Hazbin Hotel season 2 review: Hell's most ambitious project has a score to settle with naysayers

Renovated to near perfection, the Hazbin Hotel is open again for business in season 2.

It’s been over a year since the original hotel was decimated; the fierce battle with Adam and the exorcists nearly broke Charlie (Erika Henningsen) and her band of misfits. Yet, they survived, albeit by a hair.

But hell’s redemption remains a giant unknown, especially now that the overlords have scattered to the four winds, and with Vox (Christian Borle) attempting to monopolise on the chaos Charlie has wrought.

Everything hangs in the balance, and not just in relation to the characters’ predicament. The first season of Hazbin Hotel was met with mixed reviews from critics, and while its fandom is fiercely loyal, season 2 has something to prove.

Never one to shy away from the critics, Vivienne Medrano’s creation comes out swinging, delivering a musical extravaganza that doubles down on being unashamedly chaotic. More often than not, the anarchy of the show succeeds, largely due to the fact that it follows its own rules. However, some mistakes from the first season remain, potentially jeopardising the cult classic status the show has claimed.

Compared to its sister show, Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel played it safe. There was still the adult humour, musical numbers, and the oppression of hell juxtaposed against entertaining hijinks, but Hazbin Hotel was tamer. For a new animated show leaving behind its YouTube pilot and pivoting to Prime Video, it made sense. And it paid off. Now that security has been assured, the safety net has been cast off and Medrano has allowed those fever-dream-esque traits from Helluva Boss to permeate Hazbin Hotel.

Much like Helluva Boss did in its second season, Hazbin Hotel hits its stride, delivering a story that continues to blur the lines between conventional good versus evil, with a threat looming large much closer to home for Charlie and co.

The growing malevolence of the Vees – hell’s equivalent to the Heathers – was established early on in season 1. They operated in plain sight but never posed a threat because attention was pulled elsewhere. It created a sense of unease for viewers who could see what Charlie couldn’t, with that unease now becoming palpable as Vox digs his claws in to drag the Vees up to god-like heights.

The narrative has expanded, placing threats both without and within, creating a hell and a heaven in turmoil. It’s a far riper breeding ground for the backstories of beloved characters, like Sir Pentious (Alex Brightman) and Alastor (Amir Talai), to finally be revealed. Moreover, it allows new blood to be introduced, such as Baxter (Kevin Del Aguila) – who isn’t the new Sir Pentious – Abel (Patrick Stump), and The Speaker of God (Liz Callaway).

Each new face has its place in Hazbin Hotel, but much like the Vees in season 1, its potential is left unrealised, most likely due to plans for the already greenlit season 3. The only faltering step Hazbin Hotel takes here is with one specific character, who we expected to see more of yet remains obscured, frustratingly out of reach.

Nonetheless, Hazbin Hotel has mostly managed to tread the fine line in balancing established characters alongside new ones. Abel, especially, is such a delightful contrast to Adam, his father, that fans will want to see more from him in the future. More so due to his fraught relationship with Lute (Jessica Vosk), a character who was only just warming up with her lust for vengeance in season 1.

All of these different components make for a giant melting pot of emotions that fuel some truly incredible musical numbers written by Sam Haft and Andrew Underberg.

Fans have already been given a sneak peek at a couple of these catchy songs, in the form of Hazbin Guarantee (Trust Us) and Gravity, the latter of which placed 52nd in the UK’s Official Singles Chart Top 100. Once again, I’m reminded of Helluva Boss. Its musical prowess far outshone Hazbin Hotel’s because it embraced being a musical, whereas Hazbin’s first season only flirted with the idea.

A rigid formula of two songs per episode was followed, and while each song had its place, there was a predictability about the structured nature of them that lacked the depth seen in Helluva Boss. The music never lacked substance, as such, but now Hazbin Hotel’s profundity has been better brought out by the fluidity of its soundtrack. It’s come into its own.

All of this is but a scratch on the surface of what Hazbin Hotel season 2 tries to pack into a mere eight episodes. This is largely the reason the show stumbles at the finish line. The limitations of only 25-minute-long episodes mean that, once again, the finale is rushed. Arguably, this is what holds the series back: it’s not given enough room to properly tell its story. An extra one or two episodes would have allowed the season more breathing room.

Without spoiling the events that lead up to and define the ending, what we’re left with is a season too neatly wrapped up. Questions and other threads to pull still remain, but we’re left wondering what else could possibly unravel here.

Still, there’s no denying that the drip season 1 had has turned torrential this time around. I just hope that Prime Video gives the series more room to be, rather than trying to condense it down to fit the eight-episode rule many shows now adhere to.

Hazbin Hotel is a sprawling world; it needs to be given room to stretch its legs properly.

Hazbin Hotel season 2 will begin on Prime Video on 29th October – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days.

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