The last we saw our favorite crime-fighting duo, things were downright heartbreaking. Sure, Lucifer and Chloe finally confessed their love for each other, but Lucifer returning to his throne in Hell in order to stop an impending apocalypse was the kicker. Like Chloe and everyone else who had come to know and love the devil, the audience was left wondering what would become of him and if he might return.
Well, the show has returned and so has… Lucifer? Maybe. It’s been a long wait, but season 5 is finally here and it’s filled with surprises. Join me as I jump right into recapping Episode 1, Really Sad Devil Guy.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
There’s a lot happening in episode 1, and rightfully so. After all, we need to find out what Lucifer has been up to in hell, and we need to see what everyone else has been doing on earth. We get lots of little side-stories intermingled with the main plot to catch us up on everyone.
Amenadiel is now running Lux. He’s taking great strides in trying to make the world a safer place for his son, so he’s hyper-focused on mainly drug dealers in the establishment. He’s doing all he can to get them arrested, and sets up a young guy who says he has good stuff for sell. When the guy is busted by Dan, he’s not some big time drug dealer. He’s selling pain pills that he swiped from his mom. Regardless, Amenadiel is really trying. He’s being a good dad in the one way that he knows how to be.
Linda, on the other hand, is busy being one of those overbearing parents who knows that she has a special child (and I supposed an angel baby is special) and wants him to learn everything. Her days seem to mostly consist of scheduling advanced educational classes for little Charlie. Japanese lessons, Yoga, art… she even asks Ella about teaching Charlie science.
Dan has been immersed in the world of self-help. He’s now into essential oils, CrossFit, and self-help books that he’s borrowed from Linda. He’s still trying to deal with Charlotte’s death, and all of this seems to be the route he’s taking in order to do so. If nothing else, at least he’s able to offer some advice to both Linda and Amenadiel when it comes to parenting: just be present. Sound advice, Dan.
Ella is still doing what she does best. Being adorable! Throughout the episode, she’s helping out on the case and still feeling hurt over the fact that Lucifer left and didn’t even say goodbye. He didn’t even respond to the video she sent him of the parakeet dancing to techno! She’s also going through a bit of a crisis as she realizes she’s attracted to bad boys, and this needs to stop.
Maze now works for the LAPD as a bounty hunter. She’s helping out at crime scenes and apparently, she and Chloe are basically partners. The two are even hanging out outside of work, and are regulars at Lux and partying often. Maze is still also dealing with the whole Eve thing, and she’s not coping super well with it.
Chloe is doing what she does best. She’s still working, throwing herself into her work (okay, and partying), and putting on a brave face when anyone brings Lucifer up.
The episode is centered around the investigation that Chloe is on, and what Lucifer is up to and how the investigation ties in with him. So, things kick off at a pretty happening party on a yacht in the ocean. A man is invited to join some ladies in a hot tub and he happily accepts, after he slips into something more comfortable. He’s then seen down below, away from the party, and is putting on a speedo when Lucifer himself pops in and greets him. The man is startled at first and tells Lucifer that he needs to leave. They man says that he’s grateful for everything that Lucifer has done for him, but he needs to go now. Bad things tend to happen when he runs into the devil.
Lucifer points out that something bad is about to happen. He accurately explains that someone is about to murder the man. The man laughs and doesn’t believe him, but Lucifer says that it has already happened over 200 times and it’s going to keep happening. Lucifer counts down and sure enough, someone comes into the cabin and shoots the man in the chest.
Back on Earth, we’re brought to a crime scene. Ella explains that the victim is a man named Lee. Interestingly, the victim and the crime scene look familiar. In fact, we’ve just met this victim. It’s the same guy stuck in a hell loop that Lucifer has popped in on. Chloe and Mazikeen are both there and they discuss the murder, Chloe mentioning that Lee is a career criminal and she’s wondering about his missing hand.
Ella calls Maze the new Lucifer and then has a rather emotionally charged moment about Lucifer having left without even saying goodbye to her. He’s been gone for months and didn’t even respond to the video she sent to him of the parakeet dancing to techno. She’s pretty upset with Lucifer, saying, “as far as I’m concerned, Lucifer can go to hell.” Oh, if only you knew, Ella. Maze tells ‘Ellen’ to read the room and Ella realizes that Chloe is upset. She apologizes for even bringing him up and Chloe brushes it off as if she hasn’t even been thinking about him. Chloe changes the subject by saying that she and Maze have work to do, which apparently means that they need to party since that’s what they end up doing next.
Chloe and Maze are then seen at Lux, dancing and having a good time and turning down men with back pick-up lines. Amenadiel is also there, and he approaches the two. Turns out, Amenadiel has taken over running Lux and Chloe and Maze are frequently there. Then, Amenadiel he notices a drug deal going on elsewhere. He approaches the drug dealer and demands that he is involved in deals going on inside his club. Well, that’s quite the turn for this angel.
Back in hell, Lucifer tells Lee that he’s in a hell loop and the only reason he is there is because of his own guilt. Even as he attempts to leave, he can’t. Lucifer tells him to enjoy his eternity of suffering, but Lee wants to know who killed him. He’s reminiscing about all he had when he was alive and Lucifer stops to look at him. He mentions Marina del Rey, and suddenly it reminds Lucifer of L.A., which in turn reminds him of Chloe. He’s decided that he’s going to solve Lee’s murder. Lucifer says that the hell loop is made up of Lee’s own memories and since he never saw his killers face, he can’t know who killed him. They’re going to use detective work, and Lucifer goes right back into character.
Back at the precinct, Chloe is hungover and in the middle of an interview with Lee’s sister, Meg. Meg doesn’t have great things to say about her brother and actually hasn’t seen him in years. She also has no idea why anyone would have cut off his hand. Suddenly, Maze shows up with a man that she says is a lead. She smacks him around a bit and the man mentions someone called, Dirty Doug. This guy may have killed Lee since he owned him money and cut off his hand to send a message. Chloe and Maze discuss their next move, finally agreeing to pose as high end poker players to get into one of the games and hopefully get Doug to slip up and confess to the murder. The man says the games are invite only, very exclusive. Chloe says that Lucifer could have gotten them an invite, but since he’s not around, Maze is confident she can do it.
Meanwhile, Lucifer and Lee walk into a high-roller poker game. Lucifer has a moment as he steps out onto the balcony and takes in “the City of Angels” again and states how much he has missed it. He’s pulled from his thoughts as Lee points out Dirty Doug. On earth, Chloe and Maze are in the same place. Maze has certainly been able to get them in and after fighting over a seat at a table, Chloe gets the seat and it turns out she’s really good at poker. Dirty Doug notices this and offers her a marker if she wants to keep playing. She asks what happens if she can’t pay him back and then brings up Lee.
Dirty Doug is taking credit for Lee’s modern but Chloe knows it’s not him. As she’s asking his why he’s taking credit, a man who overhears the conversation suddenly runs and Maze is in hot pursuit, followed by Chloe. The man doesn’t get far and is hit by a car outside. Later, as Ella is examining the new dead guy, she finds the gun that matches the one used in Lee’s murder. Ella is caught by Maze as she’s checking out Dirty Doug from a distance. Ella claims she’s done with bad boys, but Maze doesn’t believe her.
Down in hell, Lucifer is obviously frustrated with Lee. He’s certainly not good at investigating his own death and even compares him to Chloe, saying he isn’t The Detective. A demon brings the recent dead guy to Lucifer and Lucifer has a plan.
Much to Chloe’s surprise, the dead guy wakes up. He tells her he’s a demon and Lucifer sent him as a messenger. “It’s safe where you stored it,” he says. But that’s all Chloe gets before the body stops working and the demon is gone.
As this is happening, Lucifer thinks it’s time to get Lee back to his torture. He’s having a hard time with investigating, since it reminds him of Chloe too much, so he figures he’d just help her out as she investigates instead. Lee starts to ask questions about The Detective, seeming to sympathize at least, and he almost has Lucifer. But the devil quickly realizes that Lee is stalling and trying to distract him. Lee says that Lucifer just seems like, “a really sad devil guy,” and this makes Lucifer a bit upset. He decides to show Lee exactly why he’s here in hell
Chloe is getting closer to finding out who killed Lee. The gun found on the man who was hit by the car, named Gil, matches the one used in Lee’s murder, leading them to believe that someone hired him to kill Lee. Chloe has a lead as well. She mentions the message from the demon, which gets Ella’s mind running as she brings out credit card payment info from Lee who made payments to a place called You Stored It, a storage facility. With that, she and Maze are off to check it out. When they get there, someone else has already been there. The unit is open and as they’re checking out out, Meg sneaks up behind them.
Meg thought that they were bad guys, but once the air is cleared, she explains that she actually really misses her brother. She’s trying to get into the safe, which can only be opened by biometrics. They realize then why Lee’s hand was cut off. They figure someone hired Gil to kill Lee and use his hand to get into the safe. Chloe seems upset and she really misses Lucifer. This leads to Maze having a moment and after she says that they don’t need Lucifer, she kisses Chloe. Chloe, who knows that she isn’t doing well herself, realizes that Maze isn’t doing well either. Neither of them have faced what they’re going through and they’re each just trying to fill a void. She says they need to stop working together and Maze leaves.
Meanwhile, Lucifer is set on showing Lee why he is in hell. They’re in Lee’s car, and they pull up in front of a house that Lee recognizes as his parents place. This is the root of his hell loop. This particular moment was the last time his family was together, and he didn’t even go inside. Lucifer urges Lee to go in now, but he can’t. He’s afraid that he’ll screw up and disappoint them again and he’d rather stay away forever. Lucifer is persistent though. He pokes at Lee and gets rather worked up over him not wanting to go in. Lee realizes that this isn’t just about him anymore. “Whose hell is this anyway?” He asks, and Lucifer knows what he means.
Chloe takes Meg home and as they enter the house, they spot Lee’s hand sitting on the counter. A man with a gun appears, his name is Rod and he used to run with Lee. Turns out Lee owed him a lot of money, and Rod wants it from the safe, but the money was gone when he checked it. He also killed Lee. Chloe tells him that she has the money and as she makes her move and shoots him. More men show up and begin to shoot at Chloe and Meg.
Lee is still prodding Lucifer. He says that this is Lucifers hell and he’s just torturing himself, or it at least resonates with him. Lucifer gets angry, explaining that this has nothing to do with him. He’s just running he’ll like he’s supposed to. Lee explains that he missed his chance to walk into that house and compares himself to Lucifer. But Lucifer had to protect humanity… he had to protect Chloe. He is not the same as Lee. Then, a couple of demons show up suddenly with news about The Detective.
At the shoot out, they’re deep in it and all seems almost lost since it’s just Chloe against the bad guys. Suddenly, someone else shows up. Chloe can hear hear this someone whistling (the shows theme song!) and by the look on her face, she knows. Lucifer is there, and he takes the bad guys out, with a bit of help from Chloe as she is shocked to see him. After all is said and done, Lucifer says, “thought you could use a hand,” and Chloe kisses him. She immediately notices something is off. He seems different. But he explains that it’s simply because he’s been away for so long. What was a few months on earth, was really thousands of years for him. The only thing that kept him going was thinking of Chloe.
We get a few cut scenes of what the rest of the characters are up to by the end of the episode. Amenadiel and Linda are just enjoying time with Charlie; Ella (who has a penchant for bad boys) has hooked up with Dirty Doug, and doesn’t seem too pleased with herself; Dan is seen smiling with a coworker, but as soon as she’s gone, he looks sad and we see the photos of Charlotte on his desk; and Maze is seen destroying Lucifers piano in a fit of rage. Obviously, some of them are doing okay, but many of them are still struggling to cope with the traumas of their lives.
Lucifer and Chloe are embracing as we focus back on them. But, the scene cuts quickly back to hell, where we find Lee and Lucifer again. Lee asks if Lucifer is going to help Chloe, But Lucifer says she’s capable of handling things and she doesn’t need him. He says he’s exactly where he needs to be. What?!
Finally, we get one last second of Chloe and… Lucifer… embracing. Lucifer (if that’s what we can call him) looks up at the camera and grins.
Okay, so the Lucifer with Chloe is not actually Lucifer (even she seems to know that). Whoever it is, looks like him, talks like him, and fooled us for a moment. But, if Lucifer is still in hell, who is this doppelgänger and what is he doing?
