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 values honesty and second chances in relationships, but it sits within a series that recasts the devil as a hero and treats God irreverently.
- +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 15+ for this episode
The series presents the devil as a sympathetic hero and reimagines God and the afterlife. Its murder investigation, suggestive banter, and an affair behind the crime are not strong.
- Under 8No
- Ages 8–12Wait
- Ages 13–15Check first
- Ages 16–17Check first
- AdultsCheck first
A lighter crime-of-the-week episode about trust and a new romance for Ella. Content is moderate, but the series' reimagining of God and the devil will concern many Christian families.
Watch guide
What's in it?
LanguageOccasional mild swearing
Expect occasional mild and moderate swearing typical of the later seasons.
BlasphemyA few exclamations
God's name is likely used as an exclamation a few times, alongside the series' irreverent talk about God.
Sex and nudityInnuendo
Flirtation and suggestive jokes; a murder motive involves an affair.
RelationshipsNew romance, affair motive
Ella and Carol grow attracted and go on a date. An affair lies behind the murder.
ViolenceMurder case, peril
A drag performer's death is investigated, and a detective is held captive by the killer before an arrest.
Frightening scenesTense moments
A tense captive scene and an afterlife subplot with an angel may unsettle younger viewers.
Drugs and alcoholAlcoholism referenced
A character is found to be a recovering alcoholic, treated sympathetically.
AttitudesSnooping, break-in
Ella and Chloe steal a personnel file and Ella and Lucifer break into a colleague's home; Ella later owns up.
OccultDevil as hero
The series presents the devil as a sympathetic hero preparing to become God, with angels and the afterlife reimagined in a fantasy frame.
- To knowContent to know about
- DiscussWorth discussing
- Early
Murder case
A drag performer's death is investigated as a murder, with the body and the scene of the crime shown.
- Early
Innuendo
Ella and Carol flirt, and the series' usual suggestive banter and innuendo run through the episode.
- Mid
Honesty and trust
Ella and Chloe take a colleague's personnel file without permission to look into his past.
- Mid
Alcohol and privacy
Ella and Lucifer force their way into Carol's house, where they discover that he is an alcoholic in recovery.
- Late
Peril and affair
Carol is held handcuffed at a table by the killer, who explains that an affair lay behind the murder, until Carol breaks free and makes the arrest.
- Late
Devil as hero
An angel offers Dan a route back to earth if he explains how he almost killed Lucifer, while Lucifer continues to delay taking on the role of God.
- Late
Faith and signs
After asking God for a sign, Ella sees something unexpected fall from the sky onto her car.
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 is eager to help and joins Carol, an exasperated detective, on the murder of a drag performer. Ella is drawn to Carol but struggles to trust after a painful past relationship, so she and Chloe look into his unexplained history. Elsewhere, Dan, stranded in the afterlife, is approached by a mysterious woman with an offer.
Through a faith lensHow it connects to the Bible
This episode turns on trust and honesty. Ella wants to know Carol, but her past hurt makes her suspicious, so she goes behind his back and takes his private file. Her later confession shows how secret searching damages trust, while open truth-telling lets a relationship begin again. Carol's struggle with alcohol, kept private and met with kindness, echoes the Bible's call to bear one another's burdens and to restore people gently. Ella's request for a sign from God recalls Gideon, who asked for proof before he would step out. The series makes the devil its hero and treats God's rules as arbitrary, which cuts against Scripture's picture of Satan as a deceiver and of God as good and just. Families may want to weigh the show's sympathetic charm against Scripture's warning not to call evil good. The episode also shows the pull of a hidden past and the relief of being known without condemnation.
Fruit of the SpiritWhich fruit does it show?
4 out of 9 fruits ripe in this episode
Ripe grapes are shown in the episode, buds are missing
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Goodness
- Self-control
Kindness and gentleness show in Ella, who treats Carol warmly and, after her investigation, owns up and makes amends. Faithfulness shows in Carol's honesty about his recovery and in Ella's loyalty to her friends. Love appears in the care that grows between Ella and Carol. The killer's motive grows out of jealousy over an affair, and the case also touches sensuality through the infidelity behind the murder.
The charactersExamples to follow or avoid
Lucifer MorningstarTom EllisThe devil, running a Los Angeles nightclub and working with the police. Charming and irreverent, he is still putting off the weight of becoming God.
Ella LopezAimee GarciaThe warm, openly religious forensic scientist. She is drawn to Carol but cautious after being hurt, and her curiosity leads her into questionable choices.
Chloe DeckerLauren GermanA detective and Lucifer's partner. She helps Ella dig into Carol's past and tries to keep the investigation steady.
Dan EspinozaKevin AlejandroA detective and Chloe's ex-husband, now in the afterlife. He is approached with an offer that tests his honesty.
CarolScott PorterA new detective, short-tempered at first. He has a hidden past that Ella uncovers, and he is drawn into the case personally.
How Christians are portrayed
Faith appears mainly through Ella, who sincerely asks God for a sign and is treated warmly. The wider series recasts God and the devil in a fantasy frame, with heaven and angels as characters, so belief is portrayed sympathetically but loosely rather than as orthodox Christianity.
Community
What other Christians think
What did you notice?
Strong language (the f-word or similar)?
Is this appropriate for Christians to watch?
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Review
Helpful reviewer
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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
- Sep 10, 2021
- Created by
- Tom Kapinos
- Networks
- FOX, Netflix
- Genre
- Crime, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Episode length
- 55m
- 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 (2.52) + 8 × worldview (−1) = 52
This is a guide to help families choose with wisdom, not a verdict on anyone's conscience ().
Updated 2026-10-14