Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Review

Hazbin Hotel has returned for a second season, setting out to provide more adult musical entertainment as Heaven and Hell are on the brink of war.

It has been a month since Charlie Morningstar (Erika Henningsen) and her friends defeated Heaven’s Exorcist army, and Niffy (Kimiko Glenn) killed Adam. The Hazbin Hotel has suddenly become popular, but due to many sinners wanting to fight and kill angels. Charlie is unsure if Sir Pentious (Alex Brightman) has been redeemed, leading to her falling into depression. At the same time, Vox (Christian Borle) plans to take over Heaven, so he launches a propaganda campaign against Charlie and the Hazbin Hotel and amasses support from the residents of Hell.

Hazbin Hotel has already developed a devoted fanbase. Amazon released a Broadway Special where the cast performed the songs live, and many members of the audience were dressed up as characters from the series. It’s easy to find fans online coming up with fan theories. Our own Burkley Herrman gave the first season a glowing review. The series has been able to mix musical theatre, memorable characters, Biblical mythology, and raunchy adult entertainment. Season 2 was able to pull off that trick again.

The second season had some excellent musical numbers. Many of the songs were enjoyable as standalone numbers, but many work even better in the context of the show. The series showcases what songs in musicals should do: they advance the plot, show character development, or character conflict. This was certainly the case with the series’ storylines and best characters.

Vox, Alastor (Amir Talai), and Sera (Patina Miller) were the standout characters in the season. Vox was the main villain, and he was fantastic. He was power-hungry and egotistical, but he was also charismatic, and he was able to use genuine grievances to gain a following. “Once We Get Up” was the song Vox used to convince Valentino (Joel Perez) and Velvette (Lilli Cooper) to join his ambitious scheme, since they were mortal souls who were prepared to take on the whole of Heaven. The songs “Vox Populi” and “Vox Dei” were excellent songs that showed Vox could spin any situation in his favour and galvanise the residents of Hell, but also had lyrics indicating his own leadership ambitions.

Alastor is a fan favourite, and he deserves that status. In Season 2, Alastor was in low ebb because after battling Adam, he was scarred and his powers were diminished. In the fourth episode, Alastor acted like a petulant teenager because he quit the hotel, and when Rosie (Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer) refused to help, he became stroppy. Alastor was Vox’s foil, and even when the Media Overlord captured the Radio Demon, Alastor was able to play on Vox’s insecurities. Alastor gets some of the lyrics in the show: he was able to sum up Vox with the lyric ‘You’re broken from the start, no victory will ever be enough.’

The fountains of Sera’s worldview were destroyed in this season, and she had to face up to the consequences. Sera believed souls in hell couldn’t be redeemed and ordered the annual experimentation to keep Hell’s population under control. Sir Pentious showed souls from Hell could be redeemed, leading her to suffer from guilt and self-doubt. Sera had the most emotional song in the series with “Sera’s Confession,” which was powerfully performed by Miller.

Even supporting characters were developed. Cherri Bomb (Krystina Alabado) was the best example of this. At the end of Season 1, Sir Pentious declared his love for the Aussie sinner before dying from attempted heroism. Cherri Bomb set out to find out more about the snake inventor, realise her own feelings, leading to the rock ballad “Piss (A Love Song.)” She went from a hedonistic character to becoming someone resolved to redeem herself.

Some storylines didn’t go anywhere. The most notable example involved Lute (Jessica Vosk), since she wanted revenge for Adam’s death and wanted Heaven to go to war. Yet this storytelling seemed resolved during the final story. It was great that Abel (Patrick Stump) was able to stand up for himself, but it came at the expense of the secondary villain. At best, Lute’s storyline has just been delayed for future seasons. In the first episode, Vaggie (Stephanie Beatriz) considered changing her name since Adam gave it to her, but this was forgotten for the rest of the season. Throughout most of the season, Vaggie was running the hotel whilst her girlfriend was stuck in a spiral of depression, desperation, and bad decisions.

The second season was a delight, especially for musical fans, and fans of Season 1 should be pleased with how the show has progressed. It was also a great way to bring Biblical mythology to a mass audience without it being preachy.