Lucifer: God Takes Charge As Dennis Haysbert Joins Season 5
God has his hands full after making an unexpected trip to Earth on Lucifer season 5.
This Lucifer feature contains spoilers.
It takes only mere minutes in the Lucifer pilot episode to recognize that things have changed in Heaven, in Hell, and most certainly on Earth. “Remind Dad that I quit Hell because I was sick and tired of playing a part in his play,” Lucifer instructs his sibling Amenadiel, and the Devil’s crime fighting journey with Detective Chloe Decker and the LAPD begins.
Viewers are quickly introduced to Lucifer’s angelic brother (DB Woodside) and the leather clad demon Mazikeen (Lesley-Ann Brandt) providing insight into a family just as dysfunctional as any on Earth. And even though we’re frequently treated to less than reverential references to the family patriarch, God remains unseen, safely ensconced in Heaven – that is until his sons’ bickering in season five becomes so intense that He’s compelled to finally leave the Pearly Gates and find out what the hell is going on down under.
Choosing actors to play the Devil and his brother Amenidiel is one thing, choosing someone to play God, well, that’s quite another. Most Lucifer fans likely resigned themselves to the fact that we’d only hear about dear old Dad, but never actually see him. All that changes, however, in “Spoiler Alert,” the conclusion to season five’s first installment. The voice of God booms down from above, and there’s something eerily familiar about those two simple words: “That’s enough!”
Showrunner Ildy Modrovich’s decision to cast the uber charismatic Dennis Haysbert as God could not be more perfect, and when he tells the boys “you know I hate it when you fight,” we can only hope it takes Him more than a few episodes to put things right among the siblings. Haysbert combines a physical presence that demands respect, and though many of us remember him first as President David Palmer in 24, his ubiquitous Allstate pitchman reminds us that this is a guy who’ll take care of us in a time of need. Who better to play God? I’d also be remiss to ignore the fact that Woodside also appeared in 24 as President Wayne Palmer, brother of Haysbert’s character. And let’s be honest, he’s come a long way from his days as slugger Pedro Cerrano in the Major League trilogy.
So what role might we expect God to play when Lucifer resumes to conclude the second half of the season? Of course, dear old Dad needs to square things with His sons, and that most certainly means the Archangel Michael’s time on Earth will be limited. It’s difficult to successfully carry on the doppelganger plot thread much longer, and it seems unlikely his jealous actions on Earth will be tolerated. Hopefully, we’ll get to see Linda meet her Father-in-law and introduce Charlie to his Grandfather, but it’s His reaction to both that’s most compelling. Amenadiel still struggles with the knowledge that Charlie’s human, so will he petition his Dad for an upgrade?
At this risk of connecting the Supreme Being to The Wizard of Oz, Mazikeen’s desire for a soul seems to provide the catalyst for a conversation that practically writes itself. Though Linda’s had time to process the whole celestial family motif, Dan’s still fairly new to the concept, and with his dark past still haunting him, might an attempt at redemption be in the works? Still, it’s been forensic scientist Ella Lopez whose faith has been tested at several junctions that figures to have the most emotional confrontation once she’s read into the circle. In her case, though, while meeting God will most certainly be a life changing experience, learning that she’s been working side by side with the Devil could cause a spiritual break from which recovery might be difficult.
Of course, the primary arc God needs to address is His decision to put Chloe in Lucifer’s path and explain His reasons behind it. From a narrative perspective it’s a situation that could go in any of a number of directions once Lucifer aggressively confronts his Father, but at this point in their relationship, Chloe seems just as likely to demand an audience with the Big Guy so he can explain this “gift from God” label with which she’s been tagged.
Though Netflix hasn’t yet announced when the final eight episodes of season five will drop, it seems doubtful fans will receive new Lucifer before the end of the year. Nevertheless, with Dennis Haysbert and God on board, the series looks to explore a new range of themes and character interactions. Do you think we’ll see God at a crime scene? Nah.
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Dave's passion lies with writing and podcasting about science fiction television and film. There’s been no turning back after discovering The X-Files in 1993 as he…