A random Hazbin Hotel thought dump, containing mostly Alastor. Spoilers for season 2. This is, uh, long so it's under a cut.
The pacing continues to absolutely suck, but this isn't something only HH is suffering from. Honestly, it's the entire industry right now. I'm looking directly at Doctor Who as an example. Yet, I am still blown away at how much HH manages to squeeze into an episode.
The songs are shorter, but there are more, and they still are so so good. I don't have an opinion on this yet. I think it will end up being a net neutral.
Piss (A Love Song) - 1000/10. I don't have much to say outside of this being an ANTHEM. I am ready for so many ship edits to this song.
Speedrun To Redemption - Charlie lists all these things that she THINKS someone needs to do, but that's not the case. It seems to be implying that sex and drugs don't automatically = going to hell.I love also how the song and everything helps get her to figuring out part of the puzzle to how Sir Pentious got redeemed.
Don't You Forget - I, unfortunately, saw this months ago due to the leaks. I enjoyed it, nothing special to add.
Clean It Up! - Love. Love. Love. So fucking funny. Everything about it. The lyrics, the delivery, the section in Japanese. It's an entire fucking bit and I loved it.
... Don't You Forget (Reprise) - AHHHHHHHHH. AHHHH. AHHHHHHHHHHHH. IT'S EVERYTHING. My only wish is it wasn't in the same episode as the original. Like more space between, but that goes back to the pacing issue. BESIDES, they mentioned Stayed Gone MULTIPLE times in the episode. It was a leitmotif during their encounter a couple times AND said at the end of the reprise. Genius shit. Master lyric writing.
Animation - varied but heavily good if not amazing, rarely meh.
OK, now, like finally onto the main topic. The boy. The blorbo. Alastor.
Gonna start by saying there is a lot we DON'T know. A lot of this will end up being speculation. There's some implications and from those some things we can infer. I don't know if they will be right.
Alastor is arrogant. It's what led him to believe he could fight Adam. It's what led him to make a deal without really knowing what it was. He thinks he's better. He thinks he doesn't need anyone.
I feel like this is because it's been implied that Alastor has always been on his own/the breadwinner. Some of this is going off what Viv has shared but hasn't been actually shown. I won't go into much detail on this, just that he doesn't rely on others. Hell, he even got himself set for going to Hell. This man, he prepares. He also overcomes so much, given the time period and his race, to host his own radio show before he died. We don't know for a fact, but it seems like he did this all on his own.
I can't even begin to know what is going on with Rosie, Lilith, maybe Roo. I don't have much to say. Is Rosie one of them? Is Eve somehow involved? Is the Lilith we've seen actually Lilith? Signs point to no, but I don't think I personally care enough to elaborate on these thoughts right now. I've liked reading theories other people have come up with, though!
Hecking heck, I can't even really guess at what the terms of the deal Alastor made with Rosie are. The only thing I feel confident on is that Rosie is why he's at the hotel.
While I also am not super sure on why Alastor gave himself up to the Vees, he 100% did it on purpose. My guess is to get out of his deal with Rosie somehow or his power back or both.
However, I do have a lot to say about Vox and Alastor's relationship. I will start out by saying I like radiostatic. This isn't an attack on that ship.
In that flashback, it didn't read to me like Alastor liking Vox. He seemed... friendly but formal toward Vox. I think game recognized game and that's why Alastor respected him to a point. Alastor almost seems like he thinks it's sweet, but annoying, how much Vox idolized him. He put up with it, to a point, to be polite.
His "perhaps" response to Vox asking if he was boring Alastor with all the compliments read as just a yes to me. Alastor's ears go back for a few moments with Vox starts to talk business.
When Vox touches his shoulder, Alastor looks at the hand and I didn't think he liked being touched. Especially when Vox grabs both Alastor's shoulders. Alastor looks at the hands again, and there is unhappy radio noises.
Then, when Vox asks the question, Alastor breaks. Any respect he had for Vox is gone in a flash. Alastor does things on his own. Without others. Alastor even wants to be out of his deal so bad (something I think his arrogant ass imagined would be easy). He doesn't work with others.
Vox, on the other hand, was a cult leader. That's been established. As someone who has consumed a lot of knowledge on cults, I know they work by "working" with others. While I do believe Vox idolized Alastor and his offer was genuine, at his core, he is a cult leader. They see themselves as number one, and I think Alastor saw this in Vox. He could tell Vox was buttering him up to an extent. He noticed the game and gave a nod towards it only but wouldn't be involved.
I mentioned this next part in my Hazbin Guarantee (Trust Us) little analysis. Vox may treat the other Vees as his equals, and I do think he cares for both of them/sees them as friends, but he doesn't actually see them as equals. Friends, sure, but equals no.
"Get the fuck out of my building"
And the sign on the float during the parade in season 2 ep 4 said "I won", but the "I" was crossed out and replaced with "we".
Cult leaders tend to be good talkers. They can work people. We've seen Vox be very, very good at that. I don't think he is used to people turning him down. I think this also broke him a bit. My partner pointed out that the rejection, and Alastor saying he doesn't respect teamwork, may also be feeding into Vox's just me mentality.
This could all be wrong. I've seen the theories of Alastor rejecting Vox to push him away. I subscribe to a similar theory with Alastor and Husk, but again, it's all just guessing. I'm not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt.
Alastor and Vox are also very similar in a lot of ways. Specifically thinking of the arrogant theme. I mean, Vox easily accepts the deal with Alastor, not thinking for a moment what moves Alastor is obviously setting up. It's why he doesn't just kill Alastor but keeps him around. Alastor even calls Vox out on this in their song at the end of ep 4 and Vox doesn't register it.
I do think they may be setting up Vox for redemption. I can see him losing everything, including the Vees. He asked Charlie if he could be redeemed. I can see the path being laid.
Meanwhile, back to Alastor. I can also see him being set up for redemption. This loner loser is going to learn how to rely on people. We don't know much of anything about how he came to know Husk and Niffty. I like to think, specifically for Niffty, she didn't approach Alastor wanting anything and he liked that. He liked her and probably saw her as useful.
While he was sent to the hotel by Rosie, the hotel is changing him. His conversation with Niffty at the end of season one implies this, along with the roach king crown hanging off the mirror in his room, and when the gun was pointed at Niffty, he acts. Even if his original reason for befriending her ends up being that she's useful, I don't think that would be enough to have him stop Vox unless he cares.
I mentioned that he definitely went to the fight with Vox with the intent of getting captured, the fight itself just for show, I think he was only planning on having one condition. That condition being not laying hands on Charlie. When that gun is pointed at Niffty, he changes it to two conditions. It's not like Alastor asked Husk and Niffty to be there. Niffty just did it on her own accord. He didn't want them there, or we would've brought them. He could've made them.
A few final notes on Alastor regarding Lucifer. I love radioapple so much, and this is already long, so I will keep this short. We also don't know everything about what's going on with Lilith, the start of the exterminations, Alastor's disappearance... the seven years, and how Luci may play into that. So this is a shot in the dark and only based off what we know of Alastor and may be wrong or only partly right. I don't think Alastor likes that Lucifer is so powerful and essentially comes across as a joke. It echoes why he doesn't end up respecting Vox.
I need to mention I personally love this interpretation of Lucifer, so this isn't a knock against him.
Husk and Angel's interactions are everything. I love them. Cherri and Angel's friendship, so good.
Charlie, your toxic positivity is hurting my soul. Please learn baby girl. I love you but pleaseee.
All the Vox expressions over these last two episodes, A+ shit.
Alastor has a tail. I don't care what Vox said. That man is a liar. (This is a joke, I don't really care lol).
Good fucking god, I am ready for the angst Alastor fics. Feed me, Seymour.
That's probably like 99% of my thoughts. I am sure I will think of something else. HH is going to be continuing to eat at my brain.
Lastly, this isn't edited at all. I basically just word vomited and overused words may too many times.
