A guard is at his desk at Performance Pudding Plus, eating pudding. He sees one of the researchers, Simon Fisher, come in, and Simon says that he has to make another batch. Simon goes into the factor and makes a batch in a vat, and hears someone moving around.
When the guard returns to his desk from the restroom, there's an alarm going off. He goes to the factory and finds Simon death in a vat of pudding.
At home, Trixie curses and Chloe makes her pay up. Lucifer gets Chloe's text and she tells him that Marcus texted to say that they have a case. As they prepare to go, Lucifer sees the swear jar and says that it's a way to extort money using arbitrary rules. He gives Trixie money to pay for swearing, and Chloe tells her that she's trying to teach her daughter accountability. When Lucifer points out that it's his fault that she got shot at the ranch, Chloe says that it's not his fault and Lucifer immediately agrees that it's God's fault and he's not going to pay him any attention before. Chloe tells Trixie to put money in the swear jar and goes, and Lucifer stops Trixie for a moment.
At the food factory, Ella examines Simon's corpse. Dan tells Chloe and Lucifer that Simon was a senior food chemist and there are scuff marks indicating a struggle. Ella says that Simon was scaled to death, and Dan says that Pudding Plus is his favorite. They talk to the guard, Lalo Vazquez, and Lucifer points out all of the security. Lalo explains that Simon created a secret pudding and says that they'll have to talk to the company owner to see the security footage.
At the station, Dan wonders if someone is trying to tell him something about eating pudding. Chloe brings in the CEO, Adrian Yates, and he's allowed them to see the security tapes. When they go into the conference room, Adrian says that he didn't bring the tape. Charlotte comes in and tells them that she's Adrian's lawyer, and she told him not to let the LAPD see the tapes.
Earlier
Charlotte wakes up and goes about her day. She has trouble concentrating because she can't remember the last few months, and looks at the scar on her stomach.
Now
Charlotte sits down with Adrian and Lucifer realizes that his mother is no longer in Charlotte's body. She says that no one is speaking to her client without counsel, but Lucifer wonders if she's back in his life for a different reason. Charlotte says that the tapes would show the proprietary formula, and Adrian talks about how the killer isn't visible in the tapes anyway. Chloe figures that means the killer knew how to avoid the camera, meaning it could be an inside job. She asks Adrian who has access to the lab, and Charlotte says that they're done there. Lucifer says that he's not doe with her, but Charlotte isn't interested and leaves with Adrian.
As she waits for the autopsy report, Ella sits down with Dan. She sees Charlotte and tries to lead Dan away, but he goes over and says hello to Dan. Charlotte brushes past him and hesitates before leaving. Lucifer comes over and wonders what Charlotte's angle is, and Dan tells him that he doesn't want to deal with his weirdness.
Later, Chloe and Lucifer arrive at a shooting stage. She's checked the seven employees with access to the lab and has determined that they have alibis. Adrian's former business partner Grace Foley also has a keycard and left the company two years ago to start a rival company, Heavenly Pudding. They're filming a pudding company at the stage. Lucifer is busy texting, and Chloe realizes that he's not listening to her. He explains that he's texting Charlotte and she's not responding to him, and figures that Charlotte's return is another of her father's shenanigans. Chloe points out that he said that he wasn't going to pay attention his father, and suggest that he needs a distraction. A model in lingerie goes past and Lucifer follows her.
The model enters a stage set up to look like Heaven with more model angels, and Lucifer wonders if God is involved with that as well. The models eat Heavenly Pudding for the commercial, and Grace yells for more pudding. Chloe asks her how she knows Simon, and Grace admits that she's been trying to poach ever since she left the company. She says that she didn't kill Simon and wouldn't admit it without her lawyer present. She texts her lawyer, and Chloe tells Lucifer to use his desire power. Lucifer asks her what her greatest desire is, and Grace says that she wants to stop shooting exploitive garbage. She admits that her pudding tastes like crap and they're using sex to sell it, and says that Simon offers to sell her the recipe three days ago. She needed Simon alive so that she could get the recipe.
Chloe suggests to Lucifer that it's corporate espionage, but he's too busy hitting on models. She tells Lucifer to escort the model back to her trailer while she asks Grace a follow-up. Lucifer goes with the model, Mandy, and tells her all about his problems with Charlotte. A man follows them, and Chloe comes up and tells the man not to move. She spotted him earlier, and figures that the man is a fixer to investigate corporate espionage. When the Fixer refuses to talk without his lawyer, Lucifer figures that it's Charlotte.
Dan goes to Charlotte's law firm and asks to meet with her. He asks why she's giving him the cold shoulder, and asks what she thought we were. Charlotte asks him what he thought they were, and Dan says that he has no clue. He describes how she seduced him and said he's her favorite human, and then she ghosted him. Charlotte tells him that it doesn't make any sense to her, either, and Dan tells her that she can't pretend it never happened. He says that he's just going to let it go and have Lucifer deals with her, and Charlotte seizes on the fact that Lucifer was close with her.
Back at the station, Chloe takes a call from Trixie's school. She has been using very "creative" language, and realizes that Lucifer is teaching her loophole curse words. Chloe complains that Lucifer made her job as a parent more difficult, and he says that he's going to deal with his father's newest mind game. He storms into the conference room and discovers that the Fixer's lawyer is Larry, not Charlotte. Larry explains that Charlotte is busy so the firm sent him. Lucifer tells Chloe that he just came to see Charlotte, and his being there would make Chloe's job harder.
Lucifer goes to his penthouse and finds Charlotte there. He figures that she's there for a reason, and she kisses him. Shocked, Lucifer shoves her away and insists that he didn't like it. Charlotte figures that they were close and tries to kiss him again, and Lucifer hastily backs away. She figures that Lucifer is obsessed with her, and she thought that it made sense that she was sleeping with Lucifer during her amnesia. Lucifer assures her that they will not ever sleep together, and Charlotte wonders what they were. He says that they were family, and Charlotte breaks into tears saying that she can't take it anymore. She explains that she's missing months of time and it's like someone else was living her life and ruining it.
Charlotte has no idea why her husband got custody of the kids and why she was denied visitation rights, and she's been pretending like she remembers it all because otherwise everyone would think that she's crazy. Lucifer assures her that she isn't crazy and figures that she's an innocent caught up in someone else's game. Charlotte says that it felt like she was trapped in a nightmare, reliving it over and over again. Lucifer realizes that she was in Hell, and suggests that Charlotte feels more guilt than she realizes. Charlotte wonders how she makes sure that she never goes back, and Lucifer tells her that it's her second chance and she shouldn't be devious. She wonders if impeding a homicide investigation counts.
At the station, Dan tells Ella what he did. She tells him that the autopsy found a couple of kidney stones and Simon was suffering from intense renal failure. Simon would have died in days from urinary sepsis, and Dan figures that it's no coincidence.
Chloe questions the Fixer and asks if he figures that Simon is handled. The Fixer says that a month ago, the two pudding companies decided to merge. Larry confirms what he's happening, and the Fixer points out that there's no motive for murder. He followed Chloe so Simon's death wouldn't threaten the murder.
Lucifer calls Chloe into the conference room. Charlotte is with him and gives Chloe the security footage, and she says that she's trying to change. They play the video and see the off-camera fight, and then Simon fall into the vat. Ella notices Dan eating his pudding and slaps it out of Dan's hand, and says that she just saved his life. She then points out that the two chemicals Simon was using, when combined, over time cause renal failure. They figure Simon was exposed to the poison, and Charlotte says that the company would still make hundreds of millions of dollars and it would cost the company less to endure the lawsuits. Adrian, Grace, and the Fixer all have motive. Lucifer points out that Charlotte represents all of them, and Charlotte walks out. When Lucifer goes after her, she wonders how guilty she is if she defended three guilty people.
As Charlotte gets in the elevator, Ella comes over and tells her that she used to see a light in her but now all she sees is darkness. She tells Charlotte that she's watching out for Dan and lets the elevator doors close. Meanwhile Chloe looks into the company's financial and discovers that Lalo is the one who stood to gain hundreds of thousands of dollars in vested stocks if the companies merged. If Simon had revealed the truth behind his illness, Lalo would have lost it all. Lalo tells them that they went out drinking a month ago, and Simon go drunk and said that Adrian wouldn't listen to him and maybe Simon should just end his life. Chloe figures that Simon killed himself to lead them to the toxin.
Dan checks Simon's will and learns that he donated everything to charity. Chloe figures that Simon faked the scuff marks to make it look like murder so the police would keep investigating the companies. Meanwhile, Lucifer calls the firm, and the receptionist tells him that she left to meet with her clients.
Charlotte meets with Adrian, Grace, and the Fixer at the factory. She says that no one is leaving there until she figures out which of them murdered Simon, and takes out a gun. Charlotte explains that she apparently died and went to Hell a couple of months ago, and is feeling much better now. She's sure that her sin was a lifetime of defending known criminals and murderers, and their blood is on her hands as well. Charlotte figures that one of them is screwing up her second chance, and they tell her that none of them killed Simon.
The Fixer prepares to leave, and Lucifer arrives and hears a gunshot. Charlotte has shot a nearby pipe, and the Fixer says that he just intimidated Simon on Adrian's orders. Lucifer comes in and tells Charlotte that Simon killed himself to expose the company and its crimes. Charlotte says that they're not innocent, and figures that they all knew their product was poisonous. She admits that there are no loopholes and if someone is guilty, they're guilty. Lucifer tells her killing people isn't the way to clear her ledger. Charlotte says that she can't go back to the firm, and Lucifer tells her to trust him and holds out his hand. After a moment Charlotte gives him the gun and reveals that he sent everything that they said to Chloe and she recorded it.
As the police take the trio away, Chloe congratulates Lucifer. She says that he was right about Charlotte an there's more to her than she thought. Dan heard everything that Charlotte said and she tells him that what she's going through is no excuse for how she's treating him. She suggests that they get coffee sometime, and Dan says that it's possible.
At home, Trixie tells Chloe that technically she didn't break any rules. Chloe admits that the swear jar is a dumb idea, and she gave Trixie a bunch of rules without explaining. She says that using bad words makes people feel bad, and Trixie will have to learn that on her own.
Lucifer takes Charlotte home and she invites him in. She says that she doesn't even remember getting her apartment, and bought thirty cases of Merlot while she was "away". Lucifer admits that he feels somewhat accountable, and that's why he's there regardless of his father. Charlotte asks what she was like when she wasn't herself, and Lucifer tells her that she was intense and jealous. However, he assures Charlotte that everything the other Charlotte did, it came from a place of love. Lucifer says that he'll miss the other Charlotte, and he looks forward to getting to know the real Charlotte. They share a toast and Lucifer welcomes Charlotte back.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 31, 2017