Hazbin Hotel Season Two, Episodes Five and Six Review: Holy Animation, Batman!

A few weeks back, Hazbin Hotel gave us one of its best episodes with “It’s a Deal.”
Well, I am pleased to say that Season Two continues to exceed expectations with Episodes Five and Six, “Silenced” and “Scream Rain,” both of which have standout factors that place them above other episodes.
“Silenced” has the best animation of the series so far, and “Scream Rain” is easily the funniest episode of Hazbin Hotel yet.
Episode Five begins with the musical number, “Bad with Us”, which is used to depict Vox going around to recruit other Overlords for his plan to attack Heaven.
The song has a few humorous moments, like Vox’s attempts to recruit Carmilla, embarrassing both Valentino and Velvette.
It also shows off the extreme talent of Christian Borle, as he sings through multiple different musical subgenres to appeal to different Overlords.

It makes so much sense that Vox was a cult leader, given how convincing he can be.

Meanwhile, at the Hazbin Hotel, Charlie is desperately trying to get Emily and other angels’ attention, leading to Vaggie asking Lucifer for help.
It is here that we get the perfect explanation for why Lucifer lets the sinners do as they please.
It is revealed that, since Lucifer being in Hell is a punishment, he is unable to harm sinners, meaning he has had to watch them abuse each other for thousands of years.
This explains why he was so nihilistic back in Season One.
It also answers my question of how Vox would be able to take over Heaven, since I figured Lucifer would try to stop him.
However, just because Lucifer cannot harm sinners, does not mean he is unable to bluff them into thinking he can.
At the same time, it is revealed that Emily and Sera are actually watching Charlie, but Sera has doubts about helping, unsure how she can make up for what she has done
Pentious provides both good advice and a pretty great callback when he tells her, “A wise woman once told me, ‘It starts with sorry.’”
About Pentious though, I do find it strange that Sera and Emily did not bring him with them when they decided to appeal to the Sinners.
You would think seeing one of their own redeemed might sway some of them?
Unfortunately, Pentious is still unable to leave Heaven for undisclosed reasons, which does feel a little too convenient.

Just replace Lute with Pentious and I think this whole scene might have gone a little better for Charlie.

The angels travel to Hell and Charlie convinces them to go with her to apologize at one of Vox’s rallies, a decision which I am sure we can all agree was an excellent one with absolutely no chance of backfiring, just like every other decision Charlie has made this season… right?
At Vox’s rally, we potentially see the beginning of Alastor’s plan, with him goading Vox into pushing Valentino and Velvette to the side in favor of himself.
Vox’s show is quickly interrupted by Lucifer, however, kicking off the second song of the episode, “Vox Populi.”
The first half of the song is a Lucifer solo, which is great, before Vox takes over the song, exposing Lucifer’s weakness to the crowd, going so far as to even bring up Lillith to his face.
It is here where we get our first showcase of excellent animation, with the camera panning around Lucifer circling an unimpressed Vox.

The animation during this song is the best of the series.

Following this, Charlie and the angels arrive, but Vox is able to quickly turn the situation against them, which Charlie really should have expected at this point.
Vox certainly does not have to try hard, what with Lute calling him demon filth (seriously, why did they bring her?), the angels apologizing for genocide with gift baskets, and Sera revealing her true form and stating demons like Vox were the reason she approved the Exterminations.
Vox uses this to build into the final song, “Vox Dei,” a short number but probably my favorite of the episode for the sheer aura it provides Vox.
I will admit that at the beginning of the season I had my doubts about whether Vox could be a threatening antagonist, but this episode more than convinced me.
The animation for this scene is once again amazing, with another panning shot perfectly showing Vox’s threatening presence.

I apologize, Vox. I was not familiar with your game.

On top of that, it is abundantly clear that Vox is meant to represent extreme right-wing rhetoric in media, given his statements of “manifest destiny”, “make Hell great again”, and “I’m the furor (führer)”.
It is not subtle, but it is definitely effective, both on the viewer and the angels, who flee, leaving Charlie alone.
She returns to the Hazbin Hotel, infuriated with her father and Vaggie.
It is here we get the long awaited calling out of Charlie, with Vaggie pointing out how she is making things worse by not listening to her and engaging with Vox.
Seeing Charlie finally be called out was both a great moment from Vaggie and a worthy conclusion to another really good episode with stellar animation.
Following “Silenced”, we move on to the funniest episode of the series so far, “Scream Rain.”
The episode opens similarly to the last one, with Vox attempting to convince Carmilla to join his cause.
He enlists the help of Velvette to do so, who delivers the most totally not fake apology of all time.

Wait… you mean this smile ISN’T genuine?

In the end, Vox does convince Carmilla by leveraging her daughters’ safety.
As for Velvette, if last episode saw Valentino souring towards Vox, now it is her turn.
Vox belittles her and he did not even need to feel inferior to Alastor to do so.
Back at the hotel, Charlie and Vaggie are still at odds but have to work together after word of Carmilla supporting Vox spreads.
They go to confront her together, leaving Nifty in charge, since Husk quit because Alastor is no longer there to force him to work at the hotel.
Afterwards, we get our first song of the episode, “Love in a Bottle”, which sees Husk return to his old ways at a casino, winning again and again, until he eventually loses and falls into a drunken stupor.
The song is both catchy and sad, what with Husk’s spiral.

Plus, hearing Keith David sing is always a win.

Meanwhile, upon Charlie and Vaggie’s meeting with Carmilla, we get the first of a few great laughs in the episode, with Carmilla complaining about “lesbian drama” while Charlie shouts at her for helping “the TV man!”
We also get a surprising look into Vaggie’s past when Carmilla reminds her of her time with the exorcists.
Through brief flashes, we see Vaggie and another exorcist recruit being mistreated by Adam and Lute.
It looked like whoever this other exorcist was, they were close to Vaggie.
Even stranger is the appearance of the exorcist woman.
They all look alike, with the same hair coloring and facial features.
It makes me wonder if this was a deliberate choice by Adam or something else?
Before we can get answers, the scene transitions to Husk again, where he is shocked to see Angel Dust singing in drag at the casino.
Husk’s shocked “Angel!?” got a good laugh out of the me, and the following song from Angel, “Losing Streak” is so good it makes a few of the sinners in the audience question their sexuality.
Unfortunately for Angel, Vox has plans for him, which we see when he requests his time from Valentino.
Both he and Velvette diss him for using them, to which Vox attempts to lay on the charm until, of course, Alastor starts goading him again.
Seeing Alastor spin in the chair to reveal himself got another big laugh from me, and the idea that he and Velvette were just gossiping about Vox is very humorous and already inspired multiple fanarts.
As for Vox, Alastor triggers his inferiority complex again, and he tries to force Valentino to comply.
This ends with the funniest moment in all of Hazbin Hotel for me, when Valentino storms off while speaking in Spanish, Vox makes a racist remark, and Valentino responds, “I’m from fucking Flordia!” and then decks Vox in the face with a glass.

Sadly, this humor would not last long. Just ask Angel.

While hilarious, this scene also pushes Alastor’s plan further.
He has spent the past two episodes manipulating Vox into pushing the other Vees away, and it definitely seems to be working.
I would not be surprised if Velvette and Valentino betrayed Vox in the last two episodes.
How this will tie into the rest of Alastor’s plan remains to be seen.
While Alastor’s plotline is still ongoing, Charlie and Vaggie’s fight is thankfully resolved this episode, when Charlie realizes the error of her ways, and goes all out on an apology by making a romantic setting for her and Vaggie.
This culminates in the last song of the episode, “Easy”, which shows how good Vaggie is for Charlie because, when she gets overwhelmed, Vaggie soothes her back to calmness.
Well, “calm” is probably not the right word considering the whole song is pretty much a substitute for Charlie and Vaggie doing the do, proven by it ending with the two of them in bed.

I am glad see Charlie changing while continuing to get closer with Vaggie.

The episode goes from one couple to a potential one, cutting to Husk and Angel talking in the aftermath of Angel’s performance, where the two further connect, before Angel has to leave for a job.
It is here that the episode goes from funny and feel-good to depressing, when we finally get the scene of Vox hurting Angel from the trailer.
A big twist also happens here because Vox reveals that he has been hypnotizing Angel into spying on the Hazbin Hotel, which is how he knew numerous things, such as the fact that Lucifer could not hurt him.
Vox now plans to use him to make Charlie kill herself somehow, but we will have to learn the details on how this will work in the final two episodes.
Another interesting detail are the eyes watching Angel when he enters the apartment.
These eyes have been seen throughout Hell, but this is the first time the show has deliberately focused on them.
They do not seem connected to Vox, so I am interested in seeing what the explanation is, although I think this might be foreshadowing for future seasons.

Angel Dust is not the only factor is Vox’s plan though because we see him imitate Charlie’s voice to draw Lucifer in, planning to use him as a power source for something.
Vox’s plans are going to come to their climax soon but, with him pushing aside Valentino and Velvette, Cherry and Husk’s suspicions about Angel’s location, and Alastor’s currently unknown plan, I think it is pretty safe to say this will all blow up in Vox’s face in a spectacular and satisfying fashion.
We will know in an hour, when the final episodes of Season Two drop.
As for Episodes Five and Six, they are both great, with excellent animation and hilarious moments.
Season Two has exceeded my expectations so far, and I hope the last episodes will not disappoint.

Hazbin Hotel Season Two, Episode Three and Four Review: Reveals, Action, and… Anime?

Hazbin Hotel’s second season started strong with its first two episodes.
Now episodes three and four continue the formula of the second being better than the first.
“Hazbin Hotel: Behind Closed Doors” is still a lot of fun in its own right, though.
The episode begins with Charlie in mid-freakout over Emily’s reveal that Sir Pentious has been redeemed.
But, if you thought that Charlie’s spiraling would halt because of the good news, this is unfortunately not the case.
If anything, Charlie spirals more, making bad decision after bad decision, which only furthers Vox’s plans.

Hopefully, Charlie has learned her lesson about the media after these two episodes.

I have seen some people complain that Charlie is acting out of character here, but I honestly do not see it.
Charlie was shown to be an emotional wreak in Episode One following Pentious’ supposed death and, given her personality, of course she overcompensates when learning he is alive in Heaven.
This is most likely part of an arc for Charlie, which we will see resolved by the end of the season.
Unfortunately, Vox and Velvette are quick to take advantage of Charlie’s character flaw, marching into the Hazbin Hotel at Charlie’s invitation, ready to blacken her name again.
They get ample opportunity when Charlie announces Pentious’ redemption but, as we suspected, she is not believed because she cannot prove it since Heaven is in lockdown.
Charlie decides to redeem Angel Dust, ignoring his warnings about the Vees.
This leads into the song “Speedrun to Redemption”, where Charlie attempts and fails to redeem Angel by following Pentious’ example.
The end result is her staging a fake rescue, with Husk tied to train tracks while Angel plays the hero.
As for Charlie herself, she plays the diabolical mastermind, Danny Do-Bad.
Watching Charlie play at villainy was so over the top and cringeworthy, but oddly enough to such an extreme that it became funny.

Vox turns the scene potentially deadly by interfering, leading to Angel actually having to try and save Husk.
Vaggie finally gets through to Charlie, convincing her that Angel Dust needs to be redeemed his own way, but this builds into Vox revealing Angel killed his dad, which was the sin that landed him in Hell.
In a similar moment to when Valentino assaulted Angel in Season One, Charlie’s demon form begins to emerge, showing just how much she values her friends.
She even manages to get under Vox’s skin, maintaining that she believes anyone can be redeemed, even him.
As for whether Vox actually will be redeemed in the future, that is going to take a lot of work given his many sins and current actions.
Charlie’s storyline is not the only one this episode because we also follow Cherry deciding to stay at the Hazbin Hotel.
Given the romantic tension between her and Pentious, Cherry is hit the hardest by the news of his redemption, going to Baxter for information because he used to work with him.
It is here we learn that Baxter was the one who helped Pentious create the Egg Boys, before Pentious took them away to protect them from Baxter’s experiments, and to continue his feud with Cherry.
This builds into a song between Pentious and Cherry, reflecting on their many battles titled… “Piss”?

Leave it to *Hazbin Hotel* to title a love song “Piss”, I guess.

In the aftermath of Vox’s hit piece against the Hazbin Hotel, we see many residents returning their keys to leave, while Cherry takes a key, telling Angel she intends to stay .
I look forward to seeing her and Pentious eventually reunite and how their relationship will progress.
“Hazbin Hotel: Behind Closed Doors” is another solid episode, but it is far exceeded by Episode Four, “It’s a Deal,” which I would go as far to say is not only the best episode of the season at this point, but the best of the show so far.
The episode follows two central storyline’s, Charlie and Alastor’s the first of which is the funnier of the two.
Charlie continues to underestimate how badly Vox and his minions can shape a narrative, planning to go on live tv with Nifty to try and change the hotel’s image.
It is here Charlie talks with Katie Killjoy who, of course, does everything she can to paint Charlie in a bad light, including making it seem like she wants Sinners to be killed.
As a last resort, Charlie calls on Nifty for help, and we get out first Nifty solo song, “Clean it Up.”
Not only is this song really catchy, but it is also hilarious.

The first half is Nifty talking about how disgusting the hotel is, which she views as a good thing because she loves cleaning it.
The second half of the song is sung entirely in Japanese with an anime style, and it is here where Nifty talks about the actual good qualities of the hotel.
What makes this funnier is that Charlie asked her to “help differently” and Nifty interpreted this to mean singing in another language.
If Charlie had just let Nifty keep singing in English instead of interrupting her, everyone would have understood the good things about the hotel.
Although, there obviously have to be some sinners who speak Japanese, so it would be pretty humorous for a bunch of them to show up at the hotel because they understood Nifty’s message.

I did not expect an anime style song in *Hazbin Hotel* but I am glad we got one.

As for Nifty believing in Charlie’s dream while thinking Sinners are trash, it makes her even more endearing.
In fact, I would go as for to say that Nifty is my favorite character in Hazbin Hotel at the moment.
She always gets a laugh out of me, and it is for this reason I love her more than Alastor.
This is not to sell Alastor short because he is also fantastic in this episode.
Alastor has barely been present in the last three episodes, so I was glad to see him finally get a focus here.
After another spat with Lucifer, Alastor decides to quit the hotel, and goes to tell Rosie the good news.
Too bad she wants him to stay at the hotel, and he has no say in the matter because she is his soul owner.
Yes, the big mystery of who owned Alastor’s soul is revealed to be Rosie.
The two seemed like genuine friends in Season One, so I did not see this coming.
It changes the whole context of Alastor bringing Charlie to Rosie for help.
We also get a reveal of Alastor’s backstory, like we did Sir Pentious’ in Episode Two.

I did not expect an Alastor backstory this quickly, even though I asked for one in my previous review.

Alastor was a radio broadcaster and serial killer in the 1930s, who was mistaken for a deer by a hunter and shot.
However, before his death, he made a deal with Rosie for power.
In return, he would do some unknown job for her.
What this job is, we still do not know, but it is safe to say it has something to do with his presence at the Hazbin Hotel.
While answering the question of who owns Alastor’s soul, this twist also raises a bunch of questions about Rosie.
Who is she really, and why does she want Alastor to help Charlie?
Whatever the reason, I would wager it has something to do with why both Alastor and Lillith disappeared seven years ago.
It was also revealed this episode that the Exterminations also then, so something big happened seven years ago that we are not yet privy to.
Angered about not escaping his deal, Alastor then comes up with an unknown plan, leading to him confronting Vox, Valentino and Velvette.

Nifty and Husk also get involved, but the fight ends with Alastor making a deal to be Vox’s prisoner, so long as Vox does not lay a hand upon Charlie.
What follows is a barrage of humiliation for Alastor, with Vox dragging him throughout the city, bragging about defeating him.
Whatever Alastor hopes to gain from this, it has to be worth the humiliation because there is no way he would subject himself to it otherwise.
Perhaps Charlie’s deal to do him a favor will come into play again?
But even though Alastor is Vox’s prisoner, he still gets under his skin more than anyone.
We get another flashback, this one proving that Vox and Alastor used to be friends.
Or at least that is what Vox thought, because the moment he suggests a partnership to Alastor, the Radio Demon laughs in his face, calling him pathetic and weak.
I never thought I would feel bad for Vox, but Alastor’s rejection was so cruel it had me temporarily forgetting how terrible of a person he also is.

It is also pretty funny to think of how hypocritical Alastor is.
He judges Vox for needing the Vees while he conveniently forgets he owes his power to Rosie.
Back in the present, Vox attempts to regain control through the song “Don’t Your Forget” (itself a reprisal of a song Rosie sung with Alastor earlier), which references Season One’s “Stayed Gone.”
The episode then ends with Valentino saying the two should just screw already.
While you could cut the sexual tension with a knife in this moment, unfortunately for Vox, Al is asexual.
Kidding aside, Episode Four is definitely my favorite of the series so far.
It reveals a lot of Alastor lore, has great action, and funny Nifty moments.
What more could a Hazbin Hotel fan ask for?
Season Two has been great so far, and I hope the quality can continue later tonight with Episodes Five and Six.

Hazbin Hotel Season Two, Episodes One and Two Review: Magnificent Music Returns.

I found the first season of Hazbin Hotel to be an enjoyable but flawed season.
It had fun characters and fantastic musical numbers, but the pacing felt especially off.
With the show being a success, I hoped it would convince the bigwigs to greenlight more episodes for Season Two.
Unfortunately, we are stuck with eight again this season.
To be fair though, that does not necessarily mean the pacing is doomed, since Viziepop could still find a way to craft a completely concise story with eight episodes.

We will have to wait for the rest of the season to release before we find out if the pacing will work.

As for Episodes One and Two of Hazbin Hotel Season Two, they provide a decent start to the season, which has me excited for the extra six.
For starters, I actually like how these episodes were structured together, with Episode One showing Hell’s side of the story, while Episode Two shows Heaven’s.
That being said, Episode One “New Pentious” is definitely the weaker of the two.
In the aftermath of the Hazbin Hotel fighting off Adam’s Extermination, the hotel has received lots of interest but for the wrong reason.
Instead of demons seeking redemption, like Charlie hoped, they are all there to kill angels.
Well, almost all of them.
A demon named Baxter joins the hotel, hoping to prove his hypothesis that redemption is impossible.
He is quite similar to Pentious, leading to Charlie constantly calling him that, since she is still grieving her friend.
As for Baxter, we do not get enough of him for me to really judge if I like his character or not.
And then there are the hotel’s regular residents.
It was great to see Charlie, Vaggie, Alastor, Angel Dust, Nifty and Husk again.
My favorite of the bunch this episode was absolutely Nifty, with her newfound fame for killing Adam being pretty humorous.

Never change, Nifty, you murderous gremlin.

On the other hand, Vaggie has a subplot with her trying to figure out a new name for herself.
I am absolutely convinced this storyline will just end with her choosing to keep the name Vaggie, so the subplot already feels predictable.
That being said, if it does ends in a different way I will withdraw this criticism.
What I will not be withdrawing is my complaint regarding a specific joke concerning Angel Dust.
Back in Season One, we saw how terrible Valentino treated him, so to see a slapstick joke of Valentino repeatedly abusing him felt really out of touch.
On the subject of the Vees, they seem to be stepping into their roles of main antagonists this season, especially Vox.
The TV Demon intends to use his control of media to manipulate Hell’s populace into turning against the hotel and rebelling against Heaven.
This storyline has a lot of potential with its topical relevance to the problems of today’s media.
I am also curious to see how Vox intends to take over heaven.

To be honest, I cannot imagine the Vees lasting long against Lucifer, let alone the high-ranking Angels of Heaven.

We see one such Angel at the end of the episode, Emily, who arrives to quickly tell Charlie about Sir Pentious’ redemption before leaving.
Charlie screams in response, ending the episode.
Her learning that redemption works may seem like a good thing, but one key detail is that Charlie was the only one who saw Emil.
It is also later revealed Sir Pentious cannot leave heaven.
Therefore, I can see Vox twisting Charlie’s boasting about Pentious’ redemption to be a lie, turning the populace of Hell further against her.
But we will have to see.
Now that I have the story content of the episode out of the way, I will discuss the musical aspect.
“New Pentious” has two musical numbers, “Hazbin Guarantee (Trust Us)” and “Once We Get Up There.”
“Hazbin Guarantee” is my favorite of the two, with a great contrast between Charlie failing to get clients with her songs of hope, and the Vees succeeding with their manipulative lies.

The Vees are easy to hate because of how they use and then throw people away as if they were things.

As it stands, “New Pentious” is a good episode, but “Storyteller” is even better.
I will start with the songs this time; Episode Two having three of them, “Like You”, “Sera’s Confession”, and “Gravity”.
Going from weakest to best, “Like You” does a good job of showing Pentious’ situation in Heaven, and how he just wants to get back to his friends.
“Sera’s Confession” succeeded in making me invested in Sera, due to the exploration of her moral conflict.
But by the far the best song is “Gravity”.
This number was teased a while back, and you can absolutely see why it was chosen to advertise Season Two.
Lute’s rock ballad with a hallucinated Adam is incredible to watch and listen to; already being the best song in the season thus far.

“Gravity” crushes it, pun very much intended.

Getting back to the story of the episode, it opens up with Pentious on trial after appearing in Heaven.
Things look bad for him until the Speaker of God arrives and gently asks him to tell his story.
We flashback to the 1800s when Pentious was alive and it is revealed he knew who Jack the Ripper was but failed to report him, resulting in the deaths of five more women.
His failure to act damned him to hell, until he redeemed himself by risking his own life to save his friends, exactly the sort of thing he should have done for those women.
I loved the exploration of Pentious’ human life, and I hope we get more for other characters.
Vox was revealed to have been a cult leader in Episode One, but I want to see what made Nifty so crazy, and just what the hell Alastor’s deal is?

Pentious is released after his redemption is revealed, and the episode then follows Emily guiding him around Heaven, Sera trying to decide Heaven’s next move while dealing with her guilt, and Lute planning revenge while being absolutely pissed that Adam’s son Abel got the position of Exorcist leader over her.
The one time nepotism paid off, I guess.
Sera also tells Lute to back off Lillith, and we later see the woman herself ignoring Charlie and Lucifer’s texts, so the mystery around her is still ongoing.
The end of the episode ties in with the conclusion of the previous one, with Emily rushing off to tell Charlie about Pentious’ redemption before Sera closes Heaven off.
Overall, “Storyteller” is the better episode of the two.
It has great character work, especially for Pentious, Sera and Lute, and incredible songs, most notably “Gravity”.
As for where Season Two goes now, the Vees are probably going to stoke tension further between Heaven in Hell, which will lead to some confrontation with Alastor, as seen in the trailer.

The eventual fight between Alastor and Vox should be hype.

Whatever comes next, though, whether it be good or bad, I have no doubt that we will be getting more excellent songs to jam to.
I already look forward to hearing these musical numbers when episodes Three and Four air next week.

Civil War Review: A Warning Which Should be Heeded.

With the political climate in America being so tumultuous, Alex Garland’s Civil War was destined to be a controversial film.
Like many other people, I was curious to see what side, if any, the film would take in its depiction of a new American civil war.
Quite wisely, in my opinion, Garland chooses not to take a side, but instead focuses on the horrors of such a war if one were to occur.

Certain states allying may not quite make sense politically, but this film is not focused on the politics.

The film follows four journalists played by Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeney, and Stephen McKinley Henderson, who are travelling to Washington DC in the hope of interviewing the US President (Nick Offerman) before he is killed by the rebel Western Forces.
What follows is essentially a road trip movie, with each stopping point delivering a different kind of horrifying war crime committed by both sides and general lunatics.
One such lunatic is Jesse Plemons’ character, a sadistic yet nonchalant militant who holds our main characters at gunpoint in one of the movie’s most tense scenes.

Plemons has a knack for playing creepy psychos. First there was Todd in *Breaking Bad,* now this guy.

All of these actors do great jobs in their respective roles, really selling the trauma developed from the events they encounter.
This is the main focus of the film instead of the political climate.
While reasons for the conflict are alluded to, mostly coming down to the fascist POTUS, Garland spends most of the film pointing out to the audience just how horrible a civil war would be.
This is best encapsulated with a line from Dunst’s character, “Every time I survived a war zone, I thought I was sending a warning home: ‘Don’t do this.’ Yet here we are.’

It felt like Garland was speaking directly to the audience during this scene.

Such warnings are going unheeded right now by some, as I have seen some crazy people calling for a civil war long before this movie came out.
The choice to focus on the horrors of war, rather than the politics, helps sell this message extremely well, especially with how some of the journalist characters become desensitized to the deaths of their fellow countrymen and even friends.
Along with the characters and themes working well together, what also helps Civil War land is the great cinematography and sound design.
The sound of bullets and gunfire feel terrifyingly impactful, and there were many shots which would be beautiful if they were not so disturbing.

The shots, in terms of both the camera and the guns, are visually and audibly haunting.

I do have a few criticisms with the film, though.
For one thing, sometimes the choice in music felt a little wrong for the scene.
And then there is the ending, which was a little too predictable and also a little overly dramatic at one point.
Other than that, one particular point, however, the ending to Civil War lands mostly perfect, with its final image being very striking.

The ending to the film really sells the message Garland is going for.

Civil War is a terrifying look at the chaos which would unfold in America if things truly came to that.
Time will tell if this film will be looked back upon as a chilling what could have been, or an even more chilling representation of what was to come.
We had all better hope it’s the former.

Hazbin Hotel Season One Review: One Helluva Musical.

I first became aware of Vivienne Medrano (Viziepop) when YouTube recommended me the Helluva Boss pilot.
After binging the web series, I moved onto the Hazbin Hotel pilot and was surprised by the fanbase it had amassed, despite only having a single episode.
Due to the pilot’s popularity, Viziepop was able to get the series picked up by A24, with it eventually airing on Amazon Prime; the final two episodes having aired yesterday.
I have to admit, it is quite inspiring to hear of all the hard work it took to get Hazbin Hotel to the point it is now, and Viziepop and her team have definitely earned the show’s success.

It took over four years for the show to air after the pilot released.

But, after so much hype for it, how is the actual series?
Hazbin Hotel follows the Princess of Hell, Charlie Morningstar (Erika Henningsen), who wants to stop Heaven’s yearly Extermination of sinners.
Her plan is to start the titular Hazbin Hotel, a place dedicated to redeeming sinners so that the Angels will not have to kill them.
Helping Charlie is her girlfriend Vaggie (Stephanie Beatriz), Hell’s biggest porn star Angel Dust (Blake Roman), the mysterious Radio Demon Alastor (Amir Talai), his servants Husk (Keith David) and Nifty (Kimiko Glenn), and the snake demon Sir Pentious (Alex Brightman).
The story follows these and many other characters in Hell’s misadventures, and almost each and every one of them are well designed and interesting.
My favorites of the bunch is definitely Alastor as, just like in the pilot, his sketchy nature and unclear motives mix excellently with his entertaining personality.

I look forward to finally knowing what Alastor’s motives are in future seasons.

But by far the best part of Hazbin Hotel are the musical numbers.
Yes, the series is a musical and pretty much every number is a hit.
Songs like “Happy Day in Hell”, “Stayed Gone”, and my personal favorite “Loser” are all excellent and they played in my head for days after first hearing them.
It got to the point that, every time an episode was about to air, I looked forward to hearing what the next musical number would be.

“Loser” is very catchy with a great message about accepting yourself.

These vibrant characters and fun musical numbers are aided by mostly solid animation throughout.
There are a few dips in quality, like in the first episode where Vaggie disappears from where she was standing beside Charlie.
Aside from this and a few other issues, the animation is quite well done, especially in Episode Eight when the action pops off.
One thing I was worried about going into Hazbin Hotel was the humor.
Although I laughed at a few of the jokes in the first couple Helluva Boss episodes, it has been a long time since I laughed at any of the humor in recent episodes.
It just felt most of the jokes just boiled down to demons swearing and saying sexual things, so I was worried Hazbin Hotel’s humor would be the same.
Thankfully, the comedy in the series mostly lands, with the jokes surrounding Nifty’s craziness always making me bust a gut laughing.

Nifty creeping out everyone around her will never not be funny.

Unfortunately, even though the humor works, this does not mean Hazbin Hotel is without its issues, especially when it comes to the pacing.
I would argue that the first season’s eight-episode length is its biggest issue.
Because of this short time to tell the story, it feels like we are missing multiple moments of character development.
Angel’s self-improvement mostly happens off screen, and Charlie acts like she trusts Alastor one episode and distrusts him the next.
Along with this, characters like Carmilla Carmine (Daphne Rubin-Vega) and Emily (Shoba Narayan) get these big emotional beats when we are just getting to know them and don’t have time to adjust.

The pacing of the show often feels rushed.

If Hazbin Hotel had got twelve or thirteen episodes, like most animated shows these days, I think the quality of the story could have been a lot better.
Hopefully with the series’ impressive success, it will convince A24 and Amazon Prime to greenlight more episodes for Season Two so this problem will not be repeated.
Other than the pacing, I quite enjoyed Hazbin Hotel.
The characters are great, the humor usually lands and, of course, the musical numbers are catchy as all hell, pun intended.
I’m already looking forward to Season Two and hope it can improve upon the issues of the first.