This wasn’t Dante Alighieri’s idea of Hell. In the show Hazbin Hotel, Hell is brightly coloured, lit by neon, and overpopulated by demons and sinners who sing like Broadway stars. At the centre of it all is the Hazbin Hotel, created by Hell’s idealistic princess – Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Morningstar (Erika Henningsen) with the goal of rehabilitating sinners. Season two focuses on Charlie’s attempts to recreate the redemption of serpentine sinner Sir Pentious (Alex Brightman) while a villainous trio of media-savvy sinners known as the ‘Vees’ launch a smear campaign against the hotel. Heaven is also forced to reckon with its authorisation of an annual extermination of sinners, and the possibility of redemption as a less violent solution to Hell’s overpopulation problem.

The voice cast is firing on all cylinders this season. There are no weak performances in this large cast, everyone gets a chance to shine. Against stiff competition, Christian Borle offers a particularly memorable performance as Vox: leader of the Vees, manipulator, propagandist, shark fanatic, and primary villain for this season. As Vox, Borle managed to be eerily creepy in one scene and cartoonishly evil in the next, all tied together with perfect comedic timing. He also lends his formidable singing voice to some of the strongest songs of the season.  

Speaking of the songs, composers and songwriters Sam Haft and Adam Underberg present us with a musical banquet, offering everything from menacing rock ballads to romantic pop duets. The soundtrack for season two feels more heavily inspired by musical theatre than the soundtrack for season one, with Haft and Underberg taking advantage of the Broadway experience of many members of the cast. Particularly formidable, albeit brief musical performances are offered by the angels, including murderous, revenge-seeking extermination angel Lute (Jessika Vosk), guilt-ridden seraphim Sera (Patina Miller) and the ethereal Speaker of God (Liz Callaway). While I found that the soundtrack lacked consistency, with some songs feeling much stronger than their season one counterparts and others feeling much weaker, overall, it is catchy and memorable, and the more villainous songs, from Borle and Vosk, are the highlights of the season.

Unfortunately, while Hazbin Hotel has a colourful cast of characters and a variety of interesting plotlines to explore, season two feels rushed. This is largely because of its runtime: the first seven episodes are half an hour each, with the final episode getting an extra ten minutes. While this extra time allows the finale to offer a more satisfying conclusion than it would have otherwise, numerous character arcs and plot threads feel stifled by the time limitation. The greenlight for a third and fourth season has given me hope that these loose threads and half-finished plotlines will be given more attention in the future, but it does not help the fact that season two lacks many substantial conclusions. 

I also believe that not all of the plotlines are created equal. Charlie’s exploits at the hotel often feel less engaging than the meddling of the Vees: Vox, Valentino (Joel Perez), and Velvette (Lilli Cooper). With their entertaining group dynamics, cartoonishly villainous charm, and wild ambitions, the Vees steal the show. In addition, the main cast sometimes lacks both the character development and the comedic moments given to the side characters and antagonists. However, the main plotlines did feel thematically stronger than those in season one, effectively exploring themes of guilt, regret, loss, forgiveness, power, and control, all with the power of song.

VERDICT: 

What Hazbin Hotel lacks in pacing and focus, it (mostly) makes up for in beautiful animation, catchy songs, and larger-than-life characters. As Vox creepily implores, ‘Trust us with your entertainment.’ Trust Hazbin Hotel with your entertainment, and it will take you on a wild, chaotic, ultimately enjoyable ride to Hell and back. 

Rating- 3/5

Seasons one and two of Hazbin Hotel are available to watch on Amazon Prime. 

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