Lucifer Review a Day

 5x10 Bloody Celestial Karaoke Jam

I really enjoyed this, which as a musical lover wasn’t surprising but coming off the last episode was.

We start with “Wicked Game” which is a song I love in general and fit so well (with the minor changes) coming of the confusing back of last episode. The vocals were solid and the filming/editing was great they way Lucifer and Chloe were worked into the frames. Trixie’s drawing of her and Lucifer is adorable and makes me want her to find out who Lucifer really is because I feel she may be one who takes it really well. Also, Lauren German is unfairly beautiful especially in that first shot. 

Dad entering led to one of my least favourite moments between them (but then again they were all top notch so that doesn’t say much). But hearing Lucifer say he destroyed his one chance at happiness made me feel for him. And if you remember from yesterday that end did some damage to my views and trust so it was needed.

I’m also glad they added Lucifer getting the message and the shock on his face and how it continued 4 hours later.

At the crime scene we have Chloe demonstrate her strength and complete faith in her and Lucifer. Hearing her so certain made me love her more especially when Lucifer so clearly thinks he is defunct. It also showed how Lucifer is nearly emotionally at the opposite of her and is completely lacking in faith in himself and as a result them because of him (and his dad’s) failings. Either way they both decide to keep working and focus on the case - leaving their relationship in no man’s land.

“Another One Bites the Dust” is a fun number that allows multiple vocals and just a big fun dance number. I love how canonically Lucifer fully participates in it but than is angry at dad. Who has turned up to spend time with Lucifer and ended up making everyone dance and sing.

During this crime scene visit Chloe questions Lucifer as to who he is talking to. Now Chloe doesn’t know God is in town and that bothered me but I reserved my opinion because I knew she would meet him but I loved that Lucifer didn’t want her to meet him because he expected her to be overwhelmed and thank him etc (think Linda last ep and Dan in a moment coming up). I loved that he said it not with resentment but resignation because he obviously understands humans enough to see why they would. But no amount of love I have for that compares to my absolute head over heels adoration on Chloe’s actual reaction. Chloe respectfully disagrees with Dad’s parenting and respectfully thinks he was just mean banishing Lucifer and than going cold on him...respectfully. This moment is made better by Lucifer’s pride and God clearly being impressed. The most accurate version 

Back at the precinct we have comedy gold in Dan meeting God. From his stuttered introduction to the finding out that he slept with God’s wife and God’s cool, “I’ll be seeing more of you” it is only not a highlight because of another Kevin moment coming up. 

The next song “Every Breath You Take” is sung by a suspects overbearing mother and Lucifer. Debbie Gibson makes an appearance and is expectedly good as is Tom and the song fits both characters well. It’s a strong performance but not my favourite possibly because it is expected that it is good.

Now I’m going to be honest and say I don’t actually remember the order of events in the middle. I’ve rewatched this episode once; my initial watch and then with my mum. It is also an episode that doesn’t rate high on my rewatch list so that does say as much as I enjoyed it, it is just a mid-range episode.

In the mix is a Bad to the Bone/Scrubs performance which may be my least favourite but not for performance reasons. Aimee and Lesley do a great job not just singing but dancing as well. Unfortunately this track feels the most separate from the story and even feels like a music clip slotted in the video, but once again it is well executed and performed. 

We also get a great moment in a locker room after Lucifer decides the best way to fix his relationship is by fixing the one he has with dad. In the lead up to this we have a great father/son moment (as in funny not emotional) involving coffee no one wants to get involved with, just to note. Going back to the locker room father and son play off each other well in one obviously wanting to get involved and the other wanting to do the job, the physical comedy in their performance nuisances made me wish we had seen God earlier to get more Lucifer and Dad. 

Now my favourite song is performed by Kevin Alejandro. After hilariously confirming that there was some over lap of Goddess and Charlotte while Dan was with Charlotte as well as the fact that God is not above petty grievances - and honestly it may be the single best reaction ever on Lucifer - Dan breaks out into “Hell”. Greatly performed and so damn catchy that even God starts dancing. It really is a fun moment. 

Naturally when family is getting in the way sometimes we need a break so after God makes a coffee Lucifer is determined not to like he is told to a̶n̶n̶o̶y̶ spend time with other family.

So God catches up with Amenadiel who has a sweet duet with Linda, which by the way features an awesome rap by DB. Learning a message about fathers on the way. 

While he is catching up, Lucifer and Chloe catch the killer who burns Lucifer - or would if he was invulnerable. Speaking of we saw Lucifer’s happiness with being invulnerable in 5x08 but now since he can’t say the three magic words it seems to just serve as a reminder of what Lucifer thinks he is incapable of. The underplayed sadnesses over this is perfect as Chloe asserts again that she has faith in him, even though he clearly doesn’t have it in himself (or Dad).

The best thing about this strong, certain and faithful Chloe is that she isn’t a pillar of strength. All her faith, love, strength and patience is coming at a price. Chloe is smart and as much as she wants to hear the words she also knows Lucifer loves her but currently his issues are putting a break on their relationship and that is effecting her happiness. Trixie is just as clever as her mother and in the song “Smile” we see just how much Chloe is masking and how much Trixie knows. A brilliant performance by Scarlett and a great opportunity to revisit Deckerstar moments. Seeing God witness this, consider knocking but moving on is great not only to get another rounded view of Lucifer and those important to him but because in that moment I feel that nothing God could say would be new to Chloe. She is smart, she is strong she just is I love with an emotionally screwed up but trying guy.

The final scene at the Penthouse really is a perfect conclusion to the funny mess of an attempt to mend a as-old-as-time relationship. Lucifer is angry but also incredibly sad, sad because being invulnerable meant that for the first time in his life he felt something and (in his eyes) since dad’s return that has been taken away from him. We get a duet of “I Dreamed a Dream” which may not be a perfect vocal performance but is beautiful for the story and emotions. God tells Lucifer he knows he is angry with him but that he can’t fix him which is not what Lucifer wants to hear because if God can’t fix you who can. But God himself is having issues which gives Lucifer a pause at the end of the episode. The tears flowed through this scene for both Lucifer who clearly feels so broken and doubly because he had a taste of happiness before this all happened and God who for someone Almighty just seemed so scared/unsure. There was something about God/Dennis crying that hit a place that ensured my tears continued until Lucifer’s shocked “Dad”.

This may not be an often rewatched episode but it was a good, enjoyable one. It didn’t help explain Lucifer’s decision of being incapable of love which will always be the weakest bit of writing to me, but it did give strong emotional moments for the characters that the music often enhanced. Sometimes music can communicate better than spoken words and this is true in this case.