Recap / Helluva Boss S2E1 "The Circus"

Young Stolas: Father told me today is the day I am old enough to know my purpose and responsibility!

In the series' first Whole Episode Flashback episode, things sure did happen — namely, we get to see Stolas' and Blitzo's first meeting and the two's reunion many years later.

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Tropes for this episode include:

• Abusive Parents:
  • Paimon fits while being of the Parental Neglect variety. He doesn't remember Stolas's name and has to ask his imp butler to remind him, thinks of his son only as an asset to the Goetia family, and tells Stolas to stop complaining after he's thrust into an Arranged Marriage with Stella. He also smacks Stolas and calls him an idiot for greeting Blitzo with a bow, sternly telling him that people of their class never should bow to an imp.
  • Blitzo's dad, Cash Buckzo, sells him to Paimon for five dollars and a thin condom. And when Blitzo objects, Cash tells Blitzo to rob the place blind, emotionally manipulating him with Puppy-Dog Eyes and invoking his mother in order to get Blitzo to agree while not caring one bit if he gets caught. Compared to Paimon who actually tries with minimal effort to make his son happy, Cash makes Paimon look like dad of the year.
• Always Someone Better: While Blitzo struggles to make a balloon horse, needing several tries and only then making one with no legs, Fizzarolli makes a perfect one on his first try. His accompanying joke also manages to make the audience laugh while Blitzo's only makes Stolas laugh. Cash even states that Fizzarolli will cost Paimon a lot of money because of how high in demand he is, but accepts $5 and a condom for his own son's services.
• Arc Words: "Divorce".
  • The phrases "Not Divorced" and "Still Not Divorced" are displayed in parts of the episode, as if there is no better message to say that the union of Stolas and Stella is anything but happy, and yet they are somehow still together.
  • By the end of the episode, Stolas finally declares that he and Stella are getting THE divorce and damn the consequences that follow.
• Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: When Stolas and Blitzo meet 25 years after their childhood, when Blitzo was trying to sneak in and steal the Goetia family grimoire, Stolas takes him to his chambers and quickly assumes this word for word. Blitzo plays along to grab the Ars Goetia but eventually beds him anyway when Stolas honestly says how relieved he is to have a genuine partner again and his only childhood friend at that.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Downplayed, but when Stella returns from her weekend with Octavia to berate Stolas, he asks point-blank why she's still around. She drops all pretense of anger or proprietary and admits she likes tormenting him, and wants to keep holding his infidelity against him.
• Arranged Marriage: After being implied for a season, it’s fully revealed that Stolas and Stella's marriage was arranged by Paimon when Stolas was a child, in the hopes that Stolas would sire a powerful new member of the family.
• Awful Wedded Life: This episode confirms that both Stolas and Stella loathed their Arranged Marriage. Whereas Stolas simply tried to endure it, Stella maliciously delighted in tormenting and belittling him, knowing he'd have to put up with it because of his family. Hosting a "Not Divorced Anniversary Party" and making it Couples-Only drives home just how bitter the arrangement is over the years.
• Bad People Abuse Animals: Paimon shows a photo of Stella strangling a dog to Stolas, and later on their marriage Stella is an emotional and physical abusive partner towards Stolas. She also tries to assassinate him.
• Berserk Button: A minor one but, for some reason, young Fizzarolli is annoyed whenever young Blitzo mentions pirates.
  Fizzarolli: If you keep talking about pirates, I will punch you.
• A Birthday, Not a Break: The episode begins showing Stolas's birthday, when he's given the grimoire and therefore considered a full-fledged member of the Goetia. That means he now has to study astronomy and astrology (despite having more interest in animals and plants) and get thrown into an Arranged Marriage without his knowledge, consent or input.
• Bittersweet Ending: Stolas finally stands up to Stella, telling her in no uncertain terms that they're done, that he wants a divorce, and that he doesn't give a damn what the rest of the Goetia family thinks about it since Octavia, the only thing they wanted from their marriage, is almost an adult and he only put up with Stella's abuse and cruelty as long as he did to give Octavia a chance at a normal life. But it still doesn't change the fact that both his reputation and relationship with Blitzo are in shambles, and if Stella's final words are any indication, there's going to be severe consequences for Stolas.
• Call-Forward:
  • In "Murder Family", Stolas said he "allowed" Blitzo to use the grimoire, while in the Pilot, Blitzo said he only "slept with that privileged asshole [one time]" in order to get it, and showed a flashback with him sneaking out. This episode confirms both claims, as it turned out Blitzo didn't have sex with Stolas in exchange for the book, but actually did steal it and just gave the owl some Pity Sex. It can be implied that a satisfied Stolas just lets him be until he needed the grimoire back, leading to the deal seen in "Murder Family".
  • In "Loo Loo Land", Stolas took Octavia to Loo Loo Land to try to get her mind off their family issues and enjoyed Robo-Fizz’s show far more than she did. This episode shows that it runs in the family, as Paimon took him to the circus as well, albeit to try to shut him up when he became distressed upon learning of his betrothal. To complete the parallel, Paimon is shown to be cheerfully clapping along to the show while his child exasperatedly facepalms - just like what Stolas and Octavia will do during Fizz’s show.
• Chained to a Bed: Blitzo blindfolds Stolas and ties him up to his bed with the intention to run away with the Grimoire and leave Stolas there. But Blitzo has a change of heart and ends up giving Stolas some Pity Sex.
• Childhood Friend Romance:
  • Subverted. From the two of them meeting as kids, to Stolas' Love at First Sight when seeing Blitzo, it seems ripe for them to become this trope. However, even ignoring their fall out in "OZZIE'S", the two only hung out for a day and during said day, Blitzo manipulated Stolas into stealing valuables from Paimon's mansion. As such, the two couldn't really be considered friends despite the fun they had together.
  • It's telling that Stolas himself thinks this is what him and Blitzo's relationship was. Blitzo actually lampshades this and tries to explain to Stolas how they weren't truly friends, but when Stolas starts acting sensual, Blitzo uses it to once again manipulate Stolas; this time to get him distracted and steal the Grimoire.
• Children Are Innocent: Despite being demons, Blitzo, Fizzarolli and especially Stolas were as cheerful, optimistic and starry-eyed as any child their age.
• Comically Small Bribe: When Cash asks Paimon what his butler has in his pocket in exchange of Blitzo's services, all that he has is a crumpled five-dollar bill and a slim-fit condom. He considers it to be plenty, even if he wants Blitzo to rob Paimon's house dry.
• Conscience Makes You Go Back: Blitzo ties Stolas to the bed, ostensibly because he's a dom. But it's actually to steal the grimoire that will allow him to go to the surface world. It looks like Blitzo is just going to sneak out with the book, but then Stolas starts rambling about how lonely and miserable he has been and calling Blitzo his "first friend", which makes Blitzo feel bad for Stolas and turn back around for some Pity Sex.
• Crush Blush: A young Stolas is seen blushing upon seeing Blitzo for the first time, and gets the same blush when seeing him again as an adult. He also gets a Crush Filter on seeing Blitzo for the first time on both occasions.
• Cute Owl: Much like his daughter later, Stolas was adorable as a kid.
• A Day in the Limelight: The episode focuses mostly on Stolas, revealing his backstory and details of his relationship with Paimon, Blitzo and Stella.
• Dramatic Irony: The "Childhood" flashback is painful to watch knowing that Stolas and Blitzo's future won't be as bright as their childhood dreams.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Directly after the events of "OZZIE'S", Stolas wakes up with two bottles of alcohol.
• Enfant Terrible: In the photo Paimon shows a young Stolas of Stella after telling him that he's engaged, the young demoness is strangling a dog. It's quite understandable why Stolas cries with that in mind.
• Epic Fail: A young Blitzo keeps trying to make a balloon animal horse, only for it to always turn into a tangled mess that instantly pops.
• Fake–Real Turn: Blitzo spends the day with Stolas because his father sold him for the day to Paimon, and because he was told to steal things. However, Blitzo eventually stops pretending to like Stolas and ends up genuinely liking him after they start robbing the Goetia mansion.
• Foregone Conclusion:
  • Blitzo dreamt of taking over the circus business when he was young. However, it's already established that dream has died, leading him to forming the Immediate Murder Professionals assassination firm.
  • In the flashback, after Stella discovers Stolas' infidelity, Stolas declare a divorce. Unfortunately, he doesn't go through with it until the present, when he's finally fed up with her abuse and knowing their daughter is close to adulthood.
• Forgotten First Meeting: 25 years after their playdate together, Stolas still remembers Blitzo and is able to recognize him, while Blitzo seems to no longer remember Stolas (but not enough to forget about the grimoire). It's even left ambiguous if Stolas's calling him "his first friend" had stirred back memories or Blitzo thought Stolas was desperate enough for affection that he had become delusional about him.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus:
  • In the flashback of Stolas' childhood, the sigil outside the palace is actually that of Paimon's.
  • The closeup to Stolas's pill bottle reveals that Belphegor is in charge of the drug industry, and that apparently Stolas's Happy Pills are custom-made for him.
  • While triumphantly laughing after telling Stella he wants a divorce after sleeping with Blitzo, you can spot Stolas opening an eye just to peek at her reaction. That's how giddy he was!
  • When Stolas takes the book The King of Lust - Asmodeus and reads the page on Asmodean Crystals, the translation is as follows:
    "Bestowed to mainly succubi and incubi by the King Sin of Lust - these crystals allow access to the mortal realm. Any hellborn in possession of a registered crystal may be granted portal summons. It is common practice to have the crystal paired with another object for convenience. Jewelry is the most popular option. This writing in runes shit was fun at first but I know I am def not doing it right. I should be spending more time with friends and family."
  • The bottle of absinthe Stolas chugs from has a sticker on it labeled "paint stripper".
• Funny Background Event: Stella's tone-deaf, barely-audible tirade when Stolas is first notified of Blitzø's break-in:
  Stella: Poor people! So glad they're not around me. I don't want them anywhere near me. (Laughs) Can you imagine if you didn't have money? (laughs harder)
• Furry Reminder: Several shots in the episode remind the viewer that members of the Goetia family are owls. A portrait of Stolas as a newborn shows him to be red, featherless and wrinkly, like a real baby bird would be just after they hatched. A portrait before that one also shows that Stolas was laid as an egg. At the circus, Stolas and Paimon make hooting sounds multiple times when they see something in the show which they like. Stolas eats multiple mouse kebabs whole at the party, and angrily hisses when Stella keeps badmouthing him. Blitzo tries to do a Neck Snap on Stolas while they're in bed. Stolas No Sells the neck snap, because an owl's head can turn around completely behind them.
• Get Out!: The final scene of the episode has Stolas stand up to Stella's abuse and tell her in no uncertain terms that he wants her out of his home and life, as the conditions for their marriage have long been met and he only endured it for Octavia's sake.
• Gilded Cage: Being a Blue Blood hasn't given anything good to Stolas. Since the moment he was considered old enough for the grimoire, he was given obligation after obligation that, to a free spirit and someone so unapologetically himself like him, turned into chains for him. His song even refers to his palace as a "gilded jail".
• Gilligan Cut: After tying Stolas to a bed and blindfolding him, Blitzo intends to make off with the grimoire, and just leave Stolas to his fate. But Blitzo decides to stay anyway, giving some Pity Sex to Stolas wanting to "do this real fast". Cut to the next morning (after "real fast"), where Blitzo literally jumps from a balcony onto the breakfast table, telling Stella "Sorry I fucked your husband!" as he runs out.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Stella’s brother Andrealphus serves as a minor example. While he doesn't even appear, Stella's comments imply that his power and position are a part of the reason Stolas didn't divorce Stella earlier, and with the divorce going through, Stolas will have to deal with Andrealphus' ire.
• Hate at First Sight: When Stolas sees a picture of Stella and is told that he's now in an Arranged Marriage with her, Stolas starts to cry. When Stolas sees Blitzo, though, he has the opposite reaction.
• His Story Repeats Itself: From the start of their relationship, either their playdate or their first night together, Blitzo looked to steal something from Stolas (his family's valuables as a child and the grimoire as an adult), and Stolas, being too smitten to realize it, chose to believe the "comfortable lie". On both situations, Blitzo is bought by Stolas for companionship; the difference being that at childhood Blitzo was sold out by his father while as an adult he offered himself.
• Hold Your Hippogriffs: Stolas exclaims "Stella, What in hell^note on earth is this?!" when he sees an ad for her "Not Divorced Anniversary Party!" in the newspaper.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: All Stolas wants is someone he can love and who can love him after spending his childhood with an unloving father and his adulthood with an unloving wife.
• I'm Standing Right Here: Stella has a habit of insulting Stolas when she knows he's in earshot. He doesn't really say much about it for Octavia's sake, but his expression makes it clear how he feels about it.
• Indy Ploy: Blitzo tries and fails to sneak into the Goetia mansion to steal the Ars Goetia grimoire, ending up alone with Stolas in the demon prince's room. Upon seeing Stolas is attracted to him, Blitzo changes the plan to seducing Stolas into a position where he can just steal the grimoire when Stolas is tied up.
• It Amused Me: Stella never loved Stolas and was only in it for social status after birthing a child. So... why not just leave him after he was caught sleeping with Blitzo? Solely for this reason, as she can continue to torment him and knows her brother will have something to say if, or when, the divorce goes through.
• I Need a Freaking Drink:
  • Stella insults Stolas at her party, while he's well within earshot. Cue this exchange:
    Stolas: (downing his glass of wine) Do you have anything stronger than this?
    Passing servant: We have absinthe, your highness.^note Absinthe is an anise-flavored liquor that is typically 50% to 75% ABV, making it one of the strongest commercially available spirits
    Stolas: Bring me all of it.
  • A pill version. Stolas is seen taking a few "Happy Pills" everyday just to withstand a new day with Stella. At the beginning of the final scene, he downs a lot of them.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Paimon slapping Stolas for bowing to Blitz was motivated by petty elitism, but previous and future episodes confirm that the Goetias are widely despised by Hell's populace and only maintain their status via shows of power. A prince showing deference to an imp, one of the two lowest beings on Hell's social ladder, could be interpreted as a sign of weakness.
• Karma Houdini: Paimon and Cash are the ones who didn't get punished or face any concequences for treating Blitzo and Stolas badly:
  • King Paimon never receives any punishments for being an Abusive Dad towards Stolas, and worst of all, he shows the future marriage to Stolas and showed him a picture of a clearly deranged Stella.
  • Cash Buckzo convinces his own son Blitzo to steal from Paimon's mansion. When the childhood flashback ends, the audience hasn't seen Cash suffer any punishments or get arrested for manipulating his own son to steal Paimon's stuff.
• Lie Back and Think of England: Stolas' father Paimon had him marry Stella not out of love, but to sire a "precautionary heir" to the Goetia family (in this case, Octavia). According to Stella, her and Stola's sex life amounted to this. She saw it as proof of him being terrible in bed, but it's implied he just couldn't stand to do anything with her. Having accomplished this, their union quickly turned into a Sexless Marriage.
• Lint Value: Paimon’s butler offers Cash Buckzo a wadded up fiver and a thin condom for Blitzo, Cash decides its a fair price.
• Lousy Lovers Are Losers: Stella gleefully tells her friends about how Stolas is terrible in bed, claiming he just "lays there staring at the wall" while she has to do all the work, and explicitly derides him for being "pathetic". Naturally, it's heavily implied he simply hates having sex with Stella, as he's shown to be a far more active and participant lover when he's with Blitzo.
• Love at First Sight: A young Stolas is instantly smitten with Blitzo upon seeing him at the circus.
• Love Makes You Dumb: Stolas' Love at First Sight for Blitzo definitely clouded his judgement in deducing why Blitzo first broke into his room, seduced him, and agreed to a physical relationship. During Stolas' song, he even laments that he was a "fool" and so caught up in his feelings that he missed the rather obvious real reason Blitzo was around him: to use him to get his grimoire.
• Massively Numbered Siblings: It's implied that part of why Paimon can't remember Stolas's name is that he has so many sons that he can't keep track of them all.
  Paimon: Ah! There is my little, uh... (whispers to Butler) Which son is this one? There's so fucking many.
• Morning Routine: A recurring element throughout the episode is Stolas waking up in the morning to establish his mood and the current state of his life. He wakes up as a child in a bed full of toys, wakes up 25 years later groggy and alone, wakes up by being startled by Blitzo running away from a night of passion in bright daylight, and wakes up in the present day alone but in darkness.
• Momma's Boy: Cash is only able to fully convince Blitzo to steal the treasures from Paimon's mansion by claiming he will be helping his mother out.
  Cash: (with Puppy-Dog Eyes) Don't you want to help me and your mama out?
  Blitzo: Of course I want to help mama!
• Neck Snap: Blitzo tries to snap Stolas' neck when he doesn't have any better ideas to distract him so that he can snatch his grimoire. Being that Stolas is an owl, this doesn't phase him at all.
• Nothing Is Scarier: Cash emotionally manipulates Blitzo when the latter is scared of getting caught for his attempted burglary of the Goetia household by saying "there are scarier things out there". It is never clarified what said "scariest things" are, but it clearly leaves Blitzo shaken enough to participate in the scheme.
• Once More, with Clarity: The scene from the flashbacks in the pilot episode where Blitzo says to Stella "Sorry I fucked your husband" is revisited showing more, before and after, from Stolas' perspective.
• Parental Neglect: Paimon apparently has so many children that he can barely recognize them, and only put a minimal amount of effort to please Stolas on his birthday.
• Pet the Dog: Despite being not a good father, Paimon did tried to cheer up Stolas by taking him to circus and buying Blitzo for a play date.
• Pity Sex: After blinding and tying Stolas to the bed, Blitzo was ready to just take the grimoire and leave, but hearing Stolas so desperate for affection moves him to at least give him a quickie... That turns into a whole night of passion.
• Playing the Family Card: Cash Buckzo convinces Blitzo to rob Stolas by explaining that the loot can be sold in order to feed their family. Considering that he says this after Blitzo expresses fear of being caught and while giving Puppy-Dog Eyes, it's clear that Cash is just bringing up family as a manipulation tactic rather than actually caring for his family.
• Precision F-Strike: Three in one go. Stolas gives one to Stella the morning after Blitzo first seduced him, as a brilliant "screw you" and humiliating her in front of their peers for once.
  Blitzo: Sorry, I fucked your husband!
  Stella: (after Blitzo runs off) WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT, STOLAS?!
  Stolas: (grinning) That... was the sound... of a FUCKING DIVORCE!!! (rips the "Still Not Divorced" banner and laughs wildly)
• The Reveal:
  • Stolas and Stella's marriage was arranged by the former's father against his knowledge as a child. Stolas' marriage with Stella was never loving at all. Not only that, she went out of her way to belittle and demean him every chance she got.
  • Stolas and Blitzo first met at the circus when Blitzo was performing there as a child. It turns out that Stolas and Blitzo became childhood friends after the latter's dad had him try to rob the Goetia family and was how Blitzo found out about the Grimoire.
  • We also see how Blitzo met Stolas again as an adult.
  • We learn that succubi and incubi use crystals bestowed by Asmodeus to travel to the mortal world.
• Rule of Three: Three scenes in the episode begin with Stolas waking up: The first time is the beginning, showing his birthday and how he first met Blitzo, the second time is the day of Stella's "Not Divorced Anniversary" and his first affair with Blitzo following their reunion as adults, and the third time is in the present, taking place directly after the events of "OZZIE'S". The third time, Stolas wakes up on the floor rather than in bed.
• Selective Obliviousness: Stolas implies in his musical number that deep down he'd suspected for a while that the real reason Blitzo was with him was to gain access to his grimoire, but he was so smitten with Blitzo and so desperate to feel loved that he ignored the signs. He even calls what they had "a comfortable lie" that he was all too willing to believe.
• Shout-Out: The rabbit plush Stolas owns as a child looks like a demonic version of Max.
• Sleeps in the Nude: When we see Stolas getting out of bed, he's not wearing any clothes.
• Soundtrack Dissonance: Blitzo and Stolas have dirty sex, all while majestic music better fitting a wedding or graduation ceremony starts playing.
• Spanner in the Works: Both Paimon's neglect and Cash's greed lead to their sons bonding together through the years, eventually leading to the events that put the wrench in Stolas and Stella's already-turbulent marriage.
• Stealth Pun: Stolas is a book nerd and he literally has four eyes. "Four eyes" is often used to single out easily bullied nerds wearing glasses. Now consider the kind of character Stolas is...
• Sure, Let's Go with That:
  • Stolas is confused when Blitzo suggests they play "treasure hunt" by collecting his family's valuables and then throwing them out of a window and asks if it’s some kind of "imp game". Blitzo responds with shrugging and a nonplussed "Suuure, why not?"
  • As adults, Stolas tells Blitzo that he knows why he was trying to sneak into his chambers in the cover of night... to ravish him. Blitzo, who was really trying to steal the Ars Goetia grimoire, decides to roll with it and seduces Stolas as an Indy Ploy to get the book.
• A Tankard of Moose Urine: Stolas begins chugging from the bottle of absinthe before doing a Spit Take and coughing at how highly alcoholic it tastes. A brief frame where Stolas picks up the bottle reveals the words "paint stripper" written on the side.
• Tempting Fate:
  • Stella's "Not Divorced Anniversary" party just so happened to be the same day Stolas started his affair with Blitzo, which ended up becoming one of the biggest stepping stones leading to a divorce.
  • During her "Not Divorced Anniversary" party, Stella boasts that she's "glad one egg" fell out of her so she doesn't have to sleep with her husband anymore. When she later tries to intimidate Stolas out of demanding a divorce, he reveals that the said egg was the only thing his family wanted from their marriage and the only reason he put up with her for as long as he did. With Octavia nearing adulthood, it was Stolas who no longer had to put up with her.
  • Also during the "Not Divorced Anniversary" party, Stella loudly complains about Stolas' (supposedly) lack of prowess bed, and half-brags that it's "embarrassing." Little did she know, the very next morning Stolas would show her really meaning of the word "embarrassing" once it was at her expense.
• Thinks Like a Romance Novel: When Stolas learns that Blitzo broke into his chambers while he was at a party downstairs, he quickly interpreted it as the dashing imp come to ravish him in the cover of night, rather than the more obvious motive of trying to rob him while he wasn't there. Blitzo leans into this in order to seduce Stolas and get the grimoire.
• Too Kinky to Torture: Blitzo's attempts to physically incapacitate Stolas so he can grab the grimoire just succeed in making the love-starved Goetia increasingly horny. Stolas even reacts to a vicious bite to the neck with pure sexual bliss.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: The flashback of his childhood shows that Stolas was yet to develop his Condescending Compassion towards imps, since he was courteous enough to present himself to Blitzo with a bow. Sadly, Paimon quickly reminds him imps are the ones meant to bow to them. Both Blitzo and Fizzarolli also show this, with Blitzo a generally sweet kid who wants to be a successful entertainer and is initially really unhappy about being coerced into stealing from the Goetias, and neither Blitzo nor Fizz have any of the bitter hatred between them that they do as adults.
• Uptown Girl: Stolas has had a crush on Blitzo since they were little kids, and Blitzo was at least open to being his genuine friend after they spent time together as kids, but due to their difference in status they can't be openly together. Stolas' dad even smacked him for giving Blitzo a respectful bow when they first met as kids, and news of Stolas' affair with an imp caused him to lose what little respect (and thus protection) he had from other powerful demons.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: We're never shown if/how Paimon reacted to Cash Buckzo's scheme to loot his mansion.
• Whole Episode Flashback: The majority of the episode is meant to establish Stolas' and Blitzo's friendship from their youth to right before the beginning of the show. The only part of the episode which takes place in the present day is the last scene, where Stolas stands up to Stella to say that he wants a divorce.
• Woman Scorned: Stella was already pissed off that Stolas cheated on her with Blitzo. While they never had any love to begin with, Stella is no less displeased that Stolas has enough backbone to finally go through with the divorce and leaves with these ominous words.
  Stella: Fine. I have no desire to stay in the place of traitorous embarrassment. You have fallen from what little grace you had... and I know you'll pay for it.
• Your Makeup Is Running: Upon waking up in the present day, Stolas has signs of having cried thanks to his guyliner running down his face.

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