Ricky Church reviews the season 2 premiere of Hazbin Hotel…
Hazbin Hotel is back for its second season and its season premiere ‘New Pentious’ does not miss a beat re-introducing fans to the concept and characters of the Hazbin as Charlie Morningstar tries figuring out what to do next in the aftermath of their battle against Heaven.
Right off the bat the humour in Hazbin‘s opening episode makes some great laughs as the hotel is more popular than ever, but for many of the wrong reasons as Charlie and her friends quickly find out. From reporters asking a variety of questions to how sinners react to their new celebrity icons or background events (blink and you miss it of Alastor and Lucifer taunting each other), the jokes work in both their humour and subtlety even as they come rapid fire.
As funny as the premiere is though the character work does not take a backseat. Charlie’s reaction to her newfound popularity brings out her anxiety over the hotel’s mission to redeem sinners as well as the survivor’s guilt she feels after Sir Pentious’ sacrifice that is central to her mini-arc in the premiere, setting up her season-long arc as she tries to get the right message out over what she wants the hotel to stand for and achieve.
She is also not the only one going through a personal crisis as Vaggie is trying to be comfortable in her own skin now that she’s revealed to be an ex-angel and Cherri Bomb is dealing with her own sense of survivor’s guilt. Even Aslator, who has often been calm and collected, seems out of sorts due to his near-death by Adam’s hand. It all points to some very intriguing story arcs for each character over the season along with interesting new additions like Baxter, a new resident at the Hazbin who wants to study the scientific potential of redemption.
In regards to the season arc, we have our first inkling of what Vox is planning alongside Valentino and Velvet, the three demon overlords who are collectively known as the Vees. We didn’t see a whole lot of the Vees in the first season, particularly of Vox (at least outside of his rivalry with Alastor), but ‘New Pentious’ gives us a better idea of how the dynamic between the Vees works along with Vox’s lofty goals as he steps in to be the season’s main villain. For a character who was often the butt of a joke in the first season, Vox isn’t fully realized as the true threat in this episode but it does accomplish showing viewers there is more to Vox than has previously been let on, particularly with his media-savvy nature that is quite relatable to today’s news culture.
One of Hazbin‘s most appealing qualities is its animation and it is incredibly vibrant and smooth whether its through the characters movements and facial expressions to the musical numbers, which already seem to have leveled up after season one. Vox in particular has some detailed animation as one of the series’ most unique-looking characters and his song with the Vees ‘Once We Get Up There’ is as catchy as the premiere’s ensemble opener ‘Hazbin Guarantee’. The voice cast once again shines as Erika Hennigsen conveys Charlie’s inner turmoil, Stephanie Beatriz displays Vaggie’s new confidence and Christian Borle amps up his game to sell Vox’s new menacing persona.
Season two of Hazbin Hotel has started off strong with its animation, voices and songs combined with its teases on the direction the characters journeys will take. It serves as a great reminder of how much fun the show is while not sacrificing its characters for cheap or drawn out gags. Much like the first song of the season promises, you’ll be guaranteed to enjoy this and the upcoming episodes.
Rating: 8/10
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