Review of ¡Diablo!

What is a pity in this episode is that Lucifer and Chloe's reunion doesn't happen: Michael's vile manoeuvre had already inevitably deprived them of it before Lucifer even returned... Hence no emotion, again, which appears to be this season's flaw so far, no tenderness, effusions or hugs, their couple not yet formed is already separated and Lucifer is only there as the millstone around her neck that follows Chloe everywhere to be forgiven for his umpteenth blunder... On the other hand, this episode completely faithful to the classic formula of the show and which wouldn't have looked out of place in seasons 2 or 3 is addicting and often very funny. Usually I don't really like these episodes called "meta", where a show uses a mirror image of itself to make fun of itself, an exercise in which Supernatural, for example, didn't convince me, but here, the fictional Diablo show is different enough from the real Lucifer in every way, carefully picking up the smallest details but systematically distorting them, not to feel like it's our show which is ridiculous and for us not to feel insulted as fans. Never named otherwise than by the names of their characters, as if they really were a second duo devil and detective, the actors playing Diablo and Dancer are the reflections of the state of mind of Lucifer and Chloe at that moment: he, living in his own fantasy world but not so stupid, has indeed guessed the identity of the culprit (does that remind you of anyone...?), and she, forced to play his stooge for a living and hating this situation, immediately becomes a role model for Chloe who sees in her the answer to the questions she asks herself about her free will, what depends on her will or not, what is her choice and what is not. Throughout the episode, the question of whether or not her love for Lucifer is real or not arises, tirelessly: the term is never uttered, but Lauren, once again excellent, makes it clear to us that Chloe feels like a prostitute that God paid for his son to have a good time, and her shame is palpable. No matter how hard Lucifer tries, nothing he can say makes her feel better. Michael has reasons to gloat: he hurt his brother even more than he initially expected! The long-awaited face-to-face between the twins is suffocating, their exchange of sarcasm and provocation gradually revealing a horrible truth: everything that Lucifer has ever done against the will of God, which cost him so much but offered him at least the illusion of being free, was put into his head by Michael! Lucifer never had free will! The prospect is dizzying... it is a pity that the director did not dwell longer on Lucifer's horror and dismay at the idea (hence no emotion again), but after such a revelation, the explosion of rage is understandable! The brothers grab hold of each other like two bickering teenagers, a scuffle like cats and dogs that makes us smile at these two dorks... at least until the moment when Lucifer puts an end to it with a brutality that leaves us speechless by picking up the blade that Maze, who came to attack him earlier, forgot there to cut Michael's face! The devil then believes that he has won and everything will be fine, but the harm is done: when he joins Chloe, believing that he can discuss with her and finally express his pain at having been deprived of free will by his brother, she can't accept that he once again brings everything to himself, and it is with tears in our eyes for the first time this season (emotion, at last!) that we see their dialogue turn into an argument and Chloe state in a blank voice that their love does not exist... But for Michael, that is not enough, not now that his brother disfigured him for life; and when Maze comes intending to apologize for her attack earlier, a further proof that this character is really moving in the right direction, it's not the devil that she finds but the archangel, who makes her a disturbing revelation about a certain object that her former boss always wears on him... rather thrilling!