Summary
Episode 12 is a fun filler episode, focusing on Dan while Lucifer has his fun in the background.
This recap of Netflix’s Lucifer season 5, episode 12, “Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid,” contains major spoilers.
We finally get a break from “daddy issues,” and we are given a Dan-centric chapter as a comedic filler.
Episode 12 opens with Dan waking up and partaking in his usual morning routine. He’s less of an anxious man since God told him it’s fine that he slept with his ex-wife. When he gets into work, Lucifer bugs him while he reads a report, but Dan is wondering how he’s supposed to react to him now, knowing that he’s the Devil. He doesn’t believe it is the same anymore. Chloe tells Lucifer to give Dan time and that they have a mission — to extradite a criminal. Lucifer has an idea, and he gives the extradition to Dan. Chloe reminds Dan that the Processing Officer is Luis and warns him what happened last time he partnered with him — she doesn’t want him to slip into his old self and thinks it’s the last thing he needs.
It looks like Chloe’s warning was legitimate…
“One drink”
So Dan heads to the prisoner transport job. However, when he meets Luis, he’s led to a Spanish bar, not a police station. Luis tells Dan that the prisoner’s paperwork will not be processed until the morning, so Dan has to stay the night. Luis claims he’s turning his life around and wants advice from Dan, so Dan agrees to have “one drink” (we’ve all heard that before) — it isn’t one drink. Dan tells Luis that he’s had a moment of clarity about God and the Devil — he’s talking literally, but Luis believes he’s talking spiritually. Luis tells Dan that if he thinks his life has lost meaning, he should join his business venture, selling holistic crystals to housewives. He tells him it isn’t illegal but just profit. Dan declines the offer, and Luis appears to understand.
Benito is dead
But Lucifer season 5, episode 12 turns into an experience for Dan, and one he did not see coming.
The next day, Dan wakes up hungover, and there’s a dead Benito on top of him (Benito is Luis’s friend from the night before). Freaking out, Dan tells Luis that Benito is dead and they need to call it in. Luis tells Dan to calm down and that he knows who killed him. He states the crystals are not as low-risk as he said they were. Luis owes money to a Russian mob. Dan is furious — he believed his friend had turned things around. Luis asks Dan to deliver the money he owes as part of a detour — Luis fears for his family.
Not a great start to the job
Dan commits to his prisoner transport job. The prisoner wonders what package he brought with him as he seems edgy. She tells him to find God, which Dan finds funny and ironic. Suddenly, another vehicle hits them, and it was an intentional attack. When Dan wakes up, his prisoner is gone and on the side of the car is graffiti that says “Los X” — his prisoner is part of the gang. A car drives by with acquaintances that Dan knows. Dan tells them a notorious gang attacked him, and he asks Ryan and Kevin if they can give him a ride.
Recruiting Lucifer
Dan heads to see Lucifer and asks for a favor, which makes the Devil smile. When he hears the story, Lucifer laughs. Dan wants Lucifer to beat up the gang and retrieve the package. Lucifer heads to a bike store that the Los X gang owns and distracts them while Dan sneaks into the back. Lucifer has a heart to heart with the gang about his father and relates to them. Another man steals the package, but Dan points his gun at him and takes it off him. Dan is attacked by a dog as he leaves, and the gang sees him — the prisoner recognizes him.
The real Luis
Lucifer season 5, episode 12 shows how Dan’s trust in people, and willingness to help gets him in trouble.
While Lucifer uses his muscle, Dan rides off on a bicycle. However, as he rides away, he sees the box leaking with blood. He falls off his bicycle, and a severed head falls out of the box. Luis turns up with a group of people and brings Dan in; he reveals Benito wasn’t his friend, and he was betrayed — this was all to get revenge on the Russian gang. Luis wants Dan to work for him. Dan is dismayed of who Luis is turned into — it gets worse — Luis has injected him with a drug that will kill him in ten hours — if he kills the bookkeeper within that time, Luis will offer him the antidote.
Suddenly, Dan’s life is in danger, with the story ramping up in each minute.
Help from Amenadiel and Maze
Dan speaks to Ella about how to pull off a murder crime within nine and a half hours without any traceability. He wants to create a fake murder. He heads to the bookkeeper’s house and explains what he’s trying to do, but she knocks him out. Dan asks Amenadiel for help to bring him back home as soon as possible. When Dan gets inside his house, Maze is there — she tells him that she heard he had lost control, so she wanted to see it. Dan tells her his situation, and Maze offers to help by linking up with her Russian contact.
Meeting the Russians
Dan meets the Russian contact — he tells them that once the business is conducted, they can swoop in and take Luis. However, Linda blows his cover and calls him “Dan.” He told the Russians that he was called Joe Stone. He asks Linda to hit him, so it looks like he’s having an affair. It’s convincing enough for the Russians. Afterward, Lucifer tells Dan that he will not be at the meet-up due to his past with Russians; he feels there will be no violence.
The showdown
Dan meets up with Luis and asks for the antidote at the club; he says proof of murder will arrive. However, Maze comes over with the bookkeeper and asks Luis to kill her himself. The Russian gang then shows up, and everyone points guns at each other. Dan gets frustrated and tells them they can stop all this. He tells them that he doesn’t think it is best if they all die here today. So everyone puts their guns down. The Los X gang turns up, and one of Dan’s friends, who thinks this is an acting gig, threatens one of the gang members. It becomes a gunfight, but Dan manages to grab the antidote. It’s absolute chaos, and as Dan is about to take the antidote, Luis shoots the vial; as he’s about to shoot Dan, Maze gets in the way of the bullet.
The ending
Maze dies, and Dan is absolutely devastated. Lucifer turns up and asks Dan what happened — Dan tells Lucifer that he was trying to do the right thing. Lucifer explains that sometimes when you try and do the right thing, other people who don’t deserve it get shot. Everyone who was shot suddenly gets up — it was all part of a set-up to prank Dan. The club turns into a party, and Lucifer congratulates everyone for their great work. The Devil planned all of this.
Lucifer tells Dan he spent millions of dollars for this one prank. He said the hardest part was making sure Chloe didn’t know about it. Dan wonders how Lucifer knew every decision he would make. Lucifer tells Dan that he never gives up, and he’s noticed that he always tries to do the right thing. Dan tells him that he needed this, as he’s been in a weird place for a long time. Lucifer said he did all this because Dan shot him, not so he had any clarity or epiphany.
Lucifer season 5, episode 12 is a fun filler episode, focusing on Dan while Lucifer has his fun in the background.
