Let’s Break Down That Lucifer Season 5A Finale

The lord giveth and the devil taketh away. With only eight episodes dropping on Netflix August 21, the Lucifer Season 5A finale came all too soon. Yet even with less content than a typical season, the first part of the fifth installment in this devilish franchise managed to deliver a few intriguing plot twists that are sure to carry on into the second half of the season — and lead to some massive changes for Lucifer & company from here on out.

Lucifer (Tom Ellis) may have quite literally gone to hell and back at the start of the story, but by season’s end he is shown coming face-to-face with something much more terrifying: dear old dad. Yes, God himself has finally made an appearance on Lucifer in the form of 24 star Dennis Haysbert. It was announced back in January that Haysbert had been cast in the celestial role, though seeing him in the flesh (so to speak) was still extremely satisfying, particularly since his arrival comes from a more personal nature: to stop his children from fighting.

In the final few moments of the finale, Lucifer and Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) were locked in an epic battle alongside Michael (also Ellis) and Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt) with no end in sight, which is most likely what prompted God to intervene in the first place. (Even immortal parents can’t catch a break.) But given that there’s so much to unpack from the final episode, both leading up to and including God’s big cameo, let’s break down some of the biggest takeaways and what it could mean for these characters moving forward.

Michael has made it his mission to mess with Lucifer’s life pretty much all season. However, in the finale it becomes clear that his motivation extends far beyond just having a grudge against his twin brother and feeling inferior to him his entire life. Michael has been manipulating Lucifer long before he ever came to Earth and has said numerous times to several different characters that he has a much bigger plan in the works. Viewers have yet to be told what this mystery plan is, but given how much time and effort he’s put into it, there has to be a significant payoff that would benefit Michael in a huge way. Typically you wouldn’t think of an angel as having a bad (or dare we say evil) agenda, though perhaps Lucifer’s twin has more of the devil in him than anyone ever realized.

During the season, both Lucifer and Chloe (Lauren German) discovered that the only reason Chloe makes Lucifer vulnerable is because he chooses to be vulnerable around her. After they sleep together, he also appears to transfer his “mojo” to her, thereby granting her with the power to pull out his true desires. By the end of the season he’s ultimately able to get both his powers and invincibility back, though there’s very little explanation as to how this occurred. Chloe fears that it indicates he’s pulling away from her, which could put their relationship in serious jeopardy. Because if it comes down to choosing between Chloe and his powers, it’s difficult to know for sure what Lucifer would do. And it’s that hesitancy that could lead to their downfall as a couple.

These two have had plenty of fights before, but after learning that Lucifer had kept her mother’s whereabouts from her all this time, Maze has now aligned herself with Michael and views Lucifer as an outright enemy. One can hope that these two will eventually be able to work out their differences and move past all of this, like they’ve done so many times before. But this could very well be the last straw for Maze and signify the end of their friendship forever.

Given that he only appeared in the final few moments of the season, it’s difficult to know where the storyline will go from here. Will he stick around and help his children work out their differences and, if he does, is this all still part of Michael’s big plan?

After the two brothers reunited earlier in the season, Michael revealed that he was the one responsible for Lucifer starting the rebellion against God in the first place by planting the idea in his head. What would his ultimate goal be for doing that? Sure, that’s one way to get Lucifer out of the picture, but as Michael has stated countless times — his plan extends far beyond revenge against his brother. What if his true desire is to kill his father and take his place as the new ruler of Heaven?

If that’s the case, then maybe Michael did all of this just to lure God to Earth in order to take him down once and for all. It’s a plan that not even the devil himself would see coming, which means this family reunion might be about to get way more awkward.