Lewis Michener

Lewis Michener
Biographical Information
Occupation	Detective
Origin	Human
Status	Alive
Relationships
Affiliations	Los Angeles Police Department
Appearances
Portrayed By	Nathan Lane
Season(s)	1
First Appearance	Santa Muerte

“	We got four bodies in the morgue, we got a fucking race riot all scheduled for tomorrow, and you're taking the day off? Listen, pal, in this life, you're a cowboy or you're an Indian. You better fucking choose.	”
	— Lewis to Tiago[src]

Lewis Michener is a main character on Showtime's Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. He is portrayed by Nathan Lane.

Lewis is a veteran officer in the LAPD who becomes Tiago Vega's partner and mentor, and he is ruthless in pursuit of his goals.

Throughout the Series

Season 1

Santa Muerte

Lewis calls his new partner Tiago Vega and gives him 15 minutes to ready. There was a homicide down by the river, and they were called in. Lewis and Tiago arrive at the crime scene of a quadruple homicide. The victims have been stripped of their clothing and mutilated, as well as painted ritualistically. Lastly, there’s a message written in blood: "Te llevas nuestro corazon tomamos el tuyo", which translates to "you take our heart, we take yours." Tiago reexamines the bodies and discovers that their hearts have been removed.

While getting dressed at the precinct, Tiago is harassed by officer Jimmy Riley. He asks if Tiago has any hair oil and refers to him as "Pancho." Lewis comes to his defense and threatens to tell everyone about Riley’s girl in Sonoratown, forcing Riley to back down. Tiago tells Lewis that he can speak for himself, to which Lewis retorts that he should start doing so.

Lewis and Tiago are called into Captain Vanderhoff's office. A maid called in a missing persons this morning: two adults and two juveniles. They brought her by the morgue, and she identified the bodies. James Haslet and his family from Beverly Hills. They're dealing with four rich white victims in the L.A. River. This gets out, and they're looking at a race war. Vanderhoff wishes those bodies were Mexican, to spare them of any outrage. While Tiago isn't so sure the suspects were Mexican, Vanderhoff would beg to differ. Lewis suggests that it's the work of the pachucos.

Tiago asks Lewis why he chose him as a partner. Lewis reveals that no one else would. He then asks Tiago why he never wears a hat. Tiago explains that he wants everyone to know he’s Chicano. He then reveals that the painting on their victims’ faces was Day of the Dead makeup, honoring Santa Muerte, folk religion from the peasants in Mexico. Santa Muerte is the angel of holy death. It’s her job to bring people to heaven. A religion was built around her as well as the other holy angels and devils. Tiago offers to talk to her mother, who believes she’s a witch, about Santa Muerte. Suddenly a band of individuals waving Nazi and American flags arrive in the park, among them Peter Craft. They are the German American Bund. He introduces himself and explains that he would do anything to keep his family safe. He believes that American has a duty to keep them safe as opposed to interfering in foreign affairs. He proposes that they enjoy their lives in America and leave the Old World to itself.

Lewis and Tiago arrive at the victims’ house. They enter to find a very religious setting; paintings of Jesus, gospel playing over the radio, etc. Lewis grabs a drink and begins looking upstairs while Tiago searches downstairs, though they both come up empty handed. All they know for certain is that Haslet was a church elder and his company is contracted to build the Arroyo Secco roadway.

Lewis continues his investigation into the growing menace of the Third Reich, which includes Richard Goss. He receives an unexpected visit from Tiago, who tells him that he’s not coming to the demolition tomorrow. Lewis informs Tiago that they all have to be there. With four bodies in the morgue and a potential race riot on the brink, Lewis urges Tiago to pick a side.

Monday morning. The Los Angeles Police Department stand on one side of the road and Raul, Mateo and the Mexican community stand on the other. Before long, Tiago arrives, joining Lewis. Captain Vanderhoff orders them to disperse. Should they refuse, they’ll be arrested. Magda arrives soon thereafter, staring down each officer as she walks past. Lewis reveals to Tiago that he’s never fired his weapon on the job. Tiago hands his weapon over to Lewis and walks into the street. He pleads with them to go home as there’s nothing they can do to stop the construction. Magda notices one young officer that’s exceptionally nervous. She whispers in his ear, sowing seeds of fear and uneasiness until he fires, killing one of the protesters. With that, a full blown riot breaks out as the community of Belvedere Heights attacks law enforcement. Tiago takes cover behind a car, as does Lewis. Magda encourages Raul to fight back. So, he finds a gun and shoots multiple police officers. Raul shoots Lewis in the arm but before he can kill him, Tiago shoots him, and he falls to the ground almost instantly. As Tiago stands over Raul’s body, at the center of the blood shed, Magda and Santa Muerte stare each other down with only a few feet in between them.

Dead People Lie Down

Lewis and Tiago arrive outside the hospital, where they are confronted by fellow officers. Lewis suggests that Tiago enter around back. To them, he’s nothing more than another brown face, just like that that killed four officers today. However, Tiago refuses and faces the officers head on. Officer Riley spits on Tiago’s face as they walk past.

Inside, Lewis and Tiago are approached by Captain Vanderhoff, who questions if Lewis knows who shot him. Despite knowing his attacker, Lewis tells Vanderhoff that he never saw who fired the shot. Despite numerous Mexican fatalities, Vanderhoff is only concerned with the four dead officers. He tells Lewis to come see him after he is patched up. Once Vanderhoff is gone, Tiago asks Lewis why he didn’t tell Vanderhoff the truth. Lewis covers for Raul, replying that he didn’t see anything nor did Tiago. He then tells Tiago to go find his family.

Tiago, Lewis, and Vanderhoff meet in the cafeteria, where they discuss the pending Mexican uprising. On top of the riot, they still have the Hazlett case, in which a white family from Beverly Hills was seemingly murdered in some kind of Mexican voodoo ritual. City Hall needs this resolved, so Vanderhoff orders them to conclude the Hazlett case, rather than solve it. He wants a Mexican's head on a plate.

Lewis and Tiago arrive at Hazlett’s church, Joyful Voices Ministry. They request to see Sister Molly but are instead taken to her mother and head of the Church, Miss Adelaide. They question her about James Hazlett. He was a deacon in their organization and had various obligations, such being one of their bursars. Miss Adelaide claims that he was a valued member of the church. Lewis asks her to take him to Hazlett’s office while Tiago stays behind.

Lewis goes through Hazlett’s office and asks if he had any enemies. While it seems as though he was murdered by Mexicans, Lewis wants to be thorough. Lewis asks Miss Adelaide if she’s ever gone to the Hazlett house or if he had any enemies. She claims they don’t socialize with their congregants. Lewis takes with him a few of Hazlett’s books and on his way out, is warned by Miss Adelaide that he doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Lewis asks Tiago if he’s ever seen the film Beau Geste. It’s about three men in a French Foreign Legion fort, in the middle of the desert. All the other soldiers are dead, and they’re about to be attacked by Arabs. The guys put the dead bodies around the fort so that the Arabs think they have protection. Lewis sums the story up by explaining that it’s essentially a con, and that’s what the Hazlett case is. Between the bodies being painted up and left in the LA River and the Spanish Message written in blood, someone wants them to think it was race related. They suspect that someone else wanted Hazlett dead and are trying to frame the Mexicans. Lewis is certain that Miss Adelaide has something to hide and is determined to find out what it is.

Lewis, Dottie, Anton, and Sam stake out a diner. As they wait, Dottie asks for a six-letter word meaning "given to fright." Richard Goss exits the diner with his bodyguard, Kurt, and an unidentified young man. Lewis takes his picture. The four of them came together in hopes of stopping the Third Reich from invading America. Sam suggests calling the FBI or Army, but Lewis doesn’t believe anyone would care. Lewis instructs Sam and Anton to follow Goss while he and Dottie follow the kid.

Lewis and Dottie track the kid who met up with Goss to Caltech. Dottie remains in the car while Lewis follows him around back. He enters the Physics Department, where he appears upset as Lewis watches him through the window. Above the door, Lewis notices a caution sign regarding explosive material.

Wicked Old World

Lewis arrives at the coroner’s office, where he discovers that his friends Anton and Sam were murdered; both shot in the head twice before being burned in the car crash. He asks that the coroner delay his report for a few days so that he can run down a lead. Lewis takes the bullets with him as he leaves. He cries in the stairwell over the loss of his friends. Lewis tears the collar on his jacket and begins muttering in Hebrew.

Lewis sits in his car outside Caltech looking through Hazlett’s work. He then approaches Brian Koenig, the Caltech student whom he previously followed. He walks Brian to his car and convinces him to get in. Lewis drives Brian out to a deserted highway. When Brian refuses to get out of the car, Lewis pistol-whips him, pulls him out of the car, and throws him onto the ground, before kicking him in the face. He reveals that he’s been watching Brian ever since his dinner date with Richard Goss. Lewis demands answers, otherwise he’ll throw Brian off the cliff, where the coyotes will surely eat his remains down below. Lewis tells Brian that he’s a cop and that he needs information. Brian asks if he’s ever heard of a man named Wernher von Braun.

Tiago meets Lewis at a bar. Lewis reveals that he’s taking a couple days off to bury his friend Anton. He has no one, so the chore is left to Lewis. He then tells Tiago that Sister Molly and Hazlett were having an affair. He discovered it while going through Hazlett’s temple records and real estate contracts. He bought a love nest in Malibu but used church funds, so it’s tax-exempt. He went through a lot of trouble to hide it. Lewis came to the conclusion that he didn’t want Miss Adelaide to know. Tiago is doubtful but Lewis is certain. "The only reason men hide anything is for money or for pussy." In the face of all the evidence, Tiago is convinced that Sister Molly is innocent. Lewis returns home and mourns the loss of his friends.

Josefina and the Holy Spirit

Lewis and Dottie meet at a cafe, where they discuss Anton and Sam’s death, and their next course of action. Lewis plans to seek help from a known Jewish gangster, Benny Berman. Lewis explains that this is bigger than their lost friends. What the Germans have planned is terrible. Dottie advises Lewis to proceed with caution.

Lewis and Dottie lay Sam and Anton to rest. While attending the funeral, Lewis is approached by Benny Berman, and the two have a sit down right in the cemetery. Lewis informs Benny that his friends were killed by Nazis, the very same who plan to take over Los Angeles. Lewis starts by explaining who Wernher von Braun. He’s a rocket scientist in Berlin. He’s working on a new rocket with a big engine called the V-2, and everyone is racing to catch up, including a bunch of kids over at Caltech in Pasadena. Assuming the kids beat the Nazis to it, the Germans would steal that science and get it back to Berlin. And with that, Hitler now has a rocket that can reach London, Jerusalem, and New York. Lewis inquires about Benny’s boss Meyer Lansky, who sends guns and money to the Irgun in Palestine, supporting the Zionists there against the Arabs. Benny warns Lewis against mentioning his boss’ name. Lewis explains that LA is the promise land and the Nazi want to take it over. However, Benny is reluctant to help as the Jews have been cruel to him. Every temple has turned him away. Still, Lewis tries to convince Benny to help him. And so, reluctantly, Benny tells Lewis that he’ll be in touch.

While reading the newspaper in his home, Lewis is ambushed by two men who kick in his door, put a bag over his head and drag him out. Lewis is taken to see Benny in the meatpacking district. He introduces Lewis to Lenny Schiff, a member of Benny’s organization, who is being hung from a rack. Benny explains that a couple days ago, Lenny made his way to Mexico to hijack a shipment of Lansky’s weapons intended for Palestine. He killed two good guys in the process and several spics. With the weapons he stole, Lenny sold them to the Nazis. Benny passes Lewis a gun and tells him to kill Lenny. However, Lewis refuses. So, Benny kills Lenny himself.

Appearance and Personality

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Powers and Abilities

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Appearances

Season 1

• Santa Muerte
• Dead People Lie Down
• Wicked Old World
• Josefina and the Holy Spirit

Memorable Quotes

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Trivia

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Videos

BTS Case Files of Tiago Vega & Lewis Michener Penny Dreadful City of Angels SHOWTIME