Season 4 of ‘Lucifer’ May Be The Best Season So Far

TV series Lucifer joined the ranks of a spate of popular TV shows that were cancelled for ratings-based reasons last year, but picked up by other networks thanks to massive fan support (others include The Expanse and Brooklyn Nine Nine). Indeed, TND even wrote a plea for the devilishly good show to be saved from the chopping block, contributing to the massive swell of support that ultimately saw Netflix acquire the show.

The 10 episode season dropped on May 8th, and I sacrificed myself and watched it as quickly as I could (2.5 days) in order to deliver this review to you, the people.

The entirety of the season really shows the characters dealing with the aftermath of season three’s startling conclusion: Chloe coming to terms with what exactly Lucifer is. Her realisation in episode 7 that he’s an angel as well as a devil is a really nice reminder for the audience about the dualism inherent to his identity. The season also sees everybody working through Charlotte’s death in their own way, which is an unusually intimate thing for a single season to so closely follow, although the fact that the season is only ten episodes facilitates that. As an aside, I’m really enjoying the movement of shorter series runs that we’re currently seeing. As great as it is to have more of our favourite shows, there’s an argument to be made that it leads to greater pressure to spin out storylines beyond their natural length and to create plots that have room for improvement to fill a twenty-two plus episode series. In fact, Tom Ellis himself agrees with me on this point, as he claimed the format gives “lean, great storytelling for all of our characters all the way through the 10 episodes, and it makes it more compelling.

The course of the season ultimately comes back to one of its central themes; that the choices we make define us, and that choosing to do the right thing is often difficult and an unclear process. Moreover, this season raises an interesting question that subtly becomes more and more prominent as the episodes progress: is Lucifer the tempter or the tempted? Does he lead humanity astray, or does he merely respond to the capacity for corruption within people?

Tom Ellis’ acting was to me the standout of the season, and the best it’s been show’s entire run. Perhaps it’s because this season arguably puts Lucifer in a position of extreme conflict and as such, draws upon the range of Ellis’ skill as a perform. Regardless, Ellis brings the charisma and devilish charm that so characterises his performance as the debauchery-loving, irreverent devil, while balancing this against a deep insecurity and vulnerability that arises out of his introspective quest. His performance rings true, and it genuinely painted a portrait of a person struggling with themselves, what they want, and what they believe is the limit of who and what they are.

The other new facet of his acting which is worth a brief mention, is his behind. Thanks to the different censorship requirements on Netflix (similarly, Brooklyn Nine Nine is now “bleeping” and “blurring” thanks to different censorship standards on NBC which picked it up after it was cancelled by Fox), the show debuted, well, his butt, in addition to even more topless scenes of him that are a testament to the fact that the man puts in a significant amount of time well-spent at the gym.

But back to the characters. Season four also saw the introduction of Eve (portrayed by Inbar Lavi), further complicating Lucifer’s quest to self-understanding. While I would have liked a bit of an investigation into the initial form and unfolding of their relationship way back in the Garden of Eden, she was a really interesting element to introduce. Moreover, there was a complexity to her character that I appreciated. At times, this felt a little like inconsistent writing, but as much as perhaps it could have been handled with a little more elegance, the show made clear that she’s not a straight up bad person, and her motivations for playing to Lucifer’s darker elements is well elaborated and meaningfully considered. Props also to the show writers for not creating an intense rivalry and take-down-inducing hatred between Chloe and Eve, despite the love triangle which exists for so much of the season.

Other highlights across the season include episode 8, when Amenadiel is exposed to racism, witnessing with shock the violent treatment of a black boy by police officers. This subplot was powerful without overstating the point. The show doesn’t really seek to fulfil a social crusade, but this moment was a powerful one that was beautifully made.

In all, the season is an excellent one (I found episode two lagged a little, but that was the only point across the ten episodes when I wasn’t totally engaged). It’s well put together, it doesn’t pull its punches in looking at the emotional depths of its characters (see Ella’s crisis of faith, and Dan: “why does everybody let me get away with so much”), and it has a great soundtrack (look out for the cover of ‘Wonderwall’; the lyrics are perfectly suited to the moment within the episode).

Netflix has yet to announce whether it will renew the show for a season 5, but if this is the quality that will be produced with the backing of the streaming service, especially as showrunners have indicated they have a really exciting way to open season 5, please oh please let there be at least another season.

What did you think of the fourth season of Lucifer? Tell us in the comments below!