REVIEW: Lucifer, S2E15 – Deceptive Little Parasite

Last week’s Lucifer ended with the revelation that Azrael’s sword is the flaming sword, which they need to return to Heaven. What comes next? Charlotte (Tricia Helfer) awaits Lucifer’s (Tom Ellis) reaction while she fills Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) in on the situation. Soon enough they discover that the sword’s been hidden in plain sight the whole time; now it just needs Lucifer’s rage to ignite into flames.

Knowing the truth makes Dr. Linda Martin (Rachael Harris) more of a delight than usual, as she prods for information on what Heaven is really like. She’s not the only hilarious character, of course, and Mazikeen (Lesley-Ann Brandt) does her part by annoying Chloe with her lack of listening skills. While Maze doesn’t get much screen time, she showcases some of her own growth by having Chloe’s back when it counts.

Since Lucifer is hellbent on learning to control his emotions in order to wield the sword of Azrael, the case of the week is tied to emotional self-control. Yet it is Chloe who gets to exercise her detective work by using reverse psychology against the dean to get him to point the way to material witnesses and suspects in the case. Her working the mystery – and Maze’s help – is more useful than Charlotte trying to gift Lucifer with a foursome, but Charlotte does wind up giving her son the idea for his shenanigans this episode.

Trixie can charm everyone in a heartbeat.

Trixie (Scarlett Estevez) gets a chance to shine, pretending to be Lucifer’s daughter Tracy in order to infiltrate the school. Terrible parenting on Lucifer’s part, but boy does it make for an entertaining plot. While her actual parents (including Kevin Alejandro’s Dan) are searching for the murderer, she is on the hunt for emotion-controlling centers with her mom’s partner.

The fun side plot quickly shifts gears, though, when Trixie admits to feeling sadness over her mother’s near-death experience. The scene is impressive on all fronts. Estevez’s young talents are on full display, while Ellis keeps the tone light – and the moment is crucial when it comes to solving the case as well. It’s not every procedural drama that can so deftly combine the quotidian elements with the emotional character development.

Parents can get the truth from even principals.

As serious as the school and parenting issue gets, Lucifer keeps the atmosphere humorous with Charlotte’s increasingly drastic attempts to awaken her son’s emotions and tap into the sword. Those attempts bring out some jealousy in Amenadiel, and Woodside makes the most of the scenes expounding his point of view.

In the end, while the episode’s case-of-the-week was enjoyable, the real meat of the hour lies in the interpersonal relationships. Chloe and Trixie tug at the heartstrings in scenes that further and hopefully change their dynamic forever, and even Lucifer comes clean with Linda. One person who doesn’t speak their truth, however? Charlotte, who it turns out needs to get into Heaven before she actually dies on Earth. How will her sons react when they find out the truth?