The Lucifer Season 5 Finale Explained

A detective drama starring a freewheeling lounge lizard version of the Devil is an exciting premise, but Netflix's "Lucifer" has never been satisfied with just that. Instead, the show has gradually become a genre-bending urban fantasy in which virtually anything can — and often does — happen. The second half of Season 5 is the last pit stop before the show's final season, and Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) is in more trouble than he's ever been ... which is saying something for an entity that was once cast out of Heaven. 

Season 5, part 2 kicks off when God (Dennis Haysbert) arrives to stop a fight between Lucifer, Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside), Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt), and Michael (Tom Ellis again). The creator starts hanging out with Lucifer in order to reconnect with him, and it soon transpires that the Lord's powers have grown erratic. In fact, he's planning to retire. The ensuing power struggle takes up much of the season's ending, and leaves Lucifer and many other characters in a very, very strange place before the sixth and final season. Here's the "Lucifer" Season 5 finale explained.

Archangel Michael comes across as an unlikeable version of the Devil, so it's pretty clear that he's up to no good — even before it turns out that he's the guy behind God's power troubles. Michael's master plan is to put together the powerful Flaming Sword, and to become the next God. In the Season 5 finale, the angel's scheme almost works, but Chloe (Lauren German) and Lucifer manage to disarm him in an epic confrontation at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 

Unfortunately for Michael, he makes the mistake of killing Chloe, and Lucifer's rescue mission to Heaven leaves the villainous archangel in a precarious situation. Not only does Chloe return to life, but she's able to use the Key part of the dismantled sword to grant herself enough power to defeat Michael. What's more, the selfless act of resurrecting her at the seeming cost of his own life allows Lucifer to gain the powers of God. 

In the end, Michael suffers a complete and utter defeat, though Lucifer opts to spare his life. Instead, the new God simply cuts his brother's wings, and gives him a second lease in life. It remains to be seen just how wise this is, though. While Michael ultimately agrees to bow to Lucifer, it's hard to imagine that the trickster angel can put aside his lifelong grudge against his twin, even though Lucifer is now well and truly above his power level. Michael may end Season 5 a pair of wings short, but even if he's completely depowered, he still has his cunning. It wouldn't be all that surprising to see him acquire a few powerful allies, and perhaps return as a major threat in Season 6. 

Since Season 2, Lucifer has been bumping into an incredibly unlucky small-time crook called Lee Garner (Jeremiah Birkett) roughly once per season, with hilarious, but increasingly severe results for the poor dude. After multiple robbery-themed encounters, Lucifer eventually stops schooling Lee, and starts helping him instead. When Lee gets murdered anyway, Lucifer even takes the time to consult him with his time loop-themed punishment in Hell, concurrently with Maze and Chloe working on the case in Los Angeles. 

All of this makes Lee seem like one of those amusing bit part characters that pop up to fuel the occasional C-plot. However, the Season 5 finale makes it clear that Lucifer's run-ins with the guy have been an incredibly intricate setup to save the Devil's life when he needs it the most. When Michael kills Chloe, Lucifer decides to search for her in Heaven, though he knows that the mission will kill him. Imagine his surprise, then, when Lee drops by to aid Lucifer on his quest. Turns out, the help Lee received from the Morningstar allowed the criminal to learn to face the consequences of his actions. This has broken the punishment loop and granted Lee a place in Heaven, where he proves to be a valuable ally. 

The first episode of Season 5 — which ended with Lee firmly in Hell — seemed like a final punchline to this particular running joke. Instead, it looks like the whole thing was a setup to help Lucifer survive Heaven long enough to find and resurrect Chloe. Talk about playing the long game.   

Many characters have a very exciting "Lucifer" Season 5 finale, but the best seat on the rollercoaster is arguably reserved to Chloe. Over the course of the episode, she's killed by Archangel Michael, who's made plans to condemn her to Hell. She goes to Heaven anyway, and meets her long-lost father (Chris Payne Gilbert). After that, the Devil sacrifices himself to resurrect her, and she promptly beats up the archangel who killed her. Oh, and as if all of that wasn't enough, the selfless act of saving her then allows said Devil to become the new God — which is fitting, since a desire to be good enough for Chloe prompted Lucifer to get in the God business in the first place. 

That's a pretty impressive "Dear Diary" entry, and yet, it looks like things are only getting started for Chloe. The good detective's relationship with Lucifer has been complicated at best, but Season 5 has made abundantly clear just how much they care for one another. Sure, the fact that one of them is now the ruler of Heaven might complicate things a little. Still, seeing as Chloe has resigned from her job to help Lucifer at the new job, the pair should have plenty of time to finally work things out. 

There are many things nobody told you about "Lucifer," but one thing is glaringly obvious: Season 5 seems like a pretty conclusive end to the series as a whole. The former Devil becomes the new God, defeats his scheming brother, and shows how much he truly loves Chloe by following her to Heaven and resurrecting her. Yet, the show bearing his name still has one more season lined up. Where, exactly, can "Lucifer" go after a season finale like this? 

In an interview with Collider, Tom Ellis addressed this very issue, and assured that "Lucifer" still has a few aces up its sleeve. "With Season 5, it feels like our story has gone full circle, but there's something that we haven't done yet," he said. That's what I'll tease about Season 6." 

Before the sixth season actually drops, it's anyone's guess what the actor was talking about. The new direction Ellis teased might have something to do with Lucifer's new position as the Sovereign of Heaven. There's also the matter of his relationship with Chloe, as well as the final fates of every other main character — angel, demon, and human alike. It looks like "Lucifer" has plenty of inspiration for its final season after all — and, judging by how wild Season 5 was, fans are no doubt extremely eager to see how the story ends.