linda hasn’t been seen since the dumpster fire she helps Amenadiel with back in “The One with the Baby Carrot“. She was in “Mr. and Mrs. Mazikeen Smith” as well though that was also an earlier version so it has been a while since Linda had the chance to reflect on her injury or anything else she has been through and we don’t see any of that here. Similarly this version of Chloe stands out as being an earlier version as Lucifer’s vanishing act seems like a bigger deal for her than it should be given the amount of time that is supposed to have passed. Her specific issue in this episode feels like a relic of something that was resolved a while ago. Chloe’s issues have changed and evolved so this does feel like a step back.

Lucifer’s return to Vegas is a sequel to “Candy Morningstar“. He’s told that Candy has been killed so heads off to Vegas with Ella in tow to investigate. It very quickly turns out that she isn’t dead and there’s a larger mystery at play. It’s not a very interesting mystery but it acts as the backdrop for some fun moments as well as revealing details about something that many viewers will have forgotten about.

I’m specifically referring to flashbacks showing how he met and proposed to Candy. The episode featuring this character was a while ago now so I’m not sure it needed to be revisited. Perhaps if it had been aired at the proper time it would have felt more in context but as it sits it feels like the show is dredging up something that has little relevance any more.

Despite that, Lindsey Gort is really good value. She plays the different outward personalities really well and bounces off Tom Ellis nicely. She appears to be someone he can open up to for whatever reason but the things he opens up about feel like old problems. Season 3 Lucifer is more concerned with his sense of identity, stopping his father from influencing him and making sure his reputation is rebuilt. There has been less concentration on his relationship with Chloe this season so any scene where this is covered feels like a throwback. It’s a very jarring change of pace that doesn’t quite fit even if it’s entertaining.

This episode does prove that Candy has the potential to become a really engaging recurring character. As I’ve mentioned Lindsey Gort does a good job playing her, she brings something unique to the overall dynamic and clearly seems to be pretty good as a detective when the occasion calls for it. Candy is a decent all rounder and Lucifer is definitely justified in his admiration for her.

Ella was excellent value in this episode. She’s always a shining beacon of weird optimism and this is dialled up to 11 now that she’s in Vegas. There are some reveals about who she is such as the fact that she is addicted to counting cards and good enough at it to be on a Casino database as someone who does that. When asked about it she says that it’s to silence the voices and then says nothing else. Whether this is just Ella being quirky or there’s something else going on here I couldn’t say but she and Lucifer made an excellent team and there was plenty to recommend about their scenes together.

As characters go Ella is completely unique because she challenges Lucifer in ways that others don’t. This manifests in a conversation about what it means to lie. Lucifer claims that he doesn’t lie but bluffing is a completely different thing. He also defines not telling Chloe where he is as “selective omission”. It bears mentioning because it delivers insight on how Lucifer sees the world. He sees things in black and white so this seems to be him creating loopholes that absolve him of stepping outside his binary world view. More to the point Ella calls him out on this further demonstrating her ability to read people. Another example was when she sensed that Candy needed a hug and promptly supplied one only for Candy to embrace -pardon the pun- the opportunity.

This episode wasn’t short of fun moments such as the aforementioned private party at Lucifer’s penthouse for Chloe and Linda. Another was Lucifer’s impressive performance as a lounge singer showcasing Tom Ellis’ -I assume- considerable talents. What the episode lacked in a sense of place it made up for with a sense of fun.

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Verdict

An out of place episode that takes a step back on the main character conflicts. Linda can’t focus on how she has been altered by her experiences because this episode is a season 2 relic and Chloe is very hung up on something she has progressed beyond. Lucifer similarly takes a noticeable step back and the return of Candy feels somewhat unnecessary given how long it has been since she was last mentioned.

Despite that the episode was a lot of fun. Lucifer and Ella made for a fun team, Chloe was able to cut loose for a change, Candy is really good value being something of a match for Lucifer in many ways and there was a fun performance from Lucifer as a lounge singer. It may not always hit the mark but it’s certainly worth a watch.

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