“That’s enough!”
Those were God’s/Dad’s (Dennis Haysbert) first words in his official introduction back in “Spoiler Alert,” Lucifer season five’s midseason finale. They were the words of a parent—as absent and withholding as He’s been—who might just have to turn this universe around if His kids don’t stop their petty fighting. And who could just turn this universe around, which is the scariest part. Now, with the return of Lucifer for the rest of season five, God has a lot more to say—and do.
Written by Lucifer co-showrunner Joe Henderson and directed by Nathan Hope, “Family Dinner” picks up right where “Spoiler Alert” left off, with Dad’s divine intervention putting an end to that episode’s epic Lucifer/Amenadiel vs. Michael (and Maze) fight. In theory, Lucifer has always been leading to a confrontation between Lucifer and the root of all his psychological issues, his (and creation’s) Father. The chances of that ever actually happening when the series was on FOX always felt slim to none, especially as the network appeared to be more interested in the “Cop” side of the “DevilCop” equation than they ever did the “Devil.” (See: Lucifer Season Three.) But even during its time on network television, Lucifer was always its most interesting when it delved into the larger than life origins and issues of its celestial beings, in tandem with the more human aspects of the “Cop” side (Chloe, Dan, and even Ella as people, not just cogs in the procedural machine). It’s why I’d argue that Seasons Two and Four remain the peak of the series, as shining examples of what the series could do in both the network realm and then the streaming one.
Lucifer as a series is essentially a continuous question of “How do you balance work and family?” In this case, the “you” is the Lucifer writers. As I’ve also argued, the procedural component of the show is the weakest—in the sense of the cases-of-the-week as a whole, not the fact that there are cases-of-the-week. With such a big set-piece in this episode—the titular family dinner—it’s rather understandable for the case-of-the-week to be an afterthought. In fact, that’s why Chloe’s near-automatic realization that she should just solve the case based on what Lucifer’s particular projections will be—instead of waiting for him to make those projections on his own, with her doing real detective work—is such a good bit. As is Chloe’s wrap-up line for the case (“So it turns out our killer was an overbearing girlfriend trying to change her boyfriend because he couldn’t deal with his family issues. So, you know, no parallel.”), as Chloe does believe she’s being “overbearing;” even though that’s neither what’s eating at Lucifer this episode nor what’s even on the page, as Chloe’s barely a factor in this episode. (In giving Lucifer space, that does not mean Chloe is also given space to do much more in this episode than work on the case.)
So let’s get into it. Dennis Haysbert is certainly inspired casting for Lucifer’s God/Dad, even if you only know him as “the Allstate Guy.” He’s an actor who has one of those booming “Voice of God” voices that truly makes you feel like you’re in good hands. And as this episode proves, that expected gravitas is there, along with the levity needed to work on this show fully. (Sometimes it doesn’t get much better than God asking about a futon.) But Lucifer has also created a challenge for Haysbert—and itself—as it’s given us a taste of God-but-not-quite with “God Johnson” and “Once Upon A Time.” The latter doesn’t factor in too much, both as one of the series’ bonus, “standalone” episodes and as one that ultimately reveals God’s mindset (in His own words, not Lucifer’s) and that even if things were different, Lucifer and Chloe would still find their way to each other.
But the former does, as even though Timothy Omundson’s Earl “God” Johnson wasn’t the real deal, his behavior was close enough to convince Lucifer and Mom (before they kissed) that he was. And the particular celestial object that he possessed at the time made it so he was as close to the real thing as we had until now. So there is an expectation for there to be a familiarity, in terms of the characterization and performance of the actual God/Dad. And credit where credit’s due, that familiarity very much exists in “Family Dinner,” from the moment Dad calls Lucifer “Samael” (which is what convinced Lucifer about Johnson in the first place). As Lucifer is a show very much concerned with callbacks to and building upon its established mythology and continuity, it’s no surprise the series would want to make sure that its original not-quite-God still makes sense in the context of the real God.
And God’s presence makes for an interesting dynamic with literally everyone He interacts with, whether they know who He is (which is the case for everyone He interacts with here) or not (which should be a possibility moving forward). Obviously, Lucifer, Amenadiel, and Michael all have their own ways in which they behave around Father, based both on the very loaded past and the very stressful present (Lucifer is struggling to connect with Chloe fully; Amenadiel has a newborn, human baby; Michael is a dick). But then you have someone like Linda, who is constantly hit with mindblowing celestial reveal after mindblowing celestial reveal—and takes them all so much better than any other human character—adjusting to the fact that she is part of God’s extended family. Or Maze, who’s obviously aware of God and knows she has to tread carefully when she interacts with him but is also so singularly focused on what she thinks will “fix” her (getting a soul) that she can’t even accept that if God says she’s “perfect” just the way she is, that probably means… Well, she’s perfect, just the way she is.
The God we meet is the Dad we’ve heard so much about, both cryptic and withholding, without seeing why any one of His children could possibly be so mad at him. And while He has the calm grandfather demeanor throughout the episode, He is not as go-with-the-flow as He seems. There’s the storm during the tensest moments of family dinner—a tension which Hope’s direction really makes you feel, right from the early, tight moments of passing plates around the table—but there’s also the fact that He banishes Michael from Earth, which falls exactly in line with what we’ve always been told about Dad. The banishment scene is interesting—and chilling considering the tonal shifts—as it’s also a reminder to Amenadiel of just how extreme Father’s punishments can be. It’s not like Amenadiel is Team Michael, but the way D.B. Woodside reacts to the moment is such that Amenadiel clearly thinks that’s too far, or at least shocking, considering all of Dad’s “family” rhetoric so far. At the same time, this banishment falls right into what Dad and Amenadiel are talking about right before Michael arrives, and that is a father doing anything for his son; in this case, this is what Dad is doing for Lucifer, even if he doesn’t know it.
Like Inbar Lavi as Eve in Season Four, Haysbert’s presence as God/Dad provides fascinating new dynamics for all of the cast to play with. Tom Ellis has always played Lucifer’s fractured relationship with Dad tremendously, and now he gets to do so face-to-face with the actual character. (Ellis is terrific in this episode, especially during family dinner as both Lucifer and Michael.) Woodside gets to show new layers to Amenadiel as a new father and one who both loves and respects his own but can now see Him in a different light. Rachael Harris gets to be the audience proxy once again as Linda reacts to the fact that God is essentially her Father-in-Law, as well as the fact that celestial family drama looks a lot like human family drama. And much like Maze herself, Lesley-Ann Brandt’s onscreen interaction with Haysbert gets to be the wildcard of the episode, as the Maze/God dynamic is one that was perhaps the most difficult one to predict coming into this episode (and now moving forward). Maze has always felt so exclusive to all things Hell that her even interacting with God is clearly a massive deal. And the show knows and plays with that. “Family Dinner” gives us a delicious taste of what things will be like now with God/Dad fully in the mix, apron and all.
While it’s the “overbearing girlfriend” who ends up being the killer, Lucifer is still able to apply the reveal to his “lesson learned” for this episode, in the case of Peter Peterson (John Glover) realizing that the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree when it came to his dead son. In that case, Peterson is given some bit of peace, despite the tragedy that’s befallen his family. At family dinner, Lucifer tells Dad, “[I]f all the apples are bad… maybe it’s the tree that’s the problem.” With Peterson, he sees that the particular apple-tree/father-son metaphor boiled down to “self-sacrifice.” But for Lucifer, that metaphor boils down to—like dear old Dad—being “incapable of love.” To Lucifer, that’s why Dad doesn’t love him or his siblings, and that’s why Lucifer can’t say “I love you” to Chloe. Lucifer takes a major step in accepting that he is his Father’s son in this episode. But in doing so, he also accepts that he is fundamentally broken and unable to give Chloe something she deserves without lying.
This sounds like the sort of thing Lucifer should really talk to Dr. Linda about, right?
Stray observations
- Dad arrives, and: Amenadiel is in awe of Him being here on Earth, sniveling Michael says his siblings attacked him (and to look at what Lucifer did to his face), and Lucifer goes into defensive mode. (“Go on. Go ahead, Dad. Blame it all on me, like always,” Lucifer says.) Then Amenadiel immediately blames himself for losing control and stopping time, for not better controlling his brothers. Children.
- Linda (to God, in between pokes): “Yep. You’re really here. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I met Eve and the Goddess of all creation. I even thought I met you once, but still… Yeah, I’m never gonna get used to this.”
- My favorite part of the case-of-the-week? The moment it seems like we’re going to get a go-kart chase scene, only for Lucifer to stop Juan immediately. My note for that was just “budget.”
- And while there’s some fun to be had with the case and its overarching familial metaphor working with what this episode is really about, it does kind of feel like a waste of John Glover. It’s especially glaring after his guest spot on a similar procedural, Evil. (Similar in that it’s a procedural that fucks and has now also moved from network television to a streaming service.) Although, I suppose having Glover play a devoted father who loves his children and would do anything for them makes for a nice contrast with his role as Lionel Luthor in Smallville, a father so terrible he grew a luxurious head of hair when he knew his son could not, and to Lucifer’s Dad, who’s been painted with quite the negligent father brush over the past four and a half seasons.
- Amenadiel offers up his divinity to Charlie because he doesn’t want his son to suffer as humans do. It’s not gonna happen, but Amenadiel tried.
- While Michael is obviously already working on his next scheme after the banishment, the LUX scene with Maze is possibly the most genuine (in a way that’s not related to his hatred of Lucifer) we’ve ever seen him be. Ellis plays Michael as disingenuously as he possibly can—to the point where during the family dinner, I did have to remind myself, “They’re both Tom Ellis.”—every step of the way, but when he’s saying goodbye to Maze, he suddenly feels like he’s let a wall down. “I guess out of all the wretched beings I’ve met, I don’t entirely hate you,” isn’t the stuff of romance or best friendship, but it goes a long way to make him less of a cartoon villain. “And for what it’s worth, Mazikeen, I’m sorry you didn’t get what you wanted.” Yes, his gears are still turning, but his cryptic exit has him saying it’s going to work out for both him and Maze; he doesn’t let her in on the plan, but he’s not manipulating Maze one last time before he goes. It’s… interesting.
- Also, Michael’s sloped shoulder? Self-actualized because of the metaphorical chip on it. Makes sense to me!
45 Comments
Well now, that was a hell of an intense dinner. It was a moment that series had been building up to since the start really and it paid off. Definitely the highlight of the episode for me.Can’t say this wasn’t the first time they had a notable character actor on the show and they didn’t really do anything. Remember when Charisma Carpenter was on the show?I did like Dan trying to comfort Ella in the wake of the whole serial killer. I feel like he doesn’t get a lot of moments like that.
just working through season 3. does Lucifer ever actually act on his bisexuality or it’s just hinted at lol?
They state it outright but outside of orgy scenes no.
We get to meet bunch of guys he had sex with but that’s about it.
The show specifically says that Lucifer has slept with multiple men, but FOX was a bit too conservative to do more than introduce us to some of these men after the fact, and Lucifer’s relationship with Chloe prevents a lot of potential Lucifer-random dude hookups on Netflix.
Im straight guy (been attracted exclusively by women until now, until I saw Ellis as Lucifer) but I would fuck him. And he does give a bi vibe. Pretty strongly.
I’d completely forgotten this was back today, and am very happy it is. Love Haysbert so far, as someone who mostly knows him from 24.
And remember he and DB Woodside were brothers? Now father and son. Funny.
Yeah, Woodside has said he’s been pushing for Haysbert to be God for years.
no spoilers, but the further I get into these episodes, the less important the “solving crimes” aspect feels, it’s the first time this show really seems like it feels obligated to be still doing it. but otherwise great so far
I’ve one episode to go, and I wonder if the final season will drop it entirely.
I’m done now and yeah, I feel like they’ve shown that it’s not necessary at all to fill the run time
There will probably be more of this in the next few days, but have the writers/producers said anywhere when they decided that this wouldn’t be the final season? They filmed everything except the finale pre-lockdown, and didn’t announce S6 until last June, so I wonder if they knew when they were making any of this that it wouldn’t be the end.
I was curious about this as well and turns out they did an interview with Variety about this! Short form: THAT ending was supposed to be the end of act 5 of the episode and then the final act was gonna be about the consequences which will now be the entire sixth season. Sounds like the renewal was heaven send (pun fully intended).Here for the entire interview: variety.com/2021/tv/features/lucifer-musical-heaven-season-6-plans-1234982997/
Thanks!
I’m not sure you actually know what a pun is.
Interesting. I had heard the news that this was the last season, but hadn’t heard the news that it *wasn’t* the last season anymore, and I that has made my day.
Allegedly, the decision was made around the time they were filming 5B because supposedly the cast started negotiations in March 2020 for a contract extension and Tom Ellis held out until May 2020. But the producers/showrunners may have been in the loop by late 2019 about the interest in a season 6.
Showrunners: Hey, let’s make a show about Lucifer from Sandman…
Audience: Yay!
Showrunners: …but instead of all the boring theological/familial stuff, he’s going to fight crime!
Audience: …what the hell? Why would you have a character like that and waste all your running time on reheated procedural nonsense!?
….(five seasons later)Showrunners: we’ve had a great idea, people! We’re going to minimise the ‘fights crime’ bit and concentrate on the theological/family stuff, that’s way more interesting!
Audience: …[yeah yeah, I know they’d probably argue that they needed to fight crime in order to get the show made, because fighting crime is what all TV shows have to be about. But even so, it feels like a frustrating detour…]
I feel like the show has more fun with the procedural storylines in subtle ways once it moved to Netflix and didn’t need it to be the obligatory A-plot, or have it at all, but kept as a nod to the established formula.
I’ve noticed the season finales(since at least season 3) have been more related to the celestial plot than case of the week. S3: Charlotte Richards murder by Cain, S4: Demon uprising, S5A: serial killer wrapped up half way into show so we get to the celestial stuff, and S5B: well, can’t spoil it yet but this was originally intended as endgame stuff so I think the “case of the week” stuff was winding down anyway to resolve the overarching storylines but now there is a S6 to consider. While it seems extraneous at this point to have cases of the week, I bet there will still be some in S6(and yes, I’ve finished the season).
I absolutely adored Linda’s ‘chicken’ moment. Makes sense for the mortal at the table to be trying to find any outlet for the stress they’re under.
So glad you are back recapping LaFergs!
Yup. Now if only we could easily find them – the recent update to the site keeps the tv reviews suddenly very well hidden. Honestly don’t understand why this is done.
Linda’s moment laughing about how “that’s why everything tastes like chicken!” followed by crickets followed by “I’m sorry, I’m just very uncomfortable” is pure Linda and I love it.Maze chugging that drink while God’s back was turned. And that outfit! Wish we could have seen more of it, but the cloak was gorgeous. I feel like I always forget exactly how beautiful Lesley Ann Brandt is. I mean… it’s unreal.
Even from the first scene I legit keep forgetting Michael is still Tom Ellis.
Oh man, even in the greys I’m so happy to see you’re still covering this and that it’s still being covered. I cannot bloody wait for your take on the next episode
Several things in the first episode…1) Having first known Dennis Haysbert from Major League and Now and Again, this interpretation of the Holy Father is pretty perfectly in Haysbert’s wheelhouse.2) I noticed He really doesn’t answer any question straight-up, with a yes or a no, but he never answers a question with a question. I can see why Lucifer would take “no” from “If you have to ask, then I really have failed” from the simple question of “Did you ever love us?” but clearly we (the audience) are supposed to think “Of course I loved you, I’m sorry you think you have to ask.”Similarly, with Maze, I think “You’re perfect just the way you are” is the same answer. Clearly she’s in love with Eve, and clearly Eve’s in love with her — probably the “endgame” is she’s Eve’s true soulmate, which she couldn’t be if He made her differently… and would indicate she’ll grow into a soul, even if as the other-half of Eve’s.3) “I just thanked G-d for napkins” / “You did so much better than I would have done” — Linda and Amanadiel for the lulz…
John Glover also played the Devil on the short-lived Brimstone.
Yup ,from what I remember he also played an angel, or possibly God as well.
I’m glad someone else remembered that.
It’s really weird they got John Glover for such a throwaway role, but then again there’s so few substantial recurring roles on this show beyond the core cast, maybe this was what fit his schedule. I do like he’s added another credit to his list of DC Comics-related appearances.I find God, at least in this episode, absolutely infuriating with his vague, evasive, gaslighting responses, though it does perfectly capture Lucifer’s frustration with him. Cute dodge of having Michael skip over Lucifer while passing the entrees around.
Yay! It’s back! Loved this one, although it took me a minute to get back into “Lucifer” head space. They really walk that line between “rote procedural” and “paranormal drama” so well, although the major connection seems to be humor. They really lean into the absurdity of the procedural part, which makes the whole thing work. I laughed so much during this episode. And the next, but I’ll wait until the next review. It did also take me a minute to understand Haysbert’s interpretation of his character, but it started to click for me during the dinner scene. Before that he just seemed rather blank, but there was something about his lack of obvious reaction coupled with the storm outside that made it work suddenly. I could see the wheels behind wheels turning behind those serene expressions. I love this crazy show, so glad it is back! (Best moment was definitely Amenadiel telling Linda “You did so much better than I would have.” I laughed just imagining what that would have looked like, which is the sign of a fantastically realized character.)
Chloe realizing that their case of the week always analogizes to Lucifer’s celestial problem of the week, and using it to is to diagnose what Lucifer won’t tell her, is such a delightful instance of “lampshading”. It’s particularly clever because the audience is exhausted with Chloe and Lucy being separated by simple misunderstandings and poor communication. So for Chloe to solve the communication divide all on her own — and totally nail it, by deducing a pattern that’s been present under her nose for like a 100 episodes — is great fun.
John Glover was also wasted in Agent Carter.
He must have some sort of “Don’t use me to my fullest potential” clause in his contracts.
Does anyone remember Lucifer’s brother Uriel from season 2? Good because neither does God or the show’s writers.
Didn’t Lucifer kill him for keeps in Season 2 with the Blade of Azrael so he’d stop murdering people? I seem to remember Lucifer falling into a tailspin after that because he’s never, ever actively taken a life before.
Are you asking because you want God to address the fact that Lucifer killed him?
Yes. Fratricide seems like it might come up at a Family Dinner.
Since God is supposed to be omniscient as well as omnipresent and omnipotent, I suspect he knows…and he knows Lucifer’s reasons for taking Uriel’s life.
Also, what about Azrael? Are we supposed to think of the two post-season 3 episodes as canon? Because even if not, Azrael (and her blade) have still been talked about a lot, so, it’s even weirder than Uriel going unmentioned that the only(?) other living heavenly family member still residing in this universe is never brought up.
Tom Ellis can be inducted into the Tatiana Maslany Hall of Fame with this performance, as I too forgot he played them both, several times.
What a criminal waste of John Glover.
Not one word about the glorious stunt casting of John Glover, allowing the Devil to confront himself? Or do you not remember the too-good-for-this-sinful-earth one-season wonder “Brimstone”?
Maze’s reaction to her new “favorite drink”:“It’s alright.” [surreptitious chug]*chef’s kiss*