Lucifer is having
ominous dreams about Chloe and his dreams which he puts down to needing to
defeat daddy dearest. He explains this to Linda who tries, yet again, to
explain that maybe maybe maybe it could be about his issues with Chloe
Of course, like
always, Lucifer ignores this and instead focuses on needing to defy dad, again.
Linda is getting a habitual tired but unsurprised expression on her face from
his shenanigans. Of course to defy dad he needs to kill Caine and he is all out
of ideas on that front
This is this
episode’s Lucifer obsession - him getting inspiration.
Chloe has her own
theme this episode - starting with her avoiding a party invite from Ella.
Through the episode we learn that Chloe, as a child actor, never really did the
fun partying thing when young, never went to prom, never really even went to
high school and part of her wondering whether she missed out on something.
So to the murder -
the death of a famous YA author who has finally released her latest book after
several years of writer’s block. Of course Lucifer seizes on this, along with
taking advice from everyone he can for various levels of shenanigans which,
frankly, I’m getting a little annoyed by his irritating behaviour
Ella is super geeky
of course and no-one questions the sheer weirdness of a 21st century author
writing an entire book on a typewriter and keeping no copies at all and that
book is missing. Which annoys Lucifer because the book contains the afterward
where the author describes how she defeated writer’s block and gained
inspiration.
Lucifer does read the
other books she wrote and has some rather scathing put downs for YA which he
finds boring and dull and lacking in requisite adult shenanigans. This is
somewhat averted when we reach suspect/red herring #1 who is both an adult man
(I get that this is an idea of countering the stereotype of YA - but I honestly
really hate the creeping “justification” for YA with the idea that more than
young adults - specifically young women - read it. Being primarily - or even
entirely - liked by women and/or young women specifically does not reduce it’s
value, nor is it more valuable because a man liked it) and has a huge
passionate defence for the quality of writing. And though he had a social media
spat with the author over how long the next book was coming out. But he claimed
they made up and he even sent fanfic to her.
I am sure every
author everywhere totally supports this validation of how to connect to them
and are not in any way inventing new, creative curses for the writers of this
episode.
Chloe also reads
these books - and spends all night reading - becoming extremely, incredibly
invested and enthused about them
So time for some
brainstorming and they realise that said YA author actually based all her
characters on real life classmates, not even changing their first name and
apparently having some kind of magical spell preventing her being sued by, just
about, ALL THE LAWYERS EVER. There’s a reason why “resemblance to people,
living or dead blah blah” boiler plate exists. Instead they think that these
people who had all of their highschool dramas turned into best-selling books
that maybe they’d want to murder her.
I would call this
justifiable homicide.
Since,
coincidentally, the author’s highschool reunuion is coming up, they decide to
go undercover. Rather than, y’know, interviewing everyone like actual police.
Is it just me or are they pushing these convoluted undercover excuses a lot?
They pick a student and have Lucifer pose as him (a student who is vastly
unpopular and unlikely to be in touch with the others) with Chloe as his plus
one. To ensure that he doesn’t attend, at Charlotte’s advice (or, rather, her
warning that such a thing would be illegal and she’s totally going to her
office so she doesn’t overhear said illegalness) is to sic Maze on him.
So they can go to the
reunion and Chloe is geeking over meeting the characters from the books,
clearly seeing them as the characters she’s fallen in love with and almost
hilariously, Lucifer has to tell her to stay on mission. Of course for his own
selfish purposes, but this is definitely a role reversal.
As they talk to
everyone Lucifer does manage to uncover, among all the drama, so much drama,
that they all had an alibi. But that Todd, the guy Lucifer was pretending to
be, seemed to be in contact with the murdered woman… so time to interview todd.
But what did Maze do
with Todd?
Well Maze knows about
Amenadiel and Linda and is Not Happy. She takes advice from the unrealistically
mature Trixie, about how she should make them tell the truth.
And like Lucifer
getting advice from Linda, she interprets this in the worst possible way: time
to torture them. So she coerces Linda onto a blind date. A blind double date.
With her and Amenadiel and Linda and Todd: perhaps the worst possible date in
the history of dates.
She is gloriously
evil. Do not mess with Maze
Linda breaks, realsies
what is going on: Maze is torturing them because she knows and way better to
talk about this and Maze being mean. Maze hits back about their lies and how
that hurt her - but Linda, rightfully, points out that that Maze does rather
overreact (hence her stabbing the table).
After a snarl at
Amenadiel (calling him “daddy’s boy”) she calls Linda selfish - which is a
break for Linda since she spends her whole life listening to their problems and
for once she finally did something for herself. And that her relationship with
Amenadiel is important and special
To which Maze,
shockingly, cries and leaves the restaurant, saying Linda was her friend.
Which is when lucifer
and Chloe arrive to interview a confused Todd
It turns out he did
help her finish her book - inspiring a finale with no drama, no conflict and
everyone getting along without cliques or outsiders etc etc. which sounds
beautifully utopian and… very very very very very very boring.
The editor agrees -
hence the murdering. And destroying her book and plan to pass off fanfic as the
actual work to earn all the money.
Lucifer is furious
and even a little broken at the book being dead and his opportunity to do in
dad is lost.
In the aftermath,
Chloe and Lucifer speak and she acknowledges that she did miss all of these
high school experiences, that also wasn’t her. It’s not what she actually
wants. Still Lucifer has created a mini prom just for her which is super super
nice and sweet and completely unselfish. And he almost ruins the moment when her
advice on writers block gives him an idea: re-write history!
Uh-huh no way this
will backfire. Chloe’s advice was actually to move on. Lucifer never takes
advice
While Linda breaks up
with Amenadiel, again - because she acknowledges Maze was right. She knew what
she was doing with Amenadiel would hurt her and she did it anyway, it was
selfish.
Argh, I find this
storyline infinitely frustrating. Yes I get respecting your friend and her
feelings and honouring that; but equally I think this idea of eternal wariness
of even their most unreasonable desires is equally dubious, unhealthy and not
something therapist Linda would promote
I’ve said it before
and I’ll say it again, we need Chloe to be in on the big secret already. Though
I do like further connections between them
