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shadowkatEh, I liked last week's better in some respects. Although they did tone done Ella. But alas, Lt. Pierce is back. And the case of the week was dull as toast and sort of hard to follow, mainly because I think the writers thought it was dull as stale toast as well and decided to spend most of their time on sub-tangents. Also no Dr. Linda, Trixi or Maze - Boo. Actually there were few women in this episode, which was a problem.
Other than that...there was some good moments. Granted none of them had Chloe or Pierce in them, but what can you do?
First - The Bad
* I really wish they'd cast someone other than Tom Welling in the Lt. Peirce role. Wasn't Dean Cain available? Every scene he's in, that doesn't contain Lucy, is boring and sort of grating.
* Ella: Pierce obviously has the hots for you, Chloe.
ME : Really? I'm not seeing it. Hots for Lucifer? Maybe. Chloe? No.
Chloe: Really? Not seeing it. And stop it, you are being annoying.
[Gee. Will you look at that? Chloe and I are in agreement. Does anyone see chemistry here? Or is just me?)
[That's telling not showing by the way -- with the writers having Ella tell us, seemingly out of the blue, that Lt. Pierce has the hots for Chloe. I have a feeling a good majority of audience groaned in unison and thought, Damn. We were hoping he'd have the hots for Lucifer, because that would be much more interesting. Chloe/Pierce is predictable -- not to mention slightly offensive in a post-Weinstein universe -- so do not want.]
* I'm having issues with how they are writing Chloe...she seems to be more reactive and very passive.
In some ways she was far more interesting last year. Now, she's back to bored partner of Lucy, who is mildly annoyed by him, but puts up with him because she has to and he's doing all the detecting.
And, I'm sorry there is NO chemistry between her and Welling. The only person Welling has chemistry with is Tom Ellis.
* The humor in this episode sort of grated...and was a little over the top. Also you can tell they wrote this prior to the events of this past week. I can't help but wonder if the events of the past week may have changed some bits of the episode?
* Poor Detective Dan -- Pierce is an ass to him. Although he did get union rep, but apparently that's for has-been's? Weird diss of unions by the writers.
* Not sure what game Pierce is playing -- but he appears to be going after Chloe, and Lucy, but in different ways. I don't trust him, and still think he's the villain.
* Oh, he got shot? Will he die? No? Damn.
It's just giving Chloe something to bond with him over. (Chloe stop getting swept off your feet by guys who jump in front of bullets for you. I get that you feel indebted et al, but really? Writer's stop doing this. This is annoying. You are trying to have your cake and eat it too, the guy saves Chloe, Chloe then sort of saves him. They bond. Ah love. Bored now. You did it with Lucy, you did it with Dan, now Pierce? We're on to you. Come up with something new. Also, why are you trying to make Tom Welling look like he's in his 40 or 50s? He isn't, it's obvious. You've added streaks of gray to his hair, have him in low sort of gray lighting, and slightly unshaven, but he just looks odd, and a bit ghoulish, not old and seasoned. This role was poorly cast. I'm sorry, it was.)
The Good
* Amandial getting picked up by a hooker, after striking out trying to be Lucifer, was admittedly amusing -- if only for Det Dan having to get him out of jail. I rather like the DD and Amen relationship.
* Lucy and Amen's relationship is equally interesting. YAY, Amen for calling Lucy on his shit. The last scene of the episode was actually worth all of the annoying bits. Lucy tells Amen about someone he tortured in hell --- and how that person reminds him of Amen, Amen shrugs it off, and tells Lucy that he knows exactly what he's doing and it's not going to work. He's not going to push him away.
Amen figured out a few things about his brother. One that his brother, Lucy, has no one in his life, is rather lonely, and doesn't have anyone to back him up. Everything in his brother's life, outside of Chloe is rather meaningless. Two, that his brother needs back-up, someone to pull him out of trouble and help him, since he literally has no one else. Not really.
[This episode doesn't make a lot of sense after last week's episode. Yes I know that's because they were filmed out of order. But for Maze to return then disappear from the scene entirely is...sort of odd. Dr. Linda makes some sense, but Maze? I suppose you can handwave it as Maze is off doing her thing and no longer heavily involved with Lucy. Also we didn't get any of Chloe's personal life (like in the previous seasons) so much as her professional. That's the glaring difference this season -- less of Chloe's personal life. The only episode in which we see it -- was filmed last season.)
Lucy is furious. And throws a glass at the mirror, then stares at his shattered image. He's having an identity crisis. At one point Amen even reminds him who he is --- you are the punisher of evil, not evil yourself. (Which I thought was an interesting perspective on the fallen angel/devil myth. Instead of the devil trying to take souls or being a devourer or acquirer of souls, or even a competitor of God trying to turn people evil -- the devil is a punisher of souls, who gives people a chance to redeem themselves...by offering them a choice. He also tortures them by making them relive their worst deed over and over and over again. Sort of a ground-hog day take on torture. Each punishment fits the thing they are the most guilty about or the emotion they satisfied the most. And it's different for everyone. The devil mythology here is rather unique -- which we can thank Neil Gaiman and Mike Carey for, not the writers of this series [ETA: apparently people prefer the cliche version of hell and the comic writers stuck with it and I gave them too much credit]. I'm pretty sure they took that from the comics. It was I liked about the comics. (Apparently I've confused the comics with something else that was much better written?)
* Lucy's way of getting favors is also interesting. He's inadvertently helping people. The Judge -- he helps by getting him back to his ex and doing what he desires, as opposed to killing the man or scaring him to death -- which he'd have done in the past. Instead he sheds "light" on the situation.
His namesake -- "Lucifer Morningstar" == light-bringer or truthsayer. He pulls out the truth.
Does it with the teens at the camp as well.
* I also liked Ella as forensic scientist, more of this please. I like serious Ella.
Next Week? Charlotte returns or Lucifer's Mum. Not really sure which. According to the preview, neither is Lucifer.
Other than that...there was some good moments. Granted none of them had Chloe or Pierce in them, but what can you do?
First - The Bad
* I really wish they'd cast someone other than Tom Welling in the Lt. Peirce role. Wasn't Dean Cain available? Every scene he's in, that doesn't contain Lucy, is boring and sort of grating.
* Ella: Pierce obviously has the hots for you, Chloe.
ME : Really? I'm not seeing it. Hots for Lucifer? Maybe. Chloe? No.
Chloe: Really? Not seeing it. And stop it, you are being annoying.
[Gee. Will you look at that? Chloe and I are in agreement. Does anyone see chemistry here? Or is just me?)
[That's telling not showing by the way -- with the writers having Ella tell us, seemingly out of the blue, that Lt. Pierce has the hots for Chloe. I have a feeling a good majority of audience groaned in unison and thought, Damn. We were hoping he'd have the hots for Lucifer, because that would be much more interesting. Chloe/Pierce is predictable -- not to mention slightly offensive in a post-Weinstein universe -- so do not want.]
* I'm having issues with how they are writing Chloe...she seems to be more reactive and very passive.
In some ways she was far more interesting last year. Now, she's back to bored partner of Lucy, who is mildly annoyed by him, but puts up with him because she has to and he's doing all the detecting.
And, I'm sorry there is NO chemistry between her and Welling. The only person Welling has chemistry with is Tom Ellis.
* The humor in this episode sort of grated...and was a little over the top. Also you can tell they wrote this prior to the events of this past week. I can't help but wonder if the events of the past week may have changed some bits of the episode?
* Poor Detective Dan -- Pierce is an ass to him. Although he did get union rep, but apparently that's for has-been's? Weird diss of unions by the writers.
* Not sure what game Pierce is playing -- but he appears to be going after Chloe, and Lucy, but in different ways. I don't trust him, and still think he's the villain.
* Oh, he got shot? Will he die? No? Damn.
It's just giving Chloe something to bond with him over. (Chloe stop getting swept off your feet by guys who jump in front of bullets for you. I get that you feel indebted et al, but really? Writer's stop doing this. This is annoying. You are trying to have your cake and eat it too, the guy saves Chloe, Chloe then sort of saves him. They bond. Ah love. Bored now. You did it with Lucy, you did it with Dan, now Pierce? We're on to you. Come up with something new. Also, why are you trying to make Tom Welling look like he's in his 40 or 50s? He isn't, it's obvious. You've added streaks of gray to his hair, have him in low sort of gray lighting, and slightly unshaven, but he just looks odd, and a bit ghoulish, not old and seasoned. This role was poorly cast. I'm sorry, it was.)
The Good
* Amandial getting picked up by a hooker, after striking out trying to be Lucifer, was admittedly amusing -- if only for Det Dan having to get him out of jail. I rather like the DD and Amen relationship.
* Lucy and Amen's relationship is equally interesting. YAY, Amen for calling Lucy on his shit. The last scene of the episode was actually worth all of the annoying bits. Lucy tells Amen about someone he tortured in hell --- and how that person reminds him of Amen, Amen shrugs it off, and tells Lucy that he knows exactly what he's doing and it's not going to work. He's not going to push him away.
Amen figured out a few things about his brother. One that his brother, Lucy, has no one in his life, is rather lonely, and doesn't have anyone to back him up. Everything in his brother's life, outside of Chloe is rather meaningless. Two, that his brother needs back-up, someone to pull him out of trouble and help him, since he literally has no one else. Not really.
[This episode doesn't make a lot of sense after last week's episode. Yes I know that's because they were filmed out of order. But for Maze to return then disappear from the scene entirely is...sort of odd. Dr. Linda makes some sense, but Maze? I suppose you can handwave it as Maze is off doing her thing and no longer heavily involved with Lucy. Also we didn't get any of Chloe's personal life (like in the previous seasons) so much as her professional. That's the glaring difference this season -- less of Chloe's personal life. The only episode in which we see it -- was filmed last season.)
Lucy is furious. And throws a glass at the mirror, then stares at his shattered image. He's having an identity crisis. At one point Amen even reminds him who he is --- you are the punisher of evil, not evil yourself. (Which I thought was an interesting perspective on the fallen angel/devil myth. Instead of the devil trying to take souls or being a devourer or acquirer of souls, or even a competitor of God trying to turn people evil -- the devil is a punisher of souls, who gives people a chance to redeem themselves...by offering them a choice. He also tortures them by making them relive their worst deed over and over and over again. Sort of a ground-hog day take on torture. Each punishment fits the thing they are the most guilty about or the emotion they satisfied the most. And it's different for everyone. The devil mythology here is rather unique --
* Lucy's way of getting favors is also interesting. He's inadvertently helping people. The Judge -- he helps by getting him back to his ex and doing what he desires, as opposed to killing the man or scaring him to death -- which he'd have done in the past. Instead he sheds "light" on the situation.
His namesake -- "Lucifer Morningstar" == light-bringer or truthsayer. He pulls out the truth.
Does it with the teens at the camp as well.
* I also liked Ella as forensic scientist, more of this please. I like serious Ella.
Next Week? Charlotte returns or Lucifer's Mum. Not really sure which. According to the preview, neither is Lucifer.
no subject
Date: 2017-10-26 07:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-10-27 12:42 pm (UTC)Amenadial's desire to help him, to beg his favor, to be his father's favor -- from Lucifer's perspective is just more torture. He tortured people in hell in that matter. The Devil completely agrees.
But, while the show is from his perspective, that's not necessarily what the writers are saying. Lucifer is an unreliable narrator. It works better for him if there is no such thing as redemption, if the world is nicely clear cut, black and white. No shades of grey.
Amendial sees through it -- and says, you aren't evil Lucy, you punished people who are. And you don't want to believe you can be redeemed or forgiven, but I'm here to help. And I don't see that as punishment, even though you do.
(I can't really speak to the comics, because I do not remember them. I only have vague recollections. Shapinglight is the expert on the comics.)
Also, the whole episode was commenting on redemption and Lucier's inability to view it as possible. The guy who ran the camp kept saying people can change, that people are not defined by one action. Lucifer saw the mans' actions at the end as proof that he couldn't be, but is that true? Some of those kids had changed. But Lucy can't see it that way.
He wants the good vs. evil universe, even if that's not really the one he lives in.
no subject
Date: 2017-10-27 02:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-10-27 04:12 pm (UTC)Here - I'll repost that section of my post, and hopefully clarify it:
Which I thought was an interesting perspective on the fallen angel/devil myth. Instead of the devil trying to take souls or being a devourer or acquirer of souls, or even a competitor of God trying to turn people evil -- the devil is a punisher of souls, who gives people a chance to redeem themselves...by offering them a choice. He also tortures them by making them relive their worst deed over and over and over again. Sort of a ground-hog day take on torture. Each punishment fits the thing they are the most guilty about or the emotion they satisfied the most. And it's different for everyone. The devil mythology here is rather unique.
I think you thought that I meant the devil to equal hell or as a metaphor for hell in the post? The devil=Lucifer, not "hell". The devil is an individual. When the devil gives people a choice to redeem themselves -- it's prior to when they end up in hell. Such as Lucifer with the Judge in the beginning of the episode -- "what do you really desire? Do you really want to hurt me? " The Judge -- "No, I'm tired. I want a nap. I want to just play cards and chat with my ex-wife. My new wife is exhausting me." See? He is giving the Judge a choice. So, Lucifer asks -- "why not spend time with your ex-wife, and I'll spend it with your new one, and you owe me a favor?" Again a choice.
By the time they are in hell, it's too late - they are dead. Hell itself is not redemptive. Any more than Heaven itself or Earth would be. Those are "places". It's how you react that is.
But instead of torturing people with boiling oil or physical torture, Lucifer tortures them with what they did in the past. He tortures them with guilt. Sometimes he will torture them by removing what they desire. He tortures by using their desires against them. And he offers them choices based on what they desire. "What do you desire? What do you want? What can I tempt you with?" And how they react, what choices they make determines the result.
Usually the devil in mythology does this, but wants to acquire souls, to take. But Lucy is more complicated, he just wants to see the truth.
no subject
Date: 2017-10-27 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-10-29 01:05 am (UTC)