Recap / Hazbin Hotel S1E7 "Hello Rosie!"

RECAP:
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For the first time in my life, maybe I can be ready for this, I can be the marshal leading the parade
Gotta come into my own, and I think I've always known my destiny could never be postponed
When Adam brings the battle here, I must appear like I'm ready for this.

— Charlie, "Ready For This"

Charlie and Alastor rally an army to defend the hotel while Vaggie goes to Carmilla Carmine to learn the secret of killing angels.

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Tropes:

• Achievements in Ignorance: Carmilla had no idea that Exorcists could be killed, or that angelic steel was the key to doing it, when she faced off against one. She was merely trying to buy time for her daughters to get away and found out that her Armed Legs made out of holy steel were the only thing that an Exorcist was weak against.
• Affably Evil: Most of the residents of the Cannibal Colony, unlike the rest of the Pride ring, look pretty nice, with Charlie noting that. Alastor equates it to Rosie's influence.
• All-Loving Hero: Lampshaded by Charlie, part of why she's so upset about Vaggie keeping her past a secret for so long is that it's like she thought that Charlie would reject her despite this trait of the princess, while Charlie told Vaggie everything. And indeed, she does forgive Vaggie for her secrecy once Rosie helps her work through her feelings.
• All or Nothing: Cannibal Town has a strong camaraderie between its residents, so the only way Charlie can convince any of them to join her army is by convincing all of them. This is made harder by Susan being an "ornery old bitch". Fortunately though, Charlie is able to win them all over with a rallying song emphasizing their friendship and the opportunity to devour angels together.
• Army of Thieves and Whores: Beggars can't be choosers in Hell, so when Charlie needs an army to fight the Exorcists, Alastor helps her rally the local Cannibal Clan. Charlie is a little mortified their driving motivation seems to be feasting on angel flesh, but Rosie assures her they're just enthusiastic.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Rosie hits Charlie with two, both in her relation to Vaggie. The first is to ask Charlie if she still loves Vaggie. Charlie mulls over it, but ultimately says yes. The second is if she ever doubted Vaggie loved her, to which Charlie admits that she never doubted it, allowing her to realize that Vaggie is still not only the woman she loves, but that just because she kept her Fallen Angel nature hidden, nothing about her and Charlie's relationship really changes.
• Ax-Crazy: The Cannibals need almost no convincing to put their afterlives on the line to kill and eat Angels, something which creeps Charlie out quite a bit.
  Cannibals: From this moment on you can count on us
  to be resolute and ravenous
  Our appetites are whet, and we're set to seize the day, so we say "Oh hey, come join the flesh buffet!"
  Charlie: Eh, that's a little violent, can we tone it down?
  Rosie: Oh, don't be put off by their snarling, that's enthusiasm, darling!
  Charlie: Yeah, they just seem a little murder-y right now...
  Rosie: Don't worry honey, that's their thing! Keep singing!
• At Least I Admit It: During her discussion with Alastor, Charlie admits to feeling like she might be worse than the Overlords, since as she puts it, they don't give their followers false hope.
• Berserk Button: Charlie tries to keep her cool while Susan heckles her, but what really broke the camel’s back is when Susan insults her singing as “fucking mediocre”. That is when Charlie snaps and flips off Susan while calling her an old bitch.
• Big Fancy House: Carmilla lives in an opulent mansion, which is where Vaggie has to go to contact her. The entrance hall itself is so big that they have their entire fight sequence there, all while moving across the room quickly with their acrobatics.
• Blade Brake: Vaggie plants her spear on the floor to slow herself when one kick from Carmilla sends her flying.
• Break the Cutie: Charlie hides in her bed and doesn't feel like talking to anyone, because her "absolutely last chance" to show that the Hotel works was shot down by Heaven's higher-ups despite her making a lot of promises, Vaggie hasn't been entirely honest with her, and Adam is coming soon to kill everyone with an invincible army. Alastor pushes her out of depression by clarifying the last part.
• Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: Downplayed. They don't break up, but Charlie and Vaggie have a falling out after The Reveal that Vaggie is a Fallen Angel in the previous episode, with Charlie being hurt that Vaggie kept such a big secret from her while she shared her whole life with Vaggie. After a heart-to-heart about it with Rosie, Charlie manages to forgive Vaggie and they make-up at the end of the episode.
• Call-Back: Alastor's knowledge of Carmilla killing an Exorcist finally comes to use when he brokers a deal with Charlie by trading this knowledge in exchange for a favor from her sometime in the future. Frank's knowledge of the selfsame knowledge is brought up immediately afterwards, as is Sir Pentious' disbelief when Frank told him about it several episodes/months back; he points out that the Egg Boiz spout nonsense statements all the time, so he's learned to tune them out.
• Cassandra Truth: Frank the Egg Boi told Sir Pentious about Carmilla killing an Exorcist months ago, only for Sir Pentious to dismiss it as another one of the Egg Bois' many conspiracy theories. Another one chimes in to validate his point.
  Sir Pentious: What? They say insane shit all the time! How was I supposed to know this one was true?!
  Egg Boi: Bank accounts are a scam created by the shadow government!
  Sir Pentious: See?!
• Continuity Nod:
  • Vaggie mentions she isn’t used to fighting with long hair due to it having been cut short when she was an Exorcist as seen last episode.
  • Charlie mentions she usually tries (and fails) to convince people by singing, like her impromptu musical number in the pilot.
• "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Moments after Charlie and Alastor leave the hotel, Vaggie informs the others that Carmilla knows how to kill angels, only for Frank to confirm this, revealing there was a way to get the information without Charlie making a deal with Alastor. Whilst Vaggie is pissed this information was hidden from them, Frank says he did tell Sir Pentious, who dismissed it as another crazy rambling from his servants. One of them immediately pipes up with a conspiracy theory straight from a tinfoil-hat wearer, confirming his point.
• The Cuckoolander Was Right: It turns out that Charlie is vindicated in her belief that Sinners can be convinced to do something through song, she just needed the right audience to listen to her, I.E. a group of cannibals who already act like they're the background ensemble of a turn-of-the-century Musical.
• Dance Battler: During the “Out For Love” song Carmine teaches Vaggie how to defend herself from the upcoming extermination using agility and grace through dancing moves.
• Deal with the Devil: Alastor brokers a deal with Charlie, trading the knowledge of how to kill angels in exchange for an unspecified favor of his choosing at a later date, with the stipulation that Charlie can't be asked to cause harm to another. This one is magically binding, unlike his deal with Vaggie in the first episode.
• Divided We Fall: Part of Vaggie's argument for Carmilla's help is that, should she refuse, Carmilla would find herself lacking potential allies when the angels come for her part of town after they've wiped out the hotel. This seems to get through to her, as Carmilla responds by attacking Vaggie as part of her Warrior Therapist routine.
• Diving Kick: The fight between Vaggie and Carmilla begins with the latter jumping off her balcony and performing a diving kick towards Vaggie.
• Dramatic Drop: When Vaggie realizes that Charlie made a deal with Alastor, she drops her spear and it clatters on the floor.
• Dumbass Has a Point: Downplayed since he’s not an idiot, but Sir Pentious not believing in Frank’s rant about Carmilla killing an angel back in the episode “Scrambled Eggs” drove Charlie to accept a deal with Alastor (granted, she still keeps her own soul, but it’s heavily implied that her “favor” to him might have dreadful consequences). However, when he gets called out by Vaggie, Sir Pentious makes a valid argument, saying that since his minions talk about nonsense all the time, he had no reason to believe that Frank was telling the truth in that single occasion. And immediately afterwards, one of his minions talks about an embellished conspiracy theory out of thin air, which only proves his point even further.
• Easily Forgiven: In the previous episode Adam tried to blackmail Vaggie by threatening to tell Charlie about her being a former Exorcist with thousands of kills, then does so anyway to Charlie's horror. Everyone in the Hotel learns about it right away and don't really care (granted, they have the much more pressing matter of the impending Extermination to consider) and Charlie is bothered more about Vaggie keeping it a secret from her.
• The Eleven O'Clock Number: "Ready For This" is the absolute last song of the season which isn't a Triumphant Reprise of an earlier song, and is itself a Song of Courage hyping up the climactic battle soon to come.
• Entendre Failure: Rosie playfully ribs Alastor by saying Charlie is too young for him, before puckishly claiming she knows he's an "ace in the hole". Alastor can only respond with a confused "A what now?"^note This is consistent with invokedexternal descriptions of Alastor's asexuality which state that he's aromantically asexual but wouldn't know to apply those terms to himself.
• "Eureka!" Moment: When Charlie mentions the "invincible Exorcist army", Alastor smiles even wider, as he just got enough leverage to force her into a deal.
  Alastor: [sing-song] I know something you don't know!
• Everyone Has Standards: As pleasant as Rosie is, even she finds Susan to be a pain and actually frowns when warning Charlie about her and when confirming her identity to her.
• Evil-Detecting Dog: Done on both ends:
  • When Alastor negotiates his deal with Charlie, Razzle and Dazzle growl protectively in front of her, signifying that Alastor has at least some sinister intent.
  • By contrast Keekee is shown sleeping peacefully on Sir Pentious' lap, signifying how far his redemption has come.
• Evil Mentor: During "Ready for This", Alastor sings about Charlie's potential and how he can help guide it. Both he and Rosie see her as a winning bet.
• Failed a Spot Check:
  • Charlie has been with Vaggie for three years, but never realized that she was a former Exorcist, while in contrast Carmilla figured it out pretty much immediately because of the obvious hints (Exorcist spear and 'X' over her left eye).
  • Charlie is so busy ranting to Alastor about how Vaggie lied to her that the two walk into the middle of Cannibal Town before Charlie realizes where Alastor has brought her.
• Food as Bribe: Part of what gets the Cannibals to join Charlie in fending off the Extermination is the hopes that they'll get to taste angel flesh.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Exorcists being harmed by angelic steel was foreshadowed in Vaggie's flashback of her disfigurement last episode, with Lute permanently wounding her with the same steel weapons they were using to massacre the citizens of Hell. Logically, if Vaggie, an ex-Exorcist, can be harmed in this manner, so too can the others.
  • During the opening scene at the Hotel, Vaggie's lack of wings comes up. During the climax of her training session/song with Carmilla, she manages to grow a new pair.
• Furry Reminder: When Rosie spots Alastor in the shop, she rushes over to greet him and twirls him around, ecstatic to see him again. Alastor can be heard making a squeaking noise, similar to the bleat of a fawn.
• Gang of Hats: Unlike other groups in Hell, the inhabitants of Cannibal Town all wear turn-of-the-nineteenth-century garb and have pale faces with hollow, pupil-less eyes.
• Gay Euphemism: Rosie teasingly refers to the asexual Alastor as an "ace in the hole". It goes right over his head.
• Glamour Failure: When Charlie accepts Alastor's deal, magical stitches appear on his mouth, suggesting his perpetual smile is more than just to throw enemies off.
• Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Charlie doesn't understand how Alastor can enjoy watching people struggle. He's a demon for a reason, and has told her why he offered to assist the Hotel more than once.
• Growing Wings: Vaggie grows her angel wings back at the end of "Out for Love".
• He Knows Too Much: When Vaggie goes to Carmilla's place to demand she tell her how to kill the Exorcists (by blackmailing her with her knowledge that Carmilla killed one during the last Extermination), Carmilla lets her in and makes clear to Vaggie that her life is now hanging by a thread.
  Carmilla: You have two minutes to convince me not to silence you for good.
• Hold the Line: In the flashback of Carmilla's fight against the Exorcist, it's clear that she didn't expect to actually defeat it, and was merely trying to buy time for her daughters to get away.
• I'm Standing Right Here: Charlie says she may be as bad as the cruelest overlord in Hell. Alastor's grinning face slowly enters the frame as she says that.
• Internal Reveal: The cast learns that Carmilla managed to kill an Exorcist in the last Extermination in this episode. Frank the Egg Boi also reveals that he also knew beforehand and told Sir Pentious months ago. Pentious admits he didn't take it seriously because the Egg Bois are always saying crazy things. One chimes in with an even more absurd idea, proving his point.
• It Was with You All Along: Vaggie initially assumes that Carmilla killing an Exorcist was because of some kind of secret weapon she'd made. As it turns out, all you need is angelic steel, like Vaggie's own spear.
• I Was Told There Would Be Cake: What really gets the cannibals riled up is the promise of "all the angels you can eat."
• Jerkass Has a Point: Alastor's usual schadenfreude is still present in his conversation with Charlie, but he is correct in that her moping around isn't really helping anyone and that what she should do is look for a way to defend the hotel and the people within it.
• Kick Chick: Carmilla's Armed Legs aren't just for show. She fights Vaggie with just her feet and even decapitated the angel with her angelic steel shoes.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: While Charlie is sobbing in bed, Alastor rubs it in pretty hard that she failed to convince Heaven to listen to her and the extermination is coming for them.
  Alastor: Now, now...is that any way to act after picking a fight with all of Heaven and dooming everyone you love?
• "Lesson of the Day" Speech: As said by Rosie, sometimes people don't share secrets simply because they're ashamed, but actions speak louder than words.
• Letting Her Hair Down: When Carmilla is easily beating Vaggie at the start of her fight, Vaggie says she's not used to fighting with long hair, prompting Carmilla to immediately let down her own hair to show Vaggie that long hair isn't the problem with her fighting style. She keeps her hair down for the remainder of the scene as she acts like a Warrior Therapist for Vaggie.
• Liar Revealed: Deconstructed. Charlie harbors resentment for Vaggie due her not sharing that she was a Fallen Angel with her, but Rosie helps her realize very quickly that Vaggie didn't so much as lie to her as likely keep it a secret from her out of shame, and that not telling Charlie doesn't matter in the slightest if she continues to support Charlie at every given turn. This picks apart the usual way this trope goes, in which a character will be completely unable to move past the fact that another character lied to them no matter what they've done otherwise.
  Charlie: She always supported me, and my ideas, a-a-and now I don't know whether or not that was just more of the lies! Gasp! Oh no, that's a horrible thing to think! Do I think that?...Yes!...N-no!...kinda...?
  [...]
  Rosie: If there's anything I've learned, it's that words are cheap. But actions, they speak the truth.
• Line in the Sand: Before Vaggie leaves to go requisition aid from Carmilla Carmine, she tells the other Hotel occupants that she knows the Hotel's objective has failed and she would understand if none of them are still there by the time she and Charlie return, thus sparing them from having to risk their lives in the upcoming (likely lethal) battle. At the end of the episode, it's revealed that not only did none of them leave, but they've been busy getting to work fortifying the Hotel in her and Charlie's absence.
• Malaproper: Frank mangles Carmilla's name to "Camaro Carfight".
• Moment of Weakness: After being crushed by the events of the previous episode, Charlie agrees to make a deal with Alastor, trading a favor where she harms no one for his intel on the Exorcists, something that her father (Lucifer himself) taught her not to do (in the pilot Charlie even quoted his “You don’t take shit from other demons” advice and rejected it the first time Alastor tried, despite the deal having similarly benign conditions). And since this is Alastor we're talking about, it's pretty much guaranteed a "harmless favor" will be anything but.
• Mythology Gag: While attempting to rally the Cannibals of Cannibal Town the first time, Charlie can be heard meekly attempting to sing the first few bars of "Inside of Every Demon is a Rainbow".
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: With the reveal that blessed steel is just as capable of harming angels as it can harm demons, Exorcists have been unwittingly arming Hell against the forces of Heaven by leaving their weapons scattered around after Exterminations because they were too smug to ever think they could be vulnerable.
• Oh, Crap!: Vaggie understandably has this reaction when Charlie accepts Alastor’s deal and his magic starts spreading through the hotel.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Carmilla figures out that Vaggie is an Exorcist almost immediately, pointing out the giant "X" over her eye when Vaggie asks how.
  Carmilla: You have a giant X over your eye and wield an angelic spear. It's not rocket science.
• Pet the Dog:
  • When Vaggie panics at the thought of Charlie selling her soul to Alastor, the latter scoffs that the deal wasn't for her soul rather than let the ambiguity persist, even though he could have played it up just to mess with her.
  • Alastor offers his microphone to Charlie for her song, even though Rosie had previously set up a more mundane microphone for the first attempt.
• Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The title of this episode is a reference for the musical “Hello, Dolly!”. Even the setting of Cannibal Town is based on the New York from 1890.
• The Power of Love: Carmilla's song "Out For Love" expresses this, telling Vaggie that she must rely on the love she has for someone to use as the right motivation in order to successfully defeat the Exterminators - though since this is still Hell we're talking about, she specifically tells her to "fuel yourself with the fear of losing somebody". This scene culminates in Vaggie regrowing her wings.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Alastor offers a deal to Charlie, but only requests a harmless favor rather than demanding her soul as she initially expects, presumably because he is smart enough to realize that Charlie isn't that desperate or foolish, to say nothing of how Lucifer might react should he learn of it.
• Propaganda Piece: Downplayed and parodied in-universe. "Ready for This" is essentially a war recruitment song, albeit one driven by Charlie's genuine intentions to protect Hell and the hotel. It features a number of phrases harkening back to real-world war recruitment ads, which are played as pretty ridiculous in context (i.e. pitching the opportunity to travel and see more of Hell). The only argument that actually gets through to the cannibals is, predictably, the chance to eat angels.
• Queer Establishing Moment: Alastor's asexuality is brought up in the series for the first time by Rosie referring to him as an "ace in the hole" as an explanation of why she knows he wouldn't be in a relationship with Charlie.
  Rosie: Come now, Alastor, she's much too young for you! Oh, I'm just kidding. I know you're an ace in the hole.
• Rage Breaking Point: Between struggling to sort out her feelings regarding Vaggie and the sheer stress of trying to find a way to survive the coming Extermination, Charlie finally reaches her limit after Susan's heckling:
  Charlie: FUCK YOU, YOU OLD BITCH!!!
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite being a powerful overlord, Rosie is one of the nicest residents of Hell and helps Charlie with both of her problems.
• The Reveal:
  • It takes angelic steel to kill an Exorcist. Carmilla found this out when using her blessed Armed Legs to fend off a group of Exorcists trying to kill her daughters. This was foreshadowed in the previous episode when Lute used her sword to injure Vaggie.
  • Charlie and Vaggie have been together for three years.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: A humorous example. Rosie is correct when she points out that Alastor and Charlie being in a relationship would be a weird Age-Gap Romance...but she needles Alastor about Charlie being too young for him when Charlie is hundreds of years old and Alastor is only a little over 100, meaning the reverse would actually be true. Rosie isn't really being serious, however, so she's likely aware Charlie's the older of the two.
• Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Susan is visibly older than the other cannibals, and is also the most hostile and crude of them all. Rosie and Alastor even say that if Charlie can win her over, she can win the rest over.
• Shout-Out: The title of this episode is a reference to Hello, Dolly!, which Cannibal Town shares an overall time period aesthetic with.
• Smug Super: Carmilla points out that Exorcists are so assured in their supremacy over demons, they have a flawed fighting style, wearing effectively no armor and not bothering to defend themselves, and helps train Vaggie out of it.
• Song of Courage: "Ready For This" is a song of courage in two ways, both in that it's about Charlie trying to convince the Cannibals to risk their afterlives to fight for her, but also trying to convince herself that she can be a capable and strong leader if she needs to be.
  Charlie and Ensemble: For the first time in our lives, we know that we are ready for this
  We'll show Heaven a fight they won't forget
  It is time to take a stand, it is time to lend a hand (Huzzah!)
  Against the Angels and their deadly threat
  We cannot take it anymore, the time has come to go to war
  Prepare to fight, we're ready for this
  Charlie: I really hope that I'm ready for this.
• Spoofing in the Rain: Charlie briefly does a lamppost spin during her musical number.
• Stealth Mentor: Carmilla's fight with Vaggie is actually to showcase the flaws in her fighting style.
• Stealth Pun: Rosie teasingly refers to the asexual Alastor as an "ace in the hole". Bonus points for it going right over his head.
• Stepford Smiler: Alastor tries to teach Charlie to always smile no matter what troubles you, to make an appearance of having everything under control.
• Sure, Let's Go with That: During "Ready For This", Charlie goes along with some of the ways Susan and the other cannibals interpret her messages just to get them on board easier.
  Charlie: Have you ever wanted something that was so clear in your mind that you could taste it?
  Susan: You mean like human flesh?
  Charlie: Eugh, sort of.
  (...)
  Charlie: Have you ever felt like you're willing to die to save the people of your city?
  Susan: By "die" do you mean "use my teeth to rip flesh apart"?
  Charlie: That's a start!
• Takes One to Kill One: Carmilla reveals that angels can only be harmed by their own weapons, which is why they go into battle with barely any armor. No one in Hell prior to Carmilla was actually brave/desperate enough to actually try to kill one, let alone had the means to do it.
• This Is Gonna Suck: Rosie and Alastor warn Charlie about Susan being the hardest to convince. Right after Rosie introduces Charlie to the cannibals, an elderly sinner immediately begins heckling her before she can say a single word. The quick exchange and exhausted looks between Charlie and the two Overlords says how they can tell this won't be pleasant.
  Charlie: Susan?
  Rosie & Alastor: (in sync) Susan…
• Tranquil Fury: Whenever the usual friendly and happy Charlie is genuinely angry at someone, it's noticeable with her glowing red eyes and protruding horns. However, after learning of Vaggie's lie about her origins, the Princess is hurt; as such, Charlie initially acts cold and distant to her girlfriend, even giving icy, angry looks. When talking about her confusing feelings to Alastor and Rosie, she's still angry and hurt, but more expressive.
• Undying Loyalty: Vaggie warns everyone at the Hotel that the Extermination is not just coming early but coming straight to the Hotel and gives them all a chance to leave beforehand. Nobody does.
• Unskilled, but Strong: Exorcists are far more powerful than the average Sinner, but as Carmilla points out, they're so assured in their own invincibility that they barely wear any armor, and their fighting style leaves them wide open for retaliation against someone who actually knows what they're doing and has access to their one weakness.
• Verbal Backspace: When Charlie introduces herself to the crowd, she starts to say that she runs a hotel with her partner, but because her relationship with Vaggie is in turmoil, she backtracks and just says "someone" instead.
• Verbal Salt in the Wound: Alastor reminds Charlie repeatedly about her poor track record.
• Violence is the Only Option: Charlie has to admit that Heaven isn't interested in Hazbin Hotel's redemption plan, and with the deadline fast approaching, they have to fight back, or at least do everything to defend themselves.
• Visual Pun: Rosie offers Charlie some severed fingers as a snack — ladyfingers.
• Warrior Therapist: Carmilla acts as a Stealth Mentor to Vaggie, attacking her in order to drive in the flaws in the fighting style of her and the other Exorcists.
• Wham Line: When Vaggie questions how Carmilla knows what weapon can kill Angels, Carmilla responds thusly, while gesturing toward Vaggie's spear...
  Carmilla: Stupid girl, are you really so dense you don't realize you're holding the answer?
• Wham Shot: Vaggie grows her wings right at the end of "Out for Love".
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Carmilla's flashback shows that she and her daughters were cornered by five exorcists, with Carmilla shown killing only one of them, whose body was later found by Adam, leaving the other four Exorcists unaccounted for, but they most likely fled.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: When Vaggie learns that Exorcists can be killed by their own holy weapons after Carmilla spells it out, she expresses disbelief that such a simple method has never been discovered until now. Carmilla points out that it sounds simple, but someone would both have to possess such a weapon and be willing to test it on a living angel at risk of permanent death.
• Your Soul Is Mine!: Subverted. Alastor makes a deal with Charlie not for her soul but to enforce an agreement that she must grant him a favor in the future in exchange for the information he knows about the Exorcists. However, it's pretty clear from his demeanor that he would still absolutely love to get his hands on the Princess of Hell's soul if he thought he had a reasonable chance of getting away with it.
  Charlie: You want...my soul?
  Alastor:    Your soul?    Heavens no! All I need from you is one itty-bitty favor!

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