Lucifer, the TV series. Basic info & some ranting on the latest episode (because why write an entry)
I've been watching the US TV series Lucifer mostly out of morbid curiosity and enjoyment in Tom Ellis's very captivating, highly charismatic, and very OTT portrayal of the name character. The portrayal of Lucifer as a vain and irresistable figure who has no desire to go back to Hell is true to the comics, but the decision to make this into a (buddy) cop series troubled me.
But I decided to give it a chance. Okay, in some episodes it was enjoyably bad: Tom Ellis totally chews scenery and apparently has great fun as the completely amoral main character. Mazikeen is awesome.
But after all that awesomeness we go back to the buddy cop dynamic or the cop series in general. No, no, and no. It just doesn't work. Okay, they solve some cases, he shows his scary true nature, baddies confess, case solves. Booooring.
His female partner has an old case with her accusing another cop hanging above her. Her ex is a cop as well. All other cops dislike her, but she is slowly starting to work into a reconciliation with her ex.
That's the initial setting. The latter part is going to include some MAJOR SPOILERS
SPOILERS BELOW
Later on in the series Lucifer (Lucy from now on) becomes kind of obsessed with Chloe and with his powers finagles his way into a consultant position in the police force. He's also going to therapy with a female doctor who doesn't mind his payment methods (yeah, he continues to be kind of a sleaze all the time), but she is found by his rival angel Amenadiel, who wants him to go back to his job in Hell.
So, in essence, Lucifer's a TOTAL sleaze, Chloe mostly hates him, but he gets results in their cases. Detective Douche, i.e. her ex-husband, is not that great either, but, with a little help from Mazikeen, gets on track with his priorities, and tries to work with Chloe into a reconciliation.
Some episodes are better, like anything involving the actual mythology behind the series, and some are worse (all the "we must do serious detective work now!" eps). Because why would you have a Lucifer Morningstar, the ruler of Hell, as the main lead of a television show and end making it about some extremely mundane crime case?
Unfortunately, that's just what they've done. But there are still glimpses of a better, more interesting story hidden behing everything.
And I really thought we had a turn or change for better, since the previous episode was very much about Lucifer and Amenadiel, and the case (of course) of Lucy's missing wings. I loved the ending of the episode, where Lucy ended up burning wings in order to escape the path that had been chosen for him. But he also told Amenadiel how he had gone too far in his quest to get Lucifer to return to Hell. That was awesome!
Then in the next episode (1.08) we get a commercial American series choosing just the route I didn't want it to go on:
Lucy's clearly jealous of Chloe, Detective Douche turns out to be a bad cop and dies, though not before hinting at an even badder baddie hiding in the shadows.
1) I actually liked Chloe and her ex getting closer and working on their relationship like real adults, but now he's just killed as a baddie cop.
2) Lucifer's been jealous for a while, but UUUGGHHH, NO NO NO, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NO, please don't let any kind of romantice relationship develop between them. PLEASE NO!!!!!!
3) She's sort of interested, while at the same time appalled, and fascinated, but also disgusted and scared by him. Which is all okay. He is very charismatic.
4) But no, no relationship between them, EVER. Especially while she's grieving after his death and betrayal. NOPE.
But I decided to give it a chance. Okay, in some episodes it was enjoyably bad: Tom Ellis totally chews scenery and apparently has great fun as the completely amoral main character. Mazikeen is awesome.
But after all that awesomeness we go back to the buddy cop dynamic or the cop series in general. No, no, and no. It just doesn't work. Okay, they solve some cases, he shows his scary true nature, baddies confess, case solves. Booooring.
His female partner has an old case with her accusing another cop hanging above her. Her ex is a cop as well. All other cops dislike her, but she is slowly starting to work into a reconciliation with her ex.
That's the initial setting. The latter part is going to include some MAJOR SPOILERS
SPOILERS BELOW
Later on in the series Lucifer (Lucy from now on) becomes kind of obsessed with Chloe and with his powers finagles his way into a consultant position in the police force. He's also going to therapy with a female doctor who doesn't mind his payment methods (yeah, he continues to be kind of a sleaze all the time), but she is found by his rival angel Amenadiel, who wants him to go back to his job in Hell.
So, in essence, Lucifer's a TOTAL sleaze, Chloe mostly hates him, but he gets results in their cases. Detective Douche, i.e. her ex-husband, is not that great either, but, with a little help from Mazikeen, gets on track with his priorities, and tries to work with Chloe into a reconciliation.
Some episodes are better, like anything involving the actual mythology behind the series, and some are worse (all the "we must do serious detective work now!" eps). Because why would you have a Lucifer Morningstar, the ruler of Hell, as the main lead of a television show and end making it about some extremely mundane crime case?
Unfortunately, that's just what they've done. But there are still glimpses of a better, more interesting story hidden behing everything.
And I really thought we had a turn or change for better, since the previous episode was very much about Lucifer and Amenadiel, and the case (of course) of Lucy's missing wings. I loved the ending of the episode, where Lucy ended up burning wings in order to escape the path that had been chosen for him. But he also told Amenadiel how he had gone too far in his quest to get Lucifer to return to Hell. That was awesome!
Then in the next episode (1.08) we get a commercial American series choosing just the route I didn't want it to go on:
Lucy's clearly jealous of Chloe, Detective Douche turns out to be a bad cop and dies, though not before hinting at an even badder baddie hiding in the shadows.
1) I actually liked Chloe and her ex getting closer and working on their relationship like real adults, but now he's just killed as a baddie cop.
2) Lucifer's been jealous for a while, but UUUGGHHH, NO NO NO, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NO, please don't let any kind of romantice relationship develop between them. PLEASE NO!!!!!!
3) She's sort of interested, while at the same time appalled, and fascinated, but also disgusted and scared by him. Which is all okay. He is very charismatic.
4) But no, no relationship between them, EVER. Especially while she's grieving after his death and betrayal. NOPE.