LCL Reviews

The team at LCL Reviews recently had the privilege to interview Lucifer showrunners Joe Henderson and Ildy Modrovich. Joe and Ildy have been a part of Lucifer since the very beginning and wrote or co-wrote 3 of the 10 episodes in the final season: Yabba Dabba Do Me, A Lot Dirtier Than That, and Partners ‘Til the End. In this interview, the dynamic duo discuss their episodes from Lucifer Season 6 and reflect on the series as a whole.

WARNING: This interview contains spoilers for the final season of Lucifer. Do not read until after you’ve watched season 6.

1. What was the biggest challenge you faced when adapting from thinking Season 5 would be the last to getting a Season 6?

ILDY: The main things we took from our old Season 5 ending into Season 6 were our individual characters end points. We knew we wanted Lucifer to turn Hell into a rehab center; for Chloe to become the Lieutenant; for Amenadiel to become God; for Maze and Eve to ride off into the sunset to be bounty hunters together; for Linda to continue to help people as the awesome therapist she is and to be a loving mom to both Charlie and an adult Adriana; for Ella to find out the truth and find a good dude for a change; for Dan to reunite with Charlotte in Heaven; and of course, for Lucifer and Chloe to be together in Hell. So all of that stayed the same — how we GOT there just became a lot more detailed, obviously. The challenge was to find a major obstacle for Lucifer  for the Season — a major story spine. But then as we started talking… It actually became apparent that the final chapter in the story of a wayward son who was mad at his father for abandoning him would be for HIM to become the one doing the abandoning. We knew we had a lot to mine if we put Lucifer in his father’s shoes… especially if they were socks with sandals. Appalling.

2. How did you decide you wanted to incorporate animation into 603? Be honest, how long have you been wanting to do Lucifer as a “smoothy” on the show and finally have a scene with some full-frontal nudity? Was this a small nod to the comics?

JOE: It was definitely spurred by the pandemic, and us realizing that we’d want to shave down the number of shooting days in creative ways. But more importantly, it was an excuse to do what I’ve always wanted to do — animated Lucifer scenes!! The key was finding a way to do it within the logic of our show; once we found that, it was clear sailing. And the animators were the brilliant folks at WB animation, including Jennifer Coyle, who we borrowed from Harley Quinn between seasons!

As for the smoothy joke, it was DEFINITELY a nod to the comics, as well as something that came from brainstorming how a cartoon world would torture Lucifer. Normally, in Hell, Lucifer’s in control. In this one, he’s not. So how do we take away some of his favorite things, including whiskey and… well… his twig and berries. 

And finally, it’s always fun to give the fans what they’ve been asking for in a subversive way. Full frontal nudity — you’re welcome! There’s just a TINY catch…  

3. 603 saw Lucifer and Chloe working together in hell to navigate someone’s hell loop and investigate the reasons behind their guilt. Is this almost a small glimpse into what our favorite partners are doing in hell along with being healers?

 JOE: That’s exactly it! We wanted fans to look back and realize we’d given them a template to picture their future lives together (and write fan fiction for!) Lucifer and Chloe are sitting in Dr. Linda’s office, asking questions, then also doing their own form of detective work in Hell Loops to get to the bottom of peoples’ emotional issues and help them make their way up north. 

4. In an interview, Ildy mentioned that you both listened to what the fans are saying online and incorporated some of the ideas into season 6 if the narrative allowed it. Can you elaborate on which ideas from the fans ended up making it into the show?

ILDY: Yes! The one that comes immediately to mind inspired one of  the final scenes between Chloe and Lucifer — the one at the piano. There was a beautiful (rather racy) work of fan art where Chloe was straddling Lucifer… and I do believe they were both naked. But Lucifer was in front, his  back  to us, so it was more sensual than, ya know, pornographic. I wish I could remember who did it, but that particular piece stuck in my mind and I think I always wanted to create a version of that moment in the show — it just happened to be perfect for their good-bye scene.

5. Was your process for writing the BLM episode 606 “A Lot Dirtier Than That” different from your process for writing other episodes? 

ILDY: It was probably one of the most meaningful but challenging episodes for all of us as a writer’s room, not just because the subject matter is so emotional, sensitive and personal to us and so many, but also because we felt a tremendous responsibility to “get it right”. It took about twice as long to “break” the story because we were constantly checking in with each other, making sure that everyone felt heard. And even though we do have a diverse writer’s room, we also checked in several times with DB and Merrin (who played Sonya Harris) once the script was written to see if they had any thoughts or changes they wanted to make to the story or dialogue. We also consulted with Warner Brothers and Netflix quite a bit on it. It was important to all of us that we be as honest and fair as possible about the systemic problems that need to be addressed while at the same time, not painting all of law enforcement with the same brush. But primarily, we wanted to convey the pain, struggle and injustices that people of color face everyday in our world from a personal and emotional standpoint. 

6. For the time loop to stay intact, young Rory can never know the truth about why Lucifer disappeared. But what about the other characters, especially Trixie, did they know the real reason? 

JOE: In my headcanon, Trixie finds out the truth, because she has to, to understand her sister and what she’s going through. She never learns the why, but I believe that over the course of Trixie’s journey, she’s learned who Lucifer really is deep down. That means that she believed he must have had a good reason to leave. Which probably annoyed Rory even more. Sisters, what can you do?

 
photo copyright Netflix

7. During their final piano scene, Lucifer and Chloe have a heartbreakingly beautiful ‘goodbye’. Did they know that they would see each other again in hell eventually? And does this mean that there was no contact between them at all during their years of separation?

ILDY: I think they did know in their hearts that they’d be together eventually. I think that’s the comfort of knowing for certain that there’s an afterlife. But even knowing that they’d be able to be together, of course didn’t make it easy to be apart for the rest of Chloe’s mortal life as well as for Rory’s childhood. But I think that reflects the sacrifices so many parents make for their children and for each other — and that’s the bittersweet beauty of Lucifer and Chloe’s choice. All of THAT said, I like to imagine that they were able to slip a message to each other now and then. And yeah, as long as he didn’t intervene and mess with the time loop… I do picture Lucifer keeping a loving watch over his ladies from afar. 

8. We loved the idea of Chloe making the choice to be with Lucifer in hell over life in heaven. It seems like Chloe is able to visit both heaven and hell with the help of AmenaGod, so does this mean that she’s not bound to one place and can visit her family and friends in the Silver City from time to time?

 ILDY: Well, once the time loop is complete… and Chloe dies, there’s certainly NO reason why Lucifer has to be confined to Hell. And the same would be true for Chloe. In fact, she wouldn’t even have to rely on Amenadiel for a lift up to the Silver City — she’s got Lucifer and Rory to fly her up. So sure… I see them all meeting in the cotton candy room Lee mentioned. Or, there’s probably even a Lux up there where they can ALL hang out together. I hear whiskey goes well with waffles.

9. Did you know the endings for each of the characters for awhile, or did it come together as you were writing the closing arcs? Was there any back and forth on what the characters’ fates should be?

JOE: Almost all of them we settled on very early on, and never really wavered from. We tried to look at where the characters started, what drove them, and then dig into what would complete those journeys. We also wanted happy endings and happy beginnings, even if there was a touch of bittersweet here and there.

I’ll give you one alt — very early on in season 5, we were toying with Dan quitting the police force, embracing his improv, and becoming an actor. We thought that could make for an interesting beginning — Chloe left acting to become a cop, Dan leaves becoming a cop to embrace his true passion. Also all that improv paid off, right? But then we met with Kevin and he mentioned wanting to die tragically in season 5; once we walked down the road, we never looked back. But somewhere, in an alternate universe, Dan Espinoza is one of the leads of More Bones.

10. Now that the series is complete, what were some of your favorite moments, scenes, or episodes over all 6 seasons?

ILDY: Well, I think it’s no secret that I LOVE me a musical number. So producing all of those were bucket list moments. As for favorite moments…  I’m a sucker for the romantic moments between Lucifer and Chloe. And I also do love it when Dan has closure with Trixie and finally goes to Heaven, and when Amenadiel flies Charlotte up to Heaven, and when Father Frank and Lucifer play the piano… and when Amenadiel blocks the orderlies from Chloe’s hospital bed… and when the axe scene… and… and… and…

JOE: All of those!! Also, I always loved me a good Lucifer and Dr. Linda scene. Two characters sitting opposite each other, digging into emotional issues, and letting us humanize the devil, of all people. What a crazy thing to get to do for 93 episodes of television. What a gift.

A gift indeed. This entire series and all involved have many people’s gratitude for giving them a beautiful story about redemption, family, sacrifice, and love for some of the most intriguing and well developed characters of all time. From the darkest of moments to the lightest of times, there is always heart at the center and it’s been a gift to be on this journey. Thank you.

All 6 seasons of Lucifer are available on Netflix to welcome you home when you need it.