u/FunPresentation3086

One thing I really like about Lute’s character is how she evokes an archetype I personally call “the inconvenient veteran”. She’s a soldier who was trained to fight and kill the enemy of her home, the sinners of Hell being her enemy, and did so well. Then, when the war against Hell turns inconvenient for her superiors, Sera and the other senior angels, they wring their hands, make their “Mea Culpas”, and try to move past it. Unfortunately, because Lute can’t pivot away from the mission she was trained for as fast and as gracefully as those who didn’t fight, she’s vilified and treated as an inconvenient reminder of the conflict.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that several of Lute’s actions, most especially her desire to resume the exterminations, are unjustifiable. However, it’s also clear that much of her behavior is influenced by the training she received, for a conflict that Sera did, ultimately, give her blessing towards. She also suffered major trauma from witnessing her fellow exorcists being killed, and her commanding officer dying in her arms. Much like real world vets, Lute is clearly dealing with severe mental and emotional trauma, which her superiors are more than happy to ignore as they move on from the Exterminations.

I also recognize that, much like the sinners in Hell, the first step to Lute’s healing is for her to commit to improving. But a major part of Sera’s redemption should also include her taking accountability for the damages that the Exterminations had on angels, like Lute and any surviving exorcists, not just the sinners in Hell. I do believe that Lute may prove to be more open to changing for the better if she weren’t so consistently brushed off and pushed into a corner where her superiors can just ignore her and her trauma.