'Lucifer' Season 5 Episode 1: Premiere finds shackled Morningstar and Chloe struggle to cope with being apart
To say that Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) is not dealing well with his separation from Detective Chloe Decker (Laura German) after realizing that she is his first true love would be an understatement. You see, to compensate for all the pent up emotions that he has buried deep within him, Lucifer in 'Lucifer' Season 5 Episode 1 decides to solve a murder case from his seat in Hell. Not out of the goodness of his heart, mind you, because that wouldn't be Lucifer anymore, but to quench this nagging feeling of missing Los Angeles and his favorite detective. In his words, "For old time's sake".
And that's how we meet Lucifer again. Chloe, on the other hand, is doing everything to deny how much she misses him and has replaced him with Mazikeen (Lesley Ann-Brandt). It is ironic that Chloe is now using Maze to get over her feelings for Lucifer, and Maze is doing the same. They have become each other's support system and from the way they have bonded with each other, it looks like they are two addicts desperately trying to get over their addiction.
There does come a point when Chloe is forced to accept that she has been in denial about her feelings after Lucifer left to take his place in Hell. At this point, she tries to draw back from this unhealthy attachment that she has formed with Maze, and even tells her friend that the two of them are not okay without Lucifer and to believe otherwise would be foolish. What has to be done instead is for the two of them to face the truth of their feelings and this causes a short term estrangement between the two of them. Maze, we know, is very impulsive when it comes to expressing her feelings and that is what we see her do this premiere episode as well.
Lucifer is no different. He is using this investigation from Hell as a distraction to keep him away from thoughts of Chloe. What Lucifer is instead is a "really sad devil guy". So the moment it strikes him that no one can replace Chloe, he also learns that he is irreplaceable to her as well. In an interesting parallel world investigation, with some help from Dromos, Lucifer manages to get a taste of what it is like to partner up with his detective again by sending her a message that would help her solve a crime. He is grasping at straws to be able to feel the way he did in Chloe's company, but the fact that she now resides in the human world while he is chained to his throne in Hell doesn't help.
In trying to relieve himself of the longing that he feels for Chloe, he builds a personal hell loop and it is only when he learns that Chloe is in danger does he come out of his self sentenced imprisonment, but that is momentary. He trusts his capable detective to take care of herself in the face of danger despite his desperate want and even need for her. All that desperation and longing that the two feel, the attempt that they make at hiding from their pain, at having to sacrifice something that they cherish for the greater good or for each other's safety -- all of that resurfaces this episode.
While Lucifer continues to hold the fort in Hell to ensure that Chloe remains safe, there is a power that is at work against him, and that power is introduced at the end of the episode in a chilling moment. Even as Lucifer tells one of the prisoners of Hell that he trusts his detective, a Lucifer appears on Earth, saves Chloe from a tough situation, and even confesses deep love for her. This is not the Lucifer Morningstar that Chloe loves, so who is he? And will Chloe find the answer to this soon?