Tori Brazier reviews the sixth episode of Lucifer season 3…
Episode six of this new season of Lucifer, and the showrunners have realised how good Ella (Aimee Garcia) is as light and bright foil to the majority of the LAPD characters, as well as to Lucifer (Tom Ellis) himself – so much so that she gets upgraded this week to his sidekick on a work trip to Vegas. Not only does she then get to demonstrate her already-proven natural knack for forensics, but she also reveals some rather more dubious talents that stem from her mysterious past. Card-counting and voices aside, it’s clear that are still many roads to travel down with this appealing character.
‘Vegas With Some Radish’, like the previous episode, brings back another character from Lucifer’s past and from last season – his ex-wife Candy (Lindsey Gort), who he spontaneously married on the rebound from an ‘almost’ with Chloe (Lauren German). It’s good to have things tidied up and tied in here and there but it seems a little bit repetitive in format when a similar arc with his mother featured last episode, and especially when it contributes to an underlying feeling of treading water when it comes to propelling the major theme/storylines (for example, where is Lucifer’s devil face? Who is Sinnerman?) of this season forward. Still, there’s some handy timeline hopping between the present and Lucifer’s last trip to Vegas so it’s clear how and why Candy and he met and married.
This week’s mistaken identity murder mystery in Vegas brings in the expected mob ties, the perfect chance for Lucifer to croon and tickle the ivories once more – and leaves a couple of bodies lying around. Formula-wise, this also (unintentionally) demonstrates just how many times characters in Lucifer will walk into someone’s home/hotel/crime scene and discover a body on the floor in time to complete their colleague’s sentence in an appropriately dramatic or (kind of inappropriately) pithy way… Lucifer also shows his softer (well, more decent) underbelly again, as he vows to catch the killer and sort out Candy’s presumed financial woes once more. Now, who said he was the devil?
Chloe is not abandoned in LA as she seeks out Dr. Linda Martin (Rachael Harris), leading her to examine her feelings in the wake of Lucifer’s skipping town on her birthday with nary a by your leave. We know that it’s because Vegas is where Lucifer fled to lick his wounds after they almost sealed the deal, and he doesn’t wish Chloe to assume that this time and have it spoil her celebrations. With Dr. Martin back and being a good/enjoyably loose influence, these celebrations consist of partying in Lucifer’s flat, swanning around in his clothes and drinking his booze. And why on earth would you then not invite the ever-affable Dan (Kevin Alejandro) along with his drill so you can try and break into Lucifer’s hidden safe? Perfectly normal behaviour.
The episode’s ending is sweet, if a little cheesy, as Lucifer gets back to LA in time to deliver a monologue on her birthday to/over a drunken, sleeping Chloe about never wanting to lie to her again. He then gives her her birthday gift, a necklace which turns out to be the sole contents of the safe they were trying to break into earlier. You’ve got to admire the man’s chill – and style. With a few lingering hands on backs, it seems we may be picking up again with Lucifer and Chloe’s chemistry next episode.
Tori Brazier
