‘Lucifer’ Season 3 Episode 15 Recap: High School Poppycock

Lucifer Season 3 Episode 15 Preview
Lauren German and Tom Ellis in ‘Lucifer’ season 3 episode 15 (Photo by Erik Voake / FOX)

Lucifer returns to Fox’s Monday night lineup after a two week break with season three episode 15 airing February 26, 2018. The episode, titled “High School Poppycock,” opens with Chloe (Lauren German) showing up at Lucifer’s place and calling out to him, but he stands in the dark and warns her to leave. Lucifer (Tom Ellis) can’t make his wings go away and rages at her to get out. The wings spread out in their full glory as Chloe falls from Lucifer’s penthouse to the streets below.

Of course it’s a dream and he’s actually recalling the details to Dr. Linda (Rachael Harris). He thinks the dream means he needs stronger guardrails, but then admits he knows he has issues with his dad. He wants to prove to his dad he can’t control him which means he needs to remove Pierce’s curse. Unfortunately, he’s run out of ideas on how to do that.

Lucifer wants Dr. Linda to remove his mental block using hypnotism, and she has to explain that’s not how it works. Lucifer storms out, upset Linda has no helpful suggestions.

Chloe stops by Ella’s office and begs off their evening plans. Ella (Aimee Garcia), wearing a blue wig, places a bright pink one on Chloe’s head and reminds her she needs to have fun. Chloe’s mind is set; she’s all work and no play. Bummer for Ella who really wanted her buddy for a night out.

Speaking of work, Chloe drives as Lucifer explains he has a mental block and is frustrated. She tells him she’s never at a loss for ideas during an investigation because there’s always a new angle to approach the problem.

And this week’s murder is of a bestselling sci-fi author, Kathleen Pike. There’s weird white stuff on the floor by her dead body, but it turns out to be only melted ice cream. Ella shows off the fatal wound as Lucifer questions Dan (Kevin Alejandro) about how he comes up with improv ideas. Dan suggests “yes, and…” and Lucifer is so desperate he thinks he’ll try it out.

Chloe questions Kathleen’s editor, Vincent Green (Russell Wong), and he thinks maybe it’s his fault because he tweeted out news of her new book. Maybe a crazed fan did this. Lucifer keeps starting statements with “yes, and” but gets nowhere that way. Chloe points out that all Lucifer is really doing is adding “yes, and” to his normal statements.

Vincent reveals Kathleen had writer’s block and teased he would learn how she broke through it after reading this new book. Lucifer’s on full alert, determined to retrieve the only copy of her book which apparently the killer stole. Chloe points out Lucifer means they need to find the killer, but Lucifer’s pretty sure he’s more interested in getting his hands on that book to try and end his own mental block.

Meanwhile, Amenadiel (DB Woodside) and Linda meet for a romantic dinner and they’re obviously happy. They’re sneaking around so the dinner is in Linda’s office, both afraid Maze will find out. Linda admits she wants to tell Maze, but they know she won’t take it well. They realize they’re being cowards but, after all, it’s Maze they’re talking about.

Amenadiel sweetly says he’ll do anything for Linda, so he volunteers to check in on Maze and make sure she’s okay.

Lucifer’s busy ready Kathleen’s books and he’s disappointed by the lack of sex and drugs. He asks Chloe if her high school years were this boring, and she reveals as an actor her high school time was definitely not normal.

Chloe finds an online argument between a fan and Kathleen. Kathleen was super rude and Ashley, the fan, went offline when Kathleen humiliated her.

Amenadiel shows up at Chloe’s looking for Maze but Trixie informs him Maze isn’t home. She does promise to pass on the message. Maze, of course, is home and Trixie suggests that maybe Amenadiel and Linda just need help telling the truth.

Chloe and Lucifer visit the ice cream store that Ashley works at, and it turns out the melting ice cream at Kathleen’s house came from this store. A girl behind the counter tries to flee when Chloe flashes her badge, believing she’s in trouble for having a joint. It turns out the store manager’s name is Ashley and Chloe and Lucifer bring him in for questioning.

When Lucifer demands the book, he swears he doesn’t have it. He admits he made Kathleen special ice cream and always delivered it himself. He claims he had no idea she was murdered and confesses he loves her books because they remind him of the good times he had in high school. He also comes clean about their online fight and proudly declares he writes lots of fan fiction. He even helped Kathleen write her last book, which means he knows how she got over writer’s block. Turns out, all she had to do was be authentic. She decided to return to her original inspirations for her books and didn’t use what he suggested. He also surprises Chloe and Lucifer by revealing the characters in Kathleen’s books were based on real people she knew in high school.

Kathleen didn’t change the characters’ first names even though her books exposed their dirty laundry. Chloe and Lucifer believe it’s possible one of her former classmates murdered her once they heard she had a new book coming out. The gang, and Charlotte, decide someone needs to go to the high school reunion to find out which one could be the killer.

Since it’s a high school reunion, it will be tough to infiltrate because the people in attendance all know each other. However, Ella points out there’s a loner, Todd Cornwell, in the class who has no social media presence. Lucifer could masquerade as him. Todd’s photo shows he’s a balding, paunchy guy and when Dan says Lucifer looks just like him, Lucifer replies, “Has all that masturbation finally caught up with your eyesight, Daniel?”

Chloe volunteers to go as Lucifer’s plus one. Unfortunately, Todd RSVPed. Charlotte says she’ll find a way to keep him from attending, mentioning a certain bounty hunter who will help her out.

Maze pays a visit to Dr. Linda’s office and asks if she found a boyfriend and that’s why she hasn’t been around. Linda denies it, and Maze wants to set her up. Maze doesn’t take no for an answer and so Linda’s forced into going on a blind date.

Next we see that Chloe’s drinking wine and absorbed in Kathleen’s books. Apparently, she was reading all night and only Trixie needing a ride to school makes her realize she was awake the whole night.

Lucifer and Chloe show up at the Westside High School Class of 2001 reunion and Chloe points out all the characters from the books. She’s really into them now that she’s read the books, calling the characters compelling and fangirling over them all being at the reunion.

Chloe divides them up so that she and Lucifer each have three people to question. Chloe has a hard time focusing on the job at hand since she’s now a huge fan of these people’s characters and acts like she knows them personally.

Lucifer Season 3 Episode 15 Preview
Rachael Harris, D.B. Woodside and Lesley-Ann Brandt in ‘Lucifer’ (Photo by Erik Voake / FOX)

Amenadiel and Linda show up (separately) at the restaurant, and it seems Maze has brought Todd there as Linda’s blind date. Maze then announces it’s a double date and Amenadiel is her date.

Back at the reunion, Lucifer talks to Isabel who can’t believe he’s Oddball Todd, apologizing for calling him by his old nickname and declaring that she thinks he’s hot. Lucifer has no problem getting her to answer his questions.

Chloe talks to two of the people on her list, and they can’t believe there’s another book coming out. Chloe mixes her real police questions with questions directed at the characters from the books. (Chloe is definitely not in her normal police mode!)

Over at the restaurant, Maze tries to get Linda and Todd to talk. Todd admits he wets the bed and Amenadiel pipes up, “Most serial killers wet the bed,” shooting daggers with his eyes at Todd. Amenadiel’s on the verge of being angry about this situation and Linda whispers they just have to get through the night.

Lucifer uses his powers to get Tristan to admit he broke into the school the night of Kathleen’s murder. Tristan apologizes that ‘Todd’ wasn’t invited, and it turns out the entire gang was together so they all have the same alibi.

Chloe and the hunky Max meet privately in the hallway, and Jessica quickly arrives to break them up. A bad soap opera-type reunion breaks out in front of Chloe with slaps, accusations, and lots of yelling. Lucifer also shows up and yells, “None of these people killed Kathleen!” He can’t believe he’s the responsible one and then Max reminds them that Todd was hanging out with Kathleen two nights ago. Lucifer realizes he (well, Todd) is probably the killer.

Lucifer and Chloe head over to the restaurant, and Chloe wonders why Todd would have killed Kathleen. She can’t believe she was so into Kathleen’s books that she forgot to really pay attention.

Maze tells Amenadiel and Linda she’s missed them, pulling Amenadiel close and hugging him. Linda asks her to stop because it makes her uncomfortable to see the public display of affection. As Maze licks Amenadiel’s face, Linda figures out Maze knows. When Linda explains they didn’t tell her because she overreacts, Maze slams her knife into the table. Linda and Maze get into it, and Linda is furious when Maze calls her selfish. Linda says she and Amenadiel found something unexpected and real, and it’s not just some fling. Maze doesn’t understand how this could happen since Linda’s her friend. Maze rushes off just as Chloe and Lucifer arrive at the table.

The real Todd’s taken in for questioning and he’s yet another person who can’t believe Kathleen is dead. He understands why they think he did it since he’s a weirdo. Todd explains Kathleen tracked him down because she was going to make him the hero in the final book. She was going to show everyone the book at the reunion.

Kathleen told Todd the final book had a peaceful, grounded ending. It was going to end with everyone understanding each other, and Todd admits it sounded beautiful to him. Chloe realizes this ending doesn’t match with the ending the editor described. Chloe gives Vincent a call and asks about a fanfiction writer named Ashley, and he confirms Kathleen told him about an overeager fan.

Lucifer waits at the ice cream store in the dark and Vincent arrives with a gun. Chloe demands Vincent drop the gun, explaining she knows Ashley’s ending is the one he described. Vincent didn’t like Kathleen’s ending so he argued with her about using Ashley’s ending instead. He admits he threw the typewriter at her and that he destroyed the book because he didn’t want anyone to read it.

Vincent explains how Kathleen fixed her writer’s block, and Lucifer’s enraged because it doesn’t help him at all.

Linda and Amenadiel meet in a park, and Linda knows they never should have lied to Maze. She knew this relationship would hurt Maze, yet she did it anyway. Linda says she was being selfish and can’t be with Amenadiel because of what it does to Maze. Amenadiel doesn’t think it’s fair for Maze to take this away from them, but Linda says this just isn’t the kind of person she is. Amenadiel understands, but ending this relationship isn’t easy.

That night, Chloe shows up at Lucifer’s place after he calls and asks to see her. He wants to make sure she’s okay and back to being the responsible member of their relationship. She is, and she admits she likes being the responsible adult. After attending the high school reunion, she claims she isn’t sad she didn’t have that sort of high school experience. Lucifer asks, “So you don’t desire any of that high school poppycock?” When she says no, he pins a corsage on her and asks her to go to the prom with him.

Music plays and a glitter ball spins as they take to the dance floor alone. She thanks him and it looks as if they’re about to kiss…but no. She asks if he figured out how to break through his mental block, and he gives her the basics of the problem. Chloe offers the advice that it’s better to move forward than be stuck in the past. When she says they can’t rewrite history, Lucifer is dumbstruck.

“You can’t, but maybe I can. Detective, you’re a genius.” He now has an idea of how to handle his problem. Lucifer’s going to go back and undo the reason it exists in the first place.

More on Lucifer Season 3:
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 1 “They’re Back, Aren’t They” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 2 “The One with the Baby Carrot” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 3 “Mr. and Mrs. Mazikeen Smith” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 4 “What Would Lucifer Do?” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 5 “Welcome Back, Charlotte Richards” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 6 “Vegas With Some Radish” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 7 “Off the Record” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 8 “Chloe Does Lucifer” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 9 “The Sinnerman” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 10 “The Sin Bin” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 11 “City of Angels?” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 12 “All About Her” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 13 “Til Death Do Us Part” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 14 “My Brother’s Keeper” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 15 “High School Poppycock” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 16 “Infernal Guinea Pig” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 17 “Let Pinhead Sing!” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 18 “The Last Heartbreak” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 19 “Orange is the New Maze” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 20 “Angel of San Bernardino” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 21 “Anything Pierce Can Do I Can Do Better” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 23 “Quintessential Deckerstar” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 23 “Quintessential Deckerstar” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Episode 24 “A Devil of My Word” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Bonus Episode “Boo Normal” Recap
Lucifer Season 3 Bonus Episode “Once Upon a Time” Recap