HeartGuard score
How suitable a title is for Christian viewers, from 0 to 100. It weighs the content meters and the worldview.
- 80–100Recommended
- 60–79Watch with care
- 35–59Think it throughThis episode
- 15–34Strong caution
- 0–14Not recommended
HeartGuard score
How suitable a title is for Christian viewers, from 0 to 100. It weighs the content meters and the worldview.
- 80–100Recommended
- 60–79Watch with care
- 35–59Think it throughThis episode
- 15–34Strong caution
- 0–14Not recommended
Worldview score
What the story celebrates or condemns.
Why −1 for this episode
The episode condemns a man who treats others as disposable and honours costly rescue, but it frames God as a manipulator and the devil as the sympathetic hero, so its outlook is ambivalent.
- +2Affirms faithPresents faith in God positively and as true
- +1Positive valuesHonesty, sacrifice and family win out
- 0Mixed or neutralNo clear stance
- −1AmbivalentThis episodeShows sin without judging it either way
- −2Glamorises sinMakes sin look attractive and rewarding
Age guide
How suitable this episode is for each age group.
Why 16+ for this episode
A bloody on-screen suicide, poisoning deaths by a masked killer, and Lucifer's repeated self-harm make this hard going for younger teens. A bitter portrayal of God's purposes adds to the intensity.
- Under 8No
- Ages 8–12No
- Ages 13–15Wait
- Ages 16–17Check first
- AdultsCheck first
A tense case about a poisoner testing human selfishness, with a bloody suicide on screen and Lucifer resenting God. Expect innuendo and a dark view of God's purposes.
Watch guide
What's in it?
LanguageOccasional mild swearing
Expect occasional mild swearing typical of network television, with no f-words.
BlasphemyA few exclamations
There are likely a few casual uses of God's name, and Lucifer speaks of God with resentment, especially once he learns of the plan behind Chloe's birth.
Sex and nudityInnuendo
Lucifer's usual flirtatious banter and innuendo, with no sexual scenes.
RelationshipsFlirtation, partners
Chloe becomes more relaxed and playful with Lucifer, and their partnership edges towards romance.
ViolencePoisonings, self-harm
Students die from poison, Lucifer repeatedly cuts his own hand, and the killer cuts his own throat on screen.
Frightening scenesMasked killer, gas room
A masked poisoner, victims trapped near deadly gas and a bloody suicide make for tense and disturbing moments.
Drugs and alcoholDrinking in a bar
Characters drink socially, including a meeting in a bar; a minor character is presented as a stoner.
AttitudesCruel experiments
A professor poisons students to prove everyone is selfish; this is condemned. Lucifer is quick to assume betrayal and reacts in anger.
OccultFantasy angels and devil
Lucifer, angels and a demon are presented in a fantasy world, with God shown as manipulating people's lives.
- To knowContent to know about
- Skip for kidsSkip for younger viewers
- DiscussWorth discussing
- Early
Poisoning, death
The body of a university student turns up, killed by a poison nobody can identify, and the deaths are tied to a figure in a mask.
- Early
Sexual innuendo
Lucifer's usual flirtatious banter and innuendo, with Chloe unusually playful in return.
- Mid
Alcohol and drugs
Students and young people are shown at parties and in bars, drinking, with a minor character presented as a stoner.
- Mid
Self-harm, perilSkip if under 13
Lucifer repeatedly cuts his own hand to test whether he is immortal again, then enters a room of poison gas to save two victims.
- Late
SuicideSkip if under 16
Cornered, the professor cuts his own throat on screen, and his act is spoken of as his own choice.
- Late
God and free will
Maze, Charlotte and Lucifer talk over how Chloe came to be born, and Lucifer discovers that God planned her existence as a present for him, which leaves him resentful of God and furious with Chloe.
How to play
- 1. Draw a cardOne person reads the question out loud.
- 2. Everyone answersThere are no wrong answers. Listen before you reply.
- 3. Pass it onThe next person draws, until the deck is done.
Faith & story
What does it say?
What's it about?The plot, without the ending
Lucifer and Chloe investigate a masked killer who is poisoning college students. Clues lead to a professor with a bleak theory about human selfishness. Chloe seems unusually relaxed around Lucifer, which puzzles him. Meanwhile Maze and Charlotte wrestle with a secret about Chloe's past that Lucifer has never been told.
Through a faith lensHow it connects to the Bible
The professor in this episode decides that everyone is selfish, then poisons strangers to prove it. Scripture says the human heart is deceitful, yet it also shows people who lay down their lives for others. Lucifer's willingness to walk into a deadly room to save two victims echoes Jesus' teaching that no one has greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. The killer's despair, and his ending of his own life, sits against the biblical view that life is a gift and that God cares for the broken. The professor also treats people as test subjects, while Scripture says each person is made in God's image. Lucifer's anger on learning that Chloe may have been arranged for him raises the old question of whether God's plans are good. Job and Joseph both faced suffering they could not explain, and both came to trust God's purposes. The episode shows God as a manipulator, which the Bible does not. It is worth discussing how the Bible describes God's character.
Fruit of the SpiritWhich fruit does it show?
2 out of 9 fruits ripe in this episode
Ripe grapes are shown in the episode, buds are missing
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Goodness
- Gentleness
Love shows in Lucifer's costly rescue of the poisoned victims, and Faithfulness in Chloe, who pursues the killer while trusting Lucifer without being given a reason. Hatred appears in the professor's contempt for humanity and his cruel experiments. Fits of anger come when Lucifer, believing he has been betrayed, storms off to confront Chloe. Jealousy and Drunkenness appear only in passing: Maze's bar scene and Lucifer's usual drinking, with Maze showing some resentment. Self-control is notably missing from Lucifer's rage once he suspects he has been deceived.
The charactersExamples to follow or avoid
Lucifer MorningstarTom EllisThe devil, now a nightclub owner and police consultant. Charming and vain, he is thrown by Chloe's change of mood and later by what he learns about her origins.
Chloe DeckerLauren GermanA Los Angeles detective who is steady, practical and warm. In this episode she is more playful with Lucifer and faces a killer who refuses to give himself up.
Mazikeen 'Maze'Lesley-Ann BrandtLucifer's demon friend and bodyguard. She is torn between loyalty to him and the secret she has been told about Chloe.
Charlotte RichardsTricia HelferA woman brought back to life and tied to heavenly secrets. She shares what she knows about Chloe's birth.
How Christians are portrayed
No Christians or church appear. Faith enters only through the fantasy figures of angels, a demon and the devil, and God is shown as a distant planner who arranges human lives for his own ends. This is a fictional picture rather than a portrayal of real believers.
Community
What other Christians think
What did you notice?
Strong language (the f-word or similar)?
Is this appropriate for Christians to watch?
Thinking of children? Add the youngest age you'd show it to.
Review
Helpful reviewer
The star beside a name
Given to members whose reviews 25 or more people have marked Helpful.
It rewards reviews that help other families decide, not how many someone writes. It's a sign others have found their reviews thoughtful, not a verdict on anyone's faith.
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Details
Episode details
- Cast
- Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Kevin Alejandro, D. B. Woodside
- First aired
- Jan 23, 2017
- Created by
- Tom Kapinos
- Networks
- FOX, Netflix
- Genre
- Crime, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Episode length
- 42m
- Age rating
- US TV-14 · UK 15
How we analysed this
We gathered the episode's summary, its reception and facts about the series that independent sources agree on, then rated each content area against our rubric and worldview scale, using AI models calibrated on reference titles. Not yet reviewed by our team. Confidence: medium.
Score = 100 − 16 × content concern (2.59) + 8 × worldview (−1) = 51
This is a guide to help families choose with wisdom, not a verdict on anyone's conscience ().
Updated 2026-10-14