Tropes Media Browse Indexes Forums Videos Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Tools
Cut List New Edits Edit Reasons Launches Images List Crowner Activity Un-typed Pages Recent Page Type Changes Changelog
Tips
Creating New Redirects Cross Wicking Tips for Editing Text Formatting Rules Glossary Edit Reasons Handling Spoilers Word Cruft Administrivia FAQ
Tropes HQ
About Us Contact Us Advertise DMCA Notice Privacy Policy Report Bug
Go Ad-Free Changelog
  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Highlight Links
 

Follow TV Tropes

This is based on opinion. Please don't list it on a work's trope example list.

Following

Tear Jerker / Hazbin Hotel

Go To

Warning: Spoilers Off applies to this page. Proceed at your own risk.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/charliecrying_2.png
"I'm always chasing rainbows, waiting to find a little bluebird in vain..."

Because even a show set in the depths of Hell can have a few moments that can tug on one's heartstrings.

    open/close all folders 

Season 1

    Overture 
  • The backstory given for the fall of Lucifer and Lilith and the creation of Hell is utterly tragic. Lucifer was a creative angel who wanted to see humans reach their creative peak, and Lilith was simply a human who didn't want to be forced to be subservient to someone they were created equal to. Together, they gave Eve the fruit of knowledge which, along with creativity, brought evil into the world. For this crime, they were banished to the dark pit they had inadvertently created, doomed to only ever see the worst of humanity. This broke Lucifer's spirit, but Lilith strove to fight against the darkness by bringing beautiful music into Hell and inspiring the other souls to do the same. Out of pure spite, the angels of Heaven decided to commit genocide against the denizens of Hell on a yearly basis, just to make war against Heaven impossible and make it clear that they're supposed to be suffering. Finding out that the founders of Hell and all its denizens are being made to suffer not for any legitimate reason but because the "good guys" think they deserve it is as horrifying as it is heartbreaking. Finding out that an abusive misogynist like Adam is not only in Heaven but leading the Exterminations and is there because he was loyal rather than good, is the icing on the shit cake.
  • Charlie's dream of redeeming sinners being rejected by Adam, and him revealing that the Exterminations only happen because the angels think it's fun, breaks Charlie's heart. Her being blamed for triggering the angels' plan to move up the Extermination date, and the horrible press that gives the hotel, only makes it worse. She remains committed to the plan, but it's clear this has all rattled her badly.

    Radio Killed the Video Star 
  • Charlie welcomes Sir Pentious as the hotel's first real guest, leading Angel to point out he signed up much earlier. Charlie, tactfully, points out that Angel doesn't seem to care about improving himself, which genuinely hurts his feelings, even though he tries to deflect.
  • As comedic as the roleplay scene between Angel and Sir Pentious is, with Bad "Bad Acting" from both of them and Charlie's hammy script, the underlying subtext of the scene is quite painful for Angel. As a drug user himself, he is made to play the role of a heartless drug dealer preying on a child, making him feel insulted by the script's insinuation that drug users and dealers are Always Chaotic Evil. As someone who is also dealing with loneliness, being owned by an overlord who sexually abuses him, and being separated from his sister in heaven, Angel is visibly jealous and hurt about seeing Pentious being so quickly accepted into the hotel. The other characters may not sense it, but consider how Angel must feel about being reduced to a collection of stereotypes and having certain aspects of his lifestyle be ridiculed and shamed.
    • Adding to this, the last line of the roleplay scene has the little kid Sir Pentious plays drop a line about "not having sexual intercourse before marriage." Again, a seemingly comedic line that shames Angel's life as an adult film star. It becomes extra impactful a few episodes later, when the relationship between him and his boss is revealed...
  • As Angel is in his room, he skims through a series of voice messages from his owner and abuser Valentino, which alternate between cajoling and threatening him into returning to work on the porn set. It's a chillingly accurate example of gaslighting tactics that abusers rely on in Real Life in order to maintain obedience from victims. The messages seem to drive Angel deeper into despair, and he hears Valentino telling him that "addict trash like you doesn't change", signifying Angel's regret over certain life choices that he has made and showcasing his feelings of hopelessness regarding redeeming himself to leave Hell and enter Heaven.
  • After Angel finds out about Sir Pentious being The Mole, Sir Pentious gets under his skin by calling him "whorebug" — Angel's absolutely furious response implies that this is something Valentino has called him at least once.
  • For all of Sir Pentious's bluster about being a Card-Carrying Villain, he knows how low on Hell's totem pole he is and he's completely miserable about it. When Vox hires him as a spy in the hotel only for it to fail in less than 24 hours, Vox tells him to kill himself, and Sir Pentious's reaction is to roll into a ball and ask Vaggie and Angel Dust to just finish him off before Charlie intervenes and inspires him to try reforming for real.

    Scrambled Eggs 
  • Sir Pentious is deeply saddened by Vaggie telling him that he can't keep his Egg Boiz, crying as he tells them that they have to leave, and during the trust fall exercise he says that he doesn't want to live without them, and is disappointed when he's caught.
  • Carmilla turns out to be the one who killed the Exorcist to save her daughters, and is terrified at the potential consequences if the news leaks and she loses said daughters.
    Carmilla: But if anyone knew
    Then all of Hell would rise to war
    And who's to say who'd survive the fray?
    I might lose the ones that I was killing for!
  • When Vaggie's trust-building exercises seemingly fail, she's clearly depressed that she couldn't help Charlie.

    Masquerade 
  • Everything about Valentino's interaction with Angel is this crossed with Nightmare Fuel. Valentino viciously accuses Angel of bringing in Charlie to the studio despite Charlie going of her own accord. When Angel begs Valentino to not hurt Charlie, Val coldly tells Angel that he's lucky he makes him money, otherwise he would kill him for his "attitude."
  • We see Angel cover his chest with his robe after Valentino tries to touch him. After being slammed onto the couch forcefully by Valentino, the latter successfully manages to touch the chest of the former causing a sad and terrified “no”.
  • Val reminds Angel that the demonic contract means he owns Angel’s soul, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Angel has to do everything he says — whether it means fucking twenty guys without a break or telling Charlie to leave the studio.
    • Made all the more poignant by the Given Name Reveal for Angel, as he signed the contract as "Anthony"
  • Angel is so utterly broken by Valentino's threats that he protects Valentino from Charlie fighting him, bluntly telling her that she made things worse and for her to get out of the studio while holding back his tears. Charlie is horrified at how her attempt to help Angel only caused him more pain and runs away in tears. Angel is then forced by Valentino to "perform" for the whole night.
    • It also quite bluntly puts things into perspective for Charlie. In previous episodes, Charlie's handling of Angel Dust reeked of Innocently Insensitive, doing patronizing exercises and even making him play "the crack whore" in a roleplay exercise. From this point she sees that Angel's woes are far from a simple vice to tackle, and if anything, her treatment has been making him miserable the whole time. Her idealized lens shattered, Charlie can only whimper an apology, likely not just for this one moment.
    Charlie: I didn't....(sobs)....mean to, I...I'm so sorry.... (runs off)
    • Worsened by the point-of-view shots of Angel's angry Death Glare and Val's gloating triumphant grin. While Charlie goes through several The Bad Guy Wins moments as roadblocks throughout the series, this is perhaps the most brutally real and personal one.
    Val: (smiles evilly) Good boy.
  • "Poison", another song from Angel Dust's perspective, about how he knows his actions only hurt him, but can't help indulging in them. You can hear his voice breaking as he sings the final words:
    Poison, I'm drownin' in poison
    I'm fillin' up my glass but it's always hollow
    Full of poison, I'm sick of the poison
    Wish I had something to live for tomorrow...
    • At one point in the song Angel straight up says that he can only blame himself instead of pinning any of it on "the poisoner" for all the abuse he's being put through. A harrowing reminder of how too many a victim feels like they've brought their suffering upon themselves or, worse, believe they deserve it.
    • Throughout the sequence, Angel is trying to maintain his "mask" of super-confidence and semi-aggressive sexuality on camera...but the mask keeps slipping. His face flashes from resigned, to frightened, to just plain tired, before he has to fake enthusiasm again. Worse, Valentino appears to be deliberately throwing Angel off his stride whenever he successfully gets into character: for example, when during the dance sequence between Angel and Valentino, Angel's doing a good job of appearing graceful and seductive...until Valentino literally yanks Angel's soul-contract chain to bring him crashing to the ground, a move that clearly startles Angel.
    • During the final dance sequence, the Angel we see "happily" dancing on stage is contrasted with his "real" self shown on screens surrounding him, going through the agonizing abuse that Valentino subjects him to. When Valentino arrives and drags Angel off to be raped again, it's flipped on its head — now the Angel on stage is fearful and upset while his screen counterpart "happily" continues the dance. "I disassociate, disappear" indeed...
  • After finally getting back to the hotel, Angel proceeds to have a full-blown meltdown after Husk once again rejects his advances.
  • Angel tearfully opening up to Husk why he's doing whatever he's been doing: the drugs, the alcohol, being raped, etc. His only outlet is to get so high and drunk that he briefly forgets the abuse and suffering he has to deal with under Valentino. Plus, he holds onto some hope that if he becomes broken in the process, Val might just leave him alone. It's a "Kill two birds with one stone" method of self-destruction in the worst way possible:
    Husk: Maybe I’d treat you better if you were real, and not some bullshit version of yourself, always pushing my boundaries. Lemme tell ya, nobody in that hotel cares who you are- how famous, how hot. So you might as well just… cut the act.
    Angel: It’s not an act! It’s who I need to be! And this… this is my escape. Where I can forget about it all, how much I hate… everything. A place where I can get high and not have to think about how much it hurts. And maybe if I can ruin myself enough in the process, if I end up broken, I won't be his favorite toy anymore. And maybe he'll let me go…
    • Sadly, this is Truth in Television, as many victims of sexual abuse will become incredibly unhygienic as part of a self-defense tactic to make themselves unappealing to their abusers.
  • A blink-and-you-miss-it example — at one point, Valentino flicks something at his Fizz-bot's face, causing it to flinch with a pained expression, which could be sad for those who love the Fizz-bot's flesh-and-blood counterpart.

    Dad Beat Dad 
  • Charlie is clearly frazzled and desperate to find a solution to why none of their plans for redeeming souls have worked, but Vaggie has to basically push her to do so much as call Lucifer for help.
  • Lucifer and Lilith have apparently split, and Lucifer is not taking things well, being clearly depressed, holed up in his home making rubber ducks, and when Charlie calls, he's so nervous he botches the greeting.
  • Lucifer is clearly worried that Charlie is replacing him with Alastor as a father figure, who plays that up in their song to get his goat.
  • Lucifer's speech about free will just causing problems shows how far he's fallen from the dreamer he once was. Apparently, he even tried redeeming Sinners once himself, only for it to fail.
  • We are given a stark reminder of just how horrible Husk's servitude to Alastor is. When Husk offhandedly mentions that he knows that Alastor contracted his own soul to someone else, Alastor becomes uncharacteristically furious and threatens to tear Husk's soul apart and broadcast his screams for all to hear if he ever says that again. By the end of the encounter, Husk is a shivering, terrified wreck, and Alastor couldn't care less.
  • When the Loan Sharks are attacking the hotel, Lucifer further insists to his daughter that this is why she should give up on her dreams of helping Sinners since all of them are terrible people...after Sir Pentious saves Nifty from a piece of debris and Alastor attacks the sharks to protect the hotel. He's so jaded that he can't see that some Sinners actually do have better qualities until Charlie spells it out for him.
  • After the attack on the hotel by the Loan Sharks, Alastor calls Mimzy out for bringing danger to the hotel and tells her to leave. Before finishing this demand however, he tells Mimzy that she is more than welcome to stay if she truly wants to try redemption. Sadly, Alastor knows that Mimzy isn't the type to try it. Remember, Mimzy is likely Alastor's closest friend and he's shown to be genuinely affectionate with her earlier in the episode. Regardless of if he truly believes in Charlie's goal or if he simply wants to keep the hotel safe from destruction for his own purposes, it's still heartbreaking to watch him essentially have to banish his best friend from the hotel.
  • When Lucifer is talking about his own failed attempts to redeem Sinners, and how Heaven won't listen to Charlie, we get a shot of holy figures rising up and surrounding Lucifer with holy weapons... that then switch targets to Charlie, showing that he fears that she'll suffer for going against Heaven and that he'll be unable to protect her.
    • Worthy of notice in this part is not only the sheer visceral fear in his face at seeing the imagery, but the fact that he instantly pulls her away and essentially places himself between her and the imaginary angels (with his back turned to them), which basically makes it clear that he would not hesitate for a single second in Taking the Bullet for Charlie if the horrifying possibility came to be.
    Charlie: Dad, I don't need you to protect me from this.
    Lucifer: I just don't want you to be crushed by them, like... like I was.
  • When Charlie declares in "More Than Anything" that she needs to save her people more than anything, Angel in particular looks silently shocked at that statement. Even after all his interactions with the others in the Hotel, he still can't help but be surprised that someone cares about him this much.
  • After Lucifer agrees to set up a meeting between Charlie and Heaven, he sadly tells her that he won't be able to go with her. A reminder that in addition to all of Lucifer's other problems, he's in a permanent state of You Can't Go Home Again, and has been so for eons.
  • While "Hell's Greatest Dad" is an awesome song and is mostly Played for Laughs, there's a sad note on Alastor playing up the fatherly role to Charlie in his portion of the song - In the sad fact, that he doesn't mean it. It's all just to enrage Lucifer, as since Alastor can't beat him physically, he uses the King's insecurity over being a good father to hurt him. All the while, Charlie is blissfully unaware of the Overlord's manipulation.

    Welcome To Heaven 
  • Vaggie turns out to be a former Exorcist who spared a demon child and had her eye ripped out and wings torn off by Lute and Adam for it. And then Adam reveals the truth to Charlie after using it to try and blackmail Vaggie into helping him shut Charlie's plans down.
    • In the flashback where Charlie meets Vaggie and bandages up her wounds, you can see that the latter has just given up and is simply waiting for death.
      • And when Charlie goes to bandage Vaggie's missing eye, the former flinches. Poor girl was terrified she might've been discovered as an Exorcist and about to be killed and/or tortured.
    • The look on Charlie's face when Adam reveals the truth is nothing short of a mix of horror and devastation, and she then collapses to her knees sobbing.
      • Just... look at Charlie's surprised and terrified expression at the reveal. Vaggie is Charlie's girlfriend, her best friend, her main confidant, her partner, the one she rescued years earlier, and the love of her life. And she was once the very thing that annually and sadistically murdered huge numbers of her people. And Charlie had to learn this not in a sensitive manner by Vaggie, but from Adam in a cruel way to emotionally hurt the princess, all out of petty spite for calling him a hypocrite. And what's worse, the Thousand-Yard Stare from Charlie implies that it worked.
      • A commentator from the same above link makes an accurate but still heartwrenching detail - Charlie isn't just surprised at the revelation. She's scared and shocked. As mentioned in the post, while Charlie could become rattled, annoyed, and/or uncomfortable by many villains in the show (i.e., Adam, Lute, Valentino etc.), she never looked as terrified as she does now. While she has never shown any Fantastic Racism towards angels in either the pilot or show (even quickly befriending Emily), it doesn't change the fact that a murderous group of them came to Hell to commit mass murder on her demon people. And the fact that her beloved girlfriend was once one of them? That's a lot to take in.
    • Another sad and subtle detail is that prior to the reveal, Charlie was nothing but determined, assertive, and full of passion; she wasn't even deterred upon learning that even Heaven didn't know how a soul goes to Hell or the former. Upon Adam exposing Vaggie's secret, Charlie is...just distraught. No words leave her mouth, not even to ask Vaggie about it. No more fight left in her goal to redeem sinners. Just nothing but intense sadness and confusion.
    • And before Adam pettily reveals the truth, Vaggie begs him not to. Charlie has been one of best things in Vaggie's life and she doesn't want it to be ruined from revealing her secret.
  • After Sera rules in Adam’s favor, he sends Charlie and Vaggie back to Hell, all while gloating that he'll start the next Extermination at the Hotel. Even she thinks that that's too far.
  • Emily is clearly crushed to discover Heaven's hypocrisy and how someone who is clearly trying to improve himself like Angel Dust can't make it in, yet an utter Jerkass like Adam did.
    • When Emily learns of the exterminations, one of the first things she does is beg Sera to tell her she didn't know about this either. She's forced to admit that she did, all while deflecting and rationalizing about how it was "required". Needless to say, this ends up shattering Emily's admiration for her.
  • Sera's reaction to Emily condemning her for signing off on the Exterminations. She doesn't get angry over Emily defying her, she just looks...devastated that she's lost her beloved sister's trust in her attempt to keep Heaven safe.
    • Sera's entire situation is pretty bleak. As the head of the Seraphim, she's the closest thing Heaven has to a leader and thus she considers the safety of her people her top priority. She knows that, while an individual Angel is on average stronger than a Demon, the latter greatly outnumber the former and she knows that if they were pushed enough, or even just because they wanted to, Hell could easily invade and destroy Heaven. So, when Adam came up with the idea of annually culling Hell's population via the Exterminations, she reluctantly agreed despite clearly seeing them as barbaric, as she simply didn't see any other option. It's all but stated that the main reason she forbids anyone other than Adam, the Exorcists and herself from learning about the Exterminations was exactly because she knew that the other Angels would be rightfully horrified and disgusted by it, a fear that proves true once the truth comes out and Emily vehemently rejects her excuses.
  • While Angel manages to prove his Character Development, the fact that he comes close to backsliding a few times is rather sad.
  • By the end of the episode, Lucifer's warning to Charlie from the previous episode that "heaven never listens" and that they won't listen to her ideas on redemption were proven correct, as not only did Sera disregard Angel meeting Adam's criteria and trying to improve himself, but ignores Charlie's questioning on how no one, even those who ascended, knows what exactly gets a soul into heaven, yet Sera continues to uphold the unfair system out of fear of becoming a Fallen Angel like Lucifer, leaving Hell's princess not only devastated and rejected, but furious that Heaven has been keeping the exterminations from its people.

    Hello Rosie 
  • The episode opens with Charlie crying in bed, unable to think of a way to turn things around. To recap, she failed to convince Heaven that sinners can be redeemed despite evidence staring them in the face, she just found out her girlfriend was previously an Exorcist and killed thousands of her people, the extermination is in a month, Adam has personally promised to start it by destroying the Hazbin Hotel first, and if she can't come up with a plan to stop him, all her friends will be brutally slaughtered and everything she worked for will be reduced to a smoking pile of ash. That's a heavy burden to bear.
    • Vaggie says that Charlie is in "our room", and her hurt tone makes it abundantly clear how accustomed Vaggie is to spending time with Charlie, and how awful it is for her to be shut out both literally and figuratively. To have her girlfriend not want to see or talk to her is something Vaggie isn't used to, and it's devastating her.
  • The emotional crux of the episode is the conflict between main sweetheart couple, Charlie and Vaggie. Specifically, Charlie's intense hurt and anger at Vaggie for keeping her origins a secret; and, on the other side, Vaggie's intense guilt over her deceit.
    • While Charlie stopping Vaggie from attacking Alastor is a heartwarming gesture that the Princess doesn't want her girlfriend to get hurt, said Princess' next expressions become less sweet - After clearing up what happened, Charlie's look of concern goes to one of quiet anger and hurt - her eyes narrow, she folds her arms, and looks toward her girlfriend with no warmth or any expressive emotion. Only stoic Tranquil Fury.
    • After making a deal with Alastor and learning about a way to kill angels, Vaggie voices her surprise at the revelation. Charlie angrily questions if Vaggie would've told her if she knew; Vaggie's reaction is a surprised and hurt expression with an equally hurt, "Charlie."
    • When Vaggie tries to talk with Charlie about the whole situation, the latter angrily brushes her off. And before she leaves with Alastor to go visit Rosie, Charlie coldly asks Vaggie this: "You with us?" while giving an equally cold look. Charlie was deeply hurt by her girlfriend's actions.
      • What makes Charlie's cold look even more jarring is the fact that, that's not usually the kind of expression she gives to her girlfriend. She's normally expressive and open but in this moment? She's stoic and closed-off.
      • What makes Charlie's questions to Vaggie even more hurtful is how it appears that Charlie is questioning Vaggie's loyalty. She said out of hurt and was clearly referencing the secret-keeping, not Vaggie's origin, but it still hurts. Out of all of the Hotel occupants, in all of Hell (including her own father), Vaggie has been the most loyal and supportive of Charlie's seemingly delusional and pointless dreams, never once mocking or crushing any of them. But upon Vaggie's secrecy being revealed and never telling Charlie, the latter feels genuinely betrayed; and now, she's asking, again coming from a place of hurt, if she can trust Vaggie. And this is despite the fact that all Vaggie has been nothing but devotedly supportive and protective of Charlie and her aforementioned goals. Vaggie's hurt reaction, specifically from the first question, is hard to watch.
    • When Vaggie gently grabs Charlie's shoulder to try and talk with the latter about what happened (being making a deal with Alastor), the Princess sports a scowl before angrily moving away from her girlfriend's touch. The brush off itself is hard to watch - Normally, Charlie welcomes and seeks Vaggie's comfort and advice but this time? She rebuffs it with a look of pure hurt. One can infer from the couple's main conflict and Charlie's scowl that the Princess must be thinking something along these lines - "You want to talk? Maybe you should've done that with me."
    • Hell, even Charlie's anger at Vaggie is a subtle but important indicator of how pissed she is. When Charlie normally becomes angry it's expressive and emotional, including her more demonic form if she's particularly incensed. But here? Charlie's anger at Vaggie is still heavy and palpable but is replaced with coldness and iciness. It's as if Charlie is trying to emotionally distant herself from Vaggie. Just compare her aloof demeanor to Vaggie and animated angry venting to Alastor, and you can see the difference.
      • In a twisted sense of irony, that despite Charlie is sporting an unusually cold and stoic expression towards Vaggie, the former is still expressing so much in such little ways.
    • As it turns out, Charlie is less upset about Vaggie being a former Exorcist than the fact that the two of them had been together for three years and Vaggie never told her the truth.
      • In particular, Charlie seems upset that Vaggie thought that Charlie wouldn't accept her, and that Vaggie held something like that back when Charlie told her everything.
    • In her initial attempt to get the Cannibal Colony on her side, Charlie nervously states that she runs her hotel with her partner. But she backtracks on the "partner" part, replacing with "someone".
    • Subtle, but Vaggie doesn't attempt to justify her secrecy to Charlie. In most situations like this in media, when one half of a couple keeps a big secret from their other half, the secret keeper attempts to rationalize their deceit. However, Vaggie doesn't do that; or, if she did when they came home, the audience didn't see. Either way, Vaggie understands the pain she caused Charlie and doesn't attempt to make an excuse for herself.
    • Another subtle detail is that Charlie has a lot on her plate - Heaven refused to listen to her pleas, she (along with even the Court of Heaven) are unsure on how a soul can get into Heaven, Adam will be targeting the Hotel first with his sadistic army, and now she has to rally a group of people to fight for her. All of that is a lot to take in but the main issue with the demon Princess? That Vaggie has been lying to her in their whole relationship. Yeah, she knows the other pressing issues need to be handled first but Vaggie's secrecy is what causing her so much emotional turmoil. In a bittersweet observation, it was Vaggie of all people to hurt Charlie the most, and there was no malice intent behind it.
    • And given the above-mentioned detail, it can be implied that Charlie's earlier despair could've been avoided because she could always go to Vaggie for comfort and support. But with the revelation of Vaggie's lie brought to the surface, Charlie can't be around her for the moment; but the sad truth is, all Charlie wanted at the point was Vaggie's presence.
    • From the previous episode, Adam and Lute attempted to blackmail Vaggie into sabotaging Charlie's case if she wants them to to keep her true origins a secret from her, Adam in particular claiming that Charlie would hate Vaggie for being a former Exorcist personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of Sinners, and believes it's true after seeing Charlie's Thousand-Yard Stare once he reveals the truth out of pure petty spite. But as shown in this episode, Charlie isn't bothered by Vaggie's being an Exorcist; she's hurt and angry over Vaggie lying about it. Even the other Hotel residents are blasé about her true origins, at worst, making some crude jokes (and said jokes were more about her small breasts than her being an Angel). In other words, Vaggie would've had suffered no ostracization from her girlfriend or newfound friends; and if she has been truthful with Charlie from the start, their relationship wouldn't be strained, and Charlie may have not made her shady deal with Alastor in a Moment of Weakness.
  • Alastor's blatant emotional manipulation of Charlie. He convinces her to make a shady deal with him during her darkest and most emotionally fragile moment for a yet unknown purpose (though it can't be good). He then "compliments" her on her decision but it's clear he only cares that he got what he wanted, but Charlie is too caught up in finding an answer the Exterminators problem, she doesn't dwell on it. She genuinely believes that Alastor has "helped" her, which, while technically true, it comes with strings attached. Alastor's influence on Charlie is steadily growing.
    • And when Charlie talks about her hurt feelings in regard to Vaggie, Alastor couldn't care less. Yeah, it's played for laughs, but Charlie seems to think that because of the supposedly harmless deal she made with him, he'll listen to her more private issues. But that's not true. Alastor's true motivations and feelings are still a mystery, but the audience can clearly see that Charlie's pain doesn't seem to matter to him.
  • Upon meeting back up with Charlie at the hotel and seeing that she got her a gift, Vaggie gets teary eyed, implying that she wasn't expecting Charlie to forgive her for lying about her past.

    The Show Must Go On 
  • Before they leave for the extermination, Adam asks if the others remember Vaggie. Their response is a chorus of boos and how they all hate her. And when Adam promises to give the Exorcist who kills Vaggie "a million heaven bucks", all of them cheer in anticipation. While it's still unknown what Vaggie life as an Exorcist was like, seeing people who she worked and fought alongside now hating her can be a gut punch.
  • Dazzle is Killed Off for Real by Lute.
  • Sir Pentious fires up the blimp to take on Adam to protect the hotel. He is instantly vaporized, to everyone's horror. Special mention goes to Angel Dust, who clenches his eyes shut and lets out a very quiet and raw Due to the Dead:
    "Fuck... You did good, buddy...."
    • Charlie meanwhile has a total meltdown, murmuring a Rapid-Fire "No!" before dropping to the ground and sobbing. She shortly explodes into her demon-form in a tearful rage, essentially making her friend and student's death her Traumatic Superpower Awakening.
    • Both Angel and Charlie responding worst to Sir Pentious' sacrifice also leans into Fridge Horror, as "Masquerade" and "Hello Rosie" respectively made bluntly apparent how much they dreaded one of their friends getting caught in the crossfire for their sake. Watching Pentious perish in a vain attempt to protect them was their worst nightmare becoming a reality.
    • Not only that, the majority of Pentious' Egg Boiz were with him. And the ending shows that there's only one Sole Survivor left and besides that none of the remaining Egg Boiz were seen with Pentious when he ascended to heaven, implying they are Deader than Dead. What's even worse is Word of God reveals Pentious created the Egg Boiz (with the help of someone else), and with him gone, the final Egg Boi is truly the Last of His Kind.
    • During the aftermath of the battle, Charlie is relieved that KeeKee and Angel's pet, Fat Nuggets, are fine, but when she notices the "Happy First Week, Sir Pentious" banner on the ground, she's sadly reminded of Sir Pentious' Heroic Sacrifice and goes into a Heroic BSoD. Even KeeKee is saddened by his death as she places her paw on the banner.
    • Even some of the eyes seen on inanimate objects in Hell seem to be saddened by the sight.
    • Noticeably, the surviving Egg Boi is the only one frowning when everyone salutes the portrait of Sir Pentious during the finale song. He already misses his boss.
  • During his fight with Lucifer, Adam ends up unleashing a massive Angelic blast that cleaves the Hazbin Hotel in two. Seeing the main setting of the series, and Charlie's life's work, being so casually destroyed is bound to be upsetting. Thankfully the team is able to rebuild the Hotel better than ever with Lucifer's help in the epilogue.
  • Lute's reaction to Adam's death. As horrible as they both are, it's clear that they both genuinely cared about each other, and Lute is clearly devastated to see her boss and friend die.
    Lute: NOOOOO! (Runs over to Adam's side) Sir?! SIR!! Stay with me sir! (Adam gives Lute one last smile before passing on) ADAM!!
  • An injured Alastor's section during the otherwise happy and uplifting end song as he crawls into his wrecked radio station - the Overlord’s brush with death at Adam’s hands has caused him to enter an honest-to-God nervous breakdown, and we see him struggling to come to terms with the realization that he’s grown to care for the Hotel residents as friends, his fear of how the public would perceive him if they found out, and how his sheer desperation to free himself from the deal he’s trapped in is driving him mad, all with a smile on his face:
    This place reeks of death
    There’s a chill in the air
    And I barely escaped being killed by a hair
    “Great Alastor, altruist, died for his friends”?
    Sorry to disappoint…that is not where this ends
    I’m hungry for freedom like never before
    The constraints of my deal surely have a backdoor
    Once I figure out how to unclip my wings
    Guess who will be pulling all the strings?
    • What makes the lyrics in his song more painful is that Alastor privately admitted to having grown attached to the residents earlier in the episode. But his brush with death has shaken his pride, causing him to push away whatever sort of attachment he was forming with the Hotel residents out of fear of showing weakness again. His earlier admission was a possible hint he could be redeemed, but he's chosen his pride over genuine friendship.
    • Doesn't help that the main cast (sans Lucifer and a begrudgingly reluctant Husk) have actually come to genuinely care about Alastor as in they, while building the new hotel even gave him a brand new radio studio to work in and engage a group hug with him when he reappeared again for the re-opening, with even Vaggie joining in with a smile over seeing him unharmed. He have gotten genuine friends within the Hazbin-crew and yet, he is so scared over coming off as "weak" over that fact that he rather doubles down on his ambitions and deny any notion of his own growing humanity to keep his own mental well-being together.
    • Mixed with Nightmare Fuel. During Alastor’s mental breakdown after Alastor starts pulling on his hair. Some viewers have noticed upon a closer look at Alastor’s hands you’ll see he actually managed to pull some of it out. He also looks at both of his hands as if he wasn’t even aware what he did.
    • Mixed with Nightmare Fuel. During his part of the song, Alastor seems less concerned with the fact that he almost died than with the fact of how others would react to his death. He is so obsessed with how others perceive him he isn’t bothered with the fact he almost died, but how it would have ruined his public image.
  • While Sir Pentious arriving in Heaven is a good thing, it's also a heart-breaking moment for Sera. The moment she saw Sir Pentious, it not only proved that Charlie's plan to redeem sinners works, but it also shows her that for thousands of years, all the genocide she allowed to have happened to sinners was All for Nothing.
    • There’s also the fact that Pentious is unlikely to see the rest of the cast again any time soon, if ever. In previous episodes he expressed how much having friends meant to him, and he was willing to lay down his life on their behalf. Now he’s about as far away from them as he can get, though Emily would likely do all she could to help him.
    • Sir Pentious' ascension also highlights just what Charlie has let herself in for: her redemption plan hinges on building strong bonds with the hotel's residents, giving them affection and support, and then letting them go. And it works! But Charlie outright states that she loves the Hazbin team, and she's devastated when she loses a member of her found family. No doubt knowing Pentious was redeemed rathen than obliterated would help, but in order to succeed, Charlie needs to break her own heart over and over again. It's a sacrifice anyone working in some sort of temporary care/rehabilitation role, be it pet foster care or summer camp counsellor, will recognize: look after them, bond with them, say goodbye.
  • Emily's general lack of presence in the finale is a sad detail in itself. Despite her horror at the exterminations and promising Charlie that she'd figure out someway to help her, in the end it appears she wasn't able to do anything at all. Before Sir Pentious appears (thus vindicating both Charlie and Emily), Emily is shown dejectedly lying down on a table in apparent silence with Sera sitting next to the door. The implication being that Sera was able to successfully prevent Emily from doing anything about the exterminations, and/or that Emily was worried about the potential consequences of going behind Heaven's back.
    • As the parent of a little girl, the clear implication was that Emily had been crying uncontrollably.
  • We finally learn where Lilith is... Heaven, having apparently made a deal to abandon not only her people, but her own husband and daughter.
    • Even worse, the Queen of Hell is merely relaxing on a beach without a worry in the world before Lute shows up to threaten her, which implies that her not responding to Charlie's calls doesn't stem from business or lack of time, but ignorance.
    • However it may be that Lilith couldn't respond to her daughter because she might have revealed where she was accidentally or Adam was keeping an eye on her because he didn't want Charlie to mislead her mother into leaving Paradise (and largely himself from his ex-wife) and have a change of heart to support her daughter. It's still ambiguous from how you look at the last scene but Lilith could be in a Gilded Cage for all we know.
  • At the beginning of "Finale", Charlie is clearly in the middle of a Heroic BSoD, blaming herself for Sir Pentious's death and the hotel's destruction and it's clear she was on the verge of giving up before her father and friends encourage her. As Lucifer had feared in Dad Beat Dad, Heaven came close to utterly crushing Charlie's optimism and destroying her dreams, just as they had crushed her father's own dreams for rehabilitating Hell.
  • An understated moment but during and after the battle, you can recognize some of the background cannibals from the previous episode's song dead.

Pre-release material

    Pilot 
  • The opening scene, a musical number ("I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", a real-life vaudeville song) showing the after-effects of an Extermination. Charlie sounds so upset and heartbroken by the loss of her subjects, even if they don't seem to really care and even as she sends up the "it's ok, they're gone, you can come out now" signal with the fireworks.note 
    • A lot of the lyrics are this, namely when Charlie asks "Why have I always been a failure?" with the shadowy figure of her father Lucifer coming up behind her. Tying into the moment below, it's clear that Charlie thinks she’s not as important or strong like Lucifer and always stuck in his shadow.
    • Word of God outright confirms that when demons - usually staggeringly resilient - are killed by Exorcists or their weaponry, they cease to exist. Even though the exterminated demons were bad people (like every other denizen of Hell), it’s honestly sad to see them essentially Deader than Dead, especially if you imagine being in their shoes. Just think: after possibly suffering a terrible life spent in prison, living out on the streets addicted to drugs, or whatever Freudian Excuse drove you to the dark side, you kick the bucket and get reincarnated into a really cool-looking demon and sent to the perfect place to indulge in anything you desire without harming yourself or anyone on Earth. Everything's just awesome... until one day it all gets taken away from you. Also, it’s very likely a lot of the exterminated demons weren’t disgustingly immoral offenders or hate sinks, but rather just very flawed people with not-so-great lives who may have just needed another chance at becoming a better person.
  • After singing “Inside of Every Demon is a Rainbow” all the people in the news station laugh at Charlie. You can see how devastated she is, and she had to learn the hard way that her plan wouldn’t automatically work or be accepted. Her response, which is to merely slump back down into her chair in defeat, only adds to it.
  • Sir Pentious misinterpreting Angel's "harder, daddy" comment as being sincere is undoubtedly funny, but it verges on Fridge Horror since it implies that 1) Sir Pentious actually has a son and judging by his reaction would be happy to see him, and 2) Sir Pentious expected - or at least was happy - to meet his own child in Hell, with everything that implies.
  • After the disastrous interview, Charlie is utterly devastated, seeing her hotel's reputation take another serious hit. Charlie even tearfully calls her mom, begging for help, and talking about how much of a failure she is and beating herself up over her shortcomings the whole time.
    • Angel tries to crack another joke to Charlie about the hotel being empty, but instead of being met with anger like he would with Vaggie, she just sits in quiet sadness and looks at the floor. Angel feels so guilty he actually starts to apologize, but can't bring himself to.
    • As she's leaving a message for her mom, Charlie sadly says "I... I think Dad was right about me."
    • At the start of the message, Charlie says she called often and Lilith must be busy. Poor girl has been craving advice and her mother to listen to her, but she doesn't get it.
    • Worse, the calls don't actually connect to her mom, but a call-recorder. Charlie's grief is so heavy that she leaves a message anyway.
  • Alastor makes it perfectly clear that he feels that the sinners in Hell are all Beyond Redemption, having failed to earn their chance at salvation on Earth and that he's only helping the hotel because he feels that the guests' futile attempts to better themselves will be amusing when they inevitably fail.
    • It becomes that much sadder when you remember that Alastor is among the "loathsome sinners" he thinks are beyond redemption. Really gives some insight to how the Radio Demon sees himself...

    Misc 
  • The music video for "ADDICT" gives us insight into Angel Dust's and Cherri Bomb's characters. Angel’s under the thumb of his boss, Valentino, a pimp who abuses him sexually and financially. Cherri was apparently betrayed by someone she loved (possibly a sibling, given their resemblance), resulting in her being in Hell.
    • Intercut with Angel's pole-dancing are scenes of him sobbing on his bed, with Cherri trying to comfort him.
      • The last two verses Angel sings after the credits reveal his Hidden Depths, hinting that he’s a full-blown Stepford Smiler from the trauma he’s endured under Valentino-and how he, despite believing he’s beyond redemption, hopes that living in the hotel won’t be as horrible, especially since Charlie is a much, MUCH nicer person than Valentino.
        I'm addicted to the sorrow // When the buzz ends by tomorrow // There's another rush of poison flowing into my veins // Giving me a dose of pleasure that resides by the pain // I'm addicted, // I'm dependent // Looking awesome, feeling helpless // And I know I'm raising Cain by every highway in Hell // Maybe things won't be so terrible inside this hotel...
    • As Angel sings the above verses, Charlie attempts to comfort him by putting her hand on his shoulder. Angel's response is to glare at her and then flip her off as he walks away.
  • A minor Easter Egg from the prequel comic, but a huge insight into Angel's character: a box of sex toys in his apartment has "For Fun" crossed out and "Work Shit" scribbled over it. Not only is Hell other people, it twists the things that brought you joy to make you even more miserable.
  • If you somehow needed more of a reason to despise Valentino, these pictures posted on Valentino's and Vox's official Instagram pages respectively show that Angel Dust isn't the only one who has to put up with Val's abusive boyfriend behavior. Apparently Valentino has a habit of violently assaulting people he has a relationship with if they displease him even a little.
    • Vox's look on the picture he posts on his Instagram after Val destroys his screen in a fit of rage is... of pure dejection, like he's used to this by now. Vox might be an Asshole Victim, given that he's one of the Overlords of Hell, but it's still pretty uncomfortable to see him being treated that way and just... put up with it like it's normal in response.
  • The second prequel comic follows Alastor through an average day, and it's implied that he leads a very lonely (after)life. Flowers wilt when he touches them. His reputation has demons running from him in fear, even when he's being perfectly friendly (though he seems to be more annoyed by this than anything). The only people in Hell to treat him with any semblance of civility are a group of cannibalistic fangirls, and Vox. Alastor despises the latter, and due to him being an aromantic asexual (as per Word of Saint Paul for the former and Word of God for the latter), he can't properly connect with the former.
  • This original song is sung by most of the original voice cast from the pilot episode, which acts as farewell from them as their roles were passed onto new voice actors. In particular is Charlie's verse.
    Charlie: If anyone out there can hear me, I have one last thing to say. Despite the unideal location, we hope you've enjoyed your stay, 'cause there was love and joy and laughter, it's not perfect but we tried...

Previous

Index

Next

  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Wide Load

Important Links

Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Go Ad Free!
Crucial Browsing
Resources
Top