Lucifer - S3E1 - They’re Back, Aren’t They?

Previously, on Lucifer 

Chop, Chop

When we last left Luci, he’d woken up in the desert with his wings fully restored and they are glorious. He’s like a beautiful, murderous dove. Until he cuts his wings off again. Lucifer has only been missing two days, so when he tells everyone he was kidnapped, they assume that he’s making it up to cover a bender. But when Lucifer takes Detective Decker back to the spot where he was taken, and they find a dead body, they at least try to track down how the man ended up there.

This is all complicated by a few things:

1. Lucifer left Chloe a message saying that he’d tell her the truth and now he can’t do his devil face like he showed Dr. Linda.
2. Lucifer also can’t tell Amenadiel he got his wings back because of their brotherly rivalry for God’s affections, and
3. The new lieutenant, Pierce (guest star Tom Welling) seems to have it out for everyone.

(Sidenote: Lucifer is also missing his confidante, Maze, but that’s because the actress Lesley Ann-Brandt had a baby this summer)  

Lieutenant Pierce is disparaging right out of the gate. He refers to Dan as a corrupt cop who got off easy, and implies that he thinks Chloe and Lucifer’s partnership is inappropriate. Look he’s not wrong, but he didn’t have to go so hard right off the bat. 

Sinner Man

Despite Lucifer’s attempts to keep Amenadiel in the dark about his plumage, he discovers Lucifer’s discarded wings but he’s actually pretty zen about it. The revelation from last season that he held a piece of the flaming sword has restored his faith in God and even Lucifer’s restored wings, which come back again, can’t phase Amenadiel. He delivers the most beautiful line of the night to his brother, “If you can be redeemed, anyone can. Isn’t that divine?” He’s back on the sauce, y’all. He’s all in.

As it turns out, Lucifer and the dead man were both kidnapped by a company that kidnaps people as a prank (those are not the types of friends I want). When the hired kidnapper got Lucifer out to the desert, he saw his wings and freaked out, and it seems like he mistakenly left the other man to die when he freaked out. When Lucifer confronts him, the kidnapper reveals that he was hired by The Sinner Man, and he seems very afraid … which makes sense because later he turns up gruesomely murdered.

This is a strong premiere, but definitely not a reboot or a jumping on point for new viewers. Lucifer has spent the past two seasons building up its mythology and it’s rewarding its viewers for taking that journey. I only say this because I know that casting of Tom Welling has people excited to check it out but if you don’t go back, you may end up confused. It will be interesting to see how everyone’s relationship to Lieutenant Pierce develops. Ella is in awe and Chloe is trying to act unfazed but Dan especially should be worried. And he’s also trying to figure out why Charlotte (the woman whose body The Mother inhabited) doesn’t seem to know him. I think Dan might be the next person to discover Lucifer’s true nature. I have some thoughts about who The Sinner Man might be and I think the answer to that question may relate to this one, who’s guarding hell?

The Devil Is Laughing 

Lieutenant Pierce: “Your file’s as long as my Johnson.”

Lucifer: “Oh? Quick read then?”

“Imagine buying an entire establishment just to justify your decadent lifestyle. Absurd” - Lucifer

Lucifer has done a great job of building its story and making sure the “case of the week” is fully integrated into the larger narrative. The premiere holds that balance well while also setting up this season’s mystery and big bad. Lucifer has lost his wings and his devil face. Is God restoring him so he’ll be equipped to fight the Sinner Man or does hell no longer need a devil? My one quibble with the episode was Ella. Though I love Aimee Garcia, I think Ella can occasionally be too over-the-top, quirky. According to the cast at SDCC, we’ll definitely be seeing more of her and I hope they find the right comedic balance for her.