Tori Brazier reviews the twenty-third episode of Lucifer season 3…
It’s the penultimate episode of the third season of Lucifer and – it seems – the producers have finally given the go ahead for Stuff. To. Happen. Read no further if you’re avoiding spoilers! Despite not following the common pattern of a two-parter finale, ‘Quintessential Deckerstar’ juggles all of Lucifer’s regular characters and builds up to what looks set to be a juicy confrontation next episode.
From the drama of last week, with Chloe (Lauren German) emerging relatively unscathed (so far) from her one-episode engagement to Pierce (Tom Welling), she ploughs on as usual with Lucifer (Tom Ellis), straight into this week’s investigation of the murder of the wife of famous baseball player Forest Clay (Doug Savant). She wants things as normal as possible, in order to move on as quickly as possible – as she tells an apologetic (after last week’s bachelorette party) Ella (Aimee Garcia) – and Lucifer agrees. Having neatly avoided professing his true feelings for the detective last time as she default “chose him” by dumping her fiancé, Lucifer’s bringing out his and Chloe’s “greatest hits” in order to put all this “Lieutenant-shaped nonsense” behind them. Not exactly what Linda (Rachael Harris) suggested in Lucifer’s therapy session, but – as always – his interpretation of her advice. As he puts it, he’s returning properly to his role as the “carefree rogue of yore” who had no respect for police procedure as a superior celestial being – even when a newly-appointed detective “consultant”.
Meanwhile other partnerships flourish and rot: Charlotte (Tricia Helfer) and Dan (Kevin Alejandro) enjoy their newly-minted status of ‘together’, although Charlotte is plagued by her personal ‘hell-loop’ dream – one that creepily features Forest Clay – a former client – and encourages her deep distrust of the man. Pierce and Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt), however, are in full-on battle mode now the demon’s discovered that he faked his Mark of Cain during their last encounter. Maze is obviously now able to kill him (and hopefully get to Hell that way, as planned), but Pierce is fighting for his life and another shot at immortality after seeing what he could have enjoyed with Chloe. He threatens Linda’s safety to unsettle Maze (yup, he’s properly mean now), before planning on hunting and gunning down Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) to restore his damnation.
The investigation of Clay’s wife’s murder is not a very gripping this week as the central case, but it does tie in well (if rather too suddenly) with Charlotte’s morality arc. Having prodded new friend and confidante Amenadiel into considering his own faith, as well as his assumptions over his God-given heavenly nature, he is there to bolster her confidence in her own selfless acts. Charlotte’s correct suspicions over Clay’s criminal nature allow him to be arrested during the course of the police’s investigation, thereby saving other women from the pattern of his abusive behaviour. As she and Amenadiel bond on a bench, Charlotte instinctively undertakes her final selfless act: she throws herself in front of Amemadiel and intercepts the murderous Pierce’s oncoming bullets. Not only does this then clearly redeem Charlotte, as she so dearly wished, but her friendship and the clarity it brought to Amenadiel frees him from his earthbound status as his wings return and he is able to deliver his friend (and former enemy and ex-mother, lest we forget!) to heaven. Pierce, having fled the scene of his crime, will surely be at the centre of next week’s finale as Amenadiel and Maze pursue him (as well as – surely – Lucifer and Chloe, and a grieving Dan).
The other momentous turn of events in this episode is Lucifer finally (finally!) confessing his love for Chloe without a shadow of flippancy or showmanship, even as he tries yet again to reveal his true identity. Chloe has proven to him quite clearly that she doesn’t need his help with cases, having put away two criminals single-handedly this episode – something of which we know that she has always been capable, but perhaps Lucifer’s monstrous ego has had a difficult time understanding. It does mean, however, that he realises their partnership is therefore based on her wanting him around – rather than needing him – and so he feels brave enough to reveal his feelings. Interestingly, Chloe is somewhat dubious in her reply in that she claims that Lucifer is not the devil “to me”…. so has she in fact considered things he’s said that she’s seemingly dismissed after the fact? Even when he has so recently made light of the fact of her disbelief by sharing all of Charlotte’s thoughts and experiences with her – purely because she never believes?
Next week’s finale looks set to deliver confrontation, revenge, the chance to see if Amenadiel will return from Heaven and the chance to explore the future of Lucifer and Chloe in the aftermath of their kiss. We should expect nothing less.
Tori Brazier
