If you would like to read my review of Season 3 of Lucifer, click here.
With Lucifer’s fate in question and some unaired episodes sitting on the shelf, Fox decided to release these two standalone stories as a two-part bonus episode after the fact. Hopefully some network will pick this show up, but airing them on Memorial Day won’t do good for the ratings. Regardless, let’s jump into what may be the final stories of Lucifer and the gang.
Synopsis: As Lucifer and the team investigate the murder of a child psychiatrist, Ella thinks about a big childhood secret that she’s been hiding. Then, in Part 2, an alternate dimension is visited where Lucifer not only has never met Chloe, but is granted the freedom of choice. (TVGuide)
Writers: Jen Graham Imada & Ildy Modrovich and Joe Henderson
Directors: Lisa Demaine & Kevin Alejandro
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 86 mins (2×43 mins)
“Boo Normal”starts off with Ella joyfully walking down the street to a crime scene. She greets everyone she walks by until she gets to the body and starts her work. Suddenly she receives a call from her younger brother who turns her mood around. He moved back to Detroit and her family is pressuring her to return with him. She opens up to Lucifer and Chloe about it and while they voice their desire for her to stay she decides to avoid the question altogether.
Ella paints a picture of what she believes happened to Dr. Beth. In her elaborate explanation she reveals they found some evidence that could blow open the case. While they look into that lead, Dan tries to get Beckett, the young girl that found her therapist’s body, to open up. He’s able to get her to talk a bit and ask for a slurpee. As Ella goes to leave the crime scene she finds blood on a closet door. She opens it to find Felix Rodriguez, a young boy, cowering in the corner. Chloe questions his father about why Felix was there and if she could talk to him, but Felix has a hard time communicating with strangers. Apparently he forgot his violin at the office and when he returned he found Dr. Beth. Ella sits down with Felix and gets him to open up about not seeing who did it before his parents take him away.
Ella is working in her forensic office when she is surprised by her friend Ray Ray. She is shocked to find her there and starts to berate her friend when Chloe enters to find Ella talking to herself. Chloe asks if she’s fine and Ella brushes it off as Ray Ray stands behind her. She deflects and talks about the fake fur she found on Dr. Beth and that the blood was actually ketchup. Chloe wants to follow up the lead and Ella asks to tag along. She packs up her bag while telling Ray Ray, her ghost friend, to leave, but she tries to tell Ella that it’s pretty cool to be a ghost whisperer. Ella doesn’t want to be seen as crazy anymore and asks Ray Ray to leave, but apparently she’s there to help with the current case because she knows the victim. Ella agrees to let her stay.
Dan talks to Lucifer about Beckett running off when he stopped to get slurpees and taking his phone. He feels like she may be the key to solving this crime and asks Lucifer to help him find her. He graciously accepts. Chloe, Ella and Ray Ray arrive at Dr. Beth’s home where Ella shushes Ray Ray causing Chloe to become a bit confused. They split up and Ella tells Ray Ray she needs to keep quiet. She searches the ground floor and finds a closet with a furry suit which she starts to discuss with Ray Ray. Chloe returns and they connect the suit to the fur found at the scene. Chloe also found a voicemail about a torrid love triangle involving Dr. Beth.
They decide to send Chloe into a furry convention in the suit to try to find out information, but the other animals aren’t helpful. Ella tries to ask Ray Ray to talk to Beth and she blames her inability to on bad reception. Ella deciphers that her friend isn’t there to help with the case and Ray Ray reveals she has “unfinished business.”Apparently solving Dr. Beth’s case will finally give Ray Ray peace. Meanwhile, Chloe continues to question the attendants of the convention when another fox tackles her to the ground. They wrestle on the floor as Ella rushes to her aid, but Chloe is able to subdue her assailant and take her in for questioning.
In the interrogation room, they learn that the affair isn’t really an affair at all. Instead, this woman is upset that Beth stole her OC (Original Character) at the convention. She reveals that Beth seemed to get into a heated argument with a coworker. Back to Dan and Lucifer, they track Dan’s phone to an amusement park where Beckett is hiding out. Dan feels uneasy at the amusement park, and he’s about to embrace the fear as they find she’s hiding out on the Viper, one of the park’s most intense rollercoasters. He sits down beside her in the front seat, but she’s able to get away. Lucifer quickly grabs her, but Dan is forced to ride by himself.
Ella and Ray Ray return to the crime scene with some fresh eyes. Ray Ray suggests they hit up the beach after and Ella again questions why her ghost friend is there. Ray Ray reveals she checks up on Ella occasionally and had to return to convince Ella to stay in LA to avoid being taken advantage of by her family. She deserves to have someone look out for her for once. As they have a heart-to-heart, they hear keys rustling around and they quickly hide in the closet. A masked man enters the room and takes something from the desk before hearing a noise and discovering Ella’s hiding spot.
Ella picks up a broom and tries to defend herself while Ray Ray acts like her personal cheerleader. The man is able to gain the upperhand, but instead of striking Ella he runs off leaving her with a broom marked with the masked man’s DNA. At the amusement park, Dan catches up with Lucifer who has printed his rollercoaster photo onto every piece of merch he can. Dan asks where Beckett is when it’s revealed that she has run off again with Lucifer’s keys and Dan’s badge.
Chloe and Ella look at traffic camera footage to discover the car that was there during Ella’s fight was also there during Dr. Beth’s suspected argument with a coworker. The bumper sticker looks like it could be a teacher that they are looking for and with the connection to rosin found on the broom they find Felix’s music teacher: Johnathan Blake. They bring him in and discover that he bribed Dr. Beth to tell Felix’s parents that his best route to musical greatness was to bring along Blake. They mention Beckett to whom Blake is very well acquainted calling her a total nightmare.
Chloe calls Dan to ask if he has Beckett. He says they will bring her right in as he chases her through the parking lot. Beckett is now the primary suspect in the murder, but with her on the loose they need to bring in the best human hunter they know. A fancy sports car barrels down the asphalt to Dan and Lucifer where Maze steps out to save the day. She laughs at them for losing this teenage girl and decides to has to meet her. They find her at Lucifer’s bar trying to get free drinks. Dan reveals she’s the primary suspect, but Beckett wasn’t there. Apparently she was hustling a guy at a local pool hall and when she arrived at Dr. Beth’s place it reeked of perfume. Dan decides to omit their wild goose chase which Lucifer approves of and they share a drink.
Chloe sneaks up on Ella which startles her. She wants to tell Chloe about her ghost seeing abilities, but backs up and asks a very weird question about things to collect. Chloe tells Ella that she’s there for her if she needs to talk about the big looming decision as they head off to the suspect’s house. She goes to the house while Ella and Ray Ray discuss whether or not her friends would accept her for this odd ability and she doesn’t want to give them a reason to leave. Ella notices the neighbours have a construction dumpster and her eyes widen.
In the house, Chloe talks with Felix’s mom about Dr. Beth’s recommendation regarding homeschool. She reveals that she was told by her husband Anthony that the doctor urged them to keep him in school. At the dumpster, Ella is able to find the murder weapon covered in dried blood when Anthony reaches over the side of the dumpster and swings a bat. Ella evades Anthony until Chloe arrives. She reveals they know the truth and Anthony questions Felix’s anti-social tendencies and calls him not normal. Ella stands up for him saying he is special.
At the end of the night, Ella blurts out that she sees ghosts, or rather a ghost. Turns out she was in a pretty bad car crash as a kid and started seeing Ray Ray. She questions her sanity, but Chloe reassures her that she isn’t. It’s a lot to process and Chloe reveals she has seen a lot of crazier things. Devil face? They hug it out when Chloe asks about Ella’s decision to move. She has decided to stay in LA. Ray Ray and Ella have another heart-to-heart with Ella deciding that Ray Ray can stick around and be her guardian angel. At the precinct, Lucifer has adorn the place with photos of Dan’s ride when Ella uses the phrase “smell ya later”as she’s leaving. He questions her odd and surprising remark which she says she picked up from her friend Ray Ray and Lucifer becomes extremely concerned.
Lucifer returns home knowing someone is waiting for him. Turns out Ray Ray is Azrael, the Angel of Death. He is angry she abandoned him, but she wants to reconcile. Lucifer questions how she is part of Ella’s life and she reveals how Ella made her curious about the positivity of living humans. Turns out Azrael coerced Ella to move to LA and be a part of Lucifer’s life allowing two of Azrael’s favourite people to be together since she cannot. He tries to make amends, but Azrael abruptly leaves. The episode ends as Lucifer visits Ella at the forensics office to extend his approval of her staying in LA. She starts to discuss the science behind her job and apologizes for droning on, but Lucifer tells her to continue and sits down. As the two of them interact, Azrael watches from a distance at the friendship she helped create.
“Once Upon a Time”starts off with Chloe chasing a purse snatcher down the street into an alley. She turns as a black van arrives and three men jump out firing assault rifles at her gunning her down Scarface style. Her partner, who is not Lucifer or Dan, arrives at the scene and holds her as she coughs up blood. As things look to be grim, someone offscreen yells cut and suddenly we are whisked onto the set of a crime film with Chloe playing one of the detectives. She talks to Strider, one of the crewmembers, who asks her out for a drink and she accepts.
Lucifer sits at the bar, playing the piano and singing while Maze adorning a half mask works behind the bar. Chloe arrives at the bar and passes by Lucifer with neither of them sharing a glance. Lucifer’s attorney Charlotte Richards arrives to give him some good news on an expansion to his enterprise to Las Vegas. They retreat to the penthouse where Lucifer and Charlotte start to make out. He questions if they’ve had sex before and she assures him he would remember. Before going any further, Lucifer reveals he is unsure if he can go through with it. He thinks a move might be the best thing for him and goes through with his Las Vegas deal.
Linda sits down with Chloe, who is her patient instead of Lucifer. She feels bored with her life and the role she has been forced to play, but she reassures Chloe that she is a positive role model to young girls everywhere. They stand up and walk off the set of Linda’s self-help show Dr. Linda. Lucifer returns to the bar the following morning and finds someone laying there, but as he flips him over he discovers the man, Chloe’s stuntman friend Strider, has been murdered. The next morning, Dan arrives at the bar and gets caught up on the case. He goes to question Lucifer where it’s revealed they are not fond of each other. Turns out the murder has frozen his Las Vegas deal so he wants this solved as soon as possible.
Turns out this reality is different because God shifted the bullet that killed Chloe’s father 20 years ago, the bullet that inspired her to join law enforcement. She arrives at the precinct to talk to her father about the case. Turns out the Strider had just landed his dream job as a Nascar driver so she doesn’t understand why he would have gotten into a bar fight. She wants information and her father sets her up with some. Lucifer arrives at an alleyway to talk with Lopez, who is a criminal mechanic, about the murder weapon used at his club. He threatens revealing her enterprise to the cops unless she helps him and she obliges. Turns out the murder weapon is part of a Nascar crew’s toolkit and she might be able to find the serial number. While she does that he is off to the track.
He arrives, but the LAPD has beat him to it. The security at the track brings him to the detective on the case who isn’t Dan, but Chloe impersonating an officer. They banter and he reveals he knows who she really is. She tells Lucifer that her friend was going to replace Rex Wilson and believes someone associated with him might be the murderer. He introduces himself and she has no respect for his profession. He mocks her inability to get anywhere with her investigation when she is admitted entrance to the track.
Dan is skimming money from evidence lockup when Charlotte confronts him. She wants Dan to help steal the money from Lux’s safe knowing that Dan is not a fan of Lucifer and he agrees. Chloe enters the garage looking for Rex, but he’s already out on the track. Meanwhile, Lucifer walks out onto the track and stands in front of Rex’s vehicle praying. Suddenly time slows and Amenadiel appears berating Lucifer for summoning him for his own amusement. They banter about Amenadiel inability to go home and face their family, but his equal issue with connecting with humanity. Lucifer pulls Rex from the car and time returns to normal. He attempts to question Rex, but security catches them and helps Rex get away and into the hands of Chloe.
She brings him into a private room and plays bad cop with him when Lucifer arrives and reveals her real identity. Lucifer uses his devilish charm to learn what Rex really desires. He wanted to bring back the rivalry between him and the Strider’s family, coming up with the idea himself to have the dead man replace him. As they leave, Chloe suggests that she and Lucifer work together on the case to put their heads together. She reveals she knew who her friend was fighting with at work. On the set of Dr. Linda, she’s interviewing a moviestar who is hopeful for his new marriage. During commercial break, her producer reveals that Linda needs to bring up the affair that the moviestar’s wife is having. She cannot bring herself to incite a breakdown on TV, but her producer says it will be good for ratings.
On set, turns out another stuntperson Erika was looking for a settlement and Strider refused to act as her key witness giving her motive. Chloe points Lucifer in the direction of Erika’s trailer to get information when Chloe is confronted by her father for sneaking onto the track and working with a deadbeat club owner. While Chloe defends working with Lucifer, he appears with lipstick on his face and his shirt unbuttoned. Her father disapproves of the decision and walks off leaving Chloe to contemplate why she thought she could solve a murder. Lucifer reveals that Erika is still fairly flexible meaning she was never really injured and that she was overheard a heist Strider was a part of, but he backed out to follow his dream.
Charlotte arrives at Lucifer’s penthouse to steal from the safe. She opens it while a shadowy figure looms behind her. Charlotte is tied down by Maze and her associates to question why she was there for the money. She blurts out that she deserves the money and Maze accepts that answer, letting her embrace her sinning side so they can meet again. She threatens Charlotte to leave LA or she will gut her. Lucifer and Chloe arrive at Ella’s garage to discuss the murder weapon. Ella berates Lucifer for bringing someone into the garage without permission until she discovers who it is. She fangirls over Chloe’s career and says it was what inspired her to become a criminal mechanic. After some more banter they believe their suspect is Rogers, another stuntperson. They arrive at the set he’s working at where Lucifer and Chloe witness Rogers driving off with the six million dollar classic car.
Chloe and Lucifer race off in his vehicle and catch up to Rogers. She tells him they found his prints on the weapon and he caves revealing he did it. Rogers races off when Lucifer and Chloe chase after him. Lucifer catches him, but Rogers has pulled a gun. He walks towards him and Rogers shoots a couple times into Lucifer who continues to inch closer. Chloe appears behind Rogers and knocks him to the ground believing Rogers was using a gun filled with blanks. Chloe’s father arrives to apprehend the suspect and commends Chloe for her bravery giving her the approval she craved. The episode ends as each of the characters go through their alternate realities and make choices that sit on the fine line of moral and immoral, conscious and unconscious. Chloe and Lucifer sit under the Griffith Observatory looking out on the LA skyline. She wants to become a cop, but doesn’t know how that will go. In the end, Lucifer and Chloe are still drawn together as if fate will always bring these two souls to each other.
Overall, this was a phenomenal two-part episode. The first half explored a terribly underdeveloped character in Ella Lopez as it dives into her backstory as well as her connection to LA and Lucifer. The b-story is a very light-hearted and humour-filled one as it focuses on Lucifer and Dan’s relationship. While it appears to be a standalone episode, the reveal at the end introduces a character that would have been a very strong addition to this universe. The second half tackles the themes of morality, conscious choice and fate as these characters are placed in an alternate reality that sees them put on darker paths that have their original traits and moral choices tested and pushed to their limits. The different yet underlying and familiar dynamics give a great twist to this story showing a what if scenario of how one small change in history can shift the basis of reality.
Score:
Boo Normal: 9.5/10
Once Upon a Time: 9/10
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