Lauren German and Lesley-Ann Brandt in the “Take Me Back To Hell” season finale episode of LUCIFER ©2016 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Michael Courtney/FOX
The first season of Lucifer (FOX, Mondays, 9/8C) comes a close with an episode that requires us to watch to the final word – for a cliffhanger that reveals the one thing that actually scares the devil.
But first, Lucifer Morningstar must work with his angelic brother, Amenadiel to find the crooked cop who framed him (perfectly) for murder.
Thanks to Detective Decker’s (Lauren German) discovery of the dead body of a two-bit preacher in Lucifer’s (Tom Ellis) penthouse, she has to try to take him in – whether she thinks he’s guilty or not. A timely intervention by Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) and Lucifer finds himself on the building’s roof. His faith in Chloe shaken, he’s ready to chuck it all in and return to Hell – but his brother will have none of that! He needs to find Malcolm (Kevin Rankin) and send him back to Hell first.
Lauren German and Tom Ellis in the “Take Me Back To Hell” season finale episode of LUCIFER ©2016 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Michael Courtney/FOX
While the heavenly and devilish brothers are deciding to work together, Chloe is discovering that her ex, Detective Dou… Espinoza (Kevin Alejandro) knows that Lucifer is innocent too. While Chloe goes after Lucifer, she sets Dan to proving his innocence.
Some highlights: bickering brothers trying to get Lucifer’s therapist, Linda (Rachael Harris) to help resolve their issues with each other so that they can work together; Maze (Lesley-Anne Brandt) working together, and Dan’s unique method of proving Lucifer’s innocence. Also, Lucifer and Amenadiel manhandling a dozen hardened killers without all that time-warping stuff as they track down Malcolm – and Lucifer’s ‘conversation’ with Dad.
Written by Joe Henderson and directed by Nathan Hope, Take Me Back To Hell is fastest-paced episode of the season and the most eventful. Mistakes are cleared up/forgiven; revelations are rampant; Trixie (Scarlet Estevez) gets to stay up past her bedtime (way more important than it sounds) and season two is set up beautifully (so it’s a really good thing the show was renewed a couple weeks back!).
DB Woodside and Tom Ellis in the “Take Me Back To Hell” season finale episode of LUCIFER ©2016 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Michael Courtney/FOX
The combination of SoCal noir and snark that have made the show so much fun reaches a new high – and Ellis delivers the ‘I got better’ line better than anyone ever has (maybe the devil made him do it?).
The idea of pairing Lucifer and Amenadiel – and Maze and Chloe, for that matter) – gives us teams that we’d never have expected for reasons that would have been insane before the last few episodes of the seasons (just as the romantic pairing of Maze and Amenadiel seemed to come out of nowhere then made a certain twisted celestial sense afterward).
And let’s just say that the philosophical and theological implications of Lucifer’s final word should make season two an altogether different basket of loaves and fish.
I can’t wait!
Final Grade: A+