Mikes Film Talk

The first season of “Lucifer” ended in style, with Amenadiel and Luci joining forces and the finale upped the stakes by having someone escaping the Underworld that even Morningstar is afraid of; his, and his brother’s mum. Plus quite a lot of things changed in the season’s last episode, “Take Me Back to Hell.”

Maze apparently switches sides (What else can that gold light mean?)  and the demon also helps Chloe. Amenadiel and Lucifer join forces to remove Malcolm  and after the murderous cop injures the angel with a special knife, Mazikeen heals the badly hurt Amenadiel using that hoarded feather from Luci’s wings.

Detective Douche  helps Lucifer and admits to Chloe that he shot Malcolm at the club.  With all these changes, it is surprising that neither  Dr. Martin  (Rachael Harris) or Chloe Decker (Lauren German) alter from their usual modus operandi. Martin actually reacts angrily when she learns that Amenadiel is not really a doctor but she soon moves right back into  therapy mode. 

Lucifer is almost arrested for the murder of the preacher found in LUX but escapes with the help of his brother.  Dan agrees with Chloe that Morningstar has been framed while the two angels join forces to find and take out Malcolm.

Kevin Rankin  makes this last visit of Malcolm Graham’s memorable. The man so desperate not to return to Hell is that perfect blend of cowardice and bravado.  One moment gloating about killing an angel and the next scrambling away in a blind panic as Chloe shoots at him.

Graham kidnaps Trixie, Dan and Chloe’s daughter, forcing Decker into bringing him his money for a getaway.  Morningstar intercedes (in an amusing sequence where he uses his “American” voice to stop Chloe in her tracks.) and agrees not to come along but follows her to her rendezvous with Malcolm.

A wounded Amenadiel is treated by Maze as Lucifer steps in to help Chloe and Frankie. Graham shoots Morningstar who is now vulnerable since Decker is  close by. Bleeding out, Luci has a word with “Dad” where he offers to do “what you want” if Chloe is saved.

In this act, Lucifer shows the biggest change of all the characters on the show. Throughout the entire season the only thing Morningstar has shown his Father is anger, reproach and rebellion.  After asking “the big guy” to look after Decker, Luci has a vision where he  returns to Hell to learn that someone has escaped.

Lucifer does not die and punches “Malkie” in the face. The cop starts to raise his gun to shoot Morningstar again and Chloe shoots Malcolm repeatedly in the chest.  The cop believes he will return as he has the “Devil’s coin.” It is not to be, however, Lucifer has reclaimed the item,  and Graham will be returning to Hell.

Back at  LUX, Luci reveals to Amenadiel that he spoke to “Dad” and the angel seems surprised that He responded to Morningstar. The angel asks who escaped from Hel and the final word of the episode is Lucifer’s answer:

“Mum.”

Maze, who uncharacteristically helps Amenadiel is missing from LUX when Luci returns. He asks about her and Amenadiel replies that he does not know where the demon is. The question is, however, not where Mazikeen may be, but what she may now be.

The demon’s selfless act of helping the angel may just have changed her standing in the world. As mentioned above, all that gold light while the feather healed Amenadiel may just mean that Maze has gotten a promotion.

Lucifer has already been approved for a second season, proving the FOX definitely have their act together, and ending the series on a very tantalizing cliffhanger means that the show’s makers are firing on all cylinders.

Who, for instance, is Mum?  Where is Maze, or what?  Will Dan lose his badge? More importantly will Chloe Decker finally  begin to believe Lucifer’s claim of being the devil and will Dr. Martin ever realize that she is dealing with reality and not metaphors?

Casting for this show has been perfect. Tom Ellis and D.B. Woodside are brilliant in their respective roles of Luci and Amenadiel.  Woodside comes dangerously close to stealing every scene he is in. Ellis does hold his own but he may very well be one of the few actors who can do so.

Lesley-Ann Brandt killed it as Mazikeen and Rankin should get an award come Emmy time, or at the very least get one of those “made-up” awards from MTV (like smarmiest villain in a supernatural series) to mark his accomplishments as Malcolm Graham “Lazarus Man.”

Tom Ellis has come a long way from playing the main love interest of Miranda Hart on the BBC comedy “Miranda” (which can, incidentally be seen on Hulu) and the actor has shown his chops can handle much more than comedy.

German, as Chloe Decker, works well with Ellis and the two have made a great team in season one. It looks like the next season, with the approval from “Dad” allowing Morningstar to stick around, may feature more teamwork from Amenadiel and perhaps an awareness by Decker of just who Luci really is.

Sidenote: Does anyone else long to hear Woodside’s character look at Lucifer and say: “Luci, you got some ‘splainin’ to do…”

“Take Me Back to Hell” was a fitting end to a devilishly good series based on a DC comic book character who is not, for a change, a superhero.  Well done FOX and rock on season two.