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Comics and TV fans alike were gutted last week when Fox announced that beloved shows Lucifer and Brooklyn Nine-Nine were officially getting the axe. Now, luckily some networks still have a lick of sense (NBC) so B99 was quickly saved, but as of this writing no one has come to Lucifer's rescue. Yes, we're apparently getting two unaired episodes back-to-back on May 28th, but that hardly makes up for the sudden cutoff, especially when our finale ended on a cliffhanger like that.
But you know what? There might be a holy, silver lining in all this.
On its surface "A Devil of My Word" ends at the worst possible moment: consumed with anger over Pierce's attempted murder of Chloe—and now armed with the knowledge that he and his brothers possess more free will than they originally thought—Lucifer subconsciously allows his devil face to return, giving Chloe a damn good look when she rushes back to help him. And if there was any doubt about Chloe waving this shock away as a trick, a hallucination, or a dream after she'd been shot, writer Egilsson is sure to leave us with her final words, "It's true. It's all true” repeated as the scene dissolves. Chloe's down-to-Earth nature might have kept her in the dark for three seasons, but she's never one to shrink away from the truth when there’s evidence attached. Having seen Lucifer in all his devilish glory, there's very little chance that she'll continue to deny the existence of Heaven and Hell.
Theoretically then we were finally given the moment we'd all been waiting for, only to have the consequences and emotional impact of it ripped away at the last second. Not exactly an uplifting way to end the series.
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However, this might actually be a very fitting end for our couple. The past few days I've been thinking back on Lucifer's other season finales and the questions that come along with them. Who is Lucifer's mother? Why was she in hell? Who kidnapped Lucifer? How did his wings return? Will he ever tell Chloe how he really feels? Most of these don't allow for us to extrapolate answers because they're based on a mythology that's entirely of the writers' creation (deviating heavily from Gaiman's original comics) and thus we're left in the dark until next Fall rolls around. But with "A Devil of My Word" we can extrapolate quite a bit.
That final question? The big one regarding whether Chloe and Lucifer will finally get the hell over themselves and kiss already? We got that! In the shock of a cancellation I think a lot of fans are overlooking that pivotal moment in "Quintessential Deckerstar." It took the idiot fifty-four episodes, but the threat of Chloe's almost-marriage and a bit more soul searching with Linda finally got Lucifer to make a confession, leading to Chloe telling him that he's not the Devil, "not to me." Yes, she doesn't get that he's literally the Devil just yet, but the sentiment remains the same. If anything this is a version of the sort of scene we'd expect to see in Season Four, in which Chloe comes to the realization that neither Lucifer's metaphorical or literal devilness is going to keep her from loving him. Would I have liked to know how logical Chloe would grapple with loving a supernatural being? Do I want to see how her acceptance of Heaven and Hell differs from the journeys we saw Linda and Charlotte go through? You're damn right I do. But if I can't see it then at least I can easily picture the end result. This isn't a, "Huh? God had a wife??" reaction. This is a, "Oh shit will Chloe still love him?" one, and the answer is obviously "yes." In true television style it no doubt would have taken them a long while, what with Chloe pulling away again before finally coming back, questioning her place in all this, Lucifer undergoing another bout of self hatred... but we would have gotten there eventually. Hell, God himself dictated their union. I might hate the guy, but if he ships your ship he can't be all bad, right?
That moment, that picture we ended on----Chloe's horrified face, Lucifer's anxious confusion----merely sets up a series of television tropes that we're all familiar with. This isn't a dig at Lucifer's writers. They've surprised me a lot for what's primarily a straight-forward, buddy cop show, but all that stems from the supernatural aspects. The actual romance follows the same sort of will-they-won't-they storytelling that we've come to expect of any man/woman partnered storyline. It's the X-Files. It's Castle. It's NOT Instinct considering they were brave enough to give us an openly gay and happily married male lead, but you get the idea. Even when the romance isn't overtly there viewers can expect to get some sort of happily ever after by the end of the series, or at least enough nudge nudge, wink wink fan-service to fuel interest. Their own worries about free will aside, no one actually thinks that Chloe and Lucifer won't end up together. At least I don't.
So we know the outcome of this conflict. We know that if we skipped past a fourth, a fifth, or even a sixth season that Lucifer and Chloe would end up back where they'd been in "Quintessential Deckerstar": sharing a passionate kiss while reassuring one another that they can look past any perceived faults. And though I hate to say it, most everyone else has wrapped up their season storyline pretty tightly. Amenadiel regained his wings and Charlotte gets to go to Heaven. Linda and Maze have finally made up. Trixie will, presumably, be receiving a heartfelt apology from her favorite babysitter-----and maybe a new knife to boot. Pierce achieved the death he'd been looking for and will no doubt find judgment in Hell. Ella got Chloe's forgiveness for rushing her into that marriage... The only one who really got shafted is Dan. Losing the only woman he loved after Chloe, falling back into his corrupt cop habits...Dan is the character with the most uncertainty surrounding him, despite what Chloe and Lucifer's final scene might suggest. Still, for an unexpected series finale, this season finale does a surprising amount of work.
Do I honestly believe that this season wrapped up better than the previous two, thus giving us the best possible ending in an otherwise terrible situation? Yes.
Am I nevertheless convincing myself of all this in an act of heartbroken denial? Absolutely.
Please #saveLucifer
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Image Credit
#1: http://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/947363-two-bonus-episodes-lucifer-to-air-on-fox-may-28
#2: https://fansided.com/2018/05/15/lucifer-series-finale-recap-devil-of-my-word/
GIF #1: https://omgluciferluver.tumblr.com/post/170022367658/beach
GIF #2: http://agentmulders.tumblr.com/post/171070729522
#3: https://twitter.com/NeilOakland1