Hazbin Hotel Wraps Up First Season With Epic Fight
Hazbin Hotel S1 Ep 7-8 Review
Even though it was only three weeks and eight episodes long, the curtain’s already fallen on the first season of Hazbin Hotel, the indie animated series that’s become the most-viewed show on Amazon Prime. And like a high-class Broadway production or a film from the Disney Renaissance, it went out with a bang. With the forces of Adam prepared to level Hell and Charlie at her lowest point, the entire cast rallies for a stand against Heaven. What results from this is a finale filled with character growth and drama, impressive musical numbers, and fights that will the audience screaming at their screens.
Hilariously enough, Vox and the Vees do just that while watching everything happen.
Charlie and Vaggie Spend Some Time Apart
In the wake of Adam’s actions in the previous episode, calling things tense between Charlie and Vaggie would be an understatement. Charlie’s deeply hurt by Vaggie not telling her she was an Angel for years. Coupled with Heaven refusing to have faith in her hotel and Adam vowing to destroy it out of spite, CharlieCharlie’s hit rock bottom. That’s when Alastor comes in and makes a deal with her to tell her how to kill the Exorcists. The good news is that he doesn’t ask for her soul. The bad news is that it’s a favor he can cash in whenever he wants, planting the seeds for conflict down the road.
The episode mostly sees Charlie and Vaggie splitting up to get aid for the upcoming fight. If this was a way for the show to symbolize the newfound rift between the couple, then it’s effective. The two have to work through their issues without the benefit of their partner beside them.
Separate Journeys
For Charlie’s part, Alastor takes her to meet Rosie, the Overlord of Cannibal Town. Which, ironically, isn’t a feral cesspit but a picturesque town straight out of old-timey Americana. To further sweeten the irony, Rosie says she can recruit the residents to help her fight through singing and dancing. The one group that would embrace her love of theater, and she’s too upset about Vaggie to use it.
Meanwhile, Vaggie talks to Carmilla Carmine, who reveals the Exorcist’s Angelic weapons don’t just work on Demons but also on Angels. If Adam’s behavior didn’t show that Angels can be just like Demons, this weakness cinches it. Rather than hand over her supply of Angelic weapons, though, Carmilla starts fighting Vaggie.
As hard as their missions are, what Charlie and Vaggie do separately does help them come to terms with Vaggie’s lack of honesty, with some help from their respective Overlord.
Remembering What’s Important.
From Charlie’s end, Rosie helps her realize what the audience already did. Vaggie didn’t lie to her out of malice but out of fear of rejection. The fear can still be terrifying even when people know it won’t happen. As Charlie realizes, though, Vaggie’s actions prove the sincerity of her actions, giving her the confidence she needs to rally the Cannibals.
As for Vaggie, when Carmilla doesn’t lampshade how obvious it is that Vaggie is an Angel (she had an X-eyepatch and Angelic Spear), she lectures her on her motives. Despite her love for Charlie, her heart is clouded by the need for revenge, which Carmilla says could cost her everything. While it may be cliche, Carmilla teaches her that fighting for love rather than hate is better.
Scratch that, it’s not cliche. It perfectly aligns with the show’s message about redemption: love is one of the greatest redeemers.
The Epic Final Battle
The season finale suitably covers the war against the Exorcists, and VivziePop’s team pulled out all the stops. The first few minutes are spent covering the final preparations, followed by the traditional “celebrate before the big battle because you might die” moment. It’s cliche, but for good reason. Seeing everyone mentally prepared is hampered by how fast the season came out. The moment would hold more weight if the season had more time to get to know the cast, either with more episodes or a more weekly release frame. To its credit, though, the moment is still sweet.
The battle that follows, on the other hand, is unbelievably epic. The animation is fluid and crisp, the music is thematically appropriate, and everyone gets at least one chance to shine. Only some big battles give everyone time in the spotlight, with some inevitably getting more attention than others. Yet the show ensures everyone has at least one moment to show off. Alastor and later Charlie both face off against Adam, with the latter taking the gloves off and treating Adam like a Princess of Hell probably would. Sir Pentious shows off how skilled he is as a commander. And, as many fans feared, one Hotel member does sacrifice themselves. But it’s not the one that everyone expected, so it’s still a shock.
So Long, Adam!
The final battle has several highlights, but arguably, the biggest one is who comes in to save the day: Lucifer himself. We finally see what Charlie’s Dad is like, having regained his will to fight, and it’s everything fans could’ve wanted. He’s cocky, joking, not taking the fight seriously until he has to. In short, he’s messing with Adam and showing everyone that he can beat him anytime. He was just so broken by his past that he chose not to.
Ultimately, Adam is defeated, but I won’t say who delivered the final blow. His final moments show how awful a person he was. Whatever good he might have once had, if he ever had it, died from eons of thinking being an Angel meant he could do no wrong. He believed everyone should revere him, but in truth, he was an arrogant, self-entitled, sexist jerk with a God Complex. Instead, he was the angelic equivalent of Homelander, and his downfall is suitably ironic.
Watch the show, and you’ll see why.
A Happier Day in Hell…?
The Extermination is defeated, and the episode’s final moments imply that they’ll never happen again. Not because Hell fought off Heaven, but because it’s proven that Charlie might have been right about Sinners being able to redeem themselves, with the ones who sacrificed themselves now appearing in Heaven. Anyone can redeem themselves, and while Adam’s ultimate fate contradicts this thought, I don’t see it that way. Anyone can redeem themselves, but they have to want to do so. Adam did himself in.
The big finale song is suitably grand, showing the Hotel Staff rebuilding, the denizens of Hell making new plans, and the future looking better for Hell. However, the final scene comes with a twist that sets up the next season and throws many things into question. It’s a good twist that makes everyone willing to wait for whenever the second season comes.
There will be a season two. Despite poor planning regarding its release schedule, the show has proven more than popular enough. It’s top ten trending on Amazon Prime, and its music videos and reviews are trending on YouTube. Amazon would be insane not to renew it.
I Give “Hello, Rosie” and “The Show Must Go On” a 4.5/5 and 5/5 Each
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Adult Cartoons, Animation, Blog Posts, Hazbin Hotel, TV Shows, Web Works, Webshows
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