Rock Candy Reviews

Hazbin Hotel, season 2, episode 1 and 2, Review

As someone who doesn’t hate Vivzie the way others do, I was holding my breath for the premiere of season two of Hazbin Hotel. The first season had plenty of flaws, but I still enjoyed the experience. Now that the first two episodes of the second season have dropped, all that’s left to do is talk about them. Which would be easier if it felt like there was two episodes of content to discuss. In reality, only the second episode had anything that moved the story forward.

Episode 1

Unfortunately, this episode was just drawn out exposition. Everything that happened could have been condensed into just a few scenes, but the episode chooses to stretch small moments out for as long as possible.

Everything from the updates to the hotel, Charlie’s leadership struggles, Vox’s new evil plans, and the addition of new sinners, could have each been done in shorter time. The fact that the show segments these events to last the whole episode almost feels like filler. The same repetitive jokes are used every time we return to the hotel, and the V’s headquarters. All the while, we learn nothing new about the characters and their motivations.

There was no climax to the story, because nothing really happened until the last 10 minutes of the episode. Having the characters still be in the dark about what’s going on in heaven could have been good for internal conflict in the main cast of characters. Instead, we just get the news casts to blatantly explain the stakes. One of the many criticisms Hazbin Hotel receives is that the characters don’t truly feel like a unit. This would have been a chance to see the characters’ strong and weak points in their relationships. To see how they have grown, and what they still need to work on. However, they barely get to interact with each other because the episode is more focused on jokes and recapping last season.

Even the songs don’t communicate any current growth. They just talk about the characters’ goals, which we already knew about. For a show with such a low episode count, it doesn’t seem to have any intention of using the run time to space out the narrative. The songs this time actually take away from meaningful interactions the characters could be having. Angel’s therapy session, legit tensions between the three V’s, or Charlie’s unstable mindset aren’t taken advantage of at all. All replaced by songs that will probably be skipped on the soundtrack, since they aren’t tied to any particularly strong story beats.

Overall, this was a disappointing start to the second season.

2/5 Stars

Episode 2

This is where things finally get going for the better. Instead of resorting to repetitive comedy bits and snippets of pre-established info, this episode actually goes into depth about the characters’ internal and external struggles.

Every story beat takes the opportunity to flesh out the reasons behind their actions. The introduction of each new character wasn’t simply done for exposition. Characters like Abel and the Voice of God serve to challenge the status quo of last season, and move the story closer understanding how the universe functions. Abel teaches us about the line of command, while the Voice confirms that Sir Pentious is not lying about his journey to heaven. Not to mention that all the angels drive home the point that heaven isn’t as perfect as it could be. It lacks the personal connections and acknowledgement of difficult emotions, as the song demonstrates how isolated Pentious feels.

Emily trying to cheer up Pentious until she gets it right, shows that she is resilient enough to work through her mistakes. Sera’s grappling with her duties as a leader, and her guilt for allowing the exterminations, allows her to be more than just the face of heaven’s hypocrisy, but a chance for systemic change.

Finally, we get an actually threatening song from Lute that shows the mindset behind her vengeance, other than just her bias against demons. Her refusal to accept her own pain and all reactions from others, demonstrates how she values the feeling of natural consequences, and black and white morality. As she sings “like gravity”, it shows that she believes her actions aren’t just correct and justified, but inevitable and unstoppable. It made for a great climax to the episode’s roller coaster of revelations. While the other characters are filled with reasonable uncertainty, Lute sets her sights on a fixed decision. It makes for a good contrast in tone and character development.

This episode was much more enjoyable and flowed a lot better.

4/5 Stars