Netflix’s Lucifer Season 5 Part One Early Review

After Lucifer successfully found a new home at Netflix which premiered its fourth season following being canceled by Fox in 2018, it was even more exciting for fans of the series when it was revealed that not only would it be returning for a fifth season, believed to be its last before being renewed for a sixth and final season. The catch – season 5 would be split in half and delivered in two installments. Nevertheless, more Lucifer is always good no matter how it is served to the masses.

Fans of the series will immediately be welcomed back. Most would agree that season 4 took some time to find its footing on a new streaming platform. Part 1 immediately picks up where the season 4 cliffhanger left off as Lucifer continues watching over Hell in order to keep the world above and the people in it whom he had grown fond of safe. Right away, there is a new vibe permeating through the first several episodes as the series becomes truly unencumbered by network television demands. It’s lighter, funnier and while remnants of a soap opera structure still drive the heart of the episodic narrative it still manages to keep viewers engaged while each character is given ample screen time and individual stories that matter to viewers.

Those who have seen any promotional trailers or material about this upcoming season will know that the ominous “big bad” of the season is none other than Lucifer’s evil twin brother, Michael. On paper, this seemed like the biggest jumping the shark moment that the series had committed and one’s interesting would shift to how the writers would try and dig themselves out of this narrative pit than whatever they had planned for Michael as the antagonist. However, the series was clever in handling the pace in which Michael inserts himself into the various storylines of the characters because it doesn’t take long for him to intervene but as he does, the characters are swift to handle him. While some of Lucifer’s moves are telegraphed in its plotlines, it was easy enough to forgive the unoriginality because of the series’ high entertainment value, self-awareness and overall fun characters. Ellis, as the titular character, does a great job of going to the complete opposite end of the spectrum with his portrayal of Michael, showing just how much fun he’s having. This joy is shared by the supporting cast as they are given equally fun moments whether through gags, dialogue or action scenes with all of this culminating in one of the most fun episodes which involves a noir detective story.

The only step backward that the series seemed to take was its approach towards Maze’s development. Maze is a character that is a demon by nature and Lucifer’s right-hand, who briefly fell in love with an angel, became a trusted babysitter/roommate, and was one of the better comedic elements of the show. In this portion of season 5, her story is diluted to lies, indecisiveness towards the loyalty of her friends resulting in her becoming just an instrument being used rather than the larger character she had previously been. Judgment must fully be reserved until season 5’s closing credits at the conclusion of Part 2, but there is doubt on how her character can be restored back to one of the better pillars of the series she once was.

In the end, Part 1 of Lucifer’s fifth season is exactly what fans have come to hope for. It’s filled with episodic murders that are humorous as they are instructive for the main characters while also containing an overarching narrative that drives the show in a new and fresh direction as the celestials are having to decide which lifestyle, human or other, they want to live and the cliffhanger that the series leaves on will have fans up in arms over when the release for Part 2 will come and how now matter how close it’s still too far away.

Lucifer’s goal is never to become too deep and emotional thus transforming it into something it’s not. Its self-awareness and ability to lean into the procedural tropes that other shows are built upon but it simply chooses to use as a comical means to an end is one of its biggest strengths. Strip that away and you still have interesting characters which is why this series is largely supported after 4 seasons. This first part decently sets up for what looks to be a great second half which cannot come soon enough.

still courtesy of Netflix

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