‘Lucifer’ Summer Watch: Pilot Recap
The summer is upon us and that means a chance to catch shows that we may not have had time to watch throughout the year. This summer, I’ll be giving Lucifer a shot after Mondays got a bit crazy during the midseason.
Lucifer’s pilot did a few interesting things when it came to introducing the characters and their relationships that I didn’t anticipate, despite all of the gifs, tweets, and photos I have seen while also maintaining a formulaic approach in a few aspects of the hour’s story.
The pilot introduced the cheeky and charming Lucifer Morningstar as he got stopped by a cop. Though it looks like a routine stop, we got to see from the beginning what kind of skills Lucifer’s got as he gets the cop to reveal a few desires and secrets. Secrets and desires that helped him get out of that ticket. Though he starts the hour flirty and mischievous, his demeanor temporarily changes when his friend, Delilah gets shot right in front of his club, Lux. In walks Detective Chloe Decker, who takes over Delilah’s case, and quickly reacts to Lucifer’s attempts at charms and his explanations of his backstory with a healthy amount of skepticism. Seeing that relationship develop, especially after her attack at the record studio by Delilah’s former producer (and man who ordered the hit), will be fun to watch and see whether she changes her mind about who he really is.
The case felt fine to follow along with and had that emotional tie to the main character so that was where it felt its most entertaining, though the investigation itself felt similar to other procedurals’ structure.
The show managed to maintain some unconventionality when it came to the characters and some of their ties to each other and of course, the part of the series that focuses on his less than warm and fuzzy relationship with Amenadiel, who seems to be catching on to the subtle changes his brother’s personality has gone through since he began his retirement. But his brother is not the only one as his bartender, Mazikeen, seems to be getting that impression as well. It will be interesting to see those relationships develop (or deteriorate).
Lucifer also introduced Chloe and Dan’s daughter, Beatrice (Trixie), who seems to know more than she should for her age while also keeping that bit of innocence. That mix made for some amusing interactions between her and Lucifer, especially considering that he is not a fan of children.
Tom Ellis’ Lucifer Morningstar was just the right amount of snarky and witty to make it entertaining. The dynamic between Ellis’ Lucifer and Lauren German’s Chloe reminded me a bit of the initially adversarial relationship we see on crime dramedies like Castle, which was fun to see on a show that incorporates different supernatural aspects.
What I enjoyed: Lucifer’s snarky side, the chemistry between Lucifer and Chloe from the moment they meet, Trixie and her introduction to Lucifer, and Dr. Linda Martin’s inability to fight Lucifer’s charms.
And that’s it for the pilot. Onto episode two!
Law student by day (and night), Brianna spends her time away from books, briefs, and outlines watching TV and writing about it at TwoCentsTV, TheTVAddict, and now here at FanFest. Superheroes and a crime-fighting zombie currently rule her DVR. All other nerdy musings 140 characters or fewer at @WhenWatchingTV
