Review: Hazbin Hotel “Hazbin Hotel: Behind Closed Doors” ; “It’s A Deal”

Overview:

Hazbin Hotel recently returned for a second season towards the tail-end of October, right in time for Halloween. Episodes are coming out in two-episode intervals each week. The third and fourth episodes of the season, “Hazbin Hotel: Behind Closed Doors” and “It’s A Deal,” start with Charlie learning some big news.

Our Take:

“Hazbin Hotel: Behind Closed Doors” starts out with Charlie learning some big news from Emily: Pentious, who she thought was deader than dead, is in Heaven. This proves she’s right about redemption being possible for souls, something she’s been fighting for since the pilot. However, the other residents of the hotel worry if Charlie is still in over their head. A “softie” like Pentious might have a chance upstairs, but other demons doubt if they could get their sentences commuted.

More importantly, another figure might be scheming against Charlie’s goals. Vox arrives at her doorstep, trying to spin things around in his favor. After all, if Pentious is up in Heaven, Charlie doesn’t have a way to prove that’s what happened. The princess of Hell comes up with a plan: if she can help redeem one soul, she can do it again.

Charlie sets her sights on helping Angel Dust find a place among his namesake, complete with a musical number and a little role-playing game. Unfortunately, Vox has a few schemes up his sleeves, from a little editing to sharing dark truths from Angel’s past, and cutting some train brakes for good measure.

While the season’s premiere more or less divided things between Heaven and Hell, viewers get to see Sir Pentious in his new abode, complete with a musical number. it’s a duet, no less, with Cherri Bomb, who also spends the episode trying to learn more about him. In a testament to the show’s skill with music, a song titled “Piss (A Love Song)” has no business being as good as it is. And it is good.

The fourth episode, “It’s a Deal,” opens up with Vaggie worrying about Charlie after the fallout of Vox’s media manipulation, which has ruined Charlie’s reputation. She hopes that speaking with Katie Killjoy could help her save face. Of course, Katie might not be able to edit things live like Vox did, but that doesn’t mean she’s not capable of spinning things out of Charlie’s favor, either.

Meanwhile, Alastor quits the hotel, going on to meet up with Rosie, who reveals a bit about his past in New Orleans, where he proved to be more than a little naughty. In a flashback, viewers see him make the deal that made him the character the viewers know. Believing he was already in hell, he made a deal in order to become more than a mere tortured underling, with him dying the next day.

Alastor might not go down without a fight, but Rosie’s got a song-and-dance number planned to remind him that he belongs to her for the time being. However, Rosie isn’t the only figure he’s going to face in the show.

Speaking of musical numbers, Charlie has one last card to play when her interview goes south: have Niffty sing a song about how great the hotel is. Anime fans get to enjoy a song that could double as a mahou shojo opening theme, complete with the song transitioning into Japanese halfway through. Viewers even get to see a few of the characters drawn in an anime style.

Niffty actually gets a few chances to shine during the episode. When Alastor finds himself in a fight with the Vees, and it becomes breaking news, Niffty rushes to turn things around. However, Alastor already has a proposition in mind to settle things. He’ll become their prisoner, but they have to leave a few figures, including Charlie, alone.

For the time being, Vox gets his moment of glory. He even gets to reveal something fans have been wondering about for a while: Alastor doesn’t have a tail. The sequence actually leads to some cruel moments, but such things are arguably expected when a series is set in Hell.

However, Vox might just learn he’s not the only one who knows how to get under a demon’s skin. It seems that Alastor has some scheme cooked up, but fans will need to keep watching just to see what it is.

Things even end with a flashback, revealing something about Vox and Alastor’s past. Still, there’s room for one last song before the credits roll.