spoilers &. content warnings for discussions of bipolar disorder / mania.
i’ve seen so many spoilers and am gonna watch the episodes soon BUUUUT i feel vindicated by the mental state vox ended up in &. the way he was managed by the other vees. i really do headcanon vox as bipolar, &. from the clips i’ve seen, i’m classing that as a manic episode. a very VERY intense one.
this is not to say that he wouldn’t have done his whole plan had he been stable !! he absolutely would. him being bipolar has nothing to do with him being a power hungry cunt. but there were moments throughout that he very clearly isn’t in his right mind. and at the very end, when he was going to blow up everyone just to get back at alastor, that’s mania talking.
“ you know what ? [ a wild laugh. ] fuck hell ! fuck heaven ! and fuck [ distorted ] ALL of you. as long as i wipe that smile off alastor’s FUCKING face, i don’t care WHAT happens ! ”
vox is not a well man, but he is VERY unwell here. his logic and planning and careful manipulation and everything goes out the window. i don’t think this was deliberately suicidal: immediately afterwards, when he talks to val and vel, he says he’s a god. i believe in that moment he truly believes that.
valentino &. velvette, from what i’ve seen, aren’t shocked or surprised by this breakdown either. they’re not offering POSITIVE solutions, they’re in hell after all, but what they do is actually pretty practical and effective ? they try to talk vox down by using the reality of the situation — it’s over — and when that doesn’t work and vox spirals further, they remove him from the situation. yes by ripping his head from his body ( # deserved ) but also by literally leaving. it’s an unhealthy way of dealing with vox’s mental state but it works. it’s something both valentino &. velvette seem unfazed by, too: which leads me to the conclusion that this is not the first time they’ve taken drastic action to disrupt a manic vox. even vox, other than initial shock, is interestingly placid and unfazed by suddenly being ripped apart by valentino, like he recognizes the action for what it is. as much as he’d fare better with healthier, less vicious interventions, the other vees seem to have a system in place to ‘ handle ’ him.
even in a later scene, none of them act as though this was vox’s first time acting like that. it was definitely the most extreme and public, but for the vees, their reactions to vox’s outburst are actually really tame. they’re pissed at him and furious and hurt and disgusted, but again seem to have a level of understanding for some of his actions. vox himself says,
“ wellll. seems like i got a little — carried away. you guys, you guys know me. haha ! [ distortion ] ”
to me this implies that this is, to a certain extent, an established pattern of vox’s. ‘ you guys know me ’ says this isn’t a one - time thing: vox has episodes that drive him to heightened, unsafe states regularly. velvette and valentino respond with irritation and upset after vox asks about his ratings, not to the dialogue i’ve quoted above.
obligatory disclaimer that i’m not using being manic or being bipolar to justify vox’s actions or make him more sympathetic. but i DO think vox canonically displays signs of an extreme manic episode during the finale that i want to explore. i may add more to this when i watch the finale ! but for now, here are my thoughts.
