Lucifer season 3 episode 1

[shapinglight]

Okay, so I was right (kind of) but also wrong (kind of). Either way, I loved it.

Spoilers behind cut.



Not unconditionally. I mean, there was a really weird bit of acting, including some face pulling, from Lauren German in the scene where Lucifer drags her back to the desert and they find the arm sticking up out of the sand, and there were a few jerky moments here and there that I attribute to the show finding its feet again after the long hiatus. But otherwise...

Yeah, loved it.

Things I was right about: that Lucifer couldn't show his real face (now known as his Devil face) to Chloe when he tried to, which resulted in her being more pissed off with, and disappointed in, him than ever.
That Tom Welling as Marcus Pierce would be really bland and annoying. I can deal, though, as long as no one tries to write him a scene where he actually has to act.

Things I was wrong about (thankfully): that Lucifer's new wings were gone for good. The spoiler I'd read (which was only the blurb for episode 2, nothing more spoilery than that) was that he cut his wings off again in episode one, and, though I've thought from the start that the wings would be gone again by the end of the season, I'd hope they'd be around for at least a while, so I was really annoyed about it. However, as I'd previously speculated with peasant, the wings just came back again, so I'm pleased about that.

And I'm pleased that the show seems to have taken a darker turn without losing any of its humour. The episode was great fun, as it always is (despite the procedural element).

Great scenes between Amenadiel and Ella and Amenadiel and Lucifer too. I'll have to watch those again (well, I'll have to watch the whole episode again, probably several times. Typical Lucifer not to realise that Amenadiel might have wanted to say goodbye to their mum, though I suppose he couldn't have done anything about it at the time. But at least he was sensitive enough to realise that Amenadiel would be upset to discover he had his wings back when Amenadiel's own are nowhere to be seen). Also, the whole Sinnerman thing is fascinating. Great that they have a through-story for the entire season. Roll on next week.

Favourite scene: probably Lucifer trying to get into the truck and forgetting he had to fold up his wings first.

On a trivial note, I wonder if the bank robber guy will be in every first scene of a new season of Lucifer from now on? That is, if he survives his mad dash through the desert.

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

Haven't looked at the post yet as I probably won't be able to see this for a couple of weeks (Mike and I are trying to catch up on the Vietnam War documentary before I leave on vacation). But glad you loved it!

[shapinglight]

Well, I hope you'll come back and comment once you have read it, otherwise it looks like I'm talking to myself here. ;)

The BBC are showing the Vietnam documentary (I'm assuming it's the same one). I've watched three episodes so far and it's completely fascinating.

[yourlibrarian]

Well at least peasant is watching too :) And I expect it probably is as they work together with PBS often. We've only finished an episode and a half and I expect those are the most interesting ones as it's a background that I think most Americans know poorly. I even took a course in it in college but some of this information was clearly not available yet (the specific of the OSS involvement for example)

[shapinglight]

Agree that the first two episodes were very interesting. I knew very little about the history of French Indo-China.

When M was travelling in Vietnam in 2015, she found that the Vietnamese don't seem to mind the Americans (despite the war), or the British, but they still retain a deep loathing for the French.

[yourlibrarian]

I could understand that. I mean the American effect on Vietnam was devastating but I think it was also divided. For some, the Americans might have been preferable to their own governments or different factions. That was, to me, the eye opener, was how very divided the "country" was. I wish, in fact, that the documentary had gone back a little farther to talk more about Vietnam before the French. Did it ever feel like a country, was it always someone's territory? Or did the feelings of nationalism come mostly from culture. The Catholicism clearly came from the French, but what about the Buddhism? And would religion have even been much of an issue had the Colonials not brought their own into the mix?

By comparison the U.S. never occupied Vietnam, most didn't even want to be there, and it was a comparatively shorter presence. And what's sad is that the first Americans held out the promise of a much better system and in a historical AU it's easy to imagine it could have gone differently.

[shapinglight]

I know the history of Vietnam features many invasions by the Chinese and heroic resistance from the people. I can't remember where I saw it now, but there were definitely two warrior sisters who led the Vietnamese to victory against the Chinese at some point in the past.

Not surprising that they have a kind of siege mentality.

[tinny]

I wonder if the bank robber guy will be in every first scene of a new season of Lucifer from now on?

Haha, lol. He could at least have left him his shoes. That would have improved his chances of survival considerably. ;)

Things I was right about: that Lucifer couldn't show his real face

Yes! I read your speculation about that (which were the only "spoilery" things I have read before this season), and you were right on the money with that. It worked out great, too. Although it was so embarrassing. Poor Lucifer AND poor Chloe.

That Tom Welling as Marcus Pierce would be really bland and annoying

I hated him. And not in the "he's an asshole" way, because that was obviously intended. But in the "how can a show seriously think we empathize with their characters if they're nothing but pure caricatures" way. Okay, all the other characters are pretty out there, too, but I thought that Ella was an extreme case. I didn't think they wanted to top her by adding someone even more unreal.

Either they'll dial back on it again and make him bearable, or I'm going to be very annoyed. I want real people, not ... that. Making him a hardass and unsympathetic is okay, but the way they heaped it on didn't leave anything to connect with him. (Unless he's going to be this season's villain, which... urgh. Please no.) Otoh, I have a hard time imagining a path from here to "Chloe's love interest". So that's a plus, I guess.

The episode was great fun, as it always is (despite the procedural element). Great scenes between Amenadiel and Ella and Amenadiel and Lucifer too.

Yes, I enjoyed it, too. And at least our fear that Amenadiel would have to take a back seat have not come to pass yet. I really liked the wing dilemma, too.

(I expect Maze is not going to be in those three eps they did during her pregnancy? Do you know when she will be back?)

[shapinglight]

It worked out great, too. Although it was so embarrassing. Poor Lucifer AND poor Chloe.

Yes, I begin to think that no matter who is ultimately responsible for Lucifer losing his devil face, humiliating him in front of Chloe is all part of 'Dad's plan.

I didn't think they wanted to top her by adding someone even more unreal.

He is incredibly bland, isn't he? I've just seen someone on Twitter raving about how handsome Tom Welling is and how much they love him and hope he doesn't turn out to be a villain. I just...I just don't understand what's to love? :Scratches head:

Otoh, I have a hard time imagining a path from here to "Chloe's love interest". So that's a plus, I guess.

Me neither, but given the way Chloe behaves around him (which is inexplicable to me), we may have to suspend our disbelief somewhat.

And at least our fear that Amenadiel would have to take a back seat have not come to pass yet. I really liked the wing dilemma, too.

Yes, he's had some fabulous scenes so far.

As for Maze, I don't know when the character will be back in the new episodes (ie. the ones they're making at the moment). Lesley Ann Brandt is back on set but I don't know how many new episodes were made before that. Maze is definitely in episode 3, though. It's one of the standalones that were made in season 2 and held over, so dates from before she went on maternity leave.

[yourlibrarian]

So we saw the first two episodes and should catch up on #3 tonight. The season seems to be off to a strong start. I agree that Pierce seems to be a non-entity with scathing lines that seem to be delivered in a lunch order tone. However, I had assumed that he himself is Sinnerman -- though he'd have to be supernatural to have accomplished the wing and face thing. But given that Sinnerman is basically an urban myth that seems possible (I assume they took this idea from Slenderman).

One thing that did bother me is the idea that the kidnapping "victim" would not have died at all if Lucifer hadn't been there. The show seems to skate right by the ethical implications there. Also, couldn't the guy have come back to dig up the other guy after Lucifer left? He did to hide the evidence.

Was the bank robber guy in the last season of Lucifer?

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(I assume they took this idea from Slenderman).

I'd never heard of Slenderman until this moment and have no idea whether the Lucifer writers were influenced by the character. If he is one. I'm a bit hazy still.

They wouldn't really need to look elsewhere than the show's comic book base to find scary villains.

Re: the ethical implications, since Lucifer is the only one who knows how the poor man came to die and it's usually up to Chloe to point out these things it doesn't surprise me that the subject never came up.

Was the bank robber guy in the last season of Lucifer?

He was. As in this season, he featured in the first scene of the first episode of season 2.

[yourlibrarian]

Well that will be a nifty cameo next season then -- I like it when shows are playful like that.

[shapinglight]

Yes, I hope it happens.