One of Lucifer's biggest issues has been his reputation through the ages. He resented being blamed for the evil humans chose to commit. He was not amused with the evil committed in his name. Now, an even worse thing has happened. After he spent the last few months helping with police investigations, he has been framed for murder.
In previous episodes, Lucifer's anger was often masked with a jovial, sexy persona. The depth of the struggle within Lucifer could only be seen in quick glimpses, when the careful control of the powerful momentarily slipped to reveal how close to the edge he constantly was. This time around, Lucifer was not punching a hole through Linda's office. Lucifer was being exposed not just to strangers but to the one person he cared about, Chloe. Ironically, all this was happening as he struggled to explain that he has been misunderstood all this time.
Malcolm, who appeared to have gone from corrupt to unhinged, killed a couple of Satanists and framed the street preacher from the second episode, Rev. Williams, of the murders. After Lucifer let his anger out following Malcolm's admission of his crimes, Malcolm escaped. At some point, Malcolm killed Rev. Williams, right there at Lux. When Chloe and the police arrived to arrest the preacher, they ended up pointing their guns at Lucifer instead.
Chloe had reasons to suspect and arrest Lucifer. In the last few weeks since Lucifer found out that he was vulnerable when Chloe was around, he has been actively avoiding her. 'Hail Lucifer' was carved on the back of the dead girl. 'Morningstar' was spelled out in red ink at the scene of the dead girl's boyfriend's murder. Lucifer was pouring himself a drink at his bar, with a dead preacher just a few feet away from him. Earlier that day, this same preacher led a group of people in hassling Lucifer and blaming him for the murders Malcolm in truth committed. Lucifer lost his temper and almost strangled the preacher, in full view of the public, with the video going viral.
#TeamLucifer showed how a millennia of public opinion was finally getting to Lucifer's skin. 'I'm not evil, I punish evil', Lucifer declared, yet who could understand him? He was already struggling with a lot internally, even before his human identity, Lucifer Morningstar, became the face of a murderer in the eyes of at least some. He knew Chloe could be the death of him, yet he did not want to stay away from her. He was speaking again to Maze, yet he remained angry at how his brother Amenadiel used people close to him to get him back to hell. Things were easy for Lucifer when he arrived in the human world. His vacation was filled with the most pleasurable excesses he could think of. Now, a weight had settled over Lucifer. He has not had the time to process all that yet before Chloe, his partner, his vulnerability, pulled a gun on him.
It was not just Amenadiel who was feeling more than a little shattered this episode. Amenadiel, who thought he found a kindred spirit in Maze, now knew that the woman he has been sleeping with for weeks was only there to betray him. Maze tried to kill Amenadiel using one of her demon blades forged in hell. Amenadiel managed to stop her, but the pain of the betrayal, the anger at himself over everything he has done and not accomplished, weighed on him.
It was Maze's idea to serve as a spy to Amenadiel, yet he came to Lucifer's penthouse furious and full of blame for Lucifer. The brothers got into a fight, both of them holding a millennia of grudges. Their fight only ceased when Maze arrived and pointed out that they both used her. She's right.
Lucifer is hurtling toward its first season finale, which I am definitely looking forward to.
Strays
♕ Maze's solution to Lucifer's vulnerability issue was trained directly at Chloe, who was causing it.
♕ Filii hicus, according to Lucifer, was Latin for children of the goat. In the previous episode, Amenadiel admitted to being behind the human association of Lucifer to goats.
♕ Lucifer: 'Where is the real defiance, the free will?'
♕ A real dagger (not a prop) was missing from the Church of the Dark Prince, the organisation where the murder victims belonged.
♕ Since angels could hurt each other, Lucifer checked Chloe for wings.
♕ Lucifer: 'It's been a long time since I encountered genuine evil.' This would be Malcolm.
♕ Lucifer: 'Protect me from evil, or the world from evil me?'
♕ During their fight, Lucifer taunted Amenadiel, wondering out loud if heaven was still home to Amenadiel after all that he has done.
♕ Dan could not yet explain to Chloe what happened, or why Chloe received a text message purportedly from him, breaking up with her.
Director: Greg Beeman
Writer: Ildy Modrovich
Original Air Date: April 18, 2016