LUCIFER 3x02 "The One With The Baby Carrot"

Lucifer Morningstar, the charismatic, favour-granting, exceptional-in-bed reformed Prince of Hell that we've come to know and love, so tortured over these past 2 episodes by the reappearance and constant regrowth of his wings and a faceless Sinnerman purported to be responsible for his kidnapping, is back. It took a long time to circle back to this ... perhaps not a reset, but a respawn ... And the Maze-centric episode next will provide a timely breather, removing us from the intrigue of the third season's mythology for a short while.

Lucifer's regrown wings cause problems
Image: FOX

   But there's no call to look that far ahead when we've yet to really unpack the second episode "The One With The Baby Carrot" (which I'm slightly frustrated I didn't immediately recognise as a euphemism for a micropenis. Also, take note Seth MacFarlane - this is how you do dick jokes). Lucifer's typically risqué (or at the very least, ribald) brand of humour was much more present (and oddly thematically relevant) in this episode, with a micropenis actually being a way for the LAPD to identify a murder suspect. I'm not sure that's a lead you would hope to find in, say, NCIS.

   And, oddly enough that leads me onto my next thought (go with me here, I will provide some context): one thing I've been impressed with so far in the opening two episodes of this third season is the show's ability to maintain, recognise and include coherent character progression across seasons. Dan's interest in improv classes, a minute plotline in the grand scheme of the second season's overall arc, has not fallen by the wayside: today, it was the catalyst for identifying the sufferer of a micropenis. Linda's injury caused by "Charlotte's" exploding light still lingers. Ella's geekiness - expressed in this episode in her love for a comic's puppet act - is always a joy, and one of the show's many quirky positives. This all helps to ground the characters in a storyline that could easily float away unchecked, given Lucifer's divine USP.

Pierce confronts Lucifer at Lux
Image: FOX

   The murder plot itself was also impressively Lucifer: well-formed, organically developed and it easily allowed the characters (primarily Lucifer) to segue in and out, effectively advancing their plotlines. This worked supremely well with new Lieutenant Marcus Pierce and the Sinnerman mythology, as we finally received a little context on the mysterious villain's past. He is a shadowy villain of unimaginable power with whom Pierce has crossed paths before; in fact, Pierce's dealings with the Sinnerman are the reason he has ventured from Chicago to LA - though it appears the Sinnerman has followed. And Pierce and Lucifer's embarking on a secret investigation to uncover the Sinnerman's identity shall provide an interesting shake-up of the show's dynamics - if that, as it appears so, is where the storyline ventures.

   As a final point, Amenadiel and Linda's sideplot in disposing of Lucifer's dismembered wings was brilliantly anti-climactic, made all the more enjoyable as the audience could follow this sideplot through Linda's befuddlement: I, like many - and like Linda - probably entered and followed this subplot expecting some divine method of angelic wing disposal, but at every turn we were hilariously let down until we were simply watching the pair set Lucifer's wings ablaze in an alleyway dumpster. Perhaps, however, it is Amenadiel's realisation that Lucifer may actually be his test from God that is the most important takeaway of this plot, if that is an avenue the third season intends to explore.

   I hope it is.

The staples of a classic Lucifer episode were abundant in this, including features I've yet to mention (such as Lucifer's brash misunderstanding of Linda's therapeutic advice), with some extra spice on top to shake things up. Lucifer has begun even better than I could have predicted, and I look forward to a lot, lot more.

RATING: 9.5/10

POINTS OF NOTE

• Yes, Wentworth interrogation room interviewer, I stole your phrase "unpack". I'm going to continue to do so.
• The cryptic build-up of the Sinnerman character is effectively done to evoke the worst we could imagine him to be, but I can't help but wonder if, in 24 episodes' time, the show will stick the landing.
• Also, referring to my earlier point about the show's character continuity, I'm pleased that Pierce's dislike of Dan's history remains strong. Season 2 depicted Amenadiel's redemption: could season 3 be Dan's?
• Pierce: "You're not the Sinnerman, he's smart and calculating."
  Lucifer: "You don't know me! Maybe I am the Sinnerman! Surprise!"
• Lucifans!

EPISODE 3x03 "Mr. and Mrs. Mazikeen Smith" PROMO