Devil's Advocate: Lucifer Episode 305, "Welcome Back Charlotte Richards"

TRICIA HELFER returns to the role of Charlotte Richards in this episode of Lucifer. Only this time she's really Charlotte Richards. Prior to that, she was a human host occupied by Lucifer's mum, the Goddess of Creation. When Lucifer gave her a new home, the body collapsed. By rights, that should have been it, since the body was freshly murdered when mum took it over. But there's something deeper going on, and Charlotte is oblivious to it. All she knows is that she's lost six months of her life, her family, her children--and she has to go on acting like she remembers it all to avoid people thinking she's crazy. Because she's pretty sure she spent the last six months in Hell.

Fortunately for her, she's got an expert in the subject when she confides in Lucifer Morningstar (TOM ELLIS), who is the perfect person to help her right her course -- and make up for teaching Trixie (SCARLETT ESTEVEZ) some creative swear words, which frustrates her mother and Lucifer's partner, Detective Chloe Decker (LAUREN GERMAN) to no end.

The case for Chloe and Lucifer this time involves a body found scalded to death in an industrial vat of tasty pudding. The motives run the gamut from revenge to sabotage to corporate espionage, as there are two pudding companies involved, and Charlotte Richards represents both of them. But guilt is starting to weigh Charlotte down, and she's not going to let it send her back to that place she came from. So when the truth comes out about the crime, Lucifer has to go stop Charlotte from doing something stupid enough to condemn her all over again.

This episode was tightly focused on the core group of characters, including Detective Espinoza (KEVIN ALEJANDRO) dealing with his emotions when Charlotte returns and still doesn't remember their relationship. And CSI Ella Lopez (AIMEE GARCIA) continues to be an absolute delight in her approach to spotting clues and reacting with excessive enthusiasm and loyalty. That's two episodes down with no mention of the Sinner Man, and one episode without either Amenadiel, Lt. Pierce, Mazikeen, or Dr. Martin. That's a lot of main characters to be leaving out.