'Lucifer' recap: An emotional farewell overshadows a long-awaited beginning 

\'Lucifer\' recap: An emotional farewell overshadows a long-awaited beginning

You know, not much could upstage the Deckerstar kiss as the emotional highlight of the episode this week, but somehow,

managed it. So let’s talk about the life and death and life and death of Charlotte Richards.

More than pretty much anyone else on

, Charlotte was us. Oh, sure, most of us aren’t cool, calculating attorneys with legs for days and a gift for withering honesty. We haven’t experienced literal Hell and come back changed. And we haven’t tried on drool-worthy diamonds in our homes.

felt the despair of unworthiness and the strain of unanswered questions. Do we deserve Heaven? Forgiveness? Love? Have our actions in life done more harm than good? And even if we try our hardest, can we ever be truly worthy?

Charlotte was selfish, flawed, vulnerable, self-pitying. Charlotte was human. And in the end, it was her imperfect humanity that saved her.

The episode opens with a glimpse at how important Dan has become to Charlotte: He now joins her children in being gunned down in her Hell loop by the murderers she set free. As for Dan, he’s waffling (sorry) between giving Charlotte a waffle maker or a silver waffle charm bracelet to celebrate their shared appreciation of that particular breakfast food.

As for Lucifer, he’s the usual two steps forward, two steps back on his personal growth, telling Dr. Linda that there’s no reason to be honest with Chloe about his feelings because she and Pierce broke up, which means Lucifer won. And he plans to get his relationship with Chloe back to normal, ASAP.

He does this by showing up at the new murder scene, playing the piano and reciting the words they exchanged when they first met. Chloe just wants to get back to work, but Lucifer continues to goof off, juggling and smoking pot to remind her of their old cases. At least Chloe manages to find a shell casing, which pleases Lucifer. “My shenanigans leading to a break in the case. That is quintessential Deckerstar.”

Less playful is Charlotte, who asks Amenadiel how she’ll know when she’s done enough good to earn salvation. For him, it’ll be the return of his wings, but until then, they’re equally mortal­ — and perhaps equally likely not to make it past the heavenly gates if they were to die right now.

Amenadiel then asks Lucifer if God actually wants them to judge themselves, meaning

the ones in control of their wings and devil face. Lucifer snidely says if that was the case, Amenadiel could just pop his wings out right now, then leaves his brother to brood.

Charlotte is further rattled when she arrives at the precinct and recognizes the husband of this week’s murder victim as Forest Clay, beloved American baseball legend and star of her Hell loop because she helped him escape justice during her defense attorney days.

Thirteen years ago, Charlotte’s boss ordered her to incinerate a blood-spattered bag belonging to Clay, and she did, likely helping to cover up a murder. And now she fears he’s killed again.

Chloe wants to know how Charlotte is so sure, and Lucifer gives her a choice between an obscure, enigmatic answer or a blunt nonsensical one. She chooses truth, so he matter-of-factly explains Charlotte’s Hell loop, confident in the knowledge that Chloe won’t believe him anyway, and

do I hope this season ends with Chloe as a believer.

When Lucifer hits Clay with the desire mojo, Clay confesses that he was with his girlfriend, Mia, when his wife died, engaging in rough sex. Then Mia accuses Clay’s wife of having an affair with the CEO of Clay’s sneaker business.

When Chloe questions the CEO, she says — in front of Lucifer, mind you — that working side by side with someone you have feelings for can be awful, especially when you have to squash them. The vapors, y’all! I’ve got them! The CEO directs their attention to a possible stalker, so Charlotte makes plans to study the security footage.

Charlotte hasn’t given up on the Clay angle and enlists an angel to help. Amenadiel strolls into her old law firm posing as Dr. Canaan, ostensibly there to discuss suing his doctor over a case of misdiagnosed chlamydia. But his real mission is to dump all of Clay’s files on a jump drive while Charlotte raises a ruckus in the lobby, warning her former partner that he’s as guilty as his clients and is therefore bound for Hell.

The scheme works, and they’re soon scrolling through 20 years’ worth of Clay’s non-disclosure agreements with 14 women, one of whom, Joanne, died at the same time that Chloe got rid of the bloody bag.

Oh, hey, in case you’ve forgotten, Pierce is still on the show, and Maze is still furious with him. She finds him hiding out in what looks like an old refinery, where he fills her in on the new plan: He’ll kill Amenadiel and get his mark back, then frame Lucifer so he’ll fly Maze back to Hell.

I…don’t understand. Pierce wanted to live as a mortal when Chloe loved him, but now that she doesn’t, he wants to go back to living as an immortal. Didn’t he want to die, like, three episodes ago? Honestly, the only consistent thing about the Pierce character are his fuzzy motivations.