Lucifer: Season 6

The last scene of Dan in purgatory was the juiciest scene of the episode. I don't know why he's in Hell, but it says volumes Lucifer created an entirely new version of the afterlife to protect him. Were Dan, I'd be a little grateful. Because when you get right down to it, Dan actually deserves Hell after what he did in Season 1. This strikes me as a good and fair deal. If Lucifer actually CAN'T improve on it Dan should consider it a gift. I do think however Lucifer IS gonna find a loophole for him eventually which is the precise reason he doesn't deserve Dan browbeating him.

I like Amenadiel calling Linda out on her crap. I like it because most of the other characters are unable to recognize Linda's hot mess drama crap for being hot mess drama crap. Even Amenadiel never really got that what was going on in previous seasons. I like that he knows her well enough to know when she's trying to start trouble with other people because she's interested in being credited with fixing a problem she created entirely herself. She's done that to Amenadiel in the past too, so that might be why he recognizes it here. Have I mentioned before that Linda is the worst character on the show? I like this episode because for once the show seems to actually be aware of that fact.

I like that Lucifer loves magic. Everybody does, but Lucifer loves it for the opposite reasons of most magic obsessives. Most magic fans are dying to figure out how the tricks work. Lucifer is doing everything in his power not to have the tricks spoiled. That is a very interesting facet to give that specific character. Him describing magic as subterfuge without actually lying is probably the reason he values it so much. And I think that's an interesting character quirk.

Frankly, last season sucked. This final one might too when all is said and done. But the first episode got off to a good start. ****.

That was strictly pedestrian. It did the annoying thing by using the procedural case of the week to find allegories for the characters' struggles (twice!) in completely unlikely and stupid ways. And Ella is beyond annoying.

I'll say this. I had a great appreciation for the empathy Carol showed the killer at the end. I wound up liking the guy for it.

A disappointment. **1/2.

Solid episode.

Good twist at the end.

The stuff with Dan was moving at the end.

Tom Ellis' performance was great.

This season might turn out all right. *.

The ending would have been better if Lauren German were a better actress. But she's not. And that's been one of the biggest problems of the entire series. Sometimes it doesn't hurt things TOO much. Here? It definitely did. German was miscast in the role of Chloe Decker. She can't go toe-to-toe with Kevin Alejandro, much less Tom Ellis.

The hurt Ellis shows and Lucifer feels towards her subterfuge is legitimate because she has been browbeating him for keeping secrets earlier. The thing is those "secrets" struck me as stuff he simply hadn't gotten around to yet because there was so much on his plate. The casual way he mentioned Dan being on Earth suggested he wasn't hiding it. He simply forgot to tell her. And that's been Lucifer's problem the entire series and I'm having a hard time accepting Chloe is his soulmate when she doesn't actually understand that about him.

I am not crazy about the scenario of future Rory the show has set up. Because either they do a cop-out, or make Lucifer unforgivable. And either way leads to a sad ending on the series, which is not really okay to me. Sad endings are fine. I don't think it would be appropriate for this specific series.

Ella is my second-least favorite character after Linda, but I admit to being impressed with her being the first character on the show to seem to be working out this crazy stuff on her own. Nobody else has been able to do that, and is usually in a bit of denial or shock when the truth is revealed. I don't like Ella just because of her personality. But it is very interesting (and right) that the show is suggesting her faith is causing her to seek out truth instead of denying or rejecting it. That's a subversive moral that is untrue in Our Universe. In one where Lucifer Morningstar walks the Earth, it's the only correct moral there is.

I found that interesting, and wish German's Chloe Decker wasn't such an outright drip. I could handle her grief better if she weren't. 1/2.

I was very iffy on the episode as it was going. And I frankly found the music montage at the end cheesy. But ultimately, it did things mostly right.

I'll talk about the Lucifer and Rory stuff first, mostly because it was the least important aspect to me. I liked her reaction to seeing the Christmas party. It was like "Who IS this guy?" What I personally liked about her increasing outrage to the "Anything You Want" musical performance is that I think she got the sense that he was being sincere. He truly COULD be a great dad if he wanted to. And he's still gonna leave, even after promising her that. Lucifer is not a very self-aware person. But him choosing that specific song wasn't just tone-deaf. Based on what he's going to do, it was unintentionally cruel.

I'm gonna shift over to the Amenadiel stuff. My first note is that my disdain for Chloe is not 100% due to the actress. There is something seriously wrong with the character. Her attitude about how most cops are good and that the system works gave me serious misgivings about both the show and the episode airing in 2021. I was like, "This show is not meeting this moment." But ultimately the show allows the audience to realize that Chloe is as stupid and full of it as I've always believed. Harris insightfully points out that Chloe's skewed take on things is solely because she's white. And I think the show IS meeting the moment by suggesting that. However I DO want to point something else out, that is slam on Chloe herself rather than her misreading the situation because of her race. Dan was properly concerned and outraged the entire episode. Granted, he's Latino and not strictly white, but really, I don't think Chloe's blindness there is entirely due to her being white. It's entirely due to her being an apologist for the police. Her being white feeds into that. But Dan, who was literally a dirty cop, is able to recognize the situation for what it is when she is unable to.

I felt bad after that episode. For the right reasons (outrage on behalf of Amenadiel and Harris) and also the wrong ones (Lucifer's unintentional hurtfulness). 1/2.

Honestly? That was pretty damn great. If the rest of the season keeps this up, we are in good shape after all. Getting rid of the procedural is doing wonders.

I cannot say enough good things about the very unusual and bold casting of The Mick's Scott MacArthur as Adam. He should be not anybody's first pick for the role. Adam is usually portrayed as a borderline Adonis. MacArthur has a real dirtbag vibe to him, along with a beard, long hair, and a pot-belly. But the reason the casting is right is because that most closely resembles other real-world men, and as the first one, it makes sense he started all of our faults.

I also was amazed and loved the fact that ultimately, his biggest desire is to become a better man. It's not even about Eve when all is said and done. He's unhappy with himself. Which is something I love because it is so unexpected given the character and the scenario.

I love that Chloe is alarmed by the subtext of Rory's blade wings, but the second Amenadiel says they sounds so cool and he wishes Charlie had those, you realize she's overthinking it, and also that how angels view that sort of thing is entirely outside of how she imagines it. I'm not a celestial, but I more agree wuth Amenadiel's admiration than Chloe's concern. They ARE cool.

Ella's stuff was interesting, but I do agree with her not being told the secret by anybody but Lucifer. I think she would have handled it especially badly. Ironically, the fact that she figured it out for herself years laters means she is much less damaged by the revelation than she should be. Which is interesting.

End of the world? It has not escaped my notice that essentially Rory is The Omen and the Antichrist. Is there a possibility that protecting her to not fulfill that specific prophecy is the reason Lucifer was forced to stay away? What does that revelation mean for Rory in the here and now? If she is The Omen, and learns that is the reason Lucifer kept his distance, what will that change? If she learns the truth does that mean that if and when she goes back to the future Lucifer will finally be allowed at Chloe's deathbed? Lot of big epic questions. Not all of the answers make Lucifer look good. But it might not be neglect behind Lucifer's actions, but sacrifice and protection. And if that's the case, the future cannot be changed and Deckerstar is essentially dead and buried. This is my suspicion about the finale. The problem is that it's way too big of a bummer of an idea to end this specific fun series on. We'll see how it plays out, but the Apocalypse playing in the background upon Rory's arrival is suggestive in her role in the grand scheme of things. And maybe Lucifer as God is not only trying to protect her and her mother, but all of humanity as well.

I actually did notice the subtext to the idea that the Apocalypse is occurring during Rory's debut season in the background in an earlier episode, but I forgot to comment on it at the time. What I'm saying is, if my theory is right, it's not out of nowhere. It's actually been properly set up. Which is why I think it's right.

That's my prediction. We'll see how I did in three episodes time. But so far the last season is in surprisingly good shape. I expected it to suck and it doesn't. *****.

It was very well-written and put together. I still didn't like it.

I think the episode wanted to be a major character study for Lucifer Morningstar, and deal with all of his hang-ups once and for all, and for the last time. That's not how it read to me. Instead it strikes me as an exploration as to why Linda is the worst friend ever and one of the worst fictional characters on television.

It is unsurprising Lucifer likes the idea of the book. Rare good press for the Devil! The thing is, that's not why she wrote it. He's actually wrong to like it. She unethically betrayed every single sacred ideal and confidence a therapist is supposed to have. Not to give Lucifer good press. But as a cash grab for herself. Team Lucifer is rightly annoyed at her ridiculous portrayals of them. I am upset not a single one of them pointed out that Linda doing something like that as a therapist is a betrayal if not on the level of Judas Iscariot, than perfectly in character for the demonic crowd Lucifer hangs around with.

The reason the book is a cash grab and a betrayal is because Linda is actually a terrible writer. She can discuss first drafts all she wants, but her utter lack of talent and pure narcissism at her erroneous belief of universal importance is outright vulgar. I detest that Lucifer validates her at the end after that. And let me just say, I don't think that is a problem on Lucifer's end or a way to show foolishness in him. That is a flaw in the writers of the episode, and their entirely misguided perception of what a therapist's role is, and how especially delicate that specific therapist needs to be if she winds up befriending her patients. That last bit should never actually happen. But considering the scenario, I understand why it did. But because it did Linda had even BIGGER responsibility to respect her patients' privacy and boundaries. Linda is one of the most outright vulgar characters I can imagine. Her intro in the episode is basically her hung-over and naked, the implication being that she cheated on Amenadiel after the wedding with the random naked guy in the background. But that is neither commented on, nor does Linda even try to makes excuses or apologies for it. Lucifer just considers her betrayal of his brother and his nephew totally on-brand for this wretched, broken person and doesn't discuss it further.

There was something I like and didn't like at the same time. It goes back to Chloe also being a sucky character. But when Rory explains why the wings are a good thing, and a tribute to her mother, while the explanation is cool, I don't like that Chloe is so dumb that Rory has to make it. Something like that is actually self-evident given what we know (as little as it actually is) about Rory and her situation.

That was a very interesting episode. It explored big ideas and was probably the last chance for the cast to have some silly fun. But I have major problems with the characterization of Linda and the idea that none of her friends actually turned on her in disgust after that particular ending to the book. The problem isn't that Linda did a joke ending for the first draft. It's that she's a narcissistic sociopath. As far as fictional therapists go, I think only Hannibal Lecter is more toxic and psychologically damaged. And Lecter was probably a better actual therapist. **1/2.

That was very moving. I was in tears at several points. Dan's scene with Trixie especially made me cry. .

Maze's goodbye was pretty amazing too because she was the only one who really understood what it meant (beside Ella whom he outright told).

The scene with Lucifer on the beach was amazing. Rory did something I like in fiction, that I like because I think people should do it in real life. Instead of dragging the goodbye out, she cuts it short because it's perfect and that's how she wants to remember him. I love that idea so much.

Man, if the series finale is half this good, I'll be happy. **.

That might be in my top ten best series finales ever. Definitely top 15.

I was wrong about most things. The Omen theory was actually a decent one because I was operating under the assumption the potential apocalypse would be the major tension of the finale. It was a nonfactor instead. I liked that idea I had, but this was a very interesting premise for a finale instead. It questions the notion of prophecy and free will. And yet because of the time travel element it feels believable instead hackneyed. My mind is already made up that destiny and fate is hogwash. Time travel paradoxes are a LOT harder to rationally argue against.

But in my mind nothing is truly set in stone until Lucifer promises Rory to leave. After that there is no going back. He's not going to start lying now.

I was crying throughout most of it and it gave us a surprisingly happy ending. What I like about the happy ending is that the sadness STILL had to be endured. Preventing it was not meant to be. But because Chloe and Lucifer had to separate for such a long time, them spending eternity together as partners is all that more rewarding.

And the last act did nothing but reward long-term viewers of the show, including Dan being reunited with Charlotte, and Amenadiel getting his wish for Charlie to get wings and be a Celestial. I laughed at the therapy scene because Lucifer at this point is a far kinder and more effective therapist than Linda ever was. And I laughed because even after all that, Lucifer is still out to help La Merk of all people get redemption. His line that if the Devil can be redeemed, anyone can, is a great notion. And I think the line was created to placate conservative complaints against the very idea of the show. But truthfully, it doesn't actually track. Lucifer Morningstar was never a bad guy in need of redemption. And I sort of wish the series had abided the idea that Lucifer was moral and virtuous the entire time and just got a bad rap, instead of saying he was redeemed from earlier sins. I don't agree with that notion, but it will make good copy to shut the fundies up. I'm just not sure an idea that important needed to actually be catered to them.

But other than that the sad ending leading to an eternal happy one was appropriate. I did not believe this specific dumb show needed the gutwrenchingly sad ending it was marching toward. And now that I've got it, I can't accept anything else. I like that the show has gone back to subverting my expectations again at the end when it actually matters. A lot of the storytelling choices in the first two seasons were so great and welcome because they were so outside of other supernatural shows dealing with religious themes. But the series got in a rut soon-after. I'm glad they were willing to surprise me again in the way they ended it.

I have one tiny complaint. Where is Trixie at Chloe's deathbed? It doesn't sit right with me that she isn't there.

The best thing a great finale can do is make the viewer remember an oftentimes otherwise shaky series in hindsight. When I look back at Lucifer in my mind, I might remember how annoyed Linda and Ella made me. But before I remember those things I'll remember that for whatever its faults, Lucifer was a show that chose to satisfy me at the end. And the ending could have been a LOT more traditional, and involved an apocalyptic battle after all. But the show chose to play for higher and more actually devastating emotional stakes, and as far as storytelling gambles go, it totally paid off. iZombie's ending was a total disappointment. Lucifer's actually delivered. I am very impressed. **.