Renovated almost to perfection, the Hazbin Hotel reopens its doors in the second season.
More than a year has passed since the original hotel was devastated; the fierce battle against Adam and the exorcists nearly wiped out Charlie (Erika Henningsen) and her group of misfits. However, they survived, albeit barely.
Creator: Vivienne Medrano
Stars: Erika Henningsen, Stephanie Beatriz, Blake Roman
But redemption in hell remains a big question mark, especially now that the overlords have scattered and with Vox (Christian Borle) attempting to monopolize the chaos that Charlie has unleashed.
Everything hangs in the balance, and not just in relation to the characters' predicament. The first season of Hazbin Hotel received mixed reviews, and while its fans are die-hard, the second season has a lot to prove.
Unafraid of criticism, Vivienne Medrano's creation returns with a bang, delivering a musical spectacle that doubles down on unapologetic chaos. Most of the time, the show's anarchy works, largely because it plays by its own rules. However, some of the first season's flaws persist, which could jeopardize the cult status it has achieved.
Compared to its sister series, Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel was more restrained. It still had adult humor, musical numbers, and the oppression of hell juxtaposed with fun antics, but Hazbin Hotel was softer. For a new animated series that was leaving behind its YouTube pilot and premiering on Prime Video, it made sense. And it paid off. Now that security is guaranteed, the safety net has been removed, and Medrano has allowed those surreal traits of Helluva Boss to permeate Hazbin Hotel.
Like Helluva Boss in its second season, Hazbin Hotel reaches its full potential, delivering a story that continues to blur the lines between conventional good and evil, with a threat looming much closer to Charlie and company.
The growing malevolence of the Vees—the infernal equivalent of the Heathers—was established early in the first season. They operated in plain sight, yet never posed a threat because the attention was focused elsewhere. This created a sense of unease in viewers who could see what Charlie couldn't, an unease that now becomes palpable as Vox sinks his claws in to elevate the Vees to godlike heights. The narrative has expanded, presenting both external and internal threats, creating a hell and a heaven in constant conflict. It's much more fertile ground for the backstories of beloved characters, such as Sir Pentious (Alex Brightman) and Alastor (Amir Talai), to finally be revealed. It also allows for the introduction of new characters, such as Baxter (Kevin Del Aguila), who is not the new Sir Pentious, Abel (Patrick Stump), and the Speaker of God (Liz Callaway).
Each new character has their place in Hazbin Hotel, but like the Vees in the first season, their potential remains untapped, likely due to plans for the already confirmed third season. Hazbin Hotel's only misstep here is with one particular character, whom we expected to see more of, but who remains in the shadows, frustratingly out of reach.
However, Hazbin Hotel has mostly managed to maintain a balance between the established and new characters. Abel, in particular, is such a charming contrast to his father, Adam, that fans will want to see more of him in the future. Especially because of his tense relationship with Lute (Jessica Vosk), a character who was only just beginning to show her thirst for revenge in the first season.
All these different components come together in a melting pot of emotions that give rise to some truly incredible musical numbers, composed by Sam Haft and Andrew Underberg.
Fans have already been able to hear a preview of a couple of these catchy songs, such as Hazbin Guarantee (Trust Us) and Gravity, the latter reaching number 52 on the official UK singles chart. Once again, it reminds me of Helluva Boss. Its musical prowess far surpassed that of Hazbin Hotel because it fully embraced the musical format, while the first season of Hazbin only flirted with the idea. A rigid formula of two songs per episode was followed, and while each song had its place, there was a predictability in its structure that lacked the depth seen in Helluva Boss.
The music was never without substance, but now the depth of Hazbin Hotel has been better showcased thanks to the fluidity of its soundtrack. It has found its own identity. All of this is just a small sample of how much the second season of Hazbin Hotel attempts to cover in just eight episodes. This is, to a large extent, why the series falters at the end. The limitations of an episode averaging 25 minutes in length mean that, once again, the ending feels rushed.
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