Lucifer: Why [SPOILER’s] Shocking Death Is The Show’s Saddest Moment

Warning: SPOILERS for Lucifer Season 5, Part 2.

Dan Espinoza’s (Kevin Alejandro) death in Lucifer season 5, part 2 is the Netflix series’ saddest moment. Dan was murdered by mercenaries hired by Michael (Tom Ellis), the villainous twin brother of Lucifer Morningstar, and his unexpected demise was a gut-punch that changes the course of the show and devastated all of Lucifer‘s main characters, especially his ex-wife Chloe Decker (Lauren German) and their daughter Trixie (Scarlett Estevez).

Lucifer season 5 was already pivotal for Dan since he finally found out that Lucifer is the Devil, thanks to Michael’s cruel machinations. When God (Dennis Haysbert) came to Earth, Dan met Lucifer’s father and realized that he was face-to-face with the ex-husband of the Goddess (Tricia Helfer), whom Dan had a relationship when she inhabited the body of Charlotte Richards. In fact, God actually exploded Dan’s body before he immediately put Espinoza back together, which foreshadowed Dan’s eventual fate. In the episode titled “Dan Espinoza: Naked and Afraid”, Lucifer pulled off the perfect prank at Dan’s expense, which was his carefully orchestrated revenge for “Detective Douche” shooting him after Dan learned Lucifer was the Devil.

Dan’s death wasn’t just a shock but it also appears to be permanent. Espinoza was shot multiple times and died in Chloe’s arms. Lucifer is a supernatural show that has featured many characters’ magical resurrections but Dan’s death was presented differently. In short, it felt real. Chloe and Trixie were beside themselves with tears and even Mazikeen (Lesley-Ann Brandt), who now has a soul, cried her eyes out. All of Lucifer‘s main characters were close to Dan, and even Lucifer, for all the disdain he has shown “Detective Douche” for the last five seasons, also liked Dan, even if he was loathe to say so. The fact that Detective Espinoza was honored with a full police funeral also indicates that his death will stick. Dan was given a powerful and tearful sendoff so it would feel like a cheap ploy to resurrect him in Lucifer season 6.

Compounding the tragedy of Dan’s death was the fact that he was used as a pawn by Michael. Lucifer’s wicked twin not only wanted Dan dead but he needed Espinoza’s soul to go to Hell, which is something Dan feared throughout Lucifer season 5 after he found out God and the Devil are real (and he knows them both). With Dan in Hell, Michael gambled that Chloe would be consumed with guilt, which would mean that she would also go to Hell instead of Heaven when she dies. This was Michael’s planned insurance for Lucifer to accept his offer to cede Godhood in Heaven and accept the throne of Hell once again, which would eliminate the Devil as a threat to his plans.

With Lucifer becoming God at the end of season 5, the possibility exists that the Devil could resurrect Dan, but after the heartrending way Detective Espinoza’s death and funeral were presented, it would also feel tawdry for Lucifer to magically bring him back. Dan’s apartment and belongings were even packed away, which indicates his death is going to stick. If Dan does stay dead and buried, it means that Trixie will now grow up without her father, just like Chloe did. Lucifer has had plenty of emotionally powerful moments involving Chloe and Lucifer’s will-they-or-won’t-they love affair, but Dan’s death feels different because Espinoza wasn’t magic, he was just a man.

Since Lucifer is told from the Devil’s perspective, and he considered Dan to be “Detective Douche” throughout the series, Dan was the butt of many jokes. But Espinoza was also an admirable character who made mistakes as a cop but worked hard to make amends and do the right thing. Dan earned the trust and loyalty of his friends and he never lost Chloe’s love or friendship even after their marriage ended. He was a great dad to Trixie and even Mazikeen loved Dan, who was simply a good man. Dan was, indeed, “the best of us” as Amenadiel said at his funeral. While anything can happen in Lucifer season 6, the loss of Dan Espinoza was a genuine shock and the most tragic loss the show has ever done.