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Hazbin Hotel S2 Eps 7-8 Review

These days, I tend to sleep until about an hour before leaving for work, but I made sure to get up extra early to see the season finale of Hazbin Hotel. And holy Toledo, you guys, what a finale! This entire season has seen Charlie get put through the ringer by Vox, with the maniacal Overlord poised to get everything he wants. He’s painted Charlie as a liar, captured Alastor, and is on the verge of starting a war with Heaven. Yet like a lot of villains, Vox can’t help but drop the ball at the very last second as our protagonists in both realms come together to stop his madness. What follows is a finale that is rife with emotion, action, and some incredible toe-tappers as we see Charlie prove to all of Hell that she was always right.

And that Vox was wrong.

Vox is One Insecure Guy

“Weapon of Mass Distraction” really hammers home just how close Vox is to getting his war with Heaven. Almost everyone in Hell is backing him, he’s using a brainwashed Angel Dust to endorse his cause, and he proudly shows off the superweapon built for him by Carmilla. The weapon, which he pointedly names “The Might of Lillith” is a massive cannon that is capable of obliterating the barrier around Heaven in one shot. My jaw fell when I saw the pearly gates come crashing down to Hell, showing how terrifying that thing is. What makes it even worse is that it’s powered by an unwilling Lucifer, whom Vox lured into a trap and captured. I repeat, Vox managed to capture the Devil himself. Even ignoring the fact that Lucifer can’t harm Sinners, that’s still an impressive feat. Most people would be satisfied with that achievement alone and call it a day. But Vox isn’t most people, and that is his biggest flaw.

As we see in the song “Brighter” Vox’s fatal flaw is his envy. No matter how much power he gains for himself, he’ll always want more. In life, that led him to murder his way into controlling a TV studio while people started calling him a god. Thankfully, his reign got cut short, but Hell has enabled him to do the same thing on an even grander scale. He’s even closer to godhood than ever, but as Alastor points out, his cup will never fill. So long as there’s someone out there he fears is better than him, he’ll never be satisfied. Thus, despite backing Charlie into a corner, he can’t resist the idea of inviting her to his victory party. He wants to make Charlie admit defeat, but since she knows that she’s right, all this does is give her the opening she needs to turn things around.

Well, her, the Hotel staff, and Emily.

Redemption of Angels

One great aspect of this season of Hazbin Hotel that I haven’t touched upon has got to be the development of Seraphim. Despite being one of the highest-ranking Angels and the de facto leader of Heaven, Sera is, at her core, a flawed individual. She’s wracked with guilt from realizing the Exterminations were unnecessary, and she fears Hell’s justifiable calls for blood. Despite knowing she was in the wrong, though, she couldn’t let go of her prejudice against Sinners, unable to see them as redeemable. Which, of course, played into Vox’s hands, leading to the crisis of war. It isn’t until Sir Pentious is able to reach out to her that she’s finally able to see her actions for what they were: fear.

I doubt that Sera has ever had to truly experience fear before, given how she’s one of the most powerful beings in creation. Nor would she admit it, as that would be tantamount to admitting her own imperfections, which goes against the idea of Angels being perfect. It’s only when Sir Pentious offers his perspective on how mortals are naturally afraid of death and many other things that she finally gets it. Fear and mistakes are an inherent part of life, no matter how powerful someone might be, and not even Angels are immune to this. If anything, the main problem with Heaven is that because they believed they were perfect, they didn’t need to change their ways, leading to people like Adam and Lute.

Heaven and Hell Finally Working Together

In the end, Sera gives Emily the go-ahead to do what they should have done in the first place and help Charlie stop this war. Which also means that they have to do what they should’ve done from the start: show Hell that Sir Pentious is alive and in Heaven.

Seriously, if they had done that from the start, I’m betting most of the conflict of the season could’ve been avoided. Regardless, this brings us into the season finale, the appropriately named “Curtain Call.”

Operation: Charlie was Right

With Vox hours away from starting his war with Heaven, Charlie and her friends have one last chance to prove her ideals to be right. While Charlie and Vaggie attend Vox’s party, the others split up. Husk and Cherri go to rescue Angel, who Vox has brainwashed into publicly supporting him. Meanwhile, Niffty and Baxter go to hack his tech so they can connect to Heaven, where Sir Pentious is working to broadcast a message proving he’s alive. Unfortunately, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. In this case, Velvette and Valentino catch onto their plans and intervene.

From this moment on, the rest of the finale is filled with one of two things: a great song number and balls-to-the-wall action that ups the ante from the first season. In addition to all that, I got the satisfaction of knowing that I was 100% right about what Alastor had planned!

I Was Right about Alastor’s Plan

You cannot imagine just how smug I was feeling seeing this play out! I felt so proud of myself for figuring out Alastor’s master plan. By making it so that Vox was the most powerful Sinner in Hell, he found a loophole in his deal with Rosie. Even better, Charlie no longer owes him that favor, so she’s free! Alastor earned this win, even if it didn’t lead to him beating Vox.

And the way the other Vees turned on Vox after he crashed out! I think we all expected them to turn on Vox before the season was over, but I didn’t expect it to happen in the most dramatic way possible. Valentino may be a scumbag, but even he was smart enough to know dying for Vox’s hate**** for Alastor wasn’t worth it! Everyone has standards!

But the real highlight of the final episode is the big show-stopper, “Hear my Hope.” It’s not just an incredible song. It’s a representation of everything Charlie wants from her dream: for Heaven and Hell to work together in peace and be better. Not to mention how awesome it was to see Abel man up and put Lute in her place. She may be a problem in the future, but at least now Abel can help keep her in check. He’s already better than his dad ever was.

And in the end, Charlie proves to everyone that she was right. Sir Pentious shows everyone that he’s alive and in Heaven. As for Vox, he’s lost everything and now has to take orders from Valentino, who’s now the leader of the Vees. A happy ending for all…almost.

Angel Dust Leaves the Hotel, and…Lilith?!?

I cannot lie, I was honestly shocked when Angel Dust chose to leave the Hotel. He had done so much to improve himself, but having his secrets be exposed and learning he was brainwashed did a number on him. Now, he thinks he’s not even deserving of redemption. The mere act of regretting that only proves that he is worthy, but he needs to figure that out on his own. Until then, Valentino better not harm him!

Despite this one hiccup, though, the season ends on a hopeful note. People start coming back to the Hazbin Hotel, and for the right reasons this time. Vaggie, or rather, Vaggi, steps up as the leader of the Hotel while Charlie focuses on helping the Sinners. It’s a very hopeful ending. Then we get that surprise phone call from Lilith to end the season. Way to tease us, Vivzie.

And with that, another season of Hazbin Hotel is in the books. I have no ide when the next season comes out, but going forward, we can expect the Hellaverse to grow even bigger. Thanks to Helluva Boss now running on Amazon Prime and YouTube, the shows can finally crossover when needed! We’re gonna be eating well for a good while!

I Give “Weapon of Mass Distraction” and “Curtain Call” a 4/5 and 5/5 Each

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Habzin Hotel S2 Eps 5-6 Review

This whole season of Hazbin Hotel has been nothing but one long conga line of humiliation. Vox and the Vees have been dragging Charlie’s reputation through the mud at every turn. Alastor let himself be captured and humiliated by them. And no matter what anyone tries to say, Vox just manages to spin it against them. Now Hell is about to march to war with Heaven. Is there really nothing that Charlie and the Hotel can do to stop Vox and Lute from getting the war they want? Because it looks like Vivzie really wants to give us that war!

Hell has Gone to…Well, Hell!

So, after Alastor allowed himself to be taken prisoner by Vox, Hell has been turned upside down. Vox has been using all that new clout to rally most of the Overlords into joining his “war on Heaven” plan. He even guilt-tripped Carmilla into making him weapons that can kill Angels by playing on her fear for her daughters! Vox is king of Hell in all but name. And the entire time this has been going on, Charlie has been spiraling more and more trying to prove that her ideas can work. It’s gotten to the point where she’s started to neglect her own well-being, yet her tunnel vision is so intense that she can’t even realize that. What makes it even harder, though, is the fact that Vaggie has to watch all this and grow frustrated at being unable to get her girlfriend to listen to her. I’ve never spiraled over things the way that Charlie has, but I have a feeling that this conflict hits especially hard for people who’ve seen loved ones do this. And what she ends up doing only makes things worse: she asks Lucifer for help.

Lucifer Done Messed Up

I have to admit, I was curious as to why Lucifer, the Devil and King of Hell, hadn’t done anything about Vox before. Normally, this kind of power-play would be grounds for a smiting. It seems Vivzie and her team thought ahead and closed that plot hole. As it turns out, part of Lucifer’s punishment of being in Hell is that he can’t actually do anything against Sinners. He just has to watch them as they be their worst selves. He’s king in title, but in practice, he’s all but emasculated. And when Lucifer does try to intimidate Vox as a massive rally, Vox turns the tables on him by calling his bluff in front of everyone!! Which is especially frustrating when you consider how cool the man’s song up to that point was. Hazbin Hotel has some absolute bangers to it!

And then, things continue to get worse where Sera finally decides to do what she should have done and try to apologize. Unfortunately, Emily and Abel’s well-meaning, but misguided, idea of giving everyone gift baskets backfires on them. Vox spins this against them, Sera falls for his tricks, and just like that, Hell declares war on Heaven!

Vox Ruins Everything

We are then forced to watch as everything begins to fall apart for Charlie and the Hotel. Husk briefly quits the Hotel so that he can sink back into his vices. Charlie throws her dad out of the Hotel. And worst of all, Vaggie and Charlie’s relationship undergoes some serious strain. Oh, and most of the Hotel residents leave.

Somehow, this feels like we’re in a repeat of what happened in Ep. 6 of the first season, with everyone hitting rock bottom. The main difference is that Hell is now being the aggressor to Heaven. And they’re not wrong to be angry. What Heaven did to them was morally wrong and unnecessary. Had they thought to better understand how rhe rules worked a lot sooner, none of this would be happening. But their arrogance blinded them to the idea, and now they’re paying the price. But that doesn’t make what Hell’s doing right either. They’re throwing away the moral high ground instead of using it to their full advantage to better themselves. And Vox is only doing this for himself, making him as bad as Adam.

How Long Was this Happening with Angel?!?!

None of that beats what might be the biggest reveal of the season, though. At the end of the episode, it’s revealed that Vox has been hypnotizing Angel Dust into acting as an unwitting sleeper agent! This was something that I did not see coming in the slightest!, and it caught me genuinely off guard. How long has this been going on?!?

Yet, despite how bad things are, Vivzie manages to give us a glimmer of hope. Two, in fact. Firstly, Charlie and Vaggie make up in another song and dance number.

The second and most important glimmer of hope, though, stems from Alastor himself.

Alastor is Messing With the Vees

There’s an episode from the 2000s Justice League series where Lex Luthor and a bunch of villains capture Batman. Despite Joker saying they should kill him while they have the chance, Luthor refuses. That proves to be a massive mistake, though, as Batman uses it to sew discord in the group and get them at each other’s throats before escaping. I don’t know if someone on Vivzie’s team saw that episode or not, but Alastor’s pulling the same scheme in captivity.

Across these two episodes, we see Alastor begin to sew seeds of doubt amongst the Vees, making Vox treat Valentino and Velvette as underlings than equals. All he’s doing is stoking resentment that was already there, but it’s starting to work. Velvette and Valentino are starting to grow sick of Vox getting his way. My best guess is that in the next two episodes, things will come to a boil as the Vees turn on each other, causing this war to fall apart before things get too out of hand. As for why Alastor’s doing this, I think it’s so Vox will become the strongest Sinner long enough to break his deal with Rosie. I don’t know how this will end for Alastor, but I’m eager to find out!

I feel like Vivziepop’s team has really outdone themselves with how hopeless they’ve made Charlie’s situation this season. I have no idea how the Hotel can get out of this mess without losing people in the process. Hopefully, the show can pull a convincing ex machina out of its bag, because it feels like the season could end on a downer!

I Give “Silenced” and “Scream Rain” a 4/5 Each

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Hazbin Hotel S2 Eps 3-4 Review

It’s official: the reputation of the Hazbin Hotel is in the gutter. Not the show, mind you; that’s doing great. It’s the hotel itself that is tanking. Thanks to the Vees’ smear campaign, Hell is turning more and more against Charlie and her dream of redeeming people. But now that she knows that redemption is possible, you would think that this would change things, right? It doesn’t. Instead, it leads Charlie to make decisions that only make her look even worse. And to top it off, we learn new things about the Hotel Residents and why they’re in Hell in the first place. Most notably, though, we get to learn about the backstory of the Radio Demon himself, Alastor!! And it is such a huge twist!!

#CharliewasRight

Episode three starts off right where episode one ended: with Charlie learning from Emily that Pentious is alive, in Heaven, and redeemed. In other words, she was right about redemption being possible! Her ideals work, and so does the hotel!

There’s just one small problem: Emily didn’t tell her the bigger details, leaving Charlie in the dark about how redemption works. And this ends up costing Charlie big time.

Charlie has been going through an emotional rollercoaster since the Extermination, and the Vees smear campaign hasn’t helped. If anything, it leads her to make decisions that only serve to make things worse. She’s so desperate to get the word out that she was right that she invites Vox and Velvette over to the Hotel to tell them. Except she forgets until it’s too late that she has no concrete proof of how redemption works, making her look foolish in front of the Vees.

I’m Sure there’s more Context

But that’s nothing compared to what she does next. Charlie gets so desperate to prove she’s right that she starts jumping through some insane mental hoops. Case in point, she tries to get Angel Dust to recreate the circumstances behind Sir Pentious’ redemption, which almost gets him killed. By the time she realizes redemption means making up for one’s worst sin, the damage is already done. And Vox makes it even worse when he drops this major bombshell.

I get the feeling that there is more context to this story about Angel killing his dad. Knowing what we do about him, it’s likely his dad was an abusive jerk, and Angel killed him in self-defense. Either way, he does not appreciate his dirty laundry being aired like this. But this is still a major step back for Charlie, and her attempts to do further damage control in the following episode only make things worse! Why did she think having Niffty talk about the Hotel was a good idea?!?!

The one silver lining to all this, at least, is that Cherri Bomb finally makes it official and moves into the Hotel. Not because of anything that Charlie did, mind you. It’s because she’s still shaken up by what Pentious did, and she wants to see him again so she can sort out whatever feelings she might have. And as the pair’s duet from afar makes it clear, there are feelings in play for this.

If we thought that the big reveal about Angel Dust’s past was shocking, though, then that’s nothing compared to what we get in the fourth episode with Alastor!

Alastor: Origins

From the pilot more than six years ago, Alastor the Radio Demon has been among the most enigmatic characters on the show. He showed up out of nowhere, established himself as the strongest Sinner in Hell, and decided to back Charlie’s Hotel on a whim. But losing to Adam dealt him with a case of humble pie that he’s still smarting from. On top of that, the finale confirmed that Alastor is, in fact, trapped in a deal with another Demon. Which begs the question: who could be controlling Alastor? As it turns out, the fourth episode reveals this to us in full.

After dealing with Lucifer’s snide comments abo it his loss one too many times, Alastor crashes out and declares that he’s quitting the Hotel. The next time we see him, he’s in Cannibal Town where we finally learn who is the one controlling Alastor’s strings: none other than Rosie herself.

Back when Alastor was still a normal human, he made a deal with Rosie. Since he knew he was damned to Hell, he decided to sell his soul in exchange for the right to become the strongest Sinner in the afterlife. And he got what he wanted, but at the expense of having to dance to Rosie’s tune. Now he wants out after losing to Adam, and Rosie won’t let him. Truthfully, though, Alastor has no one to blame but himself. He thought he could handle Adam, but it was clear that he couldn’t, and his pride can’t take it.

Which, of course, only makes what he does next all the more baffling. But I think I’ve figured out what he’s got planned.

The deal with Rosie was that she would make Alastor the strongest Sinner in Hell. Sinner’s power is related to the fear and respect they inspire in others. But if Alastor were to lose all that fear of him, then he wouldn’t be the strongest Sinner in Hell, would he? Thus, the deal would be off. Having sent the episode for myself (and loved Alastor fighting the Vees), I think that this is what he has planned, and Vox fell for it. That, and a part of him does care about the Hotel, no matter how much he might deny it. Personally, I don’t know if this will pan out how Alastor intends, but it’s still a clever plan.

No Wonder Vox Hates Alastor

The best part, though, is that we get to see why Vox hates Alastor so much. Frankly, I don’t blame him.

Alastor pretty much broke Vox’s heart, leaving him the bitter, hate-filled Sinner that he is today. The flashback even implies that Vox wasn’t nearly as bad back then as he is now. He got this way because of spite, and now all existence could suffer for it!

For the time being, though, the Hazbin Hotel is in it deep. It’s rep is in the toilet, its strongest member has turned himself in, and the staff is starting to fracture. And this is only the halfway point for the season! We’ve got plenty more to cover, and I can’t wait to see it all happen!

I Give “Hazbin Hotel: Behind Closed Doors” and “It’s a Deal” a 3/5 and a 4/5 each

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Hazbin Hotel S2 Eps 1-2 Review

Hazbin Hotel is back in business, everyone! After a year and a half of anticipation, Vivziepop’s Internet hit turned Amazon series has returned to grace screens everywhere. I know that I’m a week behind schedule writing about this, but I was too busy celebrating Halloween. Now that I have time to catch up, I’m going all in on this show. Because judging by the promotional material we’ve been steadily fed the last few months, this season’s going to be crazy, as Charlie might have a new problem to deal with: stopping a war between Heaven and Hell.t

So, What Now, Charlie?

A month has passed since the Hazbin Hotel residents stopped Adam’s extermination, and Hell is still reeling from the consequences. Not only did they see first-hand that angels can be killed, but they also saw Adam get killed at the hands of Nifty. Thanks to that, the now rebuilt hotel’s rep has skyrocketed. Our first look shows that so many people are trying to check in, the staff can barely keep up. Unfortunately, it’s made blatantly obvious that they’re there for the wrong reasons. They just want a chance to kill the hated Angels, with Charlie’s message of redemption being completely lost on them. Though, to be fair, this is not entirely the Hotel’s doing, but the new big bad’s, the Vees.

A big theme going into this season is the danger of mass media manipulation, something that Vox has been taking full advantage of in-between seasons. His news outlets have been purposefully pushing the “Hazbin Hotel kills angels” angle while ignoring its true purpose of redemption. Why is he doing this? Because he wants to be a god. In life, Vox was the leader of a cult, and that gave him a god complex. Now that Hell knows Angels can be killed, he wants to channel the centuries of resentment in order to launch a full-on war against Heaven, allowing him and the Vees to seize control and rule all of creation. Which is exactly the thing that led Sera to authorize the Exterminations in the first place, and won’t end well for anyone involved.

If it wasn’t for the fact that this could lead to the destruction of the universe, I would find Vox’s plan darkly humorous. He’s so eager to gain power that he’s overlooking something important: Sinners aren’t strong enough to fight the higher-ups of Heaven. Alastor proved that when he lost to Adam, something that he’s still smarting over! The only thing this will accomplish is getting more people killed, and everything that Charlie doesn’t want to happen. But how is Charlie going to handle this?

In short, she has no clue.

We Miss Sir Pentious

Sir Pentious’ apparent sacrifice has affected the Hotel staff differently. They’re more open with each other about their emotions and have a tighter bond. Cherri has been trying to come to terms with the fact that Pentious sacrificed himself for her (and kissed her.) But Charlie? She’s been bawling her eyes out over Sir Pentious, and has no idea what to do next. Or how to convince people to take her ideas of redemption seriously.

This leads to a touching moment between Charlie and her dad as they both open up about their insecurities. It’s great to see Lucifer trying to be there for Charlie and not let his past trauma hold him back anymore. Unfortunately, his advice of being honest leads almost everyone to leave. Then the Vees spin everything to make her look bad and hating Sinners, much to her fury. The only one sticking around is a mad scientist named Baxter, and he’s only there to prove redemption is fake.

Joke’s on him, though. Emily drops in on Charlie and lets her know that she was right. Sir Pentious was redeemed, and Heaven is in an uproar.

Heaven is in Turmoil

The second episode of the season focuses exclusively on Heaven in the aftermath of Adam’s death and Sir Pentious’ arrival. And it is absolutely bonkers! In rapid succession, the residents of Heaven learn that its leaders had been killing Sinners in Hell in secret, Adam was killed, and a Sinner had redeemed themselves and got into Heaven. In other words, everything they thought they knew was a lie, and now Sera has to deal with the guilt of knowing she enabled Adam and Lute to become genocidal maniacs.

And you know what? She should feel guilty. Most of the leaders of Heaven should feel guilty. Their pride and self-assurance led them to commit acts just as bad as the worst Sinners, and none of it was necessary. If they had swallowed their pride and admitted that they didn’t know why people wound up in Heaven and Hell and worked with the Morningstars to understand the rules, all this pain could have been avoided. And unfortunately, Sera and the other leaders allow their fear and pride dictate their actions. Rather than seek reconciliation with Hell or forgiveness, Sera ends the episode by putting Heaven on lockdown. Which, of course, will only means the Vees efforts will make things worse when the time comes.

To be fair, though, it becomes pretty obvious in this episode that not even God is perfect. Or rather, the Speaker of God, who acts on his behalf. On the one hand, she does step in when Sir Pentious is not getting a chance to defend himself and respects people’s freedom of choice. On the other hand, she gives Sera the vaguest advice on how to deal with her guilt. I’m all for letting people choose their destiny, but sometimes, we need someone to guide us! Still, Sera is handling things far better than Lute.

Lute is Going to become a Fallen Angel

Like Adam, Lute is the personification of the worst parts of Christianity. She’s dogmatic, self-righteous, and refuses to admit when she is wrong. Rather than accepting that Adam’s brought his death upon himself, Lute continues to see Hell as the enemy, even when Heaven is now doubting this. Over the course of the episode, we get a front-row seat as we watch her become more and more insane, hallucinating that Adam is telling her to finish her mission. The bitter irony is that at the rate she’s going, Lute will likely become a fallen angel thanks to her pride and wrath. I’d even go so far as to say that she is more in line with classical depictions of Lucifer than the Lucifer of the show.

But what about Sir Pentious? How did he end up in Heaven and how is he doing? That answer might surprise you!

Sir Pentious’ Redemption

Hearing this, it should be pretty obvious why Sinners end up in Hell, even if they were otherwise good people in life. They are weighted down by the guilt and regret that they feel, consciously or not, about their greatest sin in life. That guilt manifests in death by turning them into Sinners and leaving them in Hell. However, if they act in a way that will allow them to atone for their biggest regret or sin in life, their souls can be redeemed and be allowed to enter into Heaven. In Sir Pentious’ case, he refused to sit back and let Adam kill his friends, sacrificing himself to save them. Of course, there are still a few holes about this. As Pentious himself points out, where did his Egg Boys go? Questions for later, though.

Now, here’s the main issue: Pentious hates Heaven.

No, really. After getting yeeted to Heaven, Pentious finds himself the only one of his kind, a former Sinner, in the entire place. And despite Emily trying to spin this as being super positive, it just makes him feel lonelier than ever. It’s sad seeing him wanting to get back to Hell. It’s ironic, really. He’s the first person to get out of Hell, and now he wants back in. Then again, what good is it to be in Heaven if your family is somewhere else? Sadly, Sir Pentious may have to wait, since Heaven’s in lockdown.

This was a solid start to the new season of this mega-hit. And it wouldn’t be a Vivziepop series if it didn’t have musical numbers. These first two episodes were packed with them, and all of them are toe-tappers! I love them so much! I love Hazbin Hotel, and I’m so glad to see it back again! These next few weeks are going to be fun!

I Give “New Pentious” and “Storyteller” a 4/5 Each

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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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Hazbin Hotel S1 Eps. 5-6 Review

A week since its official premiere on Amazon Prime, Hazbin Hotel is the second most-watched series on the platform! Given how it expands on the amazing pilot and how VivziePop already has an established fandom thanks to it and Helluva Boss, though, it makes sense. As it turns out, what doesn’t make sense are the in-universe rules on how to get into Heaven. As the next Extermination looms, Charlie gets desperate to prove her Hotel works. So much so that she reaches out to the big guy herself to get into Heaven. As a result, though, a theory that fans have had for years is confirmed in the most heartbreaking way possible.

If it weren’t being released so fast, this show would be even better than it already was.

Lucifer is Such a Dad!

As the next Extermination day gets close, Charlie’s desperation to prove the Hazbin Hotel works reaches new heights. Seeing her girlfriend spiral like this, Vaggie tells Charlie what she needs to hear: she needs to ask her Dad for help. Charlie is…very reluctant to do so, having never been close to him, but not for the reasons one would think.

Far from being the “Ultimate Bad Boy,” Lucifer is a goofball. Firstly, he spends his time making rubber ducks that breathe fire. Secondly, he freaks out when his daughter calls him and tries to come up with the best intro (before doing the worst!) Lastly, when he visits the Hotel, he tries harder than necessary to look good in front of his daughter. In other words, he’s a lovably dorky Dad.

In the episode’s best moment, Lucifer develops a mutual hatred with Alastor. The Radio Demon acts like he’s the better father figure to Charlie, and they wind up getting into a singing competition. Seeing the Devil being so petty with someone far below him in Hell’s hierarchy is such a hilariously dad thing to do.

Lucifer is Depressed, but he Still Loves Charlie.

Rather than dance around the idea, the episode blatantly establishes that Lucifer is depressed. He even says so himself. It’s not hard to understand why. He seemingly had good intentions of giving mankind free will, but he’s never gotten to see the good that would come from it. He’s only seen the mistakes of humankind, leaving him indifferent to Sinners at best and outright bitter and cynical at worst. More than that, though, his depression was influenced by his estranged relationship with Charlie.

Growing up, Charlie was never as close to her Dad as she was to her Mom. She didn’t know how to approach him, creating a distance between them. Despite this, though, the two love each other immensely. Charlie admires her father for the dreams he once had inspiring him. And Lucifer is willing to do anything to keep his daughter safe, even if it means telling her that her dreams won’t work out. The fact that Lucifer speaks from personal experience cements how he’s doing this out of love rather than malice.

More than anything, this episode explores how tough being a parent and child can be, even when both love each other. The only rule book parents have to follow on being a parent is their own experiences, and that might not always be enough. Yet, as the show has demonstrated, parents and kids should talk things out. Lucifer can’t protect Charlie from making her own decisions, and while terrifying, it’s also part of being a parent. You must trust your kids to make the right decisions and help when they don’t. Thus, Lucifer decides to put his faith in Charlie and get her to Heaven.

But everything isn’t what it seems.

Welcome to Heaven…or Welcome Back

Despite his worries, Lucifer manages to get Charlie that meeting in Heaven, much to Adam’s fury and Vaggie’s concerns. And despite Adam’s bad impression, Heaven is almost as nice as it claims to be. Everyone (besides Adam and Lute) is welcoming, friendly, and genuinely nice. Charlie even hits it off with her Heavenly counterpart, Emily the Seraphim. The only reason I use the word “almost” is because Heaven’s hiding some dark secrets.

Firstly, it soon becomes clear that only the higher-ups know the Extermination, with most kept in the dark. Their leader and Emily’s mentor say it’s to prevent a war, but it’s obvious that she’s making excuses to herself to justify what is essentially mass murder. 

Secondly, this episode reveals that not even the Angels know what qualifies someone to get into Heaven. When Charlie uses Angel Dust and his night out with the other Hotel residents and Cherri Bomb (and it’s awesome to see her again), he checks off all the arbitrary boxes that Adam makes up.

• He refuses to backslide into Drugs when offered.
• He stops Nifty from stealing
• He stands up to Valentino, and it’s glorious!

Despite all the evidence, it’s not enough to sway the higher-ups in Heaven.

That’s not even the biggest surprise, though. This episode confirms that a long-held fan theory about Vaggie is true.

I’m not even going to spoil it here. That’s going up in a separate article.

War Might be the Only Option 

So, Charlie’s best chance to stop the Extermination fails, and Adam says he’s gonna destroy the Hazbin Hotel first. The only way Hell may survive might be for them to go to war. If that happens, though, countless souls and beings on both sides will likely end up dying. In addition, such a conflict would only make the residents of Heaven and Hell double down on their negative traits, making peace all but impossible. Worst of all, such an act could shatter Charlie’s optimistic outlook on life like it did for Lucifer. And that assumes that it hasn’t been shattered already due to how callous Heaven is.

All might not be lost, though. Now that Emily the Seraphim knows the truth, she won’t sit by and let something happen that she knows is wrong. She may find a way to stop the Exterminations on her end. Or she might flat-out decide to protect Hell, even if it means becoming a Fallen Angel. She may even bring other Angels who see the Extermination as wrong. I think that that would be an awesome sight to see. A bunch of Angels protecting Hell is normally not something to cheer over, but this is one of the exceptions. 

These episodes were amazing to watch, but there’s one problem: they’re coming out too many at a time. There are only eight episodes in the show’s first season, which isn’t enough time to enjoy. It would help if they were released once a week, but they released them in pairs. As a result of this quick release schedule, we won’t have as much time to let what we see sink in. That’s a detriment when it comes to episodes like Episode 6. Despite this, though, Hazbin Hotel is still blowing my mind. It’s the first big Western animated show of 2024, and I love it. 

I Give “Dad Beat Dad” and “Welcome to Heaven” a 5/5 each

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Jay’s Month of Screams, Day 15- Costume Quest

The reason why I do this Halloween special a day is because I can’t contain my love for the holiday to one single day. I want to get as hyped as possible, hence the specials. After all these years, though, I have found a show dedicated entirely to the best aspects of the holiday. From the studio that brought you The Fairly Oddparents and Adventure Time, and based on the cult game of the same game, comes Costume Quest!

How I found Costume Quest

I was browsing on Twitter this morning, checking up on latest celebrity news. That’s when I saw this tweet from Daron Nefcy, the creator of Star vs. The Forces of Evil:

So I followed Daron’s suggestion and looked up the show on Amazon Prime. After that, I spent the whole day binge watching it. I also looked up the guy that Daron mentioned in her thread for the tweet.

As Co-Executive Producer for Costume Quest, Bryan Caselli has an impressive resume. He started out as an intern for another show that I love by the name of Regular Show. From there, he moved on to be a writer and storyboarder for the show Sanjay and Craig. After that, he became a storyboarder for Star vs the Forces of Evil. He even has a page on the show’s wiki!

As for the studio, Frederator is known for creating quality cartoons. They’ve had a long partnership with Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, creating some of their best shows. From The Fairly Oddparents and Adventure Time to their successful YouTube channel, they bring the goods. I couldn’t think of a reason not to watch Costume Quest.

Costume Quest’s Plot

I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so I’ll try and keep spoilers to a minimum.

The show takes place in the fictional town of Auburn Hollow, renowned for its supply of mineable nougat (yes it’s a thing). With Halloween coming up, four friends, Wren, her brother Reynold, Everett, and Lucy are shopping for costumes. That’s when they come across a junk shop run by a man named Norm, whose costumes have the power to transform them into what they’re dressed as. As cool as that is, they have a powerful secret connected to the town.

The kids learn that a hundred years ago, an army of powerful monsters, the Repugnians, came to Auburn Hollow from another dimension to steal its nougat. Nougat’s like a drug for them; when they eat it, they get jacked up and turn into super-monsters. They could have conquered the universe with that power, but a group of four kids with similar costumes drove them back. With the portal to Repugnia set to open again that Halloween Night, the remaining monsters are active once more, trying to steal the nougat. Therefore, it falls to Norm and the four kids to use their costumes and imaginations to stop the Repugnians before they can conquer the universe!

Everything I love about Halloween in one Show

Part of the reason why I ended up binge watching Costume Quest is because it includes a lot of the different aspects I love about Halloween. First and foremost, it takes something fun like Halloween costumes and turns into an imaginative concept. Seeing the kids transform into all manner of creature or fictional character is entertaining, because they become almost anything. They can even turn into inanimate objects like cars and work just like a real one would. It’s like Ben 10 meets the Power Rangers.

In addition, there’s the fact that the entire show takes place in October, when Halloween is on everyone’s mind. This means the Halloween fun is spread out over an entire month, leading up to a final, giant fight on Halloween night; with giant monsters. It’s like it was made for me!

Finally, there’s the fact that show revolves around protecting a candy. In the show, it’s treated like a combination valuable ore and super-drug. That can’t disguise the fact that it’s a candy, though, and that’s one of the most important and fun parts of Halloween! That, and scary monsters.

The Repugnians

Speaking of monsters, here are the villains, the Repugnians. They’re monsters that hide amongst the people of Auburn Hollow using ridiculously good costumes. It’s almost impossible to tell them apart from humans, hence why the kids can’t rely on anyone outside of Norm. When beaten, they turn into tiny monsters called Grubbins, but that’s about it. They can’t destroy them because it’s a kids show, and because people would notice if others went missing.

They’re led by Bob, a ruthless monster who has all the hallmarks of a villain. He’s ruthless, he’s calculating, and a terrible boss to his minions. Even without nougat, he’s still a dangerous enemy, and he knows how to use every advantage possible.

A Good Halloween Inspired Show

While it’s certainly not as scary as some other Halloween shows, Costume Quest is a good show. It’s well-written, the animation is appealing, and the level of creativity is plain for all to see. I couldn’t stop watching it! If you have Amazon Prime, then go watch it right now. The second half of the first season just came out last week. Until then, Happy Halloween!

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

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