A lot of really special moments have happened on Lucifer, ones that we’ll never forget. “All About Eve” features perhaps the most important moment of the entire series: the reveal of Linda’s home, as Linda does have a home outside of her office. A beautiful, spacious home. Sure, it’s treated by all the characters who enter it in this episode like it’s been there the whole time but make no mistake, it has not.
Strangely enough, that’s not the focus of this episode. The previous episode briefly introduced Eve, brought a prophecy into the mix, and broke up Lucifer and Chloe’s partnership. “All About Eve” handles the aftermath of that, as the first episode of the season free of Lucifer wondering about Chloe’s state of mind, for better or worse. Quality-wise, it’s for better, as both Lucifer and Chloe have their ways of coping. Lucifer actually handles it like the emotional heartache it is, until he has to throw himself into helping Eve. Chloe, however, takes it as an opportunity to prove that she can do her job without Lucifer.
Chloe actually proves herself right, while proving she can even out-Lucifer Lucifer when she cashes in on a favor from “The Concierge of Crime” Bashir Al-Fassad (Nicholas Massouh) before he can. (Thanks to Lucifer apparently “gushing” about Chloe every chance he got. But he gets her back by getting intel from Ella. It’s all just as mature as you’d expect.) Once both are on the case, neither actually prove to be better at solving it—though, Lucifer’s less concerned with solving it and more about retrieving the necklace that surrounds it—as one party always makes it to one point of the case just before the other. This is part of what makes it one of the more interesting case, as it’s not approached as a standard “case-of-the-week.” This is a case with two different angles and perspectives, and while it’s not the type of thing the show can do all the time, it works here. It still keeps the thematic throughline, with Chloe and Lucifer even finding proxies in “the reasonable one” (the murderer) and “the fun one” (the victim), respectively, in this case. Plus, it allows Lucifer to have an auction paddle with the number “69” on it because of course it does.
As I mentioned about the season premiere, there’s nothing quite like disheveled Lucifer, and despite how strong he was during his confrontation with Chloe, that was the end of his strength. He’s finished all the booze in his penthouse, has eaten nothing but delivery food since the partnership break-up, and he’s walking around LUX in nothing but a robe (and underwear) to replenish the former. At least you can’t say he gets into these states for petty reasons, because the Chloe issue is based on her fundamental inability to accept him. Enter Eve (Inbar Lavi).
After giving us the Goddess of Creation and Cain (and an episode featuring Lauren Lapkus as Abel, which we should never forget), it makes sense Lucifer would go the route of Eve. Tinkering with the source material a bit, Lucifer and Eve were an item back in the day, and the rest was classic Lucifer dick joke history. And what better timing for her to swoop in than when Lucifer and Chloe are on the outs… and when there’s a prophecy about Lucifer and his first love bringing forth evil. There are, however, differences between Eve and “Mom” and “Pierce.” Eve was actually in Heaven (suggesting she’s not evil, despite that whole “original sin” thing), a place the Goddess was cast out of (banished to Hell) and Cain desperately wanted to enter (though he was evil). She’s a human, and she somehow (an unanswered question) found a way out of Heaven and onto Earth. (The greatest throwaway line is that she woke up in a “dusty old tomb.” Where the hell was that tomb located?)
Eve craves excitement and newness, and like Amenadiel, she too found the Silver City lacking on that front. In fact, one of Inbar Lavi’s early highlights as this character is the way she talks about how “happy” everyone is up there all the time. That one word speaks volumes about a place that’s technically paradise. And now she’s on Earth, inconveniently part of Chloe and Dan’s murder investigation in this episode.
Despite a familiarity with Inbar Lavi’s past work and a desire to see her on this show, I’ll admit I was a bit worried when it was first announced she’d be playing Eve. The natural assumption was that it would mean the Lucifer/Chloe situation would boil down to jealousy taking the wheel, and while this episode ends with Chloe missing her shot, there’s still a lot more at play when it comes to the current status of their relationship. In fact, there’s a lot more at play with Lucifer and Eve’s status too, thanks to the prophecy. But it also comes down to the writing and portrayal of Eve, and I think Lucifer makes a solid statement here about what this character is all about, that makes that initial worry a thing of the past.
One thing about Eve is that, while she’s a bit naive—having been off Earth for thousands of years—she’s also highly-aware in a lot of ways, as she decided to spend her time in Heaven talking to and learning about every new soul who entered. She knows a lot about the human experience and has great emotional awareness, to the point she’s able to deduce what went on between Lucifer and Chloe just through some brief glimpses of their interactions. She’s not helpless or useless, and even little things like her clearing Lucifer’s penthouse of his delivery boxes and empty bottles show that. She’s certainly giddy over certain things—whether it’s waving into the camera during a video call or seeing Lucifer in action or finally getting to do the “ball-smashing”—but it’s worth noting Eve isn’t just a “sexy baby” character. She’s simply a human who gets to appreciate Earth the way it is now after years of being bored in an actually perfect place. It’s not exactly an easy character to pin down, because it can go the way of too oblivious to function. To compare her to Amenadiel again, while he had to learn how to be invested in humanity and Earth, she’s amassed thousands of years and countless stories that have given her that investment. On top of that is the fact that Eve seems to be exactly what Lucifer needs right now in terms of acceptance. Because Eve doesn’t just claim to accept Lucifer completely, she proves it by the end of the episode. Her reaction to Lucifer’s Devil face is the exact opposite of Chloe’s in episode three, and you don’t need to wait a week between episodes to see that.
Of course, Eve isn’t perfect: It’s clear from the moment she hears the term “separate ways” she’s going to try something to keep the excitement going, to make sure Lucifer doesn’t return the necklace to Bashir, which she does. And it’s clearer even earlier that she didn’t just come all the way to Earth just to experience new things: She came back for Lucifer. Thousands of years of being in a loveless marriage, perhaps hearing about all the chances at love the new souls she met had during their time on Earth—that’s probably enough to make you think about taking the leap and giving it another shot with your first love (and your first, you know), especially when there aren’t any other options. (I imagine that no one in Heaven would even consider pursuing Eve, because who would want to be the homewrecker responsible for breaking up Adam and Eve?)
Another thing I mentioned about the premier was the choice of Sherwin Shilati as the director made sense based on his past episodes, and that is even more apparent here, with the standout scene in the form of the bar fight. It’s one of those immediately rewatchable Lucifer scenes, with every beat a standout moment. (I’m partial to Lucifer finding a drink, downing it, then chucking the glass at a dude and the moment of a waitress defending Eve in a moment of girl power.) While fight scenes were always a pleasure when Lucifer was on FOX, that was also because they weren’t as common—even though Lucifer’s fight scenes are cool and so different depending on the character fighting. A large part of that was because of how often Lucifer was near Chloe in that type of situation, so these moments were few and far between. That actually ends up being the perfect way to end this fight scene too, as it falls in line with the idea that nothing can stop Lucifer when he’s on top of the world… except the Detective.
This is also the first truly “fun” episode of the season, even though it’s still tackling serious issues. Obviously, Chloe’s emotional state post-Devil face reveal was a necessary focal point, but because of it—and because of the way it affected her partnership with Lucifer—those first episodes simply couldn’t be as fun. Amenadiel held it down on that front in those episodes, and he, Maze, and Linda continue to do so in their plot here. But just the Eve character itself allows the episode to get loose in a way an episode with Kinley couldn’t. In fact, it would have been jarring to witness Linda spiral over a potentially-flying angel baby and her and Amenadiel bubble-wrapping the ceiling fixtures in an episode with Kinley orchestrating brutal murders. There’s a chance Lucifer could pull it off, but it doesn’t need to take that chance.
While Chloe’s still grappling with the fallout here, she gets some very good advice from Ella (and actually listens, unlike Dan) but she also gets a reality check from Maze. We’ve seen Maze continue to interact with Trixie away from Chloe, but here, we check back in to see that Maze has been avoiding Chloe altogether since she realized Chloe was keeping Trixie away from her. So Maze decides to move out and instead move into Linda’s home (as “Auntie Maze”). Because, again: Linda has a home. While it’s unfortunate to see Maze and Chloe also break up like that, it at least allows for more of the parenting trio of Linda/Amenadiel/Maze and for Chloe to speak to Linda, as the only two humans in their group that know the truth.
In previous seasons, it probably would have taken even longer for Chloe and Linda to have their one-on-one about being in the know. It still would have been a great scene though, no doubt. But the best part about this scene is how it just flips from Linda helping Chloe adjust to Chloe being Linda’s emotional support without even skipping a beat. This scene—and honestly, all of her scenes in this episode—is one of those big reminders of how much of a force Rachael Harris is and how much she brings to the table even when Linda’s technically not the heavy-hitter that everyone else. In fact, this whole pregnancy, in addition to Linda’s greater worries about the dangers that exist as being part of this group, has been great for Rachael Harris. Linda and Amenadiel are the rare characters on the show right now that get to thrive due to good things happening, not world-breaking, heart-wrenching things.
And that’s because while Lucifer can get darker—and this is perhaps also the rare time when a show promising to get “darker” actually does so well, without mistaking “darkness” and “edginess” for actual quality on its own—that darkness does not consume the series. Because to remove fun from the equation would diminish Lucifer’s worth. (Even at its most narratively confusing, season three still remembered the importance of fun.) Instead, it only seems to be increasing as time goes on.
Stray observations
- If you’re not familiar with Inbar Lavi’s work outside of this season of Lucifer, I cannot recommend the show Imposters (also streaming on Netflix) enough.
- I know their names were “Tony Golden” and “Pablo Silva,” but the pun of “Golden Silva Jewelers” makes me irrationally furious.
- Whether it’s his attempt to get Eve a suite at the Waldorf or his adamance to settle this necklace thing, Lucifer provides a much-needed reminder that, despite what Chloe’s believed lately, Lucifer doesn’t necessarily need to change to do good or be there for someone.
- Lucifer: “You’re not Rafael with five stars.” This season has had fun with how powerful Lucifer is when he’s not near Chloe, and this time, it proves it early on with Lucifer getting shot in the face and his biggest problem with that being the service.
- Eve: “I always felt like something was missing. People always forget I didn’t choose Adam. I was created for him. Turns out an arranged existence kind of takes the spark out of things. We got along just fine, but I don’t think he ever really loved me. The real me, you know. It hurts, not being accepted for who you are.”
Lucifer: “I would imagine.” - Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing Bashir Al-Fassad again. All he wants to do is do crime (but only the fun ones!), give his wife a necklace, and drink mojitos.
- Amenadiel: “A boy?”
Maze: “Better luck next time.” Also: Hehe, “A-MINI-diel” - Chloe: “Wait, what? You’re pregnant?”
Lind: “Yeah. With an angel baby. Ha! Truth be told, I’m freaking out, Chloe. I mean, it’s all just… It’s all just hitting me all at once, you know? Just how dangerous… How dangerous my friends are and how… How dangerous this baby inside me might be. I mean—there’s a good chance it could come out with wings. Wings! Is that even safe for a human to deliver? Should I have a C-section? Will insurance cover any of this? I mean, who knows? Who knows, Chlo?”
Chloe: “Okay. Linda. Linda. If anyone can handle this it’s you. You’re different than me. She calls her “Chlo.” - Eve: “Hello again, Detective.”
Chloe: “Please don’t call me that.” This is after Eve gives Chloe “the weirdest interview,” where she analyzes Chloe (and Chloe’s appeal) pretty perfectly. Though, the “Don’t worry. There’s someone out there for everyone.” suggests she thinks Chloe will just move on from Lucifer, which is where she’s wrong. - Ella: “I mean, I guess what it really all comes down to is one simple question: Do you want him in your life or not?” This is the question Chloe has to figure out an answer to after all that’s happened. While she decides yes, it ends up being too late for that to be the case in at least a romantic sense.