Lucifer Season 5.2--Good to have the Devil back

 

TV Review: Lucifer Season 5.2—The Devil is Still Alive and Kicking

 The aging process of a TV show is hard to anticipate.  Some shows come out strong after a long crafting period, but then have no where to go but down (Twin Peaks, Heroes).  Some start weak and then find their legs after growing pains (Parks & Recreation, Legend of Tomorrow).  Shows showing continued growth and creativity in their fifth season are unusual.

Lucifer started off with some problems.  The first season took time to establish the relationship between The Devil AKA Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) and LA Police Detective Chloe Decker, whose main characteristic was the repeated statement that she had starred in a raunchy sex comedy when she was a teenager.  The season revolved around a police scandal summed up by the word “Palmetto” and if you played a drinking game and took a swig of something alcoholic when ever that word was uttered, you’d be blitzed before the end of any episode.

The show got more creative in season 2 when they introduced Tricia Helfer as the Earthly body inhabited by the Goddess of All Creation (God’s wife and Lucifer’s mother).  The creators said they checked with the Bible and found no mention of Lucifer’s mother and decided the character was free to be utilized.  The cases of the week, the murders assigned to Detective Decker and her ex-husband Dan (Kevin Alejandro) faded into the background and the philosophical issues of the Devil living on Earth took more prominence.  The rest of the cast (DB Woodside as Lucifer’s brother Amenadiel, Lesley-Ann Brandt as his assistant Mazikeen, Rachel Harris as Lucifer’s psychiatrist Linda) was fleshed out and the storytelling got more confident.  Season 3 introduced Biblical character Caine, and Season 4 added Eve to the mix.  Season 5 introduced Lucifer’s twin brother Michael (Ellis doing a passable American accent) and the first half of the season ended with the appearance of Lucifer’s father, better known as God.

If you make The Almighty Divine Creator of the Universe a character in your TV show, you’d better find an actor who can carry the role.  Lucifer nails the casting with Dennis Haysbert, now known for his insurance commercial but once cast as the President of the United States in the series 24.  He was credible as the President even though he was African American and this was pre-Obama (some have speculated that Obama’s election owed some thanks to Haysbert for making a Black president seem credible; at the time a critic said that if Haysbert changed his name to David Palmer [his character’s name on 24] and ran for President he’d probably win).  There was also an issue with cast-member Woodside, who reportedly lobbied for an African American actor in the role as his father since a Caucasian actress had played his mother.

Haysbert is perfect.  He has a deep, commanding voice that invites obedience, but a genial manner that bespeaks the softer side of God.  He fits right in with the family dynamics established by the show, intimidating mortals like Chloe and Linda, puzzling his son Amenadiel, and infuriating Lucifer. 

I have watched the first two episodes of season 5.2, and I am pleased to report that the creativity Lucifer’s writers have displayed in the past is in full force.  The first episode milks the family dynamics to the max, with God summoning a thunderstorm to quell the squabbling.  Linda keeps poking God to assure his existence and tries to duck out on family dinner, Amenadiel becomes depressed when he is told his son with Linda is human, not angelic, and a murder at a mini-golf course is solved (yawn).

Episode 2 is the long teased, long awaited musical episode.  Musical episodes are tricky; except for Buffy the Vampire Slayer few series attempting one have cleared the bar.  The one, titled Bloody Celestial Karaoke Jam, isn’t quite up to the Buffy musical but it is the closest I’ve seen since the Scrubs musical episode My Musical.  It starts with a great cover of Wicked Game by Ellis, followed by a rousing group sing of Queen’s another One Bites the Dust at the murder scene.  The musical numbers get a little less on the nose as the episode progresses (Linda singing “Just the Two of Us” to her baby is somewhat generic; I half expected her to break into "What if God Was One of Us" at one point) but the cast steps up, especially Alejandro who continues to show comedic chops undreamt of in season 1 (Dan is worried because he slept with the woman whose body was inhabited by God’s ex-wife, and he is not reassured by Amenadiel when he tells Dan that his father is probably not happy with that fact and that God is sort of vengeful). 

Lucifer has been a tad erratic over its run, but shows that push creative boundaries often are (again, see Legends of Tomorrow).  Since moving from Fox to Netflix the show has embraced shedding the broadcast shackles (not to mention clothes), and coming up with some innovative fight scenes.  This freedom seems to have invigorated the writing staff, and Lucifer continues to be one of the most surprising shows being produced.

If you have been a fan of Lucifer, catch season 5.2.  If not, take my advice and watch the pilot then skip to season 1 episode 1 and go from there.  You’ll have a Devil of a good time (sorry, the Devil made me do it.)