Lucifer - S2E13 - A Good Day to Die

Previously on Lucifer, “Love Handles”

Images: FOX

At Death’s Door

We pick up right where we left off; Lucifer shows up at Chloe’s door ready to ask her whether she’s a part of his father’s plan and instead finds her bleeding profusely from her nose. Lucifer, playing the role of the sensible straight-man for the first time, wants to rush her to the hospital but Chloe instead wants to try to find the antidote on her own since she knows only a specialized antidote will work. Apparently, Chloe was injected by the professor when she tackled him and it did make me wonder if he intended to inject himself and mistakenly injected her or if his plan was always to take down Chloe if she got too close.

Either way, the two of them are now traipsing all over town to find the antidote which includes tracking down one of the smugglers who helped the professor get the drugs. Chloe tries to seduce him but that’s a little hard when you’re bleeding from the nose. Eventually, she passes out and Lucifer can take her to the hospital, although Dan is pretty pissed that Lucifer let it get that far. If it wasn’t extremely clear that Dan’s still in love with Chloe, this episode seals it, but it feels like Chloe is still decidedly in on seeing where her relationship with Lucifer can go.

Dragging Him Back from Hell

Once Chloe is knocked out, it’s all hands on deck to find the cure. Lucifer and Dan track down one of the professor’s criminal associates and he tells them that although he knows the ingredients for the antidote, only the professor knows the exact amounts. While Dan and Ella track down the ingredients, Lucifer has the bright idea to kill himself, go to hell, and get the formula. What could go wrong?

Basically everything. Lucifer dies and gets the antidote easily but then he gets stuck in his own torment, trying to figure out the clues of his Uriel’s last words and stabbing his brother (guest star Michael Imperioli) over and over. Lucifer’s mother realizes what’s happening when they can’t revive him and goes to hell after him. The following scene speaks to the ability of this show to keep you invested even in the most otherworldly circumstances. The Mother manages to snap Lucifer out of his guilt but then they essentially switch places when The Mother becomes consumed by her guilt at setting all of this in motion to get back at God. Lucifer has to literally drag her back from hell while simultaneously Amenadiel stands his ground against the security guards and nurses trying to move Chloe, which could endanger Dr. Martin’s ability to revive Lucifer. It’s a complete team effort to save Chloe but also the first time Amenadiel, Lucifer and The Mother are all truly on the same side. It’s an incredible moment.

Unfortunately, all of this takes its toll on Lucifer and he cannot deal with the myriad of revelations he’s endured. Although Chloe is all in on starting this relationship, Lucifer leaves town without telling her. He could be on a mission to figure out Uriel’s message or he could be running away from his feelings. Either way, we won’t know until May when Lucifer returns.

The Devil Is Laughing 

“So this isn’t some elaborate game of bloody possum?” – Lucifer, after listening to Dan for the first time and letting him get beat up 

“These scrubs are so boxy, I can barely pull them off … scratch that, I can pull anything off” - Maze

This is the first-time Lucifer has done such a tightly connected story and it paid off. Opening the arc with Chloe and Lucifer’s kiss and ending it with Lucifer leaving town indefinitely was a brilliant move. Last season was 13 episodes so it makes sense that there would be a game-changer at episode 13 of season 2. Unfortunately, the show has billed this as the winter finale and it won’t return until May. I’m unsure about how this will affect the story for the back nine episodes but this show seems to work well with a tight number of episodes so this format may work well.

Also, Lucifer manages to pull great guest stars. Tim DeKay and Jamie Kennedy were wonderful as well as Charisma Carpenter earlier in the season. And Michael Imperioli’s turn as Uriel has been masterful. In the comics, Lucifer deals with a lot of celestial beings and while I enjoy the procedural tone of the show, diving deeper into the angel lore would also be welcome. Ultimately, Lucifer has set up its characters and stories to take off in a million different directions. They’ve hinted at backstories for Ella, Dr. Martin, Maze, and Dan. Lucifer is concerned about Chloe being put in his path by God but I think all of these people were. Everyone around him is good but also drawn to darkness and they all have regrets and misdeeds in their past. That’s what makes them perfect companions for Lucifer and that balance between good and evil is what drives the show.