Deckerstar in 2x18 (meta and/or rant, I’m not sure)
I want to start this off by saying that I am in no way some pro “meta-ist”, or whatever they’re called. My specialties in life are rambling and forgetting things. I’ve never done a proper meta before, so I apologize in advance if this is a complete mess. With that being said, I have a lot of thoughts after watching the episode. So let’s try this:
First of all, not to be a negative nancy, but I think the episode as a whole was a bit of a mess. I’m not one to not like what the Lucifer writers do (I’ve never felt let down by them), but so much felt out of place, especially the Deckerstar.
I really hate admitting this, but, to me, it felt like fanservice. Which I know is crazy, they’re the main characters, the main relationship, and the heart of the show. With that being said, it really did feel like it. There was so much going on, and it felt like the writers just had to cram some Deckerstar in there too.
Now, why did it feel like fanservice?
First of all, they were clearly a side storyline. The main plot of the episode was Mum, which is completely fine - but not for what was going on between our dear devil & detective duo. What was going on between them, was the development of probably their biggest plot - Chloe finding out the truth. It’s been a huge theme between them since the Pilot, which is why I feel like shoving it to the side, and only for a single episode, feels like fanservice. They haven’t had any really deep, personal moments since 2x14 (other than the pier moment in 2x18, but i’ll get to that later), and since then they’ve barely spoken to each other, aside from their usual banter. It felt sort of sudden, that Lucifer just decided that now was the time to come clean. If it had been the main plot, it would have been great as a one-episode thing. But they didn’t do that. It just felt like a “hey, we haven’t done any deckerstar in a while, let’s just throw this in here, it is the season finale after all.” kinda situation.
Another thing that makes it feel a bit fanservice-y, is how ooc the whole thing seemed. I could be completely in the wrong, but hear me out:
Any time Lucifer and Chloe have a major development in their relationship, it tends to be because of some pretty heavy dialogue, or some big gesture. A few examples:
2x07 - their first real hug. Lucifer comforts Chloe about her father.
2x09 - Chloe saves Lux. Not only does Lucifer ask Chloe out on a real date, Chloe accepts. (Bonus: yes, Lucifer stands her up, but that was basically just because Linda called him out on Chloe (a silly human) being his home, not a place)
2x10 - The first (almost) successful date and their almost-kiss. They both develop sort of a new-found trust and respect for each other due to what they said in court, despite knowing a murderer could go free because of it.
2x11 - Their first kiss. I mean. The dialogue oh my god.
So why is it that Lucifer thinks that now is a good time to reveal the fact that he really is the devil, and probably also that whole thing about Chloe being a miracle child? I mean, yes the examples I gave were major milestones, but they weren’t nearly as heavy as the devil thing. When it comes to the first kiss, it was stretched out over two deckerstar centric episodes. I know first kisses are important but damn. What I’m trying to say is, “Why is it that all these major milestones were given entire episodes to be developed, but Lucifer (almost) telling Chloe everything wasn’t?”
In 2x18, Chloe says: “If you think that I wouldn’t forgive you for your mistakes, or your flaws, if you think that I don’t know who you really are by now, you’re wrong.” Now, yes, that is some pretty good dialogue, it measures up to the previous dialogue we’ve gotten, and it’s not ooc at all - this level of acceptance is probably the best thing Lucifer could ever hear. But again, this was not a deckerstar centric episode, and to be fair, from the way they’d interacted earlier, it felt a little out of place. Had it been a deckerstar centric episode, or had they just actually talked a bit more, either throughout the episode or since 2x14, I would probably have felt a lot better about this whole thing. Aside from that, it’s what follows next that really gets on my nerves:
The part that completely broke it for me - The final piece in the puzzle when it comes to Lucifer deciding whether or not to tell Chloe - the scene with Linda. This is specifically what feels ooc to me:
When Lucifer enters the hospital room, he himself says something about how he never should’ve dragged Linda into this whole thing. She protests, saying: “I walked into this with my eyes wide open, chose to be your friend, and face all that comes with that - the good, the bad, and the crispy.”
Now, I could easily be misinterpreting something, but I’m pretty sure Linda didn’t walk into anything with her eyes wide open. If anything, they were not only closed, but she had a blindfold on, and she was in the darkest room imaginable. Anyway. With the way the scene was set up, I can only imagine that what Linda said was what pushed Lucifer over the edge. Now my question just is...
How?
How did that make him think it was in any way a good idea to tell Chloe? Linda almost just died because she knows. The only (somewhat reasonable) explanation I can come up with myself is that Linda saying I chose to be your friend somehow makes him think that Chloe will get to choose... Something. I can’t even figure out what that something could be, but Lucifer does like his free will, so I guess.
It just still bothers me to no end, that even though this whole “choice” thing is correct, or even just about any other possible explanation, it just doesn’t make any sense. Lucifer’s main motivation for literally everything on this show is Chloe’s safety. He killed his own brother so that she wouldn’t die. If I remember correctly, he’s been willing to kill his Mum on more than one occasion to make sure Chloe will be okay.
He’s always, for some reason, been afraid to actually tell Chloe the truth. My guess is that he’s afraid of rejection. So, if we go by that, I guess both Chloe’s “I will always forgive you”, and Linda’s “I chose to be your friend”, could potentially give him a reason to tell her the truth. It makes sense. It’s not ooc. However, what I find so incredibly ooc is that he chooses to let Chloe in on all of this, that will no doubt affect her a lot more than it does Linda, right after Linda almost died. The one thing that Lucifer has been keeping Chloe from since day 1, just happened to Linda, because she knows the truth. This is cold, hard proof that knowing the truth is dangerous, so why would Lucifer, knowingly, put Chloe in danger? I seriously can’t come up with anything that makes sense. Let’s move on before I go insane.
To end this, here’s a reason as to why I didn’t like it that doesn’t have anything to do with being ooc or a having a fanservice feel to it:
How oddly the ending scenes parallel the 2x13 ending scenes. Like idk, to me it’s just seriously weird:
2x13: Chloe’s life is saved. She and Lucifer talk about something emotional, and Lucifer is being angsty. He leaves with a motive to do something that will have a huge impact on their relationship.
2x18: Linda’s life is saved. She and Lucifer talk about something emotional, and Lucifer is being angsty. He leaves with a motive to do something that will have a huge impact on his and Chloe’s relationship.
2x13: Chloe leaves a voicemail to Lucifer about how they need to talk about something important [their relationship], and says she’s coming over “now”.
2x18 Lucifer leaves a voicemail to Chloe about how they need to talk about something important [him, but it will affect their relationship], and says he’s coming over “now”.
2x13: Chloe discovers that Lucifer is gone.
2x18: Lucifer gets kidnapped or something, and seems to not make it over to Chloe.
2x13: Chloe is alone in a deserted penthouse.
2x18: Lucifer is alone in a literal desert.
(Bonus: they’re both finales)
I mean, come on. They’re incredibly similar.
Now for what makes them odd:
First Chloe is dying, but for some reason, it’s suddenly Linda who’s in the middle of all this.
Both times, Lucifer’s motives could potentially destroy their relationship. The first time because he shuts himself down and leaves, the second because he opens up, and actively seeks her out. (this boy just can’t win can he?)
Both times, they don’t end up meeting. The first time, it’s Lucifer who chooses to leave, the second time it’s by force. Both times, it’s Lucifer who’s missing, but the POV is changed.
As for the last one, that’s just incredibly ironic.
Other than Lucifer’s sudden decision to tell Chloe, this is what pisses me off the most. Like it really grinds my gears. I think it’s mainly because, unlike the other part, I can’t figure out why the hell these are so goddamn similar and so incredibly different at the same time. I literally have nothing. Not a single clue as to what any of this could mean. Will it mean that Chloe will feel betrayed, once again? Will it mean that we’ll have to go through a rehash of 2x14-18 again?
Whatever is going on, I will say, I do have faith in the writers. I really do. They’ve pulled through with these odd and confusing plot twists before, and they’ve always managed to answer every question I’ve had. I don’t know why, but this one just bothers me a lot more. I think it’s mainly because the parallels are so painfully obvious and at the same time so different and I can’t figure out why.
This was nice to get out, I guess. I’m not really sure if this even counts as a meta anymore tbh. I hope I didn’t ramble too much, and that this made some sort of sense. If anyone actually bothered to read this, maybe it sparked some ideas and theories? I’d love to know what everyone else is thinking, whether it’s good or bad. have a nice day lol
I was tagged by the wonderful @newyearsswifts to do this!
lets just ignore how late i am lol
ULTIMATE OTP: I don’t really have one tbh?? it changes constantly
A SHIP YOU’LL ALWAYS LOVE: katniss/peeta! love those dumb kids
MY CURRENT OBSESSION: probably clarke/bellamy bc its the only one of my shows that’s on atm
A SHIP YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU’D LIKE: james/alyssa!! jfc they really tricked me w pretending to be my least favorite trope EVER and then snuck up on me with breathtaking character and relationship development!! i’ve been tricked!!
A SHIP YOU LIKED BUT DON’T ANYMORE: emma/killian oops. it’s not that i hate them or anything i just don’t really...care abt them together anymore,,, s6 kinda ruined them for me and i deadass only care abt emma at this point lol
A SHIP YOU THINK SHOULD BE CANON: maze/linda!!
A CANON SHIP YOU HATE: r*mbelle. #/freebelle bitch
A SHIP YOU’VE BEEN SHIPPING FOR YEARS: katniss/peeta!! first ever “real” ship babes!! god do those fucks own me
A SHIP EVERYONE LOVES BUT YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT: oof im gonna get attacked for this,,, rosa/gina.... loOK ITS NOT THAT I HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST THem just dont think its gonna..happen... im struggling enough as it is w maze/linda i cant handle another one. alspo i really hope that rosa/gina rodriguez’s character is gonna become a reoccurring thing
FAVORITE RAREPAIR: im not 100% sure what rarepair means and im too lazy to look it up rn but... emma/chloe & rosa/maze. like..yes.
A SHIP YOU LOVE FROM AFAR, WITHOUT EVEN WATCHING THE SHOW: westallen. adorable legends.
