Lucifer – Love Handles

By: Paige Zinaman

When the twelfth episode titled “Love Handles” kicked off we see some intense making out from Chloe (Lauren German) and Lucifer (Tom Ellis), while the very fitting song “Seven Devils” by Florence + The Machine sets the tone in the more devilish ways. As things intensify Chloe and Lucifer make it to the couch where Lucifer is now shirtless asking if Chloe is sure. She tells him to shut up they continue, only to have Chloe draw back and see Lucifer’s horns – literal devil horns – or as Lucifer referred to them as “love handles.” We soon see a very frightened Chloe sitting up in her bed realizing that it was just a dream and then notices that Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt) is sitting in the corner of her room eating popcorn.

Lucifer is at Dr. Linda’s (Rachael Harris) for therapy when he tells her that this time (meaning his relationship with Chloe) will be different that he’s decided to take things slow. When asked why Lucifer says he’s a responsible devil and that he knows how big the kiss was to Chloe. Linda asks him more questions and she tells him she thinks he is stalling. She tells Lucifer that he’s stalling because he is realizing how complicated his relationship is with Chloe, but Lucifer starts opening up more telling Linda he doesn’t know why after everything he told Chloe about how she could do better she still chose him. Linda tells Lucifer that maybe Chloe is just “taken” by Lucifer, which he says in impossible because Chloe is immune to his charms.

Meeting Chloe at a college campus to go over to the crime scene it’s clear that the dynamic between the two are frazzled. They are trying to find how to navigate where they go from the kiss. Chloe is a literally a giddy school girl when she sees Lucifer and when he tries once again to use his charms on Chloe she asks what he’s doing because he knows that stuff doesn’t work on her. Confused, Lucifer turns to walk into the building when Chloe slaps his butt and giggles. He just stares at her and she tries to get out an explanation, but stutters through it before agreeing that it was weird and that they should head inside.

Once inside, Ella (Aimee Garcia) informs Lucifer and Chloe that the victim is nineteen-year-old Rick Cormier, a freshman at Malibu State. His friends thought was passed out due to a big win over a rival school only to have Ella tell Lucifer and Chloe that he died of poisoning. While Lucifer tries to get things back to normal Chloe starts acting giddy again and making jokes thinking that was where Lucifer was going with his line of questioning. Ella tells both Lucifer and Chloe that the poison was tearing through his body and that she would have to reach out to her forensic buddies just to see if anyone knows anything about it. When questioning one of Rick’s friends he tells them that actor Johnny Kane had stopped by and that he signed some DVDs for the kids as he was researching a role. Lucifer starts saying positive things about Kane, which confuses Chloe until he points out that Johnny Kane is standing behind them holding a butcher knife asking if he is too late. He says that he couldn’t do what the man said – cut his face or he would kill the kid.

At the police station, Lucifer and Chloe talk to Johnny Kane as he shows them the email he got which included a video of a masked man in a lab that told him that he had twenty-four hours to either carve his face and an antidote would be delivered or Rick Cormier would die of poisoning. Lucifer starts about how the person behind the mask is playing God. Before he leaves Chloe in the interrogation room he goes to call Charlotte (Tricia Helfer) only for her to suddenly appear at the police station already working on case and ignores Lucifer’s phone call. Lucifer confronts Charlotte telling to fess up and asking what she has done to Chloe. He explains that Chloe had kissed him, which is slightly delightful for Charlotte. Lucifer tells her to spare him the shock and just tell him what she did. She tells him she can’t take credit. She asked why he’s upset, thinking he would be pleased with the change in the relationship. He tells her that he’s upset because he doesn’t know if it’s real. Charlotte gives Lucifer some “motherly” advice and tells him to follow his heart as things have a way of working themselves out. Dan (Kevin Alejandro) shows up and it’s an entertaining scene that involves name calling between Dan, Lucifer and Charlotte who tells both men she has to go and reminds Lucifer to remember what she said.

Chloe and Lucifer follow the lead they got from tracing the email to the campus library to a Matthew Hoffing (Scott Patey) who is a TA. Lucifer and Chloe weave their way through the library and discuss how it smells like feet and how Chloe thinks libraries can be romantic. She asks Lucifer if he’s ever made out in a library and Lucifer asks Chloe what is going on with her stating, “This is normally where you tell me to focus on the work.” He also mentions that he has made out in a library. Chloe finally asks Lucifer why he’s avoiding having sex only to be interrupted by a woman’s screaming. They go inside the room and find Matthew in a very compromising position. When Matthew cleans himself up, he comes out of the bathroom and tells Chloe that he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Chloe asked about his email and he says that it’s his, but he only uses it for porn. When Chloe tells him that his email was used to send a threatening email to Johnny Kane, Lucifer adds, “You better come clean now. Pun intended.” Matthew confesses that he is a fan of Johnny Kane, but not enough to email him and that he couldn’t have because he was TAing a class. He says he can prove it except when he pulls it up there is the original email plus a new one that proves he couldn’t have sent them.

In the new email the masked man once again targets a Dr. Gwendolyn Scott (April Grace). The video gives Dr. Scott a choice between destroying her hand or letting Ashley Corbett (Max Chadburn) die of poison, once again telling the target if she chose correctly then an antidote would be delivered. When Lucifer and Chloe go to a frat house party, Lucifer tells Chloe she needs to be less hall monitor and more forward teacher. Chloe and Lucifer go inside and Chloe tells him that they need to find Ashley and not have fun. As Lucifer is yelling out Ashley’s name and asking if anyone has seen her, a group of girls flock him and tells him that he has to do something for them first. Meanwhile, Dan sits with Dr. Scott who asks him what he would do if faced with a choice like she was given Dan tells her that he doesn’t know what he would do. Lucifer is chugging beer from a funnel when he asks again if they could him where Ashley was, the girl leads Lucifer upstairs by the hand. Chloe looks up and watches it happen. She follows him upstairs where she finds Lucifer smoking and having a group chat. After asking what he’s doing he tells Chloe that Ashley is in the bathroom and he doesn’t know what’s taking so long. She opens the bathroom door and they find Ashley with a bloody nose.

Charlotte pays a visit to Dr. Linda and tells Linda that she has upsetting information that could send Lucifer over the edge. She wants Linda to give it to him, but Linda says she won’t play a part in it. Linda tells Charlotte she’s too smart to fall for her tricks and that gives Charlotte the idea (much like her son) to find someone Lucifer trusts that’s foolish enough to tell him. Dan tells Dr. Scott that they found Ashley and that the poison is different and that the antidote is useless. This causes Dr. Scott to walk into the kitchen only for Dan to hear the garbage disposal. He runs into the kitchen to see Dr. Scott placing her hand inside. When Chloe and Lucifer talk to Dr. Scott, a delivery man shows up with a gift for the doctor that’s from the masked man who sent the antidote. Ella tells Dan that she got info from one of her buddies about a John Doe that was poisoned and left in a cargo hold of a plane that departed from LA. The poisons being used are designer poisons that needs designer antidotes. Dan notices John Doe and Andy Kleinburg (Jamie Kennedy), the rich guy from the stewardess murder, have the same birthmark and that John Doe is actually Andy Kleinburg. He had to have stolen the case of poison.

Chloe and Lucifer talk to Ashley who goes through her day and tells them that her arm hurt from where she got a flu shot. They discover that the other victim had a flu shot as well. They go back to the station where Dan shows them footage of Dr. Jason Carlisle (Tim DeKay) who was the doctor that ran the flu shots. The footage shows Dr. Carlisle getting out of a car that had crashed and that goes back for his dissertation instead of saving the college kid who was an Uber driver before the car exploded. After the footage went viral, Dr. Carlisle lost everything and decided to prove a point that people would make the same choice he did. When Lucifer suggest poking the bear Chloe sends an email to Carlisle that’s very brazen and rash. Carlisle responds with a video link, they talk and he tells them he’s not a selfish person as he gives a look at two students Leon Klem (Brent Connolly) has his leg in a vice and Benjamin Tibi (Cardi Wong) who is attached to an IV drip of poison.

Charlotte meets with Maze at a bar and tells her that she needs her to tell Lucifer something about Chloe for her. He will listen to Maze instead of her. Maze tells her to suck it up and do it herself to which Charlotte tells Maze that God made Chloe as a miracle and how Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) was involved. Charlotte takes Maze to see something to prove her point.

Ella is able to help Chloe and Lucifer find out where Carlisle is hiding by bringing up footage from the airport where they spot a key card to a rival school. Chloe and Lucifer go and find Carlisle who has locked them behind a door. He then tells Chloe she has a choice, save her and Lucifer’s lives or go into the room where the boys are with poison gas. Lucifer tells Chloe to go after the Carlisle and that he will get the boys out. He needs Chloe to get further away from him in order to make him less vulnerable. Chloe is chasing Carlisle across campus, finally getting him at a dead end when Lucifer breaks the door and gets the guys out. Carlisle ends up telling Chloe choice is an illusion and slits his throat. Chloe runs back to where Lucifer was and when he comes out he is ambushed by a hug from Chloe, finally realizing what they have is real. When Lucifer meets with Charlotte and Maze he learns the truth about Chloe and goes to confront her only to find out she has been exposed to a form of poison.