We’re starting off this episode after finding out Lucifer is back from Hell. He seems different but we’re not quite sure why. Did Hell change him? Is it an imposter? Let’s recap what happens next in episode 2, “Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer!”
SPOILERS AHEAD! HEED THE WARNING!
The episode starts off with an astronaut, who seems to be in a space station, sneaking into the sleeping quarters of other astronauts while holding a knife. Slowly sneaking around the beds, she comes up to one bed in particular. Using the knife, she unlocks a box right above the headboard. Opening it, she takes out an apple and begins eating it. While savoring the taste, another person in an astronaut suit comes up from behind and stabs her in the neck. The astronaut falls to the floor and bleeds out.
Now back at the station, Chloe is looking around for Lucifer after his grand entrance mid shoot-out at the end of the first episode. Ella approaches Chloe, wondering what she’s doing, chalking it up to Chloe experiencing delusions. Chloe tells Ella that Lucifer is indeed back. Now that he is, Ella begins to question why he didn’t let her know that he had returned and why he didn’t initially say goodbye. Diffusing the situation, Chloe lets Ella know that he had a really good reason for leaving suddenly. Ella accepts this and decides that she won’t give him a hard time upon seeing him for the first time since season four.
We now get a glimpse at Lucifer. He is standing in front of a mirror naked, introducing himself to his reflection. He seems to be practicing lines, as if he’s preparing to put on a performance.
We now cut to the scene of the murder. Chloe and Ella are there investigating the crime scene. It turns out the astronauts weren’t in space. Instead they were participating in a Mars simulation project to prepare the participants to be the first Mars colony. As Chloe and Ella are discussing the case, Lucifer walks in to help. However, Ella has a grudge to settle and immediately starts hitting him with her shoe because he didn’t say goodbye. Lucifer sweet talks his way out of the wrath of Ella and all is forgiven until Chloe confronts him about lying, saying he never does. Lucifer then explains that he’s changed because while he was gone for only two months to Chloe, he was in Hell for thousands of years. To prove this, Lucifer compliments Dan, and Chloe seems to accept this.
Later on, Chloe arrives at Linda’s office to discuss Lucifer, claiming he seems different. Linda reassures Chloe that he has been away for thousands of years, so change is inevitable. And just as Linda thinks she’s getting through to Chloe, Chloe takes the entire conversation and turns it into something completely different. She thinks Linda is telling her to push Lucifer in the right direction and remind him of who he used to be. Linda then tells Chloe as she’s leaving that her and Lucifer are perfect for each other, referring to the many times Lucifer has taken what she says and twists it around to something completely different.
In order to try to make Lucifer remember what he was like before going to Hell, Chloe brings him along to interrogate the crew members of the Mars simulation. She hints at him using his powers, tries giving him alcohol, anything to remind him how he used to do things in order to solve a case. Lucifer, however, seems appalled by her suggestions, not wanting to partake in any of it. Chloe, once again, becomes suspicious.
After the interviews with the crew members goes nowhere, Chloe and Lucifer go to the project’s mission control to see if they can find a new lead. They speak to Sam Chavez and Mandy, who are in charge of the project, and came to the conclusion that the fired aerospace engineer Donovan Glover is the new suspect.
During the questioning with Sam and Mandy, Chloe was asking Sam questions about his experience during the first Mars simulation project. He said it can change a person because of the isolation. She prompts him even further, asking if he started feeling like himself after being back for a while, hinting at an alternative motive. This leads to Lucifer admitting that he’s changed but his feelings for her haven’t. He asks her for more time, and Chloe agrees.
Soon after finding a new murder suspect, Lucifer is back in his penthouse. As he’s getting settled, Maze attacks from nowhere, putting him in a headlock. Maze screams and screams, asking how he could go home without her. While getting choked, Lucifer admits he isn’t who he says he is. To prove that he is Michael, Lucifer’s twin brother, he shows off his black wings, a stark contrast to Lucifer’s white. Michael reveals that he was sick and tired of the other angels praising Lucifer for going back to Hell and doing what he’s supposed to be doing without being told. He’s in Los Angelos to play with Lucifer’s “little toys,” forcing him to come back and reveal his true colors. Michael then proposes that Maze help him pull this off so she can get back at Lucifer once he comes back to Earth.
We’re now seeing Michael for the first time this episode. He is in Lux, wearing a nice suit talking to some party goers, pretending to be Lucifer, when Amenadiel approaches him. Amenadiel is happy to see his brother, but then it quickly dawns on him that since “Lucifer” is in Los Angeles, no one is watching over Hell anymore, putting his half-angel, half-human son at risk. Amenadiel seems suspicious at first, but ultimately lets his worry for his son take over instead of the doubt in his brother.
Chloe and Michael are now in a car on a stake out for their new murder suspect. As soon as Donovan is spotted, he hops in his car and drives away, leading them on a car chase. Once Michael and Chloe are out of the car, Donovan drives straight towards them at full speed. Chloe’s gun shots don’t deter him, so Michael grabs Chloe, turns her around so she can’t see his black wings, and flies them both over the car, saving their lives.
Donovan is then taken into the interrogation room, and after questioning from both Chloe and Michael, they come to the conclusion that he is innocent. They now have a new suspect, Andres Brody, the millionaire who created the Mars simulation projects.
Soon after, Dan approaches who he thinks is Lucifer — who is leaning against a wall in the precinct. Dan suspiciously says that something’s off because Lucifer never does nothing. Before Michael can make up an excuse, Chloe steps in and interrupts them, hinting at them having the night off. However, Michael doesn’t seem to understand and states that he’ll go back to his penthouse. Alone.
Chloe has another idea. She shows up at Lucifer’s penthouse unannounced, holding a bag of dinner for them to eat together. As she’s looking around for Lucifer, she catches him and Maze hooking up. Heartbroken, Chloe immediately turns to leave. Michael, pretending to be Lucifer, goes after her and begins to make excuses as to why he was with Maze. Once Chloe’s done with the conversation, she leaves, leaving Michael standing there with an evil smirk. Seems like everything is going according to plan!
During their confrontation with their new suspect, Chloe asks Michael to uses his powers to get some real answers. He asks what the suspect fears instead of asking Lucifer’s normal “What is it that you desire?” Chloe is taken aback by this but doesn’t say anything. Instead, she forgives him for the incident with Maze and says she accepts the new him and all of the changes he’s endured.
After Amenadiel’s run in with Michael acting as Lucifer, he discusses his return with Linda as she came to pick up their son. He tells her that he’s not watching over the demons anymore but says everything’s under control. The two characters bring up the fact that Lucifer lies now, which is concerning for both.
Well surely he wouldn’t lie about something like this. -Amenadiel
Back at the precinct, Maze confronts Chloe after getting caught with Michael. Without Maze ever apologizing, Chloe forgives the demon for what she did. She says it made her realize that Lucifer is hurting as well and she wants to be the person he turns to. She then reveals that she wants to take their relationship to the next level. As Chloe walks away, the camera stays on her friend. Maze looks worried, because she truly knows her lover isn’t who she says he is.
It’s a late night in the lab for Chloe, Michael, and Ella. After Ella startles awake from a nap, Chloe and Michael go to get coffee. Things turn a bit steamy, and no, we aren’t talking about the coffee pot. It seems as if something is about to happen between the two of them, until Chloe realizes something for the case and runs off leaving Lucifer alone, but not for long.
Linda walks in as Chloe leaves to talk to Michael. The worry for her child is evident. And while Michael recognizes that, he also sees something else. He accuses Linda of not only worrying about the safety of her child but also her fear of being a bad mother, which Linda responds to with silence.
With a new lead, Chloe and Michael head to Sam’s house, and while the front door is locked and Chloe seems to be ready to leave, Michael breaks the handle and walks right on in. As they look around the what seems to be empty house, they hear a shotgun cock. Before you know it, Michael is tackling Chloe away from the blast as the person fires at them. After yelling it’s the LAPD, the man drops his gun and begins explaining his side of the story. As he’s about to take the fall for the murder (even though he’s innocent), Mandy comes out and confesses. She explains that she thought Sam didn’t love her anymore after coming back from the first Mars simulation because he had changed so much, bringing the problems between Chloe and the man she thinks is Lucifer to the forefront yet again.
After the intense confrontation and arrest, it cuts to Maze walking into the penthouse as Michael gets ready for his date with Chloe. She’s there to stop Michael from hurting her friend. But now Michael has revealed his plans have changed; instead of ruining Lucifer’s life, he’s going to steal it. Right before Chloe arrives at the penthouse, Michael chokes out Maze, ties her up, and hides her in another room.
While Maze is passed out, trapped, Chloe and Michael profess their love for each other. It’s a special moment for the two, as it seems they’re about to take the next step in their relationship. But before that happens, Chloe shoots Michael in the leg, proclaiming that she knows he’s not Lucifer. She tells him, “I wanted to believe you, but then I saw you with Maze. That’s when I knew. Lucifer would never do that to me.”
As Chloe continues to shoot Michael (because it won’t actually hurt him), he finally reveals who he truly is. As if him revealing himself wasn’t enough, he then explains that Chloe is a gift from God. He tells her that she was never supposed to exist, and God made her for Lucifer. He made her to be Lucifer’s “little play thing.” Her disbelief is evident, and she kicks him out of the penthouse.
It cuts to Michael in Lux, drinking at the bar. Amenadiel has found out who he truly is and tells him to go home. After a quick threat of telling the other angels about Amenadiel’s son, Amenadiel stands up to Michael saying he doesn’t scare him. He toys with Michael’s psyche a bit by saying he knows Michael’s true fear is Lucifer being better than him. Amenadiel finalizes his verbal attack by saying Lucifer will always end up winning. After the assault with words, Michael backs away slowly into the crowd sinisterly, saying a quick “We’ll see.”
Within the last scenes of the episode, we see the characters going through personal stress, sadness, and turmoil. Maze wakes up and breaks free from her handcuffs, clearly angry. Linda is sitting at her table, looking at a photo of her holding a little baby back in 1994, silently crying. Chloe stands alone, holding her bullet necklace, the worry evident on her face. As the camera pans down from Chloe to Hell, Lucifer is walking the grim hallways, seemingly unbothered. He’s approached by Amenadiel, who tell him it’s time to come back to Los Angeles. Before going to black, Lucifer leaves us with one final phrase: “Why, what happened?”
