Devil's Advocate: Lucifer Episode 323, "Quintessential Deckerstar"

There's a lot of standard build-up, but the last ten minutes of this episode makes it the LUCIFER that Lucifans have been waiting three years to see.

Having realized that Chloe (LAUREN GERMAN) has broken things off with Lt. Pierce (TOM WELLING), Lucifer (TOM ELLIS) is eager to help Chloe get things back to normal. And what better way to get back to normal than to replay all their best moments, from first meets to game night to romantic dances. But Chloe isn't having any of it, and is determined to focus laser-like on the case presented to them: the murdered wife of a famous baseball player, Forest Clay (DOUG SAVANT).

The case makes it's usual twists and turns, beginning with Clay's mistress (EMMA BELL) and ending with...well, that would be telling.

Which makes this very hard, because the ending of this episode is what makes it all worth it. It's tear-inducing, twice-over, and hits a point where the showrunners could end everything right here and fans would be mostly satisfied. It's the point where the odds of screwing it up by moving further forward are increased exponentially.

Basically, Lucifer realizes that, as Chloe goes about solving the case and catching all the right bad guys, that she's never needed him working with her. And that breeds a revelation from Lucifer that is quite surprising, as this reviewer would have guessed that if Lucifer felt he wasn't needed, he would simply choose to leave.

While many fans may argue that the pinnacle of the episode is the new ground where we find Lucifer and Chloe, I believe the strongest position in the whole script is where we leave Dan (KEVIN ALEJANDRO), Charlotte (TRICIA HELFER) and Amenadiel (DB WOODSIDE). Dan has recently come out and stated his feelings for Charlotte, and she's reciprocated. But she's still plagued by her nightmares of her time in Hell, and included in that loop of guilt was tonight's prime suspect, Forest Clay. She's convinced he's got a history of abuse, and sets about to prove it -- not for herself, but to stop it from happening to others.

As for Lt. Pierce -- also known as the (formerly) immortal Cain -- he plans to get his mark back now by killing Amenadiel, with help from Mazikeen (LESLEY-ANN BRANDT). But when he decides he has to go it alone, things go horribly, tragically wrong.

If you've been away from LUCIFER for a while because of some of the more tedious episodes this season, come back for this one. It's what LUCIFER should be.