The end is finally here, and though it has been long-anticipated, it is also bittersweet. With the final two episodes of Hazbin Hotel airing now on Prime Video, fans will now be waiting quite a while to see what happens to their favorite sinners and angels. When we left off, Vox (Christian Borle) had called Lucifer (Jeremy Jordan) pretending to be his daughter, Charlie Morningstar (Erika Henningsen).

Without getting too into things before our spoiler warning, keep reading below for our thoughts on episodes 7 & 8.

**Spoilers below**

It’s canon that Vox is the original creator of Shark Week, and that’s beautiful

In a season full of character backstories, Vox’s was without a doubt one of the most anticipated. Theories had been passed around for years. In episode 7, “Weapon of Mass Distraction,” we finally get a glimpse into the sinner’s time on Earth, where he was known as the “God of Entertainment.”

In the fifties, Vox was a weatherman named Vincent Whittman. His hunger for power was vast even then, and he murdered his way to the top of a television network. Earlier on in the season Vox had mentioned the cult he was a part of, and we see them in the flashback right before Vincent is unceremoniously killed by a TV falling on his head in what may be one of the coolest animated frames in the entire series so far.

It works narratively to give us a perfect idea of who he was in life, and it is interesting to compare that to the Vox that we saw in the flashback with him and Alastor (Amir Talai). We also see that he has had a life-(and death-)long love of sharks, as evidenced by not only his lapel pin in the flashbacks, but by the board behind him when he is presenting his ideas for the network. Prominently featured is a page that calls for a week about sharks.

Back in the present, we finally see Angel Dust (Blake Roman) at the rally the Vees are throwing, where Vox is unveiling his weapon. Angel publicly announces his support for the Vees and states that the Hotel does not work. Back at the Hazbin Hotel, Husk (Keith David) and Cherri Bomb (Krystina Alabado) immediately know that something is wrong as they watch it unfold on TV.

Lucifer, who Vox had lured in and trapped to use as the power source for the weapon, is unaware of what’s going on until Vox fires the first shot at Heaven using Lucifer’s Angelic power. The resulting blast shatters the protection Heaven had around it and sends the Gates screaming down into Hell.

Meanwhile, in Heaven

With the wards down, Vox is able to tap into all of the screens in Heaven, letting them know his palms. In the ensuing panic, Sera (Patina Miller) is trying to figure out what to do. Abel (Patrick Stump), Lute (Jessica Vosk), and Emily (Shoba Narayan) are all at odds with how they should handle it.

When Sera, overwhelmed, leaves to go pray, Sir Pentious (Alex Brightman) follows her. When he reminds her that souls still feel human emotions and that they are scared, she understands how they need to approach Hell’s impending attack.

In the middle of this, back in Hell, Alastor continues with his plan to goad Vox. Though we still don’t see the exact direction it is taking him in, we begin to see the shape of it, and it is clear that he needs Vox to lose control.

Once back with Lute, Abel, and Emily, Sera gives the orders for Lute to ready the troops to stand by. She doesn’t want a war; instead, she wants Pentious to try to resolve things his way: Peacefully.

As the episode wraps up, back at the hotel they’re preparing for the possibilities of what is to come. Throughout the season it has been unsure of what Baxter’s (Kevin Del Aguila) status at the hotel is, but he is just as willing to risk everything for his friends, too.

Calling in a few favors

Heading into episode 8, “Curtain Call,” Vaggie (Stephanie Beatriz) is devising a plan with the rest of the hotel guests on how to stop the Vees and rescue Angel. While Charlie and Vaggie join Vox’s celebration, Emily leads the rest of the guests on a quest to get Angel out of the Tower. Once in, Baxter and Niffty (Kimiko Glenn) head to the servers to begin their part of the plan to connect to Pentious in Heaven.

Back in season 1, Charlie made a deal with Alastor in exchange for information he had about the angels. We have been waiting for him to use his end of the deal–one favor from Charlie, at any time of his choosing, where she harms no one–and he chooses to cash it in now.

If you’ll recall from episode 4, Alastor’s own deal with Rosie meant that he was the strongest sinner in Hell. Because of that, he was bound to her. Now, as Vox’s need for power grows, he asks Charlie to tell all of Hell that he’s the strongest sinner. She refuses before Alastor steps in and cashes in on that deal.

What Charlie–and Vox–don’t know is that by announcing that, it frees him from his tie to the cannibal overlord Rosie (Leslie Kritzer). One leash down, it is only a matter of moments before Vox negates his own deal with Alastor and puts his hands on Charlie.

When the deal was made, Vox clearly thought it meant that he wouldn’t harm her. However, he didn’t account for Alastor’s clever wordplay. The episode really kicks into gear when they face off again, and we finally get to see Vox’s more powerful demonic form.

Angel Dust, Lucifer, and everybody else having a really bad day

While Alastor is facing off against Vox, Husk and Cherri Bomb sneak into the penthouse to find Angel. When they do, he is barely conscious and clearly still deep into the effects of his hypnosis. Cherri scoops him up, but before they can leave, Valentino returns. In the ensuing fight, Valentino uses Angel against them, and he attacks Cherri until Husk hits him and breaks him of his hypnosis.

As Vox continues to use the weapon and tries to make it even more powerful, it is clear that it is taking its toll on Lucifer, who is visibly injured and exhausted. Vox, at this point, doesn’t care what happens, as long as it means Alastor stops smiling.

Valentino finally steps in, fed up with Vox’s attitude, and tears his head from his body. Of course, since this is Hell, Vox is perfectly fine, but now incapacitated. With Vox under his arm, Valentino and Velvette leave.

The weapon, however, is nearly overloaded, and at this point it is too late to stop it. All hope seems lost until Emily steps in, even though she’s also injured. As she begins using her powers to attempt to stop the machine, Charlie steps in, and then the other overlords begin to follow.

So what IS Niffty?

When all of the overlords are using their power on Vox’s machine, a surprise guest hops in as well, Niffty. We have known little about her throughout the show so far, and this is the biggest glimpse we have gotten that there is something more.

While it isn’t explicitly stated, and we don’t get much more than her using some vague powers on the machine. While some of them are obvious (Charlie’s are music notes, for example), Niffty’s are not. However, it does raise questions and potential plot points for next season. Will we find out how she and Alastor met?

What’s next for season 3?

Sir Pentious and Cherri Bomb finally reunite towards the end of episode 8. It is the first time they have been able to talk about their feelings and where exactly it leaves them, and it gives us some hope for the seasons to come about how they will navigate this.

With Angel deciding to go back to the Vees rather than risk Vox using him to spy on the hotel again, it is clear where season 3 is headed. The show is always very deliberate about how it presents its narrative, and the heavy emphasis on Valentino and Angel is setting us up for what will most likely be their season, much like this past season was about Vox and Alastor.

Where does this leave the Vees?

At the end of episode, Vox is little more than an iPad without a tripod. Valentino and Velvette are left to clean up the mess Vox’s power-hungry rampage caused. In his place, Valentino has risen to power. What that power will look like moving forward remains to be seen.

Given that their dynamic has been that of a close-knit trio, it will be interesting at how that will shift moving forward. It is highly unlikely Vox will ever be able to maintain a position as powerful as he did before. But, we also don’t know what his status as an overlord still is. That could be one of the questions answered in season 3.

Music

These two episodes give us some of the longest songs in the series yet. Episode 7 opens with the veritable banger of a song, “Brighter,” which shows Vox’s backstory. All season it has been incredible to see Borle’s range as a vocal performer, and “Brighter” is no exception.

In Heaven, while Pentious and Sera are talking, there is a wonderful duet with the most sob-worthy of callbacks from season 1. “Live to Live” has Pentious singing a refrain from the season 1 song, “It Starts With Sorry,” and instantly set all of us (including writer/composer Sam Haft, as revealed on the Hazbin Hotel Pod) to sobbing.

And we finally get a full Patrick Stump solo! “Hear My Hope” is the final song of the season, and at 5 minutes, it encapsulates much of the rest of the episode with vignettes of songs spliced into it. Stump’s solo is part of it, and we witness Abel taking charge when Lute begins to get out of control again. I am sure I’m not the only one who says: Finally. Though I doubt we have seen the last of Abel, I really do hope we get more songs from him in the future. Stump’s voice is just too incredible to keep in the background.

It was a season of incredible song growth, and Haft has teased that every season gets better and better. So where will that start us in season 3?

Unfortunately now, all we can do is wait. Season 3 isn’t expected until 2027 at the earliest, though creator Vivienne Medrano hasn’t given specific dates yet. Those are sure to come within the next year or so. Until then, maybe it’s time to restart season 1 yet again.

Let us know your thoughts on season 2! And for more Hazbin Hotel news, opinions, and interviews, keep checking back to THS.

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