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Once upon a time,there was a world, just like ours, but with one small change that changed everything.
God


"Once Upon a Time" is the twenty-sixth and final episode of the third season of Lucifer. This episode was initially supposed to be part of season 4, but following FOX's cancellation of the series, the episode aired as a bonus episode two weeks after the season 3 finale.

Summary[]

"Set in an alternate universe where God changed one little thing, which affects Lucifer, Chloe and the people around them."[1]

Plot[]

The episode opens with Chloe chasing a bad guy, she is then cornered and gunned down by three men with automatic weapons. Unusually, a voice-over begins with “once upon a time there was a world like ours but with one small change that changed everything.”

Chloe appears to be dying, but a man rushes to her side and calls her Bonnie...and then she chokes on the blood squib. Chloe is still an actress, playing a cop named Bonnie Genaro. It's the fifth time she's played Bonnie in the Weaponizer franchise. Her friend, stunt man, Stryder Novac tells her he is leaving the film to join a auto racing team, and invites her out to celebrate that night.

Over at Lux, Lucifer is performing “My Way” in front of a crowd. Maze tends bar, wearing a half face mask. Lucifer wraps his number, and spots Chloe coming down the stairs. She passes him by and heads straight to her friend, Stryder. The voice over comments on how simple changes can make best friends total strangers. It is then the voice identifies itself as God.

Charlotte Richards arrives at Lux, acting as Lucifer's attorney in his plan to expand Lux into Vegas. They head up to his penthouse, and despite a valiant effort, Lucifer cannot find the mood he needs to consummate his relationship with her. He blames it on being in LA too long. He opens the safe and gives her the cash she needs to cover expenses.

Chloe is next seen speaking with Dr. Martin, and talks about shooting Weaponizer 5 and being bored with her work. Linda listens and suggests maybe she should try playing something different, reminding Chloe that she has always wanted to be a role model and that she inspires little girls. Chloe smiles and says it's just like they were back in session, and looks around the television set that is pretending to be Linda's office. They compliment each other on what they have accomplished.

God admits he may be controlling, but that wonders if things would still happen as they should if He never put Chloe in Lucifer's path, “Would they still get together?”

The next morning, Lucifer finds Stryder's body in Lux. He calls the police, and God points out the difference a family can make, and since Dan never married Chloe, his moral compass points decidedly south. When his partner found cash on the body and Dan is okay with him keeping it, and it is implied this is not the first time.

Lucifer met Dan previously, on Delilah’s murder. Dan never found the man behind her killer, going with the easy option. Lucifer, therefore, has nothing but contempt for Dan, calling him detective Dildo. Dan decides the easy answer here is that Stryder was killed in a bar fight. Lucifer disagrees, but Dan tells him to stay out of police business. This time, Lucifer is determined to find the killer because the murder has stalled his Vegas deal.

God comments that no matter what reality, he and Lucifer have a complicated relationship, and segues into the relationship Chloe has with her dad, he is the small change; he did not die when Chloe was a teen, but lived to make lieutenant of detectives. She asks him about the murder because Stryder wasn’t looking to fight and was just celebrating getting a job driving for NASCAR. She asks to speak to the detective handling the investigation, but her dad won’t let her near an open case. He reminds her police work is more dangerous in real life than in the movies.

Lucifer then pays a visit to a tattooed, gun-toting Ella at her black market garage and he wants to know about the weapon used to kill Stryder. Ella says it’s a T-handled Torx driver, but it’s been sharpened to poke a hole in something. When Lucifer reveals it poked a hole in a person, Ella can’t believe he let her touch a murder weapon. She wants no part of this until he threatens to tell the cops about her operation. Ella gives in and provides more details on the tool, describing it as from a pro-racer tool kit. It has a number stamped on it and a red label. She’ll work on figuring out what used to be inscribed on it.

Lucifer pays her and heads off to the race track. He’s given a VIP pass by security when he says he’s looking for answers on a murder, and he’s ushered over to Chloe. She has introduced herself as a cop – the same one she plays in the movies, and Lucifer is happy to see her instead of Dan. She, however, tries to shoo him off, and when he turns to leave, compliments her on her previous busts from the Weaponizer movies. He mentions the hot tub movie, and she asks him not to.

Chloe confesses she worked with Stryder and believes he was murdered. She thinks the killer was Rex Wilson, the driver Stryder was going to replace, since Rex is still driving now that Stryder is dead. Chloe asks who he is, and Lucifer introduces himself. Chloe is not impressed. She doesn’t want to leave this murder investigation in the hands of a “boozy” nightclub owner. She wants to stay on the case because she can thinks she can handle it better than he can. To prove her point, she gets a special pass to visit the pits.

Back in the evidence locker at the precinct, Charlotte busts Dan while he’s stealing cash. She tells him about a safe with hundreds of thousands of dollars in it, and she has the combo. He’s all in when he learns it’s Lucifer’s place. “I’d love to screw over that douchebag.”

At the track, Rex is on his practice run when Lucifer stands in the middle of the track, summoning Amenadiel. Time slows, and Lucifer works on pulling Rex from the car while he and his brother play catch up. He discovers Amenadiel has not been back home, and he admits he can’t go home and face their everyone with Lucifer still on Earth and refusing to return to Hell. Amenadiel won’t mix with the humans and Lucifer suggests he try talking to one sometime. With Amenadiel's departure, time resumes and Lucifer pulls Rex out of the car which speeds off without its driver. Security arrive to haul Lucifer off the track as Chloe walks away with Rex, tossing a smile at Lucifer.

Once she has him in his trailer, Chloe demands to know about Stryder’s murder, but Rex claims not to know anything about it. She threatens him with bodily harm and Lucifer arrives to applaud her reprise of the speech she gave in Weaponizer 3. When Chloe complains that he blew her cover, he says he has skills of his own and mojos Rex. He tells them fans follow drivers now, not cars, and Stryder was a client. It was Rex who arranged for Stryder to replace him. Stryder apparently needed the money. And he was arguing with someone from work.

After they leave, Chloe wants to know how Lucifer got Rex to talk. He explains, “People just like to tell me things.” Chloe thinks they want the same thing, suggesting they team up to investigate since she knows who Stryder was fighting with at work.

Chloe and Lucifer arrive on her set and watch Erika Dunlap, Chloe’s co-star, arguing with stunt coordinator Ben Rogers (Brian Tee). Chloe then tells Lucifer Erika got hurt and was looking for a settlement when eyewitness Stryder refused to back her. Maybe Erika killed him out of anger, and Chloe suggests Lucifer have a chat with her and do “his thing.” As she waits outside the trailer, Chloe’s dad arrives on set and he has heard what she’s been up to. He’s also heard she’s been working with Lucifer, and is not happy. On cue, they both hear Erika and Lucifer having sex in Erika’s trailer. Lt. Decker continues to berate Chloe until Lucifer emerges from the trailer, rumpled and covered in lipstick. He claims to have pumped the suspect and gotten what they need, Chloe says he was supposed to use his mind trick. Lucifer suggests she should have been more specific.

Lt. Decker tells Chloe to go home, and leaves. She sighs and says she can’t believe she thought he’d be proud of her. Lucifer commiserates, and reveals he believes she can solve a murder. Lucifer learned that Erika is so flexible she could put her ankles around her neck, therefore, she wasn’t injured. He also learned Erika needed money and Stryder told her he could help her out because he and a partner were going to steal something valuable from the set. Stryder probably backed out of the heist so he could take the NASCAR job. They just need to figure out who was Stryder’s partner.

While Lucifer is out, Charlotte creeps into the penthouse and opens his safe. It’s full of stacks of bills and gold bars. As she begins removing them, she finds out she’s not alone. Maze is right behind her, along with her mask-wearing culties. Maze says she doesn’t care about the money, she just wants to know why Charlotte wants it. At first, Charlotte lies, saying Lucifer needs it to finish the Vegas deal, but then admits she wants it, she deserves it. When Maze asks what she’ll do with it, Charlotte snaps, “Whatever I damn well want.” Maze frees her and allows her to leave, and tells her to embrace all that darkness, warning her that the more she sins, the more fun it will be for Maze when they meet again someplace hotter. Charlotte grabs the money and steps into the elevator. Maze gives one final warning, “If I ever see you and that boy toy in Los Angeles again, I will gut that pretty belly of yours. Everyone knows you don’t steal from the Devil.”

Chloe and Lucifer head over to Ella’s to find out more about the murder weapon. Ella is initially appalled that he would bring someone in without asking, but then recognizes Chloe from her films and goes fangirl, saying Chloe inspired her to steal cars. Ella then reveals the murder weapon had “Last Lappers” filed off the handle. Lucifer recognizes it as being from an ‘80s racing film and Chloe knows stunt coordinator Ben Rogers worked on that film.

Chloe and Lucifer then head to another Weaponizer set looking for Ben Rogers. He’s not around so they try and figure out what Ben and Stryder would have attempted to steal. Just then Lucifer spots Ben driving off in a $6 million James Dean car.

They take off after Ben, and cut him off before he can leave the set. Lucifer and Chloe confront Ben, informing him they’re aware he killed Stryder. Chloe says they found his prints on the murder weapon and Ben acts guilty. Theyr are sure by his reaction that he killed Stryder. Ben makes a run for it, and they give chase. Lucifer catches up to him first, and shoots Lucifer repeatedly, horrified when the bullets don’t affect Lucifer. Chloe comes up behind the distracted Ben and knocks him out.

Chloe’s dad arrives on set and Lucifer informs Lt. Decker he underestimated his daughter. Lt. Decker calls Chloe brave and says he’s never underestimated her. He’s only kept her away from his job because it scared him that she might want to become a cop. He knew she could handle it, but he didn’t think he could. He assures her he just wanted what was best for her. They hug, and the lieutenant takes off to clean up the crime scene. Lucifer muses that their dads are not all that alike after all.

That night, Lucifer and Chloe sit together looking out over the lights of the city. Lucifer says he had a fun time on the investigation and Chloe calls the investigation fulfilling. She thinks she might want to be a real detective. Lucifer laughs, but Chloe is serious. He then suggests he might tag along. When she says that won’t ever happen, he asks if she’d like to make a bet.

God suggests that no matter how you shake things up, some people make the same choices and are drawn to the same people. He then echoes Chloe's dad, “After all, a parent just wants what’s best for their child.”

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

  • TBA

Trivia[]

  • The episode title is said by God.
  • When Charlotte left with Dan, it is probable that this version never got married or had children.
  • Chloe in the alternate universe seemed far more willing to believe that Lucifer was a psychic unlike her main universe counterpart when she saw Lucifer convince someone to reveal his desires, it could be that being an actress left her more open-minded, as the original version was hardened by her father's death and years of police work that needed cold, hard facts.
  • Lucifer seems to notice somethings that confuse him, such as being unwilling to sleep with Charlotte Richards who in the main universe was possessed by his mother. This suggests that celestial beings might be able to sense that they are existing in an alternate universe created by God.
  • One of Rex Wilson's sponsors is Top Meet, the dating company that appeared in "Chloe Does Lucifer".
  • This episode could be seen as God trying to justify why he acts the way he does, as with the exception of Chloe and Lucifer all the other main characters have lives that are worse in some way in comparison to their original ones: Amenadiel wants to pursue friendships with people, but is unable to let go of the original belief that as an angel he shouldn't interact with humans; Mazikeen never emotionally evolved into a kinder person and became worse; Linda betrayed her morals for her reality show's rating; Ella is a criminal, though she still seems to be a good person; and Dan and Charlotte are very corrupt, though do care about each other.
    • Though Lucifer may never know it, this story proves God does wish for his happiness.
  • This is the last episode of the series to air on FOX following its cancellation of the series. Three weeks later, the series was picked up by Netflix.
  • The episode description on Amazon Video indicates that it's Lucifer's mom, i.e. Goddess, that created the alternate dimension.[2] This is either an error (writing "mom" instead of "dad") or implies that "God" in this episode is actually Goddess.
  • Neil Gaiman, who voices God in this episode, is the author of the Sandman comics on which Lucifer is based.
  • Mazikeen's appearance in this episode matches her comic book counterpart, who wears a mask over half her face to hide her disfigured demonic form.

Gallery[]

Links[]

Season 3

References[]

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