Season 1, Episode 1:
Pilot
- "Lucifer. Morningstar."
Lucifer Morningstar, the retired ruler of Hell, owns a high end night club in Los Angeles, having moved there four years prior for a more exciting life. When the pop star he tries to help is murdered in front of him, he uses his powers of persuasion to assist Detective Chloe Decker in apprehending the true culprit behind the murder, becoming intrigued with the idea of punishing criminals - after all, he's had millennia of experience. All the while, he must deal with his brother Amenadiel, an angel who is putting pressure on him from their father to return to Hell.
Tropes present in this episode include:
- Children Are Innocent: Chloe isn't happy that Lucifer inadvertently taught Trixie the word "hooker".
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Jimmy Barnes, Delilah's former record producer, is the true culprit behind her murder.
- Dead Artists Are Better: The sale of Delilah's music skyrockets after her death. This is the whole reason Jimmy killed her (that and she dumped him).
- Domestic Abuser: 2Vile was this towards Delilah. He tries to justify it, but Lucifer's having none of it.
- Dramatic Irony: Delilah was shot right before she decided to follow Lucifer's advice and clean up her life.
- Early-Installment Weirdness:
- After Jimmy is shot, Lucifer implies that souls aren't punished in Hell while he's not there. Subsequent episodes show that people are still getting the same punishments without him. Possibly justified since Lucifer hasn't been back to Hell since he quit, so he might not realize that the loops continue in his absence.
- Lucifer tells's 2Vile's butler that he has drugs for him to get inside. Later in the series it's established that, like his comics' counterpart, while often very creative in his wording Lucifer never outright lies. (It's possible he had some drugs on him and left them in the house so he was technically telling the truth but the episode never shows this).
- The sound effect that plays when Lucifer brings out desires isn't used in this episode.
- Establishing Character Moment: The episode opens with Lucifer bribing a cop who tries to ticket him for speeding, and then follows it up by using his powers to make the cop reveal his hidden desire. He then has a disapproving look on his face after said cop leaves.
- Maze is introduced being given head by a random guy when she's behind the bar.
- Flexibility Equals Sex Ability: After Lucifer propositions Linda and tries to shoo Chloe out of the room, Linda adds that she does hot yoga and is "freakishly flexible", which piques Lucifer's interest.
- Game Face: Lucifer shows Jimmy Barnes his true face after the latter shoots Chloe.
- Groin Attack: Trixie is in trouble at school for kicking her bully in the "no-no touch square".
- High-Altitude Interrogation: Lucifer interrogates Delilah's ex 2Vile by dangling him off his balcony by his necklace.
- Idiot Ball: Chloe is firmly holding onto one after she shoots Jimmy. Proper police procedure after shooting someone is to immediately go to them, secure the weapon, and call for an ambulance, whether they're dead or not. You don't assume they're dead, no longer a threat, and leave them lying there with a gun in their hand. Standing there having a conversation with Lucifer and completely ignoring Jimmy? Not a smart thing to do.
- Kids Are Cruel: The girl who bullied Trixie by making a Snapchat account to make fun of her. Seeing Lucifer's eyes makes her think twice.
- May–December Romance / Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Jimmy's bride is considerably younger than he is. He was also going to marry Delilah in the past, until she left him at the altar.
- Mind Rape: Lucifer is implied to do this to Jimmy Barnes, in revenge for Delilah's murder.
- Mistaken for Racist: 2Vile assumes that Lucifer has a problem with black people. Lucifer responds that he doesn't; he just doesn't like 2Vile's music.
- Noble Bigot: Lucifer hints at being this while interrogating 2Vile, saying that while women are prone to driving you crazy, you still aren't allowed to hit them. Since he doesn't show much signs of either sexism or chivalry otherwise, he was probably just messing with 2Vile, though.
- No-Sell: Lucifer tries to demonstrate on Chloe his ability to compel people to tell their darkest secrets. She is completely unaffected, much to his surprise. She also isn't burning with desire for him, which is apparently another thing that is supposed to be impossible.
- Nothing Is Scarier: We don't get to see exactly what Lucifer does to Jimmy. Given his severe case of Sanity Slippage in the next episode, it probably wasn't pretty.
- Pet the Dog: Lucifer rather sweetly tells Delilah to get her life together, and is driven to avenge her murder.
- Rap Is Crap: When Lucifer implies that he dislikes Hip-Hop, 2Vile assumes it's because he's racist against black people. Lucifer clarifies that he doesn't object on racial grounds, in fact he's quite fond of the blues, it's just 2Vile's music that he can't stand.
