Fridge Brilliance / Hazbin Hotel

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General

• Angel Dust's promiscuity makes sense given that he died in the 40s — a time where gays couldn't exactly be open about their attractions, to say the least. Now that he's in Hell, he can indulge in pretty much anything he wants to.
  • This is also implied in the "Addict" music video, with the lines, "This is a brand new start, and I think I deserve some praise/For the way that I am", and "I've let my emotions go/Fuck being a sober ho".
• The easy access to ways to sate vices and indulgence in Hell could be the biggest reason why Hell has an overpopulation problem. The damned souls cannot redeem themselves because they are still indulging in the bad habits and vices that helped send them to Hell in the first place! It's arguably the most insidious part of their damnation.
  • They’re also surrounded by others who’re just as unrepentant and evil as they are. It’s hard to stay clean and go straight when the only people you can associate with are unrepentant junkies addicted to the same things you are, who will make fun of you for even trying to be good and then convince you to go on another bender.
  • As "Inside Every Demon There's a Rainbow" implies, the universe they live in a more fantastic one where all myths (Hell and Heaven) and science fiction (superhero) is true. It is very possible that the inhabitants of the mortal realm found out about the lack of punishment when sent to Hell and were more likely to commit sins when they were alive as a result; if you ignore / don't know about the whole "you'll probably die in the purges" thing, Hell offers sinners an endless eternity of fulfilling their vices and being mostly unkillable. This results in the World of Jerkass as shown in Helluva Boss. Lucifer effectively pulled off The Final Temptation on all living mortals with this setup of Hell.
• Alastor's design, voice, and title as the Radio Demon are because, in addition to being a remorseless serial killer, he was also a radio host from the 1930s. It makes perfect sense that he would use radio to broadcast his attacks on Hell's elites, and it explains why he refers to TV as "the picture show".
  • It may even explain why he generally avoids swearing and keeps his language PG except in a very few circumstances - under the rules of media censorship for the time, swear words were off-limits for the most part. Censoring his language for his job in life would have gotten Alastor in the habit of censoring his language in general, much like people who have children actively censor their swearing habits to avoid the kids learning the bad words.
• The fact that so many of the damned souls in Hell are Animalistic Abominations or a Little Bit Beastly is actually very symbolic. These are people who would not or could not aspire to the standards to enter Heaven. They too frequently gave in to their base, animal urges, so their new spiritual forms in Hell reflect that.
  • It would also explain why Charlie is the most human-like in her appearance of the cast. Not only was she born in Hell, likely making her an exception to the rule, Charlie is also the sweetest and kindest person there is in Hell. Her human-like appearance reflects that.
    • That and she's the daughter of Lucifer, a Fallen Angel and similarly quite humanoid demon. Humanity was made in the image of the angels, so it's likely they're so human-like is because of still being somewhat angelic. Her mother is also Lilith, who may or may not be the first human woman.
  • Unless outright stated by the creators or the shows, it is very hard to tell the sinners apart from those born in Hell at first impression. This designing of the inhabitants perfectly reflects the idea that human sinners can be just as evil as actual demons.
• A disproportionate number of Hell's gangsters seem to have died in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is probably because the tougher, street-smart demons will manage to live through several dozen purges, but almost all of them get killed before reaching 100, making Alastor and Sir Pentious late middle-aged by the standards of their situation.
• Charlie's shifting between her normal humanlike appearance and occasional moments with red eyes, horns, a serpentine visage, and massive sharp teeth implies that she's much more demonic than she appears. But then, her parents are both Lucifer (also recognized as the "Serpent of Eden") and Lilith, beings known to adopt beautiful or innocuous appearances for the purpose of manipulating others. Of course their daughter would have inherited the same abilities.
• While Alastor never drops his smile, he gets slightly awkward when someone else invades his space. When Charlie almost touches his hand, he pulls away and takes a second to open his eyes again. He also fixes his hair despite no one touching it. When Husk pushes him away, the frame pans to him brushing his arm. This proves that despite his No Sense of Personal Space tendencies, he very much Hates Being Touched.
  • It would explain why he's particularly passive-aggressive towards Vaggie too. He smacks her butt and tickles her chin to piss her off because she's gone into his personal space first when challenging him and he doesn't like that.
• Hell seems to be remarkably lacking in torture, hellfire, and all of the other torments traditionally associated with it. It’s mostly just like the real world, only surrounded by horrible and unrepentant people for eternity who are constantly fighting, abusing, and tormenting each by pure virtue of being awful. But then, that’s the point. As the old saying goes, ''Hell is other people.’’
  • There are canonically other Rings of Hell in this universe, so this ring might be one of the less torturous ones. Also, we have yet to see the rest of this ring, so it might be possible that we just haven't seen the more torturous parts of it yet.
    • It's the Pride Ring.
    • It's also the only ring that human sinners can access; the others are exclusively for native-born demons. Because of that, it's the only ring that suffers from an overpopulation problem.
• The only piece of helpful advice Lucifer gave Charlie was "don't take shit from other demons." While this might be taken at face value as a lesson of don't let others walk all over you, in the case of Hell it also means literally "do not accept anything that another demon may offer to give you" because it is most likely a Deal with the Devil.
  • Or don't take by force/steal things from other demons. Or everything other demons own is shitty and not worthy of you as a Princess of Hell, so you shouldn't covet it in the first place. Or every other demon is themselves a shitty person (hard to argue, else they wouldn't be demons in hell in the first place) and the only thing that you can get from them is shit. Lucifer fell from the sin of Pride, of course he wouldn't count himself in that club, he is too proud to admit it. Thus the word "other" in "don't take shit from other demons." sentence. It is very multilayered sentence. In short, it is the best possible lesson somebody can teach their child if they are raising them in Hell's hostile environment.
• Given that Hell is overpopulated and it seems pretty much any petty vice or sin can get you sent there (from swearing, drinking, and drugs to straight up murder, rape, and cannibalism) it's fair to assume that the standards to get into Heaven are pretty strict while the standards to get into Hell are pretty lax. So, why does everyone in Hell seem to be an unrepentant Jerkass, rather than a mix of villains and monsters among decent people who made mistakes? Well, it's because truly unrepentant monsters won't hesitate to take out or put down anyone they consider "weak," so otherwise decent people have to put on an evil facade just to survive. (A good example is the otherwise decent Tom Trench, who knows to either keep his head down or get the hell out of dodge when his co-star Katie Killjoy is on the war path.)
  • This might also be why Charlie is (seemingly) the only straight up sweet and saintly person in Hell: being the daughter of Hell's head honcho with powerful bodyguards of her own (Razzle and Dazzle), she's one of the few denizens of Hell who can afford to show overt kindness without getting branded as weak enough to take out, as while most demons don't respect her, most of them are at least smart enough not to go after her if they don't want Lucifer himself and all the forces at his disposal to retaliate. (And those that tried probably learned the hard way, like Katie Killjoy in the pilot.) Being the Daughter of Lucifer has some perks.
  • That and it is implied that Charlie has some supernatural chops of her own. She's able to hold her own when fighting Katie Killjoy and doesn't seem concerned when Sir Pentious attacks the hotel, only being a bit wigged out when Alastor starts throwing around his power. That, along with her father teaching her "Don't take shit from other demons" likely means that Charlie is able to protect herself - she's just such a kind and gentle person that she rarely feels the need to, and her connection to Lucifer and Lilith means few people pick a fight with her.
  • Ironically, Love Is a Weakness also appears to run among angels as well, as least as far as the Exterminators go. Both times Vaggie showed kindness to Heaven, she was immediately mutilated or had an attempt made on her life by Lute, who didn't hesitate at all to take advantage of her showing "weakness". Likewise, when Charlie stops her father from killing Adam, the latter immediately devolves into a Villainous Breakdown before he's stabbed through the chest by Niffty.
• Angel Dust comparing the Hotel's humiliation on live TV to amputated orphans with degenerative diseases and then complaining that now he feels bummed and wants liquor may seem like just him thinking It's All About Me, but it's also another glimpse into his Hidden Heart of Gold: Angel Dust has just enough decency that the thought of orphans bums him out rather than cheers him up like it would other demons. (It helps that Word of God confirms that he has a soft spot for children.) Especially when you contrast Alastor, who mentions a few minutes later that the highlight of the Stock Market Crash of 1929 for him was "so many orphans."
• Sir Pentious and especially Alastor are the only major characters without a hint of white in their pilot outfits aside from Cherri Bomb, who, while not a self-styled supervillain or a serial killer is still a Bomb Throwing Anarchist.
• Alastor was a serial killer in life, but in Hell, he's a deer demon. In other words, the predator has literally become the prey.
  • Though in another way, he's a red-colored deer demon, and real-life red deer eat birds as well as other deer. Put in that perspective, he's a literal red deer.
  • Also, in another way, despite deer being considered mundane and non-threatening, each year they are responsible for causing more deaths than any other animal in the United States because they tend to run in front of cars while crossing roads, resulting in deadly vehicular accidents.
• With all the apple motifs in Charlie's family, there's a pun in her appearance. Her cheeks are very noticeably pink and bright. One might say... "apple cheeked".
• Why does Alastor have a more or less "generic American" accent rather than anything specifically Louisianan? Radio personalities often make efforts to "de-regionalize" their accents and overall way of speaking, and Alastor may have done it for long enough that it became a habit. By now, it's probably second nature to him.
• Moths are attracted to bright light. Vaggie has a moth motif and her girlfriend Charlie is the daughter of Lucifer... "light-bringer". Not to mention she's also a veritable ball of sunshine.
• Angel Dust comments that Alastor "looks like a strawberry pimp". The overlord Angel interacts with the most is Valentino... a pimp. No wonder that's the first comparison that comes to his mind!
• At first glance, Cherri Bomb is a Toxic Friend Influence on Angel since she encourages him to get in trouble when he's seemingly trying to go clean. "ADDICT" reveals that she's sadly aware of how trapped he is under Val's thumb, and can't fix his situation. But since she's an independent Mad Bomber, the next best thing she can do is let Angel in on her wild fun, giving him a small taste of freedom and bit of control over his life by letting him get out and help her with turf wars and arson all over the city.
• Aristotle famously said there are two kinds of happiness, which in today's terms amount to activities that give instant gratification (sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling, eating tasty food, or simply watching a good movie, etc), and then there's basically learning a new skill, self-improvement, or working toward a long-term goal. Aristotle argued that while the first can make you feel good in the short term it'll leave you feeling empty and unfulfilled in the long term, while the latter can feel like grueling work in the short term but creates true lasting fulfillment in the long run. Most denizens of Hell fully embrace the former but shun the latter, and Charlie is a revolutionary by trying to provide the latter.
  • Angel Dust especially embodies this dichotomy. Since he began staying in Charlie's hotel, he struggles between falling back on his addictions that "give a dose of pleasure that resides with the pain," and doing the long hard work of going clean and improving, which would make him feel even worse in the foreseeable future but hopefully lead to lasting happiness, fulfillment, and redemption.
• At first it can seem weird that Angel Dust, a spider demon, has a pet pig... until you remember Charlotte's Web, which is also about a pig and a spider.
• Sir Pentious's Cartoonish Supervillainy makes more sense when you remember his greatest insecurity is being out of touch and old fashioned but he's not very good at keeping up with the times, he might actually be emulating villains from cartoons and comic books to look cool but being Genre Blind to the mistakes they make because he's not that far along yet.
• Cherri's line in the "ADDICT" video has a double meaning.
  Cherri: So come if you're feeling brave / And fancy yourself a mate...
  • The first is most obvious—to "fancy" something means to want it, as in "Fancy a spot of tea?". It also has a second, more obscure meaning—if someone "fancies" themselves something, they think of themselves as being that thing ("He fancies himself quite the gentleman"). Basically, Cherri is saying to come help her if you either want a friend, or think of yourself as her friend.
• Most of the major characters have Instagram accounts, but not Alastor. Of course not—according to side materials, he doesn't like most modern technology.
• Charlie's pilot surname, Magne, isn't just a pun on Charlemagne. She probably got her surname from her father Lucifer, who is famous for his arrogance, and "Charlemagne" literally means "Charles the Great". Assuming Lucifer gave himself his surname, of course he would pick something like "Lucifer Magne", or "Lucifer the Great".
  • Charlie's surname is now "Morningstar", but it still works, since that is quite a grandiose title.
• In the original English, Alastor's voice filter has significant crackling. Same with the French dub. But there's much less crackling in the Japanese dub. An oversight by the dubbers? No, it's reflective of how Japanese radios are built. They use a Mhz as low as 76 compared to the Western world's lowest of 88 Mhz. This can lead to significant broadcast range changes, as well as sound quality. So they switched out Alastor's filter for the Japanese dub to make it sound like a Japanese radio as opposed to an American or European radio.
• Angel Dust's deliberately racist and sexist remark to Vaggie is analyzed on the character sheet as an example of his intentionally obnoxious behavior. Consider that in that very same scene, he expresses complete callousness at the deaths and collateral damage caused by the turf war in which he participated. One could attribute his attitude here to a case of partial psychopathy... but a few minutes later, he expresses remorse in front of Charlie, meaning he possesses the capacity for guilt. Now remember Angel's frantic movement in the limo. Flippantly cruel statements and hyperactivity are hallmarks of cocaine usage. By his own admission, Angel has been ingesting "Bolivian marching powder" regularly even after Charlie and Vaggie took him in. The question is, then, how much of Angel Dust's antagonism comes naturally, and how much of it comes from a drug that turns its users into the worst versions of themselves?
  • Since Angel Dust died in the 40's, there may also be some traces of Values Dissonance, even though Angel gets along great with Cherri and somewhat decently with Charlie.
• Charlie's real name is Charlotte and she has an apple motif. There's a type of dessert called a Charlotte which is often made with apples, and it was named after King George IV's daughter Charlotte... who was, obviously, a princess.
• Alastor's breakfast in the online comic is comprised of deviled eggs.
• Alastor shows heavy disdain and disrespect towards Vox; an Overlord of Hell whose head is shaped like a big flat-screen TV. Of course it makes sense that Alastor would hate him since in life Alastor was a Radio Broadcaster which was the most popular medium of entertainment of his time period that ended up getting phased out with the invention of Television. Video Killed the Radio Star.
• The sister series, Helluva Boss, revealed that sinners can only exist in the ring/circle of Pride; of course there's a problem of overpopulation, because the sinners are forbidden to migrate to any other circle that might have more room for them.
  • It also explains why native demons like imps or hellhounds don't seem to worry about the yearly exterminations, because they can actually escape the place where the exterminations occur.
  • It also makes sense that Overlords are around to provide vices like drugs (Gluttony) and adult entertainment (Lust) instead of their associated demons: they're located at lower circles and surely not bothering to look after their business up at Pride, either due to other duties taking priority or simple disinterest, so either they give some of their powers to the Overlords to act as their representatives or the Overlords take advantage of the situation to fill their economic niches and supply a demand that would otherwise go unfulfilled.
  • It also explains why so many sinners are dismissive of Charlie's offer; most are simply too prideful to admit that they did anything wrong and thus need to be redeemed.
• Word of God states that Husker can fly, but rarely does because he is lazy and dislikes his demon form. His bad habits and refusal to accept who (or rather what) he is are literally weighing him down.
• All the sinners had human names that they've replaced with the weird and wacky names we know and love, with a notable exception being Alastor. There are a couple possible reasons:
  • According to demon lore, knowing a demon's true name allows control over that demon.
  • Most Western human names are derived from Hebrew words, Biblical prophets, Biblical heroes, saints, angels, and allusions to God, meaning those names represent the opposite of what these sinners have become.
  • Possibly to distance themselves from who they were in life when they were futilely hoping for Heaven. Now that they're stuck in Hell they might as well have fun in sin without the baggage of their human identies.
  • It's also possible that many sinners changed their names for protection, since "Helluva Boss" confirms that people from your past hunting you down in Hell for revenge is a real danger.
  • Branding and name recognition are also surprisingly important for overlords since the number of people who fear you directly translates into the number of soul contracts you can get, so some might also change their names to sound more menacing and memorable. After all, Vox wouldn't be nearly as feared if his name was Thomas.
  • Alastor's name would however fit with the theme naming of demons as seen in The Lesser Key of Solomon, particularly Baal but especially Bifrons. The former, Ba'al, being an actual name for a god from semetic polytheism but also a title meaning lord while the latter, Bifrons is an epitaph of the two-faced god Janus of Roman Myth. In Alastor's case, however, his name comes from an epitaph of Zeus meaning Avenger. Given how, while he doesn't believe in the cause, he is true to his word and protective of the Hotel, willing to speak or strike at those that harm it, it's a rather appropriate appellation regardless if it was intentional or not.
• The recurring "Ringmaster" motif for Hell's top brass, Lucifer and his family's pale make-up like complexion and being descended from Angels, the jester-like designs of the Exorcists and Imps, and the show's generally humorous nature, means that altogether, this universe is a Divine Comedy.
• We now have the leader of the Exorcists, Adam. Now, the show could be going the Supernatural route and having angels be named after Biblical figures, but if he's THAT Adam, it makes sense. What better antagonist to Charlie than her mother's ex-husband? Indeed, in "Overture" when Adam clarifies that he's "the original dick", Charlie instantly realises why her father declined to meet "Lilith's Ex" and passed it along to her (amongst numerous other reasons).
• Viv has stated Adam's robe has elements of a letterman jacket. Letterman jackets are associated with the Jerk Jock archetype, which Adam basically is on a celestial level.
• Why can't Sinners reproduce, unlike the other species of demon? They're dead, so they can't make new life.
  • The more elaborate reason dead sinners can't have children is because of Primordial Sin which all children of Adam and Eve (but not Lilith) carry. The punishment for that are death (Lilith never died), toiling with the sweat of your brow to feed yourself and painful childbirth. That punishment gets reversed in Hell: 1) sinners don't have to eat to survive, but, to quote Hob Gadling from Sandman, "Do you know how hungry a man can get if he can't die but doesn't eat?" 2) no painful childbirth because no childbirths at all. Lilith and her demonic spawn (as well as fallen angel type demons) are not under same curse/punishment: no death from old age, they can literally use magic to conjure food (Mammon produced a tub of popcorn, Bee produced both food and drink) so no sweat of their brow and they can have children (possibly without pain). That last one can also be connected to hellborn resistance to Earth narcotics and alcohol, because one of the first use of those was as painkillers for greatest possible pain of childbirth. There is even a saying in some languages "Drunk as a mother".
• It is possible that Adam went to Heaven not because he was a virtuous person who abstained from sinning but because of lack of temptation. If we go through the list of deadly sins and biblical account of what happened after The Fall, he couldn't commit any of them. Pride? Of what? He got cowed by God very hard. Greed? Gluttony? Sloth? He is forced to toil away every day for basic sustenance, there is no wealth to hoard, not enough food to gorge on, and if he is lazy he'll starve to death. Lust? There is only one woman he can lust over, that woman is Eve. We call that faithfulness in marriage. Wrath? Envy? Again, against whom? The first victim of those is Abel. He does commit every single one of them after death, though.
  • Rather fittingly, Adam has been shown to possess several of the Seven Deadly Sins from Charlie's time speaking to him. He pridefully boasts about how superior he is at things to people, lustfully talks about how he convinced another angel to sleep with him, mentions that he got annoyed over said angel wanting another one of his band members instead of him (implying he was envious he wasn't her first pick), got angry over one angel getting killed compared to the thousands of demons he kills every year and gluttonously wolfs down a pack of ribs while meeting with Charlie, is the one angel greedily wearing mostly gold clothes (and actually has golden horns as ornaments in his fashion getup), and is too lazy to make an appearance in person, instead using a hologram since he couldn't be bothered to actually talk to the princess of Hell and hear what she has to say. And, again, rather fittingly, because he's an angel, he doesn't see the irony in any of this.
    • What's even more ironic is Charlie is shown to possess all of the Seven Virtues despite being a demon and the daughter of Lucifer. Again, Adam and Lute are both such petty jackasses that they don't see the irony in this.
  • In a way, Adam can be seen as a representation of corrupt religious figures: because he's on the side of good, it means he can't be wrong, that he can get away with anything, etc while preaching to others and looking down upon them for their faults, perceived or otherwise. Conversely, Emily represents the virtuous religious figures, being kind, understanding and open-minded to all she meets, yet is quick to condemn legitimate wrongdoing even when it comes from those she previously trusted/saw as good people, even agreeing with Charlie - the Princess of Hell - that Heaven's practices aren't as lofty as they preach.
  • Ironically enough, that seems to imply Lucifer bringing Free Will and the subsequent creation of hell was in hindsight a huge improvement for everybody involved despite appearances. Because evil exists and now people would not be inherently sent to heaven just for preaching loyalty now people would be capable of understand evil and choose not to indulge into it. By resisting sin or even learning from the failures there's now the chance ascended mortals would have a chance of being actually good people who made the right choices even if the process is still far from perfect. Adam is essentially a pampered child coddled from evil so now he believes anything he does is justified. Has anyone just simply go straight to heaven without understanding evil, heaven would be probably just as much of a Crapsack World as hell currently is.
  • There's another heavenly mortal within heaven's files: St. Peter. Peter despite being Jesus' apostle was a victim of many evils in life and also made a fair share of mistakes, with his denial of Jesus being one of the most notable. He had to interact with sin and temptation for all his life and likely also making his share of blunders which he repented greatly. But rather than make him a horrible sinner those events actually made him a stronger, nicer, much more complete person. As such when he's a heaven's gate he's presented as a Nice Guy and very reasonable person unlike the sheltered Adam.
    • A subtle one, but while Adam says that he never made a mistake in his life, Peter double checks if there was a mistake with Charlie's appointment until he finds out she was correct which then he proceeds. While it is not explicitly stated, this showcases Peter is capable of admitting his mistakes. Recognizing a wrongdoing and repenting is a crucial part for salvation.
• One of the most notable signs of Angel Dust being a Jerk with a Heart of Gold is that he's genuinely protective of characters like Charlie and Niffty. This makes sense when you remember that Angel has a twin sister, Molly.
• Of all the things Charlie could establish as a place of rehabilitation, why a hotel?
  • A simple rehab clinic would not be appealing to the masses whatsoever (Charlie’s initial pitch already made her a laughingstock). Hospitals and doctor's offices are often places people associate just as much with discomfort, anxiety, pain, fear, and death as with recuperation and healing. Hell wouldn’t have good medical facilities in the Pride ring anyway. Given what we’ve seen in Helluva Boss, this sort of clinic would only temporarily pause a sinner’s worst behavior before their release back into Hell’s environment of vice and violence where they are likely to fall back into the same habits.
• Also, clinics have patients; hotels have guests. One of those means a person who's sick, maybe even completely incapacitated, and dependent on others to help them get better. The other suggests a person who's invited, welcomed, respected - even honored - and has made a choice to arrive and leave.
  • A hotel implies a pleasant yet temporary stay during a journey towards somewhere else - in particular, that eventually the guests will go home. Charlie hopes to send rehabilitated sinners to Heaven as the journey’s optimistic end. An apartment can be rented indefinitely (in theory) with no apparent destination except to continue surviving in place. Same with a boarding house. Hotels are also known for gathering its guests together for activities in its lobby, which Charlie makes use of in her daily exercises.
  • In popular culture, especially horror films, hotels are more of a Hellish concept which seems appropriate given the general spooky vibe. A Bed and Breakfast seems like more of a Heaven thing.
• Alastor's tendency to call people "my dear" isn't just him being polite — it's also a pun on his own Animal Motif, a deer.
• Why is Heaven visible in Hell's sky? Probably as another form of punishment, taunting Sinners with what they couldn't get.
  • It also brings to mind the story of the beggar and the rich man. The rich man having went to hell after a life of sin while the beggar went to heaven with Abraham. The rich man begged Abraham and the beggar for a drop of water to ease his suffering but was told that even if they could give him water, there is a chasm between heaven and hell that no man can cross.
• Why is Lucifer depicted as so much more noble and kind in this universe? It's likely that the whole "War in Heaven" narrative was the lie, because, after all, history is Written by the Winners. The Elders probably thought the story that they valiantly defeated a monster in combat would be more palpable to worshipers than tossing a naïve dreamer into a pit.
• In spite of his hate towards Alastor, Vox never really picks another fight with him in season 1 following "Radio Killed The Video Star". Well, if your Arch-Enemy hijacked your attempt to humiliate them and made you look like Hell's biggest Sore Loser, you wouldn't exactly be eager to try again, would you? This, on top of Sir Pentious screwing up as a spy, caused Vox to remember his own advice about not looking weak, causing him to decide to bide his time before he tries again.
• Why are all the Exorcists except for Adam women? It's certainly not because Adam is secretly a feminist. The real reason is pretty simple when you think about it. Adam has a very big and fragile ego, as shown when he whines about an angel wanting to sleep with a member of his band instead of with him to Charlie in episode 1. It's likely he'd see male Exorcists as potential threats to his position as the top dog. He doesn't have this problem with female exorcists because, well, he's a misogynistic douchebag.
  • Given both of his wives were seduced by another male angel, that might've also given Adam an unreasonable bias against other male angels, afraid that he might lose another woman of his if they spend enough time around another male angel.
• Crosses over with Fridge Horror, but having someone like Adam as a father would certainly explain some things about Cain.
• Meta: Alastor's kind and unkind moments all mixed together have resulted in a great deal of Alternate Character Interpretation. He has assorted Pet the Dog moments like pulling Niffty out of the toilet, but also threatens to tear Husk's soul apart for reminding him he's also on a leash. He plays himself up as Charlie's father figure, but it's probably not sincere and is just to get a rise out of Lucifer—but he does seem sincerely proud of her when she rallies the cannibal town. His verse in the finale song ("Great Alastor, altruist, died for his friends?") could suggest that he sees the other hotel residents as his friends, or perhaps that's just what he thinks others see him. This dichotomy between kicking the dog and petting the dog has caused lots of bickering out-of-universe over whether he really supports the Hotel and cares about its residents, cares about them on some level but still puts himself first, or is just using them as stepping stones in some bigger, eviler plan. Which is probably exactly what he wants. He would be amused by the chaos resulting from said bickering and would want to keep us, the audience, guessing at his true motives. In a nutshell, Alastor wants two things: attention and entertainment...so what would he enjoy more than the sounds of thousands of fans arguing over whether he's good or bad?
• Why does Vox have a shark as an Animal Motif? With his hand in Hell's technology, plus the fact that he uses it to keep an eye on his customers, he can be said to have predatory business practices.
• Charlie's entire goal is to redeem sinners and put them up into heaven. And as of S1's finale, we have Lucifier and Vaggie as fallen angels, Angel Dust as a patron of the hotel, and Sir Pentious who ascended to heaven... meaning there's a fair bit of "Charlie's Angels" going on.
• "Overture" reveals that Niffty freezes like a deer in the headlights whenever a camera is pointed at her; Alastor is a deer-like demon who despises video to the point of deliberaly glitching himself off and his prefered way of broadcast is radio, so Niffty is secure that no cameras would be around her; also, Niffty is a Motor Mouth and Alastor, while more composed, can also be quite fast and hammy with his speech. While it's ambiguous if Niffty sold her soul to him, but if she did she hit the jackpot with Alastor.
• A lot is said of Charlie being a "Disney Princess in Hell", but she's actually not the only Disney archetype flipped on its head — Adam is essentially a Disney Villain in Heaven. He's a direct foil to Charlie in both looks (Charlie being bright, colorful and having a mostly friendly, welcoming air to her; Adam being monochrome except for the gold that makes up his wings, sleeves and face, and looking noticeably more threatening and demonic even than the actual demons when wearing his mask) and personality (Charlie is a kind, optimistic Nice Girl who believes everyone can change, while Adam is an arrogant, chauvinistic Jerkass who views all sinners as lost causes who deserve to be wiped from existence); in Overture, their respective songs fit with the Disney formula as well, Charlie having a cheery, melodic number about what a happy day in Hell it is, just like a classic Disney Princess song, while Adam has a menacing, boastful rock ballad about how Hell is an eternal prison and its denizens are irredeemable, playing out like a classic Disney Villain Song. In the finale, he has a climactic final battle with the heroes that ends with him having a Villainous Breakdown upon being defeated and being killed by his own bad karma — in this case, the arrogant misogynist being killed by a willfully submissive woman (Niffty) — all very much in keeping with the way Disney Villains' character arcs play out.
• Alastor doesn't like technology and remains attached to old radio broadcast calling it “the proper medium to express oneself". He also demonstrates feeling irked at Carmilla not caring where he was during the seven years he was away, refuses to fight Adam using angelic weapons (relying on his own powers instead) and believes redemption’s impossible for any Sinner, himself included. This indicates Alastor's boredom and his moments of weakness are caused by his inability to change - despite his natural versatility, Alastor is unwilling to accept new ideas and thus unable to change and adapt to new times even when it's clear things aren't what they used to be. Vox might have been unable to defeat him, but he's still much more prevalent within the people's conscience thanks to his constantly evolving products and technology, Carmilla (unintentionally) managed to actually find a way to kill an angel by utilizing angelic weapons against them in her desire to protect her family whereas Alastor nearly died in his fight against Adam because of his own arrogance and overconfidence, and Sir Pentious, another demon who focuses in developing gadgets, made a Heroic Sacrifice which, while did failed to stop Adam, managed to prove heaven itself that redemption is possible by changing for the better thanks to the Hotel's help. Alastor's Evil Luddite tendencies are symbolic to his tendency to stagnation caused by his crippling desire to keep things as they used to be.
• In some ways, the current state of Heaven and Hell symbolically represent the world inside and outside the Garden of Eden. In Heaven, your every want and need is provided for, but you can never question the rules or disobey your superiors (in other words, do what Adam and Eve did when they ate the Fruit of Knowledge), or else you’ll be kicked out and the gates will be slammed behind you, never to open again. Hell is a place of wickedness and sin, yes, but it has free will. You’ll struggle to survive, but you can make your own life, do almost anything you want, and even challenge the established system. In short, Heaven is a place where Ignorance Is Bliss while Hell is a place of Liberty Over Prosperity.
• Keeping with sins being turned around into virtues, Sir Pentious converts fluently from a Beneath Notice Harmless Villain into an innocuous Spanner in the Works for the whole Exorcism:
  • His freedom seems based on no Overlord considering him to be a soul worthy of collecting, and is only taken in by the Vees for a one-off job to spy on the Hotel because he’s a desperate nobody with no direct ties to them that Charlie would easily take pity on. Indeed she does, even after he’s outed as a spy for the Vees.
  • His chaos and paranoia around the Hotel during his first week leads to Vaggie and Charlie taking action in two pivotal ways:
    • First, Vaggie confiscates Pentious' weapons and puts Alastor in possession of his Egg Bois. While accompanying Alastor for the day, Frank (one of the eggs) accidentally ends up following him into a meeting with his fellow Overlords, and is so Beneath Notice that he’s used by Alastor to spy on Carmilla, allowing Alastor to learn that she knows how angels can be killed - a valuable piece of information that eventually leads to the Hotel fighting back against the Exorcists six months later. As an extra insult to Vox for sending Pentious to the hotel in the first place, because Pentious doesn't believe Frank when he blabs about it when recounting his day (according to him “they say insane shit all the time!”), the knowledge remains hidden until there's only a month left until the Exorcists return, and Alastor uses Charlie’s desperation to strike a deal with her in exchange for the secret- the very thing he was trying to prevent.
    • Secondly Charlie decides to initiate a trust exercise in response to Pentious' behavior. This leads to a chaotic exercise where the group are forced to fight together in a turf war. Knowing Sir Pentious wouldn't stand a chance, Angel Dust and Husk choose to rescue him, marking their first act of camaraderie and the group starting to become True Companions.
  • After Mimzy causes loan sharks to attack the hotel, Sir Pentious rescues one of his roommates from the carnage, instantly proving Lucifer wrong about sinners. However, this goes unnoticed because he and Charlie are too busy arguing. Interestingly though, the choice of character Sir Pentious protects is Niffty, Adam's future executioner.
  • Lastly, during the battle against the Exorcists, Sir Pentious makes a selfless charge on Adam in his death machine. Since Sir Pentious is just a nameless soldier to Adam that he has no personal vendetta with (his antics kept him Out of Focus the whole court assessment), he forgoes beating him down like Alastor and Charlie and instantly vaporises him on sight. This act not only sets off the previously meek Charlie's demon form and the ensuing scuffle that allows Lucifer to intervene (because Adam attacking Charlie broke the agreement that Hellborn would be spared from Exterminations), but leads Sir Pentious to be ascended to Heaven for his Heroic Sacrifice as undisputed proof to Sera that sinners can be redeemed.
• With the exception of The Vee's who came into power while Alastor was away, all of the Overlords shown are incredibly likable. This makes sense when you remember Alastor's backstory, how he made several high ranking overlords disappear. Obviously the ones who are left are the ones Alastor decided to keep around.
  • Alternatively, they were the ones Alastor couldn't overpower, but were noble enough to spare him, hence Zestial and Carmilla's polite but ultimately unimpressed demeanor around him.
• Niffty's obsession with "bad boys" potentially explains how she found herself wrapped up with Alastor in the first place.
• The Egg Bois have zero sense of self-preservation around powerful male forces like Alastor or Zestial, but are easily intimidated by female ones like Rosie, Zeezi or the Exorcists. They replicate their master's nervousness around girls.

Pilot

• Sir Pentious apparently has a venomous bite which can make his foes incredibly sick or drugged, but he only uses it as a last resort. This does make sense, as venomous snakes rarely put any real venom into their bites due to how much energy and time it takes for them to produce it.
• Angel Dust pushing Cherri out of the way of an Egg Boi wielding a gun. It’s proof that despite sliding back into his old ways, Angel Dust really does have some good qualities and may even be a good person at heart.
• Alastor introduces himself by saying that he grew interested in the hotel when he saw Charlie's "fiasco on the picture show". On the surface it's a verbal cue to let viewers know what period of history Alastor lived through/died in, but there's further meaning to be gleaned once we learn Alastor detests all forms of modern media, especially television. He refuses to say that he watched a news broadcast and instead uses a term from his own time that he finds more acceptable, since he would have grown up with silent films that weren't a threat to his career, as opposed to the 'talkies'.
• Alastor claims he hasn’t been as entertained as he was during Charlie’s musical number since the Stock Market Crash Of 1929. From that comment, it can be gleaned that what interests Alastor isn’t just horrific events, but events that will shake or outright destroy the status quo.
• Of course Angel hasn't heard of Alastor, the Radio Demon, even though he's been in Hell for decades: Angel outright tells Vaggie he “ain’t big on politics”, and Alastor’s asexual, so he'd have no reason to pay for any services provided by a pornstar/hooker!
  • On top of that, keep in mind that Alastor's initial rampage was right after his death in 1933, while Angel didn't die and manifest in Hell for another 14 years (1947). Since Angel wasn't there to experience it, and no interest in keeping up with the politics of Hell, he had no way of knowing who Alastor was in the first place.
  • It's also worth noting that Valentino is very controlling of Angel and barely lets him leave the studio or out of his sight, so Angel may have a limited view and knowledge of Hell because of Valentino's iron grip on him.
• Poor Vaggie getting not only Angel Dust but Alastor picking on her once the latter joins the cause is pretty in-keeping with usual comedy dynamics her role as the Only Sane Man and the serious voice of reason in a cast full of characters with less-practical priorities and worldviews - but that isn't the only reason she's got a target painted on her back for the boys to mess with. Angel's kind of just a crass and mouthy guy in general most of the time, for one, but with Alastor, she's very serious and a bit gruff while Word of God states that he considers people without his ability to put on constant upbeat energy and smile in the face of anything to be weak - considering she tried to step up to him, a feared and respected warlord, as soon as he entered the hotel, his Trolling and condescension to her in particular is probably a passive-aggressive way of "putting her back in her place"; he isn't doing it just to Kick the Dog or get a laugh at her expense, but to "remind" her (in his head, at least) that not only is it unlikely she could magically/physically fight him, he's got enough "power" over the people around him to bulldoze them socially, no-damns-given, too.
• Alastor's implied Villainous Friendship with Niffty and complimentary and somewhat friendly behavior with Charlie make a lot of sense when you remember he considers, as mentioned above, a lack of a smile a sign of weakness, which means someone like Charlie who is optimistic and determined and smiles almost all the time from how brightly happy she is, and someone with a cheerful and energetic (if possibly a bit psychotic) disposition like Niffty who also smiles almost every moment we see her in the pilot, would be people he finds a bit closer to his level and/or admirable, thus why he acts more warmly towards them.
• When first talking to Charlie, Alastor is very animated and mobile. But when Vaggie points her spear at him, he freezes in place and his smile goes deadly rigid as he stares at her... exactly like a deer would do when confronted with potential danger. Also notably, Alastor uses the exact same smile when Sir Pentious blasts a hole in the Hotel, indicating that this specific smile is what he uses when he's assessing a particular threat.
  • Alternatively, considering his horrific demonstration of signal jamming power, his explicit admittance that he could've killed them all if he just wanted, and his Slasher Smile (not unlike what he gave after nonchalantly summoning an Eldritch Abomination to drag Sir Pentious into the abyss), it could be because he realized that unlike the cautiously optimistic Charlie and apathetic Angel Dust, Vaggie needed to see a serious threat.
  • There’s another aspect of Alastor’s constant smiling. While humans tend to smile to show happiness or to comfort, predatory animals tend to only show their teeth when they’re aggressive or attempting to be scary (Such as predatory mammals like wolves and bears; even great apes don't show their teeth when they smile unless they're threatening something or someone). Alastor’s smile isn’t meant to comfort others, but literally imply that he’s a predator.
  • On another note, Alastor is literally giving a constant Predatory Gaze, an expression that many sociopaths give off that’s typically described as vaguely amicable but subtly threatening, and involves a bit too much eye contact. The Gaze is an attempt on the person's behalf to appear more sincere, or at least intimidating to others. Given that he’s a serial killer, it makes sense that he’d do this.
• A very subtle one is when Charlie first accepts his help, Alastor rolls his eyes at the mention of "voodoo strings". It's not just him dismissing her cautiousness, she unwittingly insulted his Creole heritage. Voodoo is a legitimate religion practiced by many Louisiana Creole people and is constantly bastardized and reduced to broad stereotypes in pop culture, so he's rolling his eyes at Charlie's ignorance, not her trying to outwit him.
• During his Dark Reprise of Charlie's "Inside Every Demon There's a Rainbow", Alastor very noticeably, very deliberately avoids using the rhymes "hell" or "hotel" - the most immediately obvious ones for the situation. Instead, he playfully reaches out for more surprising words, like "belle" and "dwell". This is a clever way of demonstrating his experience as an entertainer. Furthermore, his version of the song lacks Charlie's spastic, almost incomprehensibly fast sounding montage segments. Why? Because he's a radio entertainer - Charlie's part only worked because she was doing it on a visual medium, with the montage providing funny context for her words. Alastor keeps the song in the words and music, like a trained singer from before the age of video clips.
• Charlie refusing to make a deal with Alastor but instead allowing him to stay and do as he wish for as long as he desires actually helps sell the point of her hotel, as by not being legally bound by a contract, any "good deed" Alastor might do for the Hazbin will come from his own goodwill rather than obligation. Exactly what the Hazbin is supposed to promote among demons on their path for possible redemption (albeit unknowingly in Alastor's case, if so).
• Alastor bringing in a bar to the Hazbin isn't actually that bad of an idea for a "redemption-rehab" since the path of redemption isn't about "walking a path without temptation", but "walking a path resisting all temptation" (as how Jesus walked the desert with the devil as travel company and resisting it all the way through despite all the vices the latter offered him). Having a bar would allow the guests to show progress by giving them the choice of refusing to drink rather than being forbidden to do so by someone else's choice.
  • Not only that, but weaning someone off of bad habits (like alcohol), gradually scaling back its use over time, is generally healthier both physically and psychologically than just going cold turkey.
  • "Blessed is the one who resists temptation" is at full force here. Besides, what happens later, if the demon gets redeemed and sent to Heaven and they get tempted by something in Heaven? Will they be killed or just kicked out/fall again if they don't resist that temptation? We know that even angels can fall.
• When Vaggie warns Charlie about getting involved with Alastor, Charlie admits she knows it's a bad idea, but turning Alastor away would go against her cause and reasons for starting the hotel in the first place. Which is precisely the kind of argument a "dealmaker" like Alastor (or indeed, Charlie's own father Lucifer) would use to guilt-trip Charlie into taking his offer if she did try to turn him away.
• Sir Pentious' Bad Boss tendencies can be explained by the fact that he's from the Victorian era. In the 19th century, what modern people would consider cruelty towards employees by big business was sadly all too common.
• Sir Pentious being a cobra demon makes perfect sense when his personality is taken into account. Cobras, despite being infamous and widely feared as a family having some of the deadliest types of snakes in the world, are actually surprisingly cowardly animals for the most part who brandish their shields whenever they're feeling threatened, not confident, using them to try to intimidate a stronger opponent. Sir Pentious is no exception, making his demonic form a Karmic Transformation.
• After the whole news station laughs at Charlie for musically explaining her Happy Hotel, only one demon in the Booing Section even manages to (half-heartedly) boo her. It may seem like a quick Bait-and-Switch gag, but it shows that Charlie's redemption idea isn't quite as universally despised as it appears on the surface, but for now most demons don't want to show interest in it since they fear it'll get them mocked and ridiculed at best by other demons. This also sets up that her "Hazbin Hotel" will get customers in the future, giving enough material for a whole show.
• Why does Alastor so blithely agree to Charlie's terms? Her Exact Words were, "I hereby order you to help with this hotel... for as long as you desire," but she doesn't add a proviso along the lines of "until I order you to stop" or "until your actions hinder our long-term goal of redeeming sinners", giving him room for Loophole Abuse. While they didn't shake hands and it's not set in stone, nevertheless if he does have an ulterior motive, later he can more easily throw her words back in her face if she tries to tell him to Get Out!, or suspects that his actions are hurting her cause but can't prove he's doing it on purpose.
• Alastor renaming the "Happy Hotel" to the "Hazbin Hotel" at the very end of the pilot is more than a Title Drop, it's emblematic of the kind of "help" he's aiming to provide. The new name changes the hotel from a place for hateful, miserable demons to become happy into a place for tough and respected demons to become "has-beens," considering how even Angel Dust isn't very open about "going clean" for fear of it affecting his reputation. Alastor hopes to not only watch demons despair at being unable to truly find redemption, but watch them lose whatever shred of respect they once had in Hell in the process.
• Why would the picture of Angel Dust on Katie's show have censorship considering they're in Hell and no one would care? Because Katie likes to act as if she has standards and Valentino probably wouldn't let the studio have any uncensored footage of Angel's movies if he couldn't make money off of it.
• Angel shows little interest in going clean, and tells Cherri that he just plays nice with the "redemption" program to get a free room. However, the "ADDICT" music video reveals that he's secretly miserable under his Bad Boss Valentino, who regularly sexually assaults and financially abuses him. So, it's easy to see why Charlie's hotel would be appealing: He's so miserable that going clean is the one thing he hasn't tried yet and is quietly hopeful that it might work. If not, then at the very least a free hotel that he can stay in for as long as he wants is well within his (limited) price range, and would give him some time away from the studio and Val.
• Katie Killljoy's overbloated ego of herself as the head anchor of News 666 is probably her compensating for the fact that in her previous life she was a failed newscaster. This could also be a reason why she demeans Charlie as being a failure, since it's quite common for bullies to belittle other people so that they can feel better about themselves.
• If the events of "ADDICT" and/or the split-second flashbacks inside take place before the pilot, Angel Dust helping Cherri out makes a lot more sense when this line is taken into consideration:
  Angel Dust: I owed my girl buddy a solid!
• Alastor's sudden appearance at the hotel scares Charlie so much that she's momentarily paralyzed. In other words, he made her freeze up like a deer in the headlights.
  • His eyes are also glowing brightly when she first sees him, not unlike the headlights of a car.
  • Why is Charlie so scared of Alastor despite being so much more powerful than a sinner like him? Just because she's stronger than him, doesn't make him any less creepy. It's similar to how the average person will still freak out over a tiny, easily squishable house spider.
    • Along with the above, Charlie is likely (and there is apparently Word of God backing some of this) of both The Fettered and Unskilled, but Strong when it comes to using her power for violent purposes, as she doesn't show any indication of using it for that when she fights Katie Killjoy, so someone like Alastor, who is both much less restrained, more knowledgeable, and looks and acts terrifying would understandably make her very uneasy.
• With the knowledge of hindsight, the outfit that Alastor gives Vaggie during "Inside of Every Demon Is A Lost Cause" makes her heavily resemble Susan, the local nuisance in Cannibal Town who is known for being a grumpy hater. In other words, Alastor dressing Vaggie that way was a huge Stealth Insult on his part and yet another instance of him screwing with her, even if she didn't realize it.

Overture

• Charlie mentions that Lilith empowered demonkind with her voice and songs in the Storybook Opening. Given the implied Reality Warper abilities of her daughter, this could be an In-Universe explanation for why the damned seem so fond of bursting into song out of nowhere.
• Adam is seen scarfing down on BBQ ribs during the meeting. It's a subtle reference to lore: Eve (and presumably Lilith) were created from his.
  • Lilith was explicitly not created from a rib, but from the same clay as Adam, which is why she is not submissive to him. That's a common part of the Lilith myth not unique to the show.
• When Vaggie says she will fix the commercial in post Angel Dust asks her if she knows what that even means. He's a (pornographic) actor, so he has reason to pose that question. This is also the same reason why he didn't need a script (at least, not as much as Husk).
• Adam calls himself "the original dick" and that "all dicks descend from [him]". While he's obviously referring to "dick" as slang for "penis", considering his Jerkass behavior going back to Eden and the fact that Sinners are his descendants, the statement could apply to the other definition of "dick".
• Lute mentions Lucifer bargained for the hellborn demons to be exempt from the Exterminations. This is likely to give an in-universe explanation as to why the characters of the sister show don't have to worry about the Exorcists.
  • Additionally, it also makes sense that they're all immune. If Sera is afraid of the sinners trying to rise up against Heaven, imagine how much worse it would be if a Goetia or one of the Seven Deadly sins decided to join in. Thus, Hellborn (and thus, Hell's more powerful residents) are immune and have no reason to seek vengeance.
• Charlie emerging into her full demon form when the commercial gets interrupted may seem like a funny overreaction, but she was having a really crappy day.
• Of course Adam wouldn't listen to Charlie. Imagine the daughter of the two people that got you kicked out of paradise, one being your ex-wife and the other is one whom she ran away with, asking you to hear her out. Would you?
• Charlie's use of the word "schlepp" becomes a lot more interesting when you remember that Lilith originates from Jewish folklore.
• Upon first meeting Adam and stating how he isn't at the meeting in person because of how awful Hell is, he does compliment the realm by saying that he loves their music. The Storybook Opening explained that Lilith was the one who inspired Hell with her music, its possible that one of the ways that Adam desired control over her is by making Lilith sing for him back when they were the first man and women. This also hints that not only is he not over his first wife leaving him, but foreshadows the deal they made in the past to allow Lilith in Heaven.

Radio Killed the Video Star

• When Alastor sends Pentious blasting off like Team Rocket in retaliation for tearing his coat, he lets out an elk bugle - it’s a nice nod to his deer nature, and that he’s not just some cute innocent Bambi. Elk are one of the biggest in the deer family and incredibly dangerous when provoked, just like his full demonic form that he shifts into during the end of “Stayed Gone.”
• Of course Vox has such a hatred of Alastor (beyond their general "Radio vs. TV" aesthetics). Vox controls every form of entertainment in Hell, so not only can he keep an eye on everyone, but he can use his broadcasts to literally control the masses. Meanwhile, Alastor hates all forms of modern media (especially TV), and he also claims that Vox is butthurt because he (Alastor) turned down an offer to join the Vees. Vox hates Alastor because he can't control him.
  • Also, most television programming requires radio waves to function, even modern ones. Alastor's the Radio Demon. Vox's entire gimmick is intruding on Alastor's turf.
• In the Abrahamic faith, specifically the Christianity branch, salvation really is as easy as realizing you did wrong, your actions were evil, and saying you're sorry you did them. While there might be more steps in the Hazbin Hotel universe to salvation, repentence really is the first step towards becoming a better person.
• The scene featuring "It Starts with Sorry" is a borderline reenactment of the story of Jesus and the adulterous woman. Vaggie and Angel want to kill Pentious, but Charlie won't let them because they've both done things just as bad. Charlie, as the sole resident of Hell who is actually sinless, COULD condemn Pentious, but chooses forgiveness. As a result, Pentious decides he will seek redemption.
  • Adds further Brilliance to Vaggie relenting upon this. As a former Exorcist who kept her past secret from Charlie, she really isn't so different from Sir Pentious.
• Alastor claims Vox wouldn't have anywhere near as much power as he has now if he wasn't allied with Valentino and Velvette, something the two's reactions implies is true. While Velvette makes sense, considering she seems to be in charge of Hell's social media, why would Valentino be so vital? Like Angel said in the last episode, Sex Sells.
• Alastor and Vox are obviously Foils to each other, as they mirror each other in various ways.
  • Vox talks quickly loudly with a lot of buzzwords, much like a news reporter because that’s how television usually stays on air, getting people’s attention and keeping eyes on the screen. You’ll also notice lots of flashy visuals on Vox’s broadcast, and it even takes away some attention and legibility of what Vox is trying to say. Alastor however speaks much more clearly and eloquently, as on the Radio, speech is everything. Stuttering and mumbling have no place on the radio, and every word matters. Vox is all flash and no substance, Alastor has spades of substance with style to boot.
• You'll also notice despite Television seeming to dominate, Radio as a medium simply won’t go down. Despite all the screens used in real life, people still tune into radio at various times, like on a long drive. Also, Alastor is way more powerful and comfortable in actual combat. Radios have been a crucial tool in the military for decades, but you’d hardly find a television out in a war zone. Screens are used mostly by civilians.
• Despite being an Evil Luddite, Alastor knows and uses modern terms like "podcast" and "That's the tea"; while he's clear he hates modern technology, video most of all, as a radio host he's bound to know how fast language evolves, so he's got to stay on touch with the lingo his audience uses.
  • Alastor knowing what a podcast is also makes sense since, like radio, podcasts are an audio-only format. Some podcasts even use the framing device of radio, such as Welcome to Night Vale.

Scrambled Eggs

• During Respectless, Velvette says that "[she] won't be swipin' right" in reference to Tinder. As soon as she finishes the lyric, the camera smears to the right, but since the camera is focused on her, she would see it as smeering to the left.
• By the end of the Overlord meeting, specifically the end of Velvette and Carmilla's Quarreling Song, Alastor cheerfully exclaims, "That was a productive meeting!" To the rest of the Overlords, this may have seemed like Al was just breaking the tension but to someone like him, it definitely was productive, thanks to the developments that were revealed. In other words, Alastor was being completely sincere about his feelings and was technically correct to boot.
• Husk complimenting Sir Pentious becomes even more heartwarming when the next episode revealed Husk was a former Overlord, meaning that, in a way, Sir Pentious did get an Overlord's approval.
• Sir Pentious making a weapon makes sense as just the previous episode he was revealed to be a traitor. Not to mention the current behavior of the others does nothing to make him comfortable.
• Velvette is the one who notices Carmilla's distressed expression when the severed head of the exorcist angel is presented. As a fashion designer, she would need to have an eye for minor details that otherwise might be missed.

Masquerade

• A Freeze-Frame Bonus shows Angel's contract with Valentino has Angel's real name "Anthony" signed. In some lore, one can control a demon by knowing their real name.
• Husk getting through to Angel Dust in the manner he does makes a considerable amount of sense when it's taken into account that the first step to overcoming drug addiction is usually getting the addict to acknowledge they even have a problem. Angel hasn't been able to get better despite having some genuine interest because he's been utterly refusing to admit he has a problem to fix, the moment he does his mood drastically improves as does his motivation.
• Husk being a former overlord. The fact that Alastor brought in at least one, and possibly two, former overlord(s) to work at the hotel adds more depth to him renaming it from the Happy Hotel to the Hazbin Hotel.
  • Being a former overlord also explains why Husk has so much going on design-wise. He's not only a humanoid cat, but his appearance also has wings, massive eyebrows, elements of a tuxedo, and playing card motifs. Compare this to, say, Angel Dust or Cherri Bomb, whose designs don't have quite that many different inspirations/elements. Even if shabby, Husk's design looks a little excessive for an average sinner demon, but it fits much better for a character who has/used to have plenty of supernatural power.
• Angel Dust's fear for Charlie's safety in dealing with Valentino is based on her kind nature. Being so nice, Angel underestimates her abilities, despite being more powerful than Valentino. This arguably foreshadows Charlie's struggle in her fight with Adam in "The Show Must Go On".
• Angel Dust and Husk's bond may not stem just from their both being under contract to Overlords. Angel Dust died in the 1940s when he was in his 30s. Husk, meanwhile, died in the 1970s while in his 60s or 70s. If you do the math, the two of them were born roughly around the same time period.

Dad Beat Dad

• Fittingly for someone who is the Deadly Sin of Pride, Lucifer's main issues in his relationship with Charlie stem from being too proud to admit how much he loves her directly until the events of the episode.
  • Another trait of pride he has also involves his relationship with Charlie, refusing to accept Charlie needs anyone's help but his. But Lucifer's help basically amounts to "I will give you anything you want because I'm the strongest being in hell" which misses the point Charlie is making while Alastor offers more indirect methods to accomplishing Charlie's goals that are more likely to succeed than just forcing everyone to do what you want.
  • Alastor playing up being a fatherly substitute to Charlie hurts Lucifer's pride of being her father.
  • From the start, it's clear that Lucifer never went out of his way to physically visit Charlie. One reason is, as he stated, depression. But it's also characteristically very prideful of him to not show up until Charlie is the one to take action and explicitly invite him to the hotel (this also plays with the trope of inviting evil into an abode).
  • And the resolution of their strained relationship makes sense as well; by opening up to Charlie about his failures and insecurities, Lucifer displays Humility; the opposite of Pride, and the only true antidote to shame. What is more, this opening up allows him to see Charlie for who she truly is, and fall into the more virtuous side of his Sin by taking due Pride in his daughter and how she is following in his footsteps.
  • Even his Establishing Character Moment also shows his pride in action. He makes a rubber duck that can backflip and breathe fire...which he then throws aside like trash in a few seconds. Anyone else will be impressed by such a feat of engineering and creativity but Lucifer's pride set such a high standard that not even this can remotely impress him.
  • Lucifer is also shown to be rather depressed and the reasons are fairly numerous: he was kicked out of Heaven for defying the rules, in Hell he's only able to see humanity at its worst because of his own mistakes, he lost his wife and grew estranged from his own daughter...he probably believes he’s hit rock bottom. The audience can see how miserable he really is, yet as the phone call goes, Lucifer goes out of his way to pretend he's totally fine, that he's been doing important thing that kept him busy and puts a jovial mask all the way through. Lucifer's pride is so high it forbids him to even openly admit to his daughter that he’s miserable and needs a lot more help and confort that he lets on, acting high and mighty during his song with Alastor and putting smiles and exhuberance to cover up the fact he's trying so hard to not fall into despair. It's only at the end when he decides to be humble when Charlie can finally see that beneath the apparent aloofness, her father was actually in emotional pain and yet he still loved her despite everything when Lucifer finally gets a chance to get the appreciation he desperately needed. Sometimes depressed people are often prone to believe they're supposed to be fine and use arrogance to not be perceived as whiny, often avoiding seeking help because they just can't accept their own feelings of sadness or anger.
• Lucifer's latest hobby is making a lot of rubber ducks, which may seem silly and out-of-nowhere if you don't realize the "Ugly Ducking" motif involved, but what's one of the most common things that rubber ducks are used for in modern times? To help highlight to infants and young children that certain things are fun, such as bath toys or pictures on children's books. Ie, subconsciously or otherwise, Lucifer desires to return to a time where creativity is fun (rather than depressing).
  • There is also a bit of a Stealth Pun with Lucifer's rubber duck motif: In Revelations the Devil is described as taking the form of a 7 headed dragon, and male ducks are called Drakes.
  • Additionally, he was apparently one of the Seraphim, judging by his six wings, and they seem to have an avian motif.
  • During the flashback in "More than Anything" Lucifer is showing Charlie a duck, which then transforms into a six-winged swan surrounded by stars, that might be what his angelic form looked like.
• There is a more symbolic reason behind Alastor's and Lucifer's mutual dislike between each other, in biblical lore the stag is meant to represent Christ while Lucifer is represented by the snake.
• Charlie seems to be fooled a little too easily when Alastor claims they’ve bonded so much since they’ve met, to the point Charlie can consider him a fatherly figure in her life. Well, Charlie being so innocent, pure, and full of goodness means she’s far more likely to believe she really did change Alastor for the better than questioning why Alastor is suddenly acting like they’re such close friends.
  • Additionally, despite her stagnancy with the Hotel's success, Charlie had actually managed to win over everyone else to the idea by this point. Sir Pentious and Niffty took to Charlie rather quickly, and Angel Dust and Husk had begun taking the Hotel seriously last episode through some Character Development she was mostly absent seeing. She may have simply assumed that Alastor had succinctly got on board like everyone else.
  • When Husk mentions what kind of ramblings the characters go whenever they get drunk, he points out Charlie has a tendency to try to fix everyone else's problems except her own. In a way, Charlie would rather accept Alastor's help regardless of the questionable sincerity and good will, as long as she can escape from having to actually confront her own father over her own family issues. Indeed, Charlie only starts calling out Alastor's BS after she gets some closure with her old man, as well as finding out that her father had good reasons to be worried about the viability of the project, considering what she learned about Heaven later on.
• Lucifer's Yelp reviews are read by puppets, suggesting that he uses sock puppets to post fake reviews.
• Why is Alastor genuinely smiling during "More Than Anything"? It's a wholesome father-daughter duet that reminds him of his mother.
• When Charlie invites Lucifer over, he's overjoyed and says he'll be there in an hour, but at the end of the episode we see him teleport away. Some fans wonder why he didn't just do that after her phone call, but there's a simple reason: popping over so suddenly could've made him look desperate (which his pride wouldn't allow), and/or possibly irritated Charlie because he dropped in without giving her any time to prepare. Ergo, he wanted to make a good impression.
• Lucifer and Alastor share their Fatal Flaw of Pride, yet their manners to demonstrate the sin notably go into opposite ways. Alastor constantly seeks attention and goes on his way to achieve any sensation of respect, fear and/or reverence, massacring Overlords to broadcast their screams, and his feud with Vox is essentially a fight between two Attention Whores trying to upstage each other. Lucifer, on the other hand, is a shut-in so disillusioned with Sinners that he’s written them off as a lost cause, rarely acknowledges anyone outside his personal social circle, makes a lot of crafts that he dosen’t share, and even his body language demonstrates a lack of connection for other people - he feels only he and his family are deserving of any attention, and as such he rarely flexes unless he needs to, like when trying to regain the appreciation of Charlie. Despite sharing the same sin, Lucifer and Alastor are total foils to each other.
  • Lucifer and Alastor could be considered two sides of artists and creators. Alastor is a celebrity, Lucifer is a Reclusive Artist.

Welcome to Heaven

• We see Molly, Angel Dust's sister, as among the virtuous souls in Heaven. Fitting for an episode partially dedicated to showing how much Angel has improved as a person.
  • This also gives another layer to why he's stayed with the hotel through everything; it's a chance to see his sister again.
• According to the official trading cards, Earthborn angels are called "Winners". Come the reveal that Heaven's standards are bizarre and unknowable, this post proposes that they're called Winners because they "won" a game of cosmic chance. It is also the perfect "-inner" noun to act as the foil for Hell's Sinners.
  • It also adds some extra irony to Sir Pentious, perpetual Butt-Monkey, Harmless Villain and "miserable failure", being the first sinner to redeem themselves and "win" said game despite the dubious rules against them.
• Heaven (or at least it's Exorcist army) is shown to utterly despise free will. Vaggie acted against her orders in sparing the demon child, which may have been the biggest reason they exiled her to Hell.
• Almost all of the Exorcists' masks have an X over the right eye which is probably a reference to Matthew 5:29. "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." Meanwhile we see with Vaggie's mask the left eye is instead crossed out and it's the same eye that is gouged out before she is left for dead by Lute and Adam. So basically, Vaggie was cast into hell after her left eye was gouged out and leaving her sinful right eye.
• In the pilot, Vaggie threatened Alastor despite it seemingly being vastly one-sided, yet her Fallen Angel origins shows why she felt she had a chance in the first place. Even if she's not as powerful as Lucifer, Vaggie wields a LOT more power than the average sinner (perhaps even the Overlords), and thus felt that she could at least take a few hits from Alastor in a fight.
• In the previous episode, while singing a duet with her father, Charlie sings she's also trying to accomplish her goal because of her friends and Vaggie is given extra focus. This episode reveals that the couple first met during or just after an Annual Extermination Day, with Vaggie having been heavily injured by Lute. Charlie assumed Vaggie had been a Sinner harmed by one of the Exterminators. As such, the reason she lingered more on Vaggie in the previous episode's song is because Vaggie was the only one among the group who she witnessed be hurt by the Extermination.
• Why is the focus of Charlie's presentation Angel Dust and not Sir Pentious, even though they're both guests at the Hotel? Because once Pentious became an actual guest, he became genuinely committed to redeeming himself. Angel, on the other hand, took longer to open up and actually get serious about becoming a better person. Since Charlie's goal was to prove to Heaven that her plan to rehabilitate sinners was possible, she probably figured the most effective way to show that was to highlight that even someone who was initially reluctant to improve could actually improve.
• Charlie should have smelled something fishy as soon as Adam put "stick it to the man" on the list. After all, not only did Adam have no one to "stick it to" since he's the Original Man, but that's what Lillith did and she was literally demonized for it.
• After Angel Dust tells off Valentino, Niffty manages to rip off a bit of Val's fur collar. One of Niffty's favorite activities is to chase and kill bugs. And what kind of demon is Valentino?
• Valentino's Freak Out in Episode 2 over Angel Dust moving to Charlie's hotel instead of continuing to live in his studio makes a lot more sense when it's revealed that Angel's contract stipulates that Valentino only has control over him while he's in the studio. Of course a Control Freak like Val would hate having his "favorite toy" be able to slip the leash for even a few hours a day.
• The Reveal of Vaggie's status as a Fallen Angel also adds some context to Alastor's treatment of her. In general, from what we've seen in the comics, he's perfectly courteous - if still a bit of a troll - with weaker people so long as they don't try to mess with him, but while dealing with people who could actually tangle with him in a fight, he's much more dedicated to screwing with them and poking at their insecurities (Lucifer about being a good father, Vox about being a Worthy Opponent, and Husk about his contract). Since Vaggie isn't just another Sinner, and is a former Exorcist - a group that, in the history of all Exterminations, has only ever had one casualty - he similarly spends his time poking at her insecurities.
• Lute's name takes on a new meaning with the reveal that Adam seems to have personally named each Exorcist. The lute is a very old stringed instrument, likely going back to the time Adam was alive, and its also an ancient precursor to the guitar which Adam now plays. Which implies that he played the lute when he was human. This would indicate that Lute was likely the very first Exorcist. Which also explains her zealousness and personal loyalty to the jackass.
• The Reveal that Hell is in fact not built off of evil retroactively makes Helluva Boss humanizing the populace of Hell outside of the Pride Ring make more sense. They're not born evil and have the freedom to be good, just like the angels aren't born good and can make the choice to be bad.
• With the exception of a few, most of the angels in the courthouse resemble birds and bugs. Those animals fly through the air like angels do.
• When Charlie and Vaggie pass by Adam and Lute in Heaven, Adam spits out his drink and asks, "What's she doing here?" While viewers would initially think this was referring to Charlie, as in, "What's Lucifer's daughter doing in Heaven?", it was actually referring to Vaggie, as in, "What's that Exorcist we cast out doing back in Heaven?" This is evidenced by the fact that Adam goes to confront Vaggie rather than Charlie before the trial.
• Why does Vaggie still use the name Adam gave her? One of Adam's gifts in Eden was the ability to name things, which he used to name creatures. She literally can't change the name just the pronunciation. Doubles as fridge horror for her (and anyone else Adam abused that privilege upon).
• Cherri Bomb's rather forward in asking Angel Dust to keep up a night of drinking and partying, but this goes further than simply wanting to get high. Cherri has known Angel for awhile, and so must realize that drinking and partying is the latter's coping mechanism, so she's really trying to get him to feel better by supporting him do so. And thus when he doesn't in-episode, she's concerned in her own way, perhaps wondering if tonight he simply can't cope and that something bad might happen with him. Plus, it's only after Angel sticks it to Valentino that she sees Angel is legitimately trying to change - as opposed to just pretending to go along with the hotel, like she might've thought in the past - at which point she drops the pressure.
• While Adam mostly just refers to Sera as his "boss" and his "manager", the way she talks to him sounds more like a scolding mother. Why? Because in a certain sense, she is his mother — the show's prologue very strongly implies that she's the one who created him.
• Of course Charlie would be upset upon realizing that Heaven doesn't know what allows a soul to ascend: the whole point of her project is to get sinners there by redeeming themselves, and she's been struggling for months to figure out why her plans and activities didn't help Angel and Sir Pentious ascend. Her hopes of heaven cooperating by telling her what's needed to get into Heaven was not only All for Nothing, but also fueled her frustration.
• Adam could've learned who Angel Dust is during one of his yearly extermination visits to Hell, but it's much more likely he researched "angel porn" and found Valentino's films.

Hello Rosie

• Charlie believes in redemption so it makes sense that she would forgive her for being a former exorcist but as she put it she told everything to Vaggie and she is Lucifer's daughter. She must have been worried about how a former human would react to see the daughter of Lucifer, so to her Vaggie wasn't honest with Charlie like the latter was.
• Rosie acts surprised to see Alastor, asking him where he's been. At first this seems like a plot hole - they were both at the meeting of the Overlords, so we know that she knows he's back in Pentagram City. Then it becomes apparent during "For the First Time in Our Lives" that she and Alastor are plotting something to do with Charlie. It was a performance for Charlie's benefit to prevent her from realizing how tightly the two are in cahoots.
• The cannibals are partially motivated to protect the Hotel so they can taste angel flesh. Alastor in "Scrambled Eggs" expressed interest in eating the Exorcist head. Another thing he has in common with them.
• Vaggie getting back her wings seems weird, but her wings are something she earned when she entered heaven. Neither Lute nor Adam had the right to take them away from her and getting them back is a proof that Vaggie was a good person all along. There's also the fact that Lucifer retained his six wings, as seen two episodes ago.
  • Unlike her eye, her wings were ripped out by hand instead of being cut of by Lute's sword, thus weren't a permanent injury. More than likely, they were also held back by her own self-hatred (and regular hatred toward the angels for threatening them), as they only reappeared once she resolved to fight for love instead of vengeance.
• Cannibals retained no animalistic trait aside from fangs, reflection of their sins of eating fellow humans. After all, you are what you eat. Maybe that's why Jeffrey Dahmer looks so human.
• The fact sinners can't die and would regenerate from any wounds unless killed by angelic weapons is likely why despite there being so many cannibals, there's still ample food to feed a whole town of them.
• Another reason why no one tried to use angelic weapons against the Exorcists until now is the same reason why you do not cast fireballs at a fire elemental. The demons think that holy attacks wouldn't work against angels while handling holy stuff would kill them! Even Carmilla's kill which set things in motion was due to dumb luck with her angelic coated legs.
  • Also there is the fact that if it doesn't work the demon would be facing an Exorcist and be killed, no one wanted to take the risk that it would not work on them.
  • The fact that there's a metal that can permanently kill a soul. If it can work on sinners, there's no reason why it shouldn't also work on Winners like the Exorcists.
• Why was Carmine only able to kill one angel in spite of being surrounded? Chances are, the others were scared off after seeing her kill one of their comrades, who they believed to be invincible.
• Why did Vaggie not mention her mutilation to Charlie and come up with the idea that the Exorcists can be hurt by their own weapons beforehand? Charlie spent the whole aftermath sulking in her room. By the time she had the chance, Charlie already made a deal with Alastor and learnt about the dead Exorcist from him, leaving with him to get the numbers needed.
• Even if Vaggie told everyone about how Exorcists can be killed by angelic steel based on her own fall, Vaggie would still have other reasons to see Carmilla:
  • To check if it was some previously unknown method rather than the obvious.
  • Learn about the flaws in her (and by extension the Exorcist’s), fighting style so that other Sinners can fight them off effectively.
  • Obtain Carmilla's inventory of angelic weapons to arm the defenders.
• It is also possible that Vaggie genuinely didn't realize that an angelic weapon in a demon's hands is enough to hurt an angel. The experience of having her eye gouged out and wings chopped off was certainly more than traumatic, and she definitely wouldn't have wanted to dwell in it and retrace events. She may have associated angelic weapons with angels and demon-killing so strongly that it just didn't occur to her that a demon wielding an angelic weapon could also harm an angel!
  • This is further confirmed by Adam's surprised reaction towards the Hotel alliance killing angels with angelic weapons; not even he, the Exorcist leader, realized how double-edged their weaponry was!
• Why do all the cannibals have Black Eyes of Crazy, white skin, and sharp teeth as a unifying feature? Well, Wendigos, which are often considered to be born from committing cannibalism, are described by Native American scholars as having pale skin, sharp teeth, and eyes sunken deep into their sockets.

The Show Must Go On

• As we saw in the sister series one fatal sin can damn you to hell. So it makes perfect sense that a heroic sacrifice can redeem you.
  • After all, “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
• It was a snake that first tempted Eve. Fittingly, it's a snake that is the first sinner in hell to be redeemed.
  • Even more so, seraphim are often held to be celestial serpents - naturally, the living proof that even post-mortem redemption is possible and there can be peace between Heaven and Hell looks like the highest caste of angel. Also traditionally Seraphims are thought to represent God's love and what motif does Sir Pentious angel form has? Hearts.
• Going from Mrs. Mayberry going to hell for killing her husband before committing suicide in front of her students and Pentious going to heaven after committing a Heroic Sacrifice, it can be deduced that one requirement for where a soul goes can be safely assumed to be how they died, whether they died for themselves or others. Mrs. Mayberry may have led a virtuous life but her final moments were spent selfishly, killing her husband for cheating on her and rather than give herself up to the authorities, chose the easy way out and traumatized her class by killing him, maiming Martha, and committing suicide in front of them. Her last actions while alive were spent in extreme selfishness without care for how it affected others, which was enough to damn her to hell. Pentious, meanwhile, may have been a sinner already damned to hell but his sacrifice was anything but selfish. This could also explain why some evil (by our standards) individuals are in heaven instead of hell since they're willing to sacrifice their lives for people they care about.
• Lucifer teases Adam that both of Adam's wives preferred him to Adam. According to Christian mythology, Eve ended in Hell while Adam went to Heaven and Primordial Sin is sometimes called "Sin of Eve". Now, when Eve died, she might have been the first human being who died and went to Hell, while the others were fallen angels and very much alive (and probably immortal) Lilith. Hell wasn't much of a place of punishment then, with most of it being punishment of "being away from God's presence and grace" and distinct lack of torture. So Lucifer treated Eve kindly, unlike Adam to whom she was forced to be subservient to in life. Eve is also not the first human to die after The Fall, that is Abel, but being the one who pleased God and a murder victim, he probably went to Heaven.
  • Ironically Abel is implied to have went to Hell, because Adam was stated to be the first human soul to end up in Heaven.
  • Or that whole Cain and Abel murder thing happened after Adam and Eve's death. Chronology is a tad unclear, and it is not known how the show follows it. Lilith is the first created human who ended up in Hell (alive), Adam was first human who died and went to Heaven in the show. The first human who died and went to Hell could be either Eve, Abel (after his murder) or Cain. If Cain and Abel's story happened after the death of Adam and Eve, then the first dead human in Hell was Eve.
  • There's also the interpretation that Abel wasn't the first person to ever die, he was the first victim of murder, when Eve eats the fruit, one of the first things she learns is that she is "doomed to die" because eating the fruit made her mortal.
• In his final moments, Adam has an A God Am I moment, ranting to the assembled Sinners that they should be worshipping him because he’s “the fucking man” who “started everything on Earth”, outright calling his own descendants “ungrateful, disgusting, fucking losers.” At that moment, Adam breaks the first law of the Ten Commandments - Thou shalt have no other gods before me - and gets stabbed In the Back by Niffty, who's just as (if not more) Ax-Crazy than him, going down as easily as anyone else killed by angelic weaponry because he's not God - he's just a man.
  • And not only did he not start everything on Earth, he's a selfish, misogynistic, self-absorbed Jerkass and abusive father who feels entitled to his offspring’s admiration and respect just because they came from him, despite being directly (the sadistic Exterminations Sinners endure were his idea because he’s a Sadist who enjoys killing them just for being demons), and indirectly (his sexism and desire to control Lilith drove her to run away from the Garden of Eden, setting off the chain of events that led to the creation of Hell and Earth becoming the way we see it in Helluva Boss) responsible for their suffering.
  • It also shows Adam's inflated ego and overblown sense of self-importance over being the Original Man. He brags about it constantly like it makes him “special” or “better” than everyone else (an attitude no doubt encouraged by Sera and the other angels that created him), but it doesn't - there’s literally nothing about him that makes him unique from any other human that came after him except for the fact that he came first.
  • And during his fight with Alastor, he arrogantly boasts that a “mortal” soul like his is “no match" for him, conveniently forgetting that he’s a mortal soul himself.
• Why does Sir Pentious get booted straight to the Seraphim when he ascends rather than go through Saint Peter? He wouldn't be in Peter's log book, being a former Sinner and having died twice. Heaven has no idea where to send him so it left the job to the Seraphim!
  • Whatever force does it may also be sending him there as a sign to the Seraphim- to Emily, that she was right; to Sera, that she was wrong.
• As the Bible itself says: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends" (John 15:13), which is exactly how Sir Pentious died a second time- he used his weaponry knowhow and battle experience not to conquer, but to save his loved ones.
• Angel knowing Sir Pentious has two penises makes sense considering his occupation and general promiscuity. He's probably slept with more than one snake demon.
• Why didn't the Vees do anything to help out in the battle between Heaven and Hell, despite previously claiming that they were working on anti-angel measures and battle plans? Simple; they never intended to do anything to endanger themselves and simply wanted the other Overlords to charge in recklessly and destabilize their own positions, clearing the way for the Vees to conquer more of Hell. It also explains much of why Velvette took to inciting and insulting the other Overlords - especially Zestial - when they were hesitant to attack; if they were too prudent and careful, they could find actually tenable ways to fight off Heaven, and that would only make their positions in Hell stronger. This, in turn, was the reason why said Overlords never took the obvious bait and helped out the Hazbin Hotel personally.
  • There's also the fact that Alastor is at the hotel and is partially the owner of it (since he was the one who renamed the hotel and provided Charlie with her staff). Given that Vox absolutely despises Alastor, it makes sense that he and the others wouldn't exactly be jumping in to help. And if you had the chance to sit back and watch your mortal enemy and his allies get torn to shreds from the comfort of your own home, wouldn't you do the same?
• Lilith being able to make a deal to get into Heaven makes quite a bit of sense; she was primarily cast into Hell because she was Lucifer's wife, but they've now split up, meaning she now wouldn't have a reason to have been condemned to Hell. In addition, she never actually ate the fruit of free will, and wasn't related to Adam or Eve like all of the rest of humanity, meaning that she is technically "without sin".
• Aside from Rule of Drama, why didn't Charlie immediately ask for Lucifer's help after the hotel gets set as the first target? A couple of reasons.
  • She wanted to show that Hell's Sinners can defend themselves. Relying on Lucifer to do the heavy lifting wouldn't convince Heaven's minds about that.
  • Lucifer probably agreed not to interfere with the Exterminations in exchange for Hellborn being spared - but the moment Adam attacked the Hellborn Charlie and started gloating that she'd die “with the rest of [her Sinner friends], the deal was instantly broken and Lucifer was free to step in.
    • Word of God confirmed the Egg Boiz were created in Hell rather than being Sinners, so technically speaking, they were Hellborn. Even before attacking Charlie, Adam unwittingly killed Hellborn demons when he destroyed Sir Pentious's blimp. At that moment the deal was broken so Lucifer wouldn't need to hold back anymore. In a way, the Egg Boiz were the Spanner in the Works for Adam.
    • Likewise, Lute also broke the treatment after she killed Dazzle (a hellborn demon) during her fight with Vaggie.
  • Lucifer showing up on time rather than fashionably late might drag the other Seraphim or even God himself into the Extermination as a response. Their collective divine smiting of the hotel would make Adam's look like a glowstick.
  • Her headspace was preoccupied with the Hotel being targeted and the revelation that she is dating a former Exorcist.
• Adam looking like a regular guy under his mask has some logic to it besides it being because of Ink-Suit Actor. Since Adam was the Original Man, of course his looks would be rather average!
• Niffty is the janitor of the Hazbin Hotel. Her being the one to end Adam is just her "taking out the trash".
• While it was obviously pulled out of his butt, Sir Pentious being sent to Heaven actually matches the rules made by Adam in "Welcome To Heaven".
  • "Act selfless". He showed only kindness after he joined the hotel for real.
  • "Don’t steal". He returned the only thing he stole (part of Alastor's coat) back to its rightful owner, and apologized for it at the same time.
  • "Stick it to the man". He died trying to attack Adam, the Original Man, to save his friends.
• Despite Emily having promised she would try to help out, it doesn't seem like she managed to convince anyone, nor did she decide to go beyond anyone else's backs when this failed. While this can be seen as a case of They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot, if Emily had tried to help out behind Heaven's back, she could've easily been kicked out (or worse) as a result, and this would've severely curtailed her ability to help Charlie and/or Heaven's situations. By staying in Heaven and persisting in her belief that the Exterminations are wrong/Sinners can be redeemed by believing in Charlie, she has a much better chance of swaying people into changing their stances in the future, a decision proven all the more effective when Sir Pentious ascends to Heaven, right in front of Emily and Sera, to the former's absolute delight.
• The fact that Sera is in front of the door when Sir Pentious manifests in front of her and Emily implies that she was deliberately keeping her from leaving so she couldn't try to interfere with the Extermination.
• How were Emily and Sera able to realize that Sir Pentious was an Ascended Demon? Because they saw him at the club when watching Angel Dust.
• Why did Adam Go Out with a Smile? Because Lute was there in his final moments. Lute had been the only woman faithful to him to his bitter end (contrary to Lilith and Eve) and Adam saw how much she cared about him (to the point of shedding tears for the first time) and that comforted him before he passed away, knowing that he was truly loved by someone, despite being, well, himself.
• If it's possible for a sinner to get into Heaven after redeeming themselves, then it might be possible for an angel to go to Hell if they turn into a horrible person. If this is the case, there's a chance Adam is somewhere in Hell, suffering for everything he did. Unless you count Adam being killed by Niffty using an angelic dagger which erased his soul, stopping him from coming back as a Sinner if Sir Pentious going to Heaven as a Winner would imply. Charlie stopping Lucifer from using his hellfire to end Adam would've turned him into a Sinner instead.
• As one YouTube comment pointed out, "Finale" is an inversion of Alastor's usual relationship with the Hotel. Usually, when they're struggling, he's having fun watching their misery while having a smug demeanor. In "Finale", they're happily rebuilding the Hotel together, having become closer from the ordeal while he's the one having a breakdown over nearly getting killed by Adam.
• As this Tumblr post points out, there's a reason that Alastor was the only one to truly lose his fight with a being from Heaven aside from the power gap. In the previous episode, Carmilla said that the only way to get around an angel's defense was to fight for something you love. Charlie was fighting for her dream and people. Both Lucifer and Vaggie were fighting for Charlie. Angel Dust, Husk, and Cherri Bomb were fighting for their friends. Sir Pentious died fighting for his friends and love. What was Alastor fighting for? Power and for his freedom. He couldn't even comprehend dying for his friends and thus, couldn't defeat Adam.
  • Sir Pentious loses his battle, but in a way that ends up potentially winning the war. He dies and ascends to Heaven, proving to Sera once and for all that sinners can be redeemed. His loss is reinterpreted as a victory due to the noble and loving intent it had, while Alastor is having a breakdown from a similar if much less deadly defeat. All he lost was his pride, but that was all he cared about.
  • Holy weapons being less effective against those who fight for love fits well with how incredibly effective they are at killing Angels. After all, what are the Exterminators fighting for? Nothing but their own genocidal hatred. Why hate? Because the very idea of scumbags who lived awful lives on Earth having the time of their lives in Hell pisses them off.
  • Likewise, Carmilla's song to Vaggie noted that she was "thirsting for vengeance" and advised against it as a motivation. Vaggie does ultimately triumph over Lute when she's motivated to reach Charlie, in mortal peril against Adam, but passes up the opportunity to finish her off when she's pinned under rubble, choosing instead to inflict Cruel Mercy in letting Lute live with the shame of the "failure" sparing her. This is an unpragmatic and vengeful action born of Vaggie wanting to repay the favour for Lute leaving her for dead in Hell, and notably proves to be a mistake on two fronts: Firstly, Lute's fanaticism and determination is strong enough that she doesn't blink at tearing her arm off together back in the fight, stopping Vaggie from interfering and helping Charlie. Secondly, this leaves Lute alive in the aftermath to pick up where Adam left off, meaning there are heavenly forces still antagonistic towards the Hotel even after Sir Pentious' sacrifice proves directly to the Seraphim that the Hotel can work.
  • Niffty stabbing Adam while darkly amusing seems like an outlier here even if she did it by surprise. However, there's three possibilities that might not even be mutually exclusive.
    • Niffty, unlike Alastor, is a flat out lunatic, so she technically speaking she's acting out of love, loving to stab other people rather than power or megalomania that is.
    • A more optimistic explanation is that she stabbed Adam because Charlie told her to stab any enemy angel she finds, so in a twisted way she used the knife to obey Charlie out of love and appreciation for her and the Hotel staff.
    • It's possible that Adam breaking the 1st commandment by explicitly demanding worship was the final straw that revoked his status as an angel and by extension his invulnerability.
• Just like the pilot and the first episode, Sir Pentious never gets to actually fire his death ray at his targets.
• Earlier this season, Niffty said that Sir Pentious isn't a bad boy. As of this episode, he definitely isn't!
• The first successful redemption of a sinner was foreshadowed in Hello Rosie: "You just might rise above / Long as you're out for love". Sir Pentious goes out completely motivated by the fact he has come to love the hotel's occupants and ends up above it all in heaven for it.
• Sir Pentious's angel form has a heart motif, symbolizing how he died to protect those he loved.
• Why would Charlie stop her father from killing Adam, after everything he done? Well Charlie believes in second chances, so maybe she was hoping that Adam could redeem himself in the future if shown mercy.
• On the surface, the Vees celebrating their potential takeover of a "power vacuum" now that "Alastor's missing" doesn't make any sense, since Alastor (or any of the other Overlords) didn't die in the battle (something the Vees are aware of). But even though Alastor didn't die, his fleeing the battle (and being the only one to do so, to boot) is proof that even he has his limits, regardless of his fearsome reputation. And if anyone's going to take advantage of undeniable proof that the Radio Demon "fled with his tail between his legs," it's going to be the Vees.
• Sir Pentious ascending may have been subtly foreshadowed in "Welcome to Heaven". When Charlie enters the heavenly portal, it closes just before Pentious enters the screen and he was about a half-second from accidentally walking through it himself. He even has his eyes closed while he enjoys a drink. Pentious would enter heaven by complete accident while simply trying to help his friends.
  • Also in the same episode, even if the test subject the Angelic Court was looking at was Angel Dust, the glowing white "camera" orb shows Sir Pentious seconds before returning to the spider demon again, as if focusing on the sinner who had more chances at getting to Heaven.
• Additionally, the start to Sir Pentious true Heel–Face Turn (and Angel and Vaggie complying to give him a chance) was Charlie's song "It All Starts With Sorry". Following Sir Pentious' Heroic Sacrifice (chaining off his ascent into heaven, Charlie's rage induced Heroic Second Wind, and Adam's defeat, pretty much setting up everything for Season Two) we get this line from Vaggie; "Charlie, I'm so sorry...".
• Why didn't Alastor use his true demon form in the final battle like he did against the loan sharks in "Dad Beat Dad"? It would have been impractical. Angelic weapons can inflict wounds on demons that never heal and can even be fatal. Growing bigger would just give the exorcists more to hit.
• Alastor implies that his deal with his soul's owner is limiting his power, but its likely that he made a Deal with the Devil in the first place to hold onto some, if any, of his power in the first place, something that was hinted at through the show's songs. Throughout the season, Alastor has never initiated a song or sang by himself, often doing a reprise of another's song (Alastor's Reprise) or cutting into someone else's performance (Stayed Gone, Hell's Greatest Dad, Ready For This, Finale), showing that regardless of what his pride and reputation entails, he needs and relies on others to assert control and maintain his influence, hence his need to break free from his bonds to unleash his full potential without limits.
  • Alastor intruding into other people's songs also makes sense. He's been rather open about getting into the Hotel to see people suffer as they try to improve themselves and fail and massacred Overlords to then broadcast their screams on radio. He's ultimately motivated by people's suffering, big and small alike, so intruding into people's song or making reprises plays into that. For all his pride, he's extremely dependent on other people's reactions and perception.
  • Conversely, whenever Alastor sings, he usually usurps the pacing and mood of the song. His reprise of Charlie's theme highlights him taking over the place, his feud with Vox ends with the later being humiliated as he throws shade into Vox while the later only make futile attempts to discredit him, when gathering the cannibals his singing highlights his secret agenda shamelessly and even in Finale his song is all about him making sure he's gonna pull the strings in the end. Alastor is such a Control Freak any piece he sings needs him to usurp the spotlight.
  • The only time Alastor's singing fails to usurp the mood was his duet with Lucifer. For all his talk, it's clear his take against Lucifer is a Bullying the Dragon moment. Lucifer not only dish out as much as he can but can also quickly recover from any attack Alastor tries to inflict on him and the pace for the most part remains similar to Lucifer's voice clearly showcasing the Fallen Angel is way above Alastor's league and wouldn't be pushed aside easily. Indeed, Alastor slowly loses his cool as the song continues with increased pace as he cannot actually control the spotlight as he wants this time around. Even after Mimzy interrupted, that was more a case of both singers getting dumbfounded by Mimzy's antics rather than Alastor imposing himself.
• Niffty's job of stabbing any angel she sees in the final battle actually serves two very important functions:
  • First is her own safety. While she can definitely be dangerous and is far more durable than she appears, she is still the smallest person in the battle and has little, if any, actual combat ability. Giving her a job where she encounters Exorcists that are heavily injured, if not already dead, is the safest role she can fulfill while still taking part in the fight.
  • Second is actual, functional support - the Exorcists attack from above, and nearly all of the fighting is done in the air, and the last thing anyone wants is a Not Quite Dead Exorcist attacking from the ground. Niffty makes sure any downed Exorcist stays down, protecting her friend’s blind spot.
• Niffty gets hit by one of Adam’s beams and is completely fine aside from falling on her face and some smoke coming off her, whereas Pentious and his ship are completely vaporized by the same beams. Niffty is a cockroach demon, and cockroaches are known for their insane durability.
• An engraving of two unicorns can be seen above the door in the Seraphim's room. In medieval art, unicorns were associated with the Virgin Mary and represented the Incarnation, due to folklore that they could only be tamed by virgins.
• Vox's last words to Sir Pentious in "Radio Killed the Video Star" were to basically tell the "miserable failure" to go kill himself if Charlie didn't. Charlie spared him, and resultantly, Sir Pentious sacrifices himself for her here in a vain attempt to stop Adam. Sir Pentious successfully followed Vox's last command, but turned it around into something far more benevolent that will pioneer Charlie's, and by association, Alastor's business, a perfect Brick Joke to pretty much all of Vox's actions in that episode biting him in the ass.

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