Years late to the trend, I finally got into “Lucifer” in October. From the very beginning, I was totally hooked. A show about a fallen angel who changes for the better because he’s interested in a human? Sign me up! But it ended up being so much more than that. Though “Lucifer” was originally just a detective show with a not-so-subtle “will they, won’t they” plot, the show grew into one about the divinity of humanity and self acceptance.
The pilot concept was simple: Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), an incredibly attractive man who is secretly the Devil Himself, moves out of Hell and to Los Angeles, the city of angels. Five years into his adventure, he’s a notorious nightclub owner known for giving favors. In the pilot, he meets Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren Graham). She is smart, witty and, of course, exactly Lucifer’s type. Even more intriguing, she doesn’t fall prey to his angelic powers or his devilish charms. He works with her on a murder case and decides he’s intrigued, by both the work and the detective.
It’s hard to sum up a show like “Lucifer.” So much happened over the course of 93 episodes. Part of this challenge comes with the Netflix acquisition after season three. There was a clear change—both in the depth of plot and the quality of the characters—after this change. Netflix had to make everything larger than life, losing some of the charm that the early seasons had. The seasons get increasingly experimental, completely losing touch with the original plot by season six. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing, as every show should develop and grow, but I did miss some of the early elements a little more. I liked when the biggest problem was Lucifer’s “unrequited” crush on Chloe. An all-out angel war against Lucifer’s evil twin brother just seems excessive when compared against those early season plots.
The plot of this show spiraled so quickly it’s kinda unbelievable. Season six was the strangest of them all, introducing time travel. I won’t go too heavy into spoilers, but it felt very … experimental. I can’t say I loved the final season’s plot lines or the new character introduced, but it certainly added a new layer of depth to both Lucifer’s and Chloe’s characters.
Even with these over-the-top developments, Tom Ellis carries the show as Lucifer. With his ridiculous good looks and impossibly charming accent, he perfectly encapsulates the mischievous energy of the Devil for six seasons. He brings true depth to this character in Lucifer’s six years of therapy—yes, a crime-solving Devil who goes to therapy; just stick with me here, I swear this show is good. Lucifer’s vulnerable moments are dramatic in the best way, with Ellis putting his entire being into the character.
The whole cast did a great job, even if their material wasn’t the best. Graham was an excellent co-lead, even if Chloe could’ve been better written. She was smart and reliable and trustworthy—well, except for that time she worked with an evil priest against Lucifer, but that’s water under the bridge, right? Even still, it sometimes felt like Chloe’s arcs solely revolved around Lucifer and that she couldn’t exist as an entity on her own. That idea is even supported by canon half the time.
Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt) also felt like she only existed to serve Lucifer—something that was canon in her very character description. She was a demon from Hell, existing only to serve under Lucifer’s rule. She was terribly written for most of the show; she was unreasonably angry and hopelessly lost and only ever existing in relation to other characters. Her happy ending in season six was well deserved and long overdue.
“Lucifer” was overall a pretty fantastic show. I was hooked from the very first episode and quickly finished the whole series. The finale wrapped up everything with a nice little bow—even if I didn’t love it, I left the show completely satisfied. For a hell of a good time, watch all six seasons on Netflix.
