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 treats the devil as a sympathetic hero and God as an absent, flawed father, while showing some loyalty and friendship among its characters. Intimidation and lies often get results, so the moral picture is muddied.
- +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
Frequent sexual innuendo, a sex-for-therapy storyline, murder and stabbings, and a flippant portrayal of God and a squabbling heavenly family make it unsuitable for younger teens.
- Under 8No
- Ages 8–12No
- Ages 13–15Wait
- Ages 16–17Check first
- AdultsCheck first
A crime-of-the-week episode wrapped in a reimagined heavenly family drama, with innuendo, violence and an irreverent take on God. Its view of the devil and divine things will trouble many Christian families.
Watch guide
What's in it?
LanguageOccasional mild swearing
Expect occasional mild swearing typical of the network-era seasons, with no f-words.
BlasphemyIrreverent God talk
Lucifer speaks of God dismissively and with sarcasm, and the heavenly family is treated as a soap-opera household.
Sex and nudityInnuendo
Lucifer's sexual arrangement with his therapist is discussed openly and played for comedy, and innuendo runs through the dialogue.
RelationshipsSex-for-therapy deal
Linda's sexual arrangement with her patient Lucifer costs her her licence, and the fallout drives one storyline.
ViolenceMurder, stabbing
A smuggler is robbed and killed, a woman is stabbed, Maze attacks Lucifer, and a man dies when exposed to divine light.
Frightening scenesTense moments
A supernatural death and some violent confrontations may unsettle younger viewers.
Drugs and alcoholSocial drinking
Characters drink casually, in keeping with the series.
AttitudesLies, coercion, threats
Characters keep secrets, steal evidence, and Maze intimidates an official to get a ruling reversed, with little consequence.
OccultReimagined heaven
God's 'ex-wife', a divine blade and an angelic tome recast biblical figures as a squabbling supernatural family, presented as true within the story.
- To knowContent to know about
- DiscussWorth discussing
- Early
Violence
A smuggler is robbed and killed before he can hand over the last piece of the divine Blade, setting off the murder case.
- Early
Sexual content
Linda loses her medical licence, and Lucifer's open talk of his sexual arrangement with her wrecks her appeal, played for comedy with plenty of innuendo.
- Mid
Betrayal and anger
Maze attacks Lucifer physically and angrily accuses him of manipulating her and keeping secrets.
- Mid
Reimagined heaven
Charlotte is pushed into stealing evidence, and the story presents God's 'ex-wife' and a heavenly family in a make-believe way that differs from the Bible.
- Late
Coercion
Maze intimidates the ethics board chairman into restoring Linda's licence, with threats treated as a win.
- Late
Violence and frightening scene
Charlotte is stabbed, and her attacker then dies after being exposed to divine light in a supernatural death.
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, Amenadiel and Charlotte try to buy the last piece of a heavenly weapon from a smuggler, only for him to be killed first. Chloe takes the murder case, while Lucifer is drawn into a crisis threatening Dr Linda's career. Maze demands answers from Lucifer about the secrets he has kept from her.
Through a faith lensHow it connects to the Bible
This episode recasts God as a distant, favouritism-showing father and his family as a quarrelling household, which sits at odds with the God of Scripture, who is faithful and just. Scripture also shows that God does not play favourites. Amenadiel's discovery that he is the favoured son echoes the older brother and the father in the parable of the lost son, where jealousy and resentment grow inside a family. Linda's career collapses after a boundary between carer and patient is crossed, a reminder that trust in a position of care is to be guarded. Maze forces an official to change his ruling by threatening him, while Charlotte is pressured into stealing evidence; both set justice against intimidation and deceit. The episode does show friendship in Amenadiel and Dan's honest talk about feeling overshadowed, which echoes the call to bear one another's burdens. A family could ask how a portrayal of God as absent or arbitrary compares with what the Bible says of him.
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
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Goodness
- Gentleness
Faithfulness shows in Maze, who stays loyal to Linda and fights to save her career, and kindness in Amenadiel and Dan, who talk openly and support each other. Against this, Maze's attack on Lucifer shows hatred and strife over feeling manipulated. Envy and jealousy run through Amenadiel and Dan as they feel unable to compete with Lucifer, and the heavenly family's rivalries colour the whole story. The sexual arrangement between Lucifer and Linda, discussed openly, is the sexual immorality that costs her licence. Self-control is notably missing in a plot where impulse and grievance drive most choices.
The charactersExamples to follow or avoid
Lucifer MorningstarTom EllisThe devil turned nightclub owner and police consultant. Charming and flippant, he blunders into trouble for Linda and has to face Maze's anger over his secrets.
Chloe DeckerLauren GermanThe detective leading the murder case. She is sharp and persistent, and she uncovers more about Charlotte's hidden past.
Mazikeen 'Maze'Lesley-Ann BrandtLucifer's fierce demon companion. She is hurt by his past manipulation and acts to protect Linda.
AmenadielD. B. WoodsideLucifer's angel brother, who feels overshadowed by him. He forms an unlikely bond with Dan and has an important role in the hunt for the Blade.
Charlotte RichardsTricia HelferA powerful figure with a secret divine past. She is pressured into doing wrong while trying to help the investigation.
How Christians are portrayed
No Christians or church appear. Angels and God are drawn from the Bible but reshaped into a squabbling supernatural family, with God an absent, flawed father rather than the one Christians worship. Faith itself is not mocked directly, though the treatment of biblical figures is irreverent.
Community
What other Christians think
What did you notice?
Strong language (the f-word or similar)?
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Review
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Given to members whose reviews 25 or more people have marked Helpful.
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Details
Episode details
- Cast
- Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Kevin Alejandro, D. B. Woodside
- First aired
- May 22, 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: low.
Score = 100 − 16 × content concern (2.73) + 8 × worldview (−1) = 48
This is a guide to help families choose with wisdom, not a verdict on anyone's conscience ().
Updated 2026-10-14