WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Lucifer Season 5, Part 1, available now on Netflix.
Netflix's Lucifer has always been a series that toes the line between supernatural horror and humor. The series takes itself and its characters seriously, but it also knows how to poke fun at itself. Episodes can sometimes be heavy on story and drama, but others are also full, hilarious romps. These allow the characters to have some fun and be surprisingly self-aware of the unbelievable circumstances of their lives.
This is the case in Season 5, Part 1, which is comprised of eight episodes that focus primarily on the threat of Lucifer's twin brother Michael, as well as the burgeoning romance between Decker and Luci. Amid all these big, epic stories, the Netflix series continues to have plenty of fun -- especially in the episode "¡Diablo!," which borrows a page from The CW's Supernatural.
Supernatural is a series that has always known how to poke fun at itself. One of the series' highlights came in the Season 6 episode "The French Mistake," when Sam and Dean are transported into the real world by an angel.
Taken out of the reality of the series, the two brothers are now on the set of a TV show called 'Supernatural,' and they have to figure out how to return home while navigating the realities of an actor's life. This allowed the series to deliver multiple jokes about the show's storylines, the actors themselves and all manner of behind-the-scenes drama.
Now, the premise may not be exactly the same, but Lucifer's "¡Diablo!" offers something incredibly similar. In the episode, Chloe and Lucifer begin to investigate the murder of a television writer and showrunner of a new series called 'Lieutenant Diablo.' As it turns out, Lucifer has previous history with the writer: Not too long ago, Lucifer told him all about his life and his adventures with the LAPD. The writer then used this as the basis for his own television series, which features the same basic premise and characters as Netflix's Lucifer.
There is the titular star Lieutenant Diablo, who is just like Lucifer: He's the Devil, he wears nice suits and he helps Detective Dancer (who used to work as an exotic dancer before she was a cop) solve crimes. Other characters such as Dan, Maze and Linda all have their television doubles, and the differences between them are both massive and hilarious.
What's more, the episode itself cleverly begins with the title card for Lieutenant Diablo, which is just like the title card for Lucifer. It's a small touch overall, but it helps the immersion of this fun story.
Lucifer and Decker visit the set of Lieutenant Diablo and this leads to plenty of jokes about the series itself, from its premise and its characters to the reality of television production. The episode is totally meta and it leads to plenty of laughs. It shows that Lucifer, despite its subject matter, doesn't take itself too seriously. This is a show where the Devil consults for the police, after all -- and five years later, we're still totally here for it.
Lucifer stars Tom Ellis as Lucifer Morningstar, Lauren German as Det. Chloe Decker, D.B. Woodside as Amenadiel, Rachael Harris as Dr. Linda Martin, Kevin Alejandro as Det. Dan Espinoza, Lesley-Ann Brandt as Mazikeen Smith and Aimee Garcia as Ella Lopez. Season 5, Part 1 is available on Netflix now.