Warning: SPOILERS Below for Lucifer Season 5, Part 1.
Lucifer season 5, part 2 ended with a knock-down, drag-out brawl between the angels of the Netflix series, which was interrupted by the shocking appearance of God (Dennis Haysbert). Originally intended to be the final season of Lucifer, instead, season 5 was split into two 8-episode sections, with the latter part of the season expected to drop on Netflix in 2021. Lucifer season 5, part 1 also featured a 1940s black-and-white noir episode and a meta episode where the Devil and Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German) meet their TV counterparts in a series called Diablo! based on Lucifer.
In Lucifer season 5, part 1's finale, "Spoiler Alert", the celestial smackdown between Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), his manipulative twin brother Michael (also Ellis in a dual role), Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside), and Mazikeen (Lesley Ann-Brandt) erupted in LAPD's headquarters when time mysteriously stopped (possibly by God himself to make way for His arrival on Earth). Michael had been enacting his elaborate revenge plan against Lucifer, and that involved striking at all of the Devil's loved ones. From exploiting Amenadiel's greatest fears about his baby son Charlie, to coercing Maze to turn on the Devil, to even kidnapping Chloe, Michael's path of destruction left no stone in Lucifer's life unturned. Meanwhile, the hunt for a new serial killer named LilyMan85 revealed that the villain was actually Pete Daily (Alexander Koch), the new boyfriend of Ella Lopez (Aimee Garcia).
Obviously, things leave off at the midpoint of Lucifer season 5 and there's an entire second half still to come, which will finally reveal Michael's endgame and the reason God has come to Los Angeles before Lucifer season 6. Therefore, "Spoiler Alert" doesn't necessarily feel an ending and God's cliffhanger is a clear set up for much more to come, including the announced musical episode of Lucifer season 5, part 2. Here's where everything stands at the midpoint of Lucifer season 5.
God's Surprise Appearance Changes... Everything
Lucifer announced that Dennis Haysbert was cast as God months ago (a role Neil Gaiman previously played in voice-over) but it was still a shock to have the Almighty appear at the midpoint of Lucifer season 5. Amenadiel told Lucifer that their Father spoke to him and said Hell no longer needed a warden, but then God's timely appearance broke up the brawl between Lucifer, Michael, Amenadiel, and Mazikeen. He even scolded His three angelic children because He doesn't like to see them fighting. God is certainly a game-changer for Lucifer, and now He has come to Earth, what does He want? And why now?
Although Michael is known for his lies, he may have been telling the truth that he had taken a place at God's side and was advising his Heavenly Father. This seems to have upset the balance of power among the other angels in the Silver City. But Michael has always been jealous of God's everlasting affection towards Lucifer (which the Devil doesn't reciprocate), and perhaps God has come to Los Angeles to finally explain His mysterious ways (but then again, probably not).
The person bound to be most affected by the coming of God is Chloe, who learned that her very birth and existence is a gift to Lucifer by Heavenly decree. The detective has been trying to cope with this revelation for all of Lucifer season 5 so far but she hasn't been able to reconcile what this means to her and her relationship with the Devil. Still, God being God, it's unlikely He will give Chloe (or anyone) a straight answer and His presence is some part of some greater design that Lucifer and everyone else (including the fans) can only guess at.
Michael's Plan (So Far) Is Just Chaos
Michael is essentially the Joker to Lucifer's Batman. The Devil's identical twin has been bringing constant chaos since he arrived in Los Angeles and posed as Lucifer Morningstar (until Chloe quickly deduced he was a fake). However, thus far, Michael's plan has been all over the place. The angel's original intention was to take Lucifer's place and destroy all of his relationships while the Devil was stuck in Hell and unable to stop him. Then Michael decided that he wanted to seduce Chloe as Lucifer, but the detective was too smart for that and figured out he was an imposter.
After Lucifer returned to LA and beat Michael in combat, scarring his face so identity theft was no longer possible, Michael has essentially been winging it with his machinations. He went back to trying to break Lucifer's relationships, first with Maze, and then by finally tricking Dan Espinoza (Kevin Alejandro) into seeing Lucifer's true Devil face. Then Michael gave Amenadiel's son Charlie a cold, sowing doubt and fear into his brother that his baby boy is a mortal. Finally, Michael kidnapped Chloe but she was quickly rescued by Lucifer and his friends. It's hard to see exactly what Michael's ultimate master plan is or if he really is just making it all up as he goes along, but Lucifer's twin has been an excellent villain nonetheless and watching Tom Ellis play both roles so distinctly differently has been a highlight of the entire series.
Chloe Wants Lucifer To Say "I Love You" But He Can't (Or Won't)
Chloe Decker has had a tough season 5; first, she was dealing with missing Lucifer, who was in Hell, then she briefly believed Michael was the Devil she loved, then the real Lucifer returned but Chloe continually dealt with the anxiety about the truth that she was created for Lucifer. But what distressed Chloe the most was that she told Lucifer that she loved him before he returned to Hell and after he came back, the Devil still hasn't been able to say those three little words to the detective.
Lucifer almost said the words Chloe has been longing to hear but, inconveniently, time was frozen before he could confess his own love for the detective. But would the Devil actually have been able to say "I love you"? It's possible that thousands of millennia of being a total narcissist make Lucifer unable to do it, or perhaps there's another supernatural-based reason why he seems unable to (even if he wants to say it). But being on even footing with Lucifer and having that mutual understanding is the first thing Chloe needs to move forward. The question is, will she actually get what she wants and needs from the Devil in Lucifer season 5, part 2?
What Amenadiel's Son Not Being A Celestial Being Means
After baby Charlie was nearly kidnapped by demons in Lucifer season 4, Amenadiel and Dr. Linda Martin (Rachael Harris) have been obsessing about raising their son and keeping him safe in their care. Amenadiel has been especially protective while Linda threw herself into making sure Charlie got every possible educational advantage and received the best of both worlds for his life as a future celestial being, including being tutored in STEM by Ella. Their belief is that Charlie, a hybrid between an angel and a human, is indeed special.
But Michael may have proven that Charlie isn't actually meant to be a celestial being; the scornful angel made sure his brother Amenadiel's baby got a cold. Since heavenly creatures can't catch colds like humans, this means what Amenadiel feared most: despite being half-angel, Charlie is mortal so he can't live in Heaven and is destined to die like a human. By the end of Lucifer season 5, part 1, Amenadiel was so filled with grief and anger, he hadn't fully factored in whether Michael is lying or not. Also, Linda doesn't know this revelation yet, but there could be much more to Charlie's true nature revealed in Lucifer season 5, part 2.
Why A Soul Is So Important To Maze
Mazikeen is easily the most mercurial character in Lucifer but somehow, the demon-turned-bounty hunter remains loveable no matter how many times Maze turns on her friends or performs demonic deeds. In Lucifer season 5, Maze is coping with her serious abandonment issues; not just Lucifer going back to Hell without her but also Eve (Inbar Lavi) leaving her and their relationship behind when she left Los Angeles. Even Chloe ended their brief partnership when Maze took Lucifer's place solving murders. In Lucifer season 5, Maze also found out Lucifer has been lying to her about her mother Lillith for decades, but she was able to meet Lillith as an old woman just before she died. Tragically, Lillith had no warmth to offer Maze either.
Maze has come to believe that people keep abandoning her because she doesn't have a soul since she's "just a demon". So, by the end of Lucifer season 5, part 1, Maze has thrown her lot in with Michael since the rogue angel promised her that she could have a soul. Michael is probably lying and Maze may very well change allegiances yet again in Lucifer season 5, part 2 but it will be interesting to see if the demon does get a soul (perhaps from God?) and what that could mean going forward.
Pete The Serial Killer Says There's Darkness In Ella
Lucifer's resident LAPD forensic scientist Ella Lopez admittedly has bad taste in men and she came from a rough background before she found God and applied herself to become the LAPD's most cheerful forensic scientist. Ella thought she finally found a good guy when she started dating reporter Pete Daily, who was every bit as nerdy as she is. So, it was even more heartbreaking when Ella discovered Pete's hidden lily garden, which means her boyfriend was secretly LilyMan85, the serial killer they've been hunting who inspired a copycat named Les Klumsky, who the newspapers dubbed the Whisper Killer.
Pete was arrested but he's completely unrepentant about his murders, who were all women "who talked too much", and were killed because Pete hated his mother. But disturbingly, Pete told Ella there was "darkness" inside her. Miss Lopez is genuinely the nicest person in Lucifer but she's hiding her own demons. Could Pete's betrayal be the trigger that sets off the dark side of Ella in Lucifer season 5, part 2 when it returns to Netflix?
Lucifer is available to stream on Netflix.