‘Lucifer’ Names a New God in the Season 5 Finale (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Lucifer Season 5 finale “A Chance at a Happy Ending.”]
“Oh my …” The end of that exclamation to cap off the fifth season of Lucifer is so perfect that our only complaint is we have to wait to see what happens next.
Lucifer (Tom Ellis) and Michael (Ellis) finally have their showdown as each side moves pieces into places in hopes of being victorious and becoming the next God. And before it’s all over, Detective Dan Espinoza (Kevin Alejandro) isn’t the only loss … but there’s a twist.
And in happy news, Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt) and Eve (Inbar Lavi) get back together, when the former poses as “Steve” on a dating app. The demon has decided, “I don’t care if you die,” a far cry from her refusing to be with the other woman because she didn’t want to be immortal. And to Eve, “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
The Devil’s in the Details
Michael visits his twin at Lux to gloat that he’s already won: He’s assembled the Flaming Sword and he has the majority of angels on his side. As such, he has an offer for Lucifer: return to his old throne in hell while Michael takes heaven. After all, Lucifer will even have Chloe (Lauren German) by his side. The devil can’t imagine how she would end up in hell, but as Michael points out, her guilt over the father of her child dying while working a case for her very well could be the cause. Did Michael orchestrate everything to make that happen? No, he just took advantage of the situation once the mercenaries had Dan.
However, as Lucifer soon discovers, Michael wasn’t being entirely truthful. He hasn’t assembled the Flaming Sword because when Remiel (Vinessa Vidotto) who had been spying for Lucifer, arrives at his penthouse just before dying, she was only stabbed with part of it, Azrael’s blade. Michael would have used the Sword if he has it. That means he doesn’t yet have the key (last in the possession of a fence, TJ) to complete it.
But Michael is right that Chloe’s guilt could very well result in her going to hell. Lucifer fills her in on everything and tries to get her to not feel guilty, which is easier said than done. What she can do is focus her anger on making sure Michael doesn’t win.
And so they turn to forensic scientist Ella Lopez (Aimee Garcia) to identify what’s on a feather of Remiel’s wings to track her movements and possibly find a lead on Michael or TJ. Still oblivious to what’s really going on, Ella determines it’s yeast and that leads them to an abandoned beer factory TJ has previously been known to frequent.
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Lucifer tries to pose as Michael to get his hands on the key, but the disguise only holds up for so long because he refuses to kill TJ to get the key. When the real Michael shows up and does just that, Lucifer asks the two angels by his twin’s side if that’s the kind of God they want, one who will kill humans for his own selfish gain. One seems to waver. Chloe shoots Michael, even though bullets can’t hurt him, as a distraction for her and Lucifer to make their escape. However, Michael does not have the last piece of the sword.
The Odds Are in Whose Favor?
Though the last thing Lucifer wants is for Chloe to be in the fight, she refuses to sit it out. Still, the numbers aren’t exactly on their side when it comes time for the vote, especially since Lucifer, Chloe, and Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) are stuck waiting (and stalling) for Maze to show up with reinforcements.
They start by agreeing to accept Michael as their new God, and he, of course, wants to hear it from Lucifer since his brother doesn’t lie. “You are God…” Lucifer begins, before finishing with, “awful. I mean, what on Earth are you wearing? Is winter coming or something?”
At first, Lucifer doesn’t have any additional votes on his side, until Zadkiel (Joel Rush) speaks up with what the devil told him: He wants to be God for love. That wins him over … but that’s it. Still, nothing happens. Does the vote have to be unanimous? Can Lucifer and the others continue to stall while Maze remains MIA? They certainly try, but singing “Can’t Touch This” and pretending it’s God’s doing.
John P. Fleenor/Netflix
Maze and Eve finally show up, with demons for Lucifer’s side. But to prevent bloodshed among their siblings, Lucifer proposes he and Michael only face off. Michael agrees, but it’s to the death — and he has the Flaming Sword, assembled. Michael gets a slice in with the sword before Amenadiel throws Lucifer Zadkiel’s staff, which is all that remains of the Tree of Life. Ellis’ characters take their (epic) fight into the air and around Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until Lucifer reveals that taking the sword isn’t part of his plan. Instead, once they’re back on the ground, Chloe runs over and removes the key.
But, as Lucifer hurries to grab the blade where it falls, Azrael (Charlyne Yi) arrives. At first, he thinks that they can’t lose with the angel of death on their side, but then … Michael stabs Chloe with Zadkiel’s staff.
Trips to and from Heaven
Lucifer blames himself as Chloe dies in his arms, but there is a bit of good news: She no longer feels guilty for Dan’s death. That means she probably made it to heaven, Michael says as if it’s any consolation to a distraught Lucifer. Obviously it’s not, and the devil decides he’s going to get her back and flies up to heaven as Maze refuses to hold back any longer, and the fight breaks out between the two sides.
While Chloe enjoys a picnic in heaven with her dad, Lucifer crash lands and is greeted by Lee, the man he encountered in hell in the season premiere. He faced his guilt and did the seemingly impossible: left hell and made it up to heaven.
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Because Lucifer was banished from heaven, he only has a limited amount of time (thanks to Maze’s mother’s ring) before he burns to a crisp. He uses that to find Chloe and tell her she needs to come back. She doesn’t want to leave her dad, but people still need Detective Decker’s help, he tells his daughter. The only problem: There’s only enough power for one person to get back, and Lucifer forces Chloe to take the ring. “I choose you, Chloe, because I love you,” he (finally) tells her before burning from the inside out.
Chloe then wakes back on Earth, wearing the ring — and still holding the key, allowing her to beat Michael. “You took the man I love from me!” she yells, holding Azrael’s blade to his throat. It’s a “Detective!” that stops her as Lucifer flies down from heaven. With that, all the fighting stops.
Lucifer assembles the Flaming Sword, recalling Michael’s words that the fight was to the death, and uses it to cut off his brother’s wings. “No more killing,” he declares. “In my time here on Earth, I’ve learned everyone deserves a second chance, even me. Even you, Michael.”
With that, everyone kneels before Lucifer. “Oh my me,” he says. Yes, Lucifer is God. Oh, this is going to be fun.
Lucifer, Season 5B, Streaming Now, Netflix (Season 6, TBA)
