#helluva boss s2e4 spoilers

[marithlizard]

A moment in the new episode of Helluva Boss that puzzled me:

The subtitle, “C U Next Tuesday”, isn’t spoken or visible as text, although there’s a soft beep to go with it. Stolas looks at his phone shortly afterwards and sees a reminder notice but not those words.

Possibly the subtitles were created (they’re not auto-generated, they’re provided by the studio starting with this episode according to Adam Neylan) before that line was cut.   Though I’m not sure who would have spoken it, it really looks like a text. 

And who is it from? At first I thought Blitzo, but now I think Asmodeus.

(ETA:  Explained in replies by @shadowofthelamp, thanks! I was completely on the wrong track.)

[marithlizard]

Oh yes. Fitting that as the episode opens, Stolas is being served tea by this imp:

and as the episode closes, he’s getting VIP treatment at the hospital where Blitzo has been trying to get a five-minute appointment for his daughter for the last five years.   Stolas knows about both these things, they’re right in front of him, Blitzo told him about Loona on the phone, but he doesn’t see them at all. The text messages reveal he doesn’t understand even the basics of why the imp he loves is upset with him.

To quote Millie, I love you, honey, but for fuck’s sake.

I LOVE that we’re seeing more of the racism imps face on display this season, from royalty to regular demons.

THIS kind of anger…

…doesn’t come from nowhere.

[quadrantvacillation]

Shit wait

I’m probably reading too far into this but Stolas being surrounded by flowers at the end of S2E4 is giving major hanahaki vibes

[the-irreverend]

I'm in love with this dumb scene and I don't know why.

[welcometomymaddness]

Helluva Boss S1 E8 spoilers & thoughts

Slight usage of S2E2 & S2E4 screenshots for character designs & plot reference of E2

Pretty background characters make brain brr

If Beelzebub is a canine demon like hellhounds, how do her being Gluttony’s ruler & hellhounds being the lowest class (lower than being acknowledged as a class) work? Bird demons are consistently shown to be higher class via goetia & some in S2E4’s opening café. Why the split with canines? Is her status purely from her non-canine stuff?

It feels weird seeing this Loona knowing S2E2. Like, she has warmth for Blitzo in both sure but in S2 it’s a smile after hitting him & a speech he isn’t there for. It just feels different, y’know? Maybe?

[marithlizard]

Blitzo has never been the sharpest knife in the circus act, but I can follow his thought process here. He’s been thinking of Stolas as a being on the level of Superman.  He was in danger from a villain with kryptonite, but M&M saved him, so he should be fine, right?  Superman does not go to the ICU with stab wounds and broken bones like a mortal.  The comic books just don’t work like that. He’s always on his feet and posing by the last panel. This is dumb, yes. But not that dumb.  Goetia don’t normally get hurt (I hope we get to see a bit of the news coverage)  and even if Stolas was exaggerating with all that “Blitzy’s knife” backtalk to his captor, the pain tolerance he showed in that scene was off the charts. Blitzo has canonically, literally used bear traps on this guy in bed. 

(If you’re at all familiar with BNHA, that makes an even better analogy.  Millions of All Might fans would find Blitzo’s shock highly relatable.)

I think we’re going to get some more clarification on all this before long. The show’s trying to portray complex messy emotional stuff here; not everything people say is going to be simple and transparent.

Helluva boss opinion (SPOILERS for season 2 episode 4)

👏 so...

... I really hate how dumb they made Blitzo in that episode. Like, your surprised Stolas could get hurt? Really?? Like, you seriously already forgot that Striker had the tools to hurt him? Like, you can't be surprised! The fact that he was *surprised* Stolas could be hurt had me FUMING. He can't be that dumb!

Ugh, okay, hot take over.

[somethingridiculous]

S1E8 was a banger, without a doubt. Loved the music, loved the designs. Cotton Candy is probably one of my new favorite HH songs alongside House of Asmodeus and Stolas Sings.

Bee gives me Lava Lamp vibes, btw

I have to admit, I am kinda sad that I wasn't very close with my design for Bee compared to the official design, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love the official design. She's absolutely adorable.

With the release of Beelzebub's official design, I will not be posting part 4 of my A Sense of Pride series, as it uses my concept of Bee, which is no longer relevant. I will not be deleting any of my old posts/theories/headcanons however.

Some of my rambling about the episode + my maybe plans for the future of the Sins I've made under the cut. My thoughts on the episode towards the bottom. Spoilers ahead!

This episode did stomp on a good few of my headcanons (to be expected, ofc, but sad nonetheless), but it also confirmed, or at least reinforced, a good few of my theories. From what little we see of Gluttony, it's clearly covered in hellhounds, which I'd theorized was the "birth place" of hellhounds in hell, like how it seems that imps' birthplace was Wrath and Satan. With Bee appearing to look like a hellhound, it reinforces my theory that hellhounds were created by Bee in Gluttony.

That said, the release of this episode is making me think I should do some world/character separation. Perhaps the sins I've made thus far should no longer be really associated with the Helluva Boss world, at least not in the same capacity I've been using them for. Especially with Bee referring to Belphegor as "she". I can't see my Belphegor identifying as female. So, maybe I can do some separation and make some new concept art based on this new information + what we got to see of the Sloth ring in S2E4. So, stay tuned for some new concept art :)

Most likely, I'll still be drawing my Sins (Namely, Belphegor, Leviathan, and Satan), but I think I'll no longer be tagging them under HH/HB. Just due to it being a pretty heavy AU, as I'll still be using the current concept of Vivzie's Hell and its species. That, or I'll label it both HH/HB + Alternate Universe. Haven't decided yet.

Reading further is going to contain spoilers for S1E8 ->

Outside of headcanons, I was definitely not expecting to see a new sin in this episode. I was expecting even less for said sin to be the girlfriend Tex mentioned. While I still think some of my original headcanons for Bee will still work, some were kinda thrown out lol. Oh well, though. I love the personality they gave her and she feels like someone who's very down to earth.. er hell I guess.

[marithlizard]

Helluva Boss s2e4: thoughts while watching

People who do full actual liveblogging with screenshots have my great respect, this took forever!

The official description for this episode is "Striker exists and things sure do happen".   Amazingly, it does _not_ set a record for vagueness.

- Pfft that restaurant.  "Where the poor pour for you!"   And I'm willing to bet it has never occurred to Stolas that Blitzo is very aware he belongs on the pouring side and has opinions about that.

- OMG the poor tiny imp holding up a coffee pot bigger than he is.  New theory:  the staff at places like this often sell the the juicy tidbits of information they pick up from wealthy demons who think of them as furniture.  Perhaps Stolas' butler does too and that's why he was at Ozzies.  ...Spymaster butler, now that's going in a future fic somewhere.

- "C U next Tuesday"?  Is the subtitle reading off a text message we can't see?  Maybe from Blitzo?  (TY those who told me afterwards it’s an attempt to discreetly subtitle a cut line.)

- DEAL AT OZZIES  we were right! we were all right!

- Bombproof riding down the street.  Coffeepot imp,  you can see him coming, get out of the way.

- "Stop making this harder to bullshit"  I was not expecting to like Andrealphus at all, but I have to appreciate the way he is so obviously done with his sister's lack of impulse control.

- Hey, that lady is part succubus and part shark demon. I think? 

- Stella was not at all concerned that bullet would hit her, even though it came within inches.  Meaning those pistols aren't angelic.

- Nice quick reflexes from Stolas. Goodness, that bullet went through his hat.  

- that lady has an imp in her purse!  Imps have a much wider size range than I thought. Either that or Goetia magically shrink them for convenience. Hell would be an accessibility nightmare for someone that small...

- The barista seems to be a different type of demon, sort of goat-ish?

- Hey, that's a wanted poster of Striker

- Blitzo’s ringtone is now 500% more subtle than it was in Murder Family. He does learn.

- Huh. Loona looks scared and M&M look worried, and it has nothing to do with the incoming phone call. Are the theories about Loona being sick right?

- "I'm sorry it's a bad time yet again Blitzy"   So Blitzo has been avoiding Stolas since Ozzie’s. I wondered, since in Seeing Stars we saw a calendar with a question mark on their meeting day.

- ooohhhhh Loona is terrified of shots.  Interesting that M&M are coming along, given the hostile relationship between Moxxie and Loona.  He’s not mocking her and she’s so scared she doesn’t even care about him witnessing her humiliation.  Blitzo is probably making everyone behave through sheer boss willpower.

- He's in mortal peril and you don't even seem slightly worried and you're not going to come save him?  I think we fans may have been overestimating Blitzo's feelings for Stolas, at least the conscious ones. 

- I mean, not that Stolas’ perky  "I think you should come save me" isn't full of tonedeaf assumptions itself.

- It took 5 years to get an appointment for this?  Okay, that says two things. Hell's healthcare system is as bad as I thought, and Blitzo has been trying to get Loona this shot since the day they met.

- She's been doing a lot of field work? I guess we have seen her on Earth 3 times so far, and there may have been more.

- "Oh shit. Am I in danger right now?"  STOLAS FOR FUCK'S SAKE

- Okay, now Blitzo is properly alarmed. And he starts to ditch the vital health appointment without hesitation.  And he's appropriately concerned for M&M, too.  Good job.

- Moxxie really does sound just like his dad sometimes.

- St Ans. Is the name a play on Satan, even though Satan rules the Wrath ring and this is Sloth?  

- Motel 666 keychain,  horseshoe and a key with a heart.  Blitzo probably does one night stands at that motel.

- Now what are those roundish gray demons?  They don't look like any type we've seen before. (ETA: They’re from Envy, someone said?)

- Notice on bulletin board:  "In search of kidney, I need your help, not a scam, call Chuck".  

- I like the plant with its closed eyes and exaggerated long eyelashes.  A big theme for Sloth, evidently, given the similar eyes decorating the building everywhere.

- Sign on wall:  Soothing sleep, sounds and light - Appointment status FULL - purchase at our gift shop. Wonder what that is.

- No cameras sign, but what's the other one prohibiting? Looks like a vial of potion?  (TY those who said holy water. I’m not sure why anyone would have that in Hell, yikes.)

- AHAHAHA fourth wall acknowledgement that people really hated the slur in the pilot.  (When I was a kid that word was hurled all over the playground right along with “gay” and “faggot” and “slut” and “moron” and others.  It’s always been an insult but I had no idea it was now considered so horrible as to be unspeakable even in the midst of the whole breathtakingly WTF inappropriate profanity of the pilot, while other words are still used or even reclaimed. Attitudes and norms change over time and language is more fluid than people tend to realize.)

- Wow, Blitzo in the process of drawing on the nurse when he realizes there's a witness looking very pointedly at him.

- Oh, poor Loona....all her bristly fuck-you energy is gone. She actually looks slightly reassured by his cosseting!   (I have a feeling it's going to turn out to be a horrible giant painful thing though, no matter what he assures her.)

- Striker has a fan group literally singing his praises who were waiting for him to pass by.  I feel I should not be surprised.

- Wait how literally are we supposed to take this? They know the plan.  Okay no this is some real Monty Python energy and I love it (Sir Robin’s bards, anyone?) and it should make clear to all that some things about this show are in Silly Logic territory. Which has been part of the core concept since the start, but I sometimes forget when the relationships and emotions are so real.

- He has a lair. and a statue of himself.  We knew he was an egotistical git but it makes him seem less cool to know he puts so much deliberate effort into his coolness.

- Ahahaha no it's NOT deliberate, he doesn’t want the fan singers, and that makes it even better.

- And Stolas is a bit intrigued by the theme song, you can't tell me he's not

- ...Welp, time to walk back all those reassurances to reactors that I.M.P doesn't really kill kids and that was just a pilot thing.  Yikes Blitzo. Would he really have pulled the trigger, I wonder?

- "SAME HAT"  why do I feel like this is referencing the tumblr meme

-  They're tiny now!  Maybe size changing magic is a thing some imps can have, sure, let’s go with that. 

- Moxxie taking out three demons more than twice his size in the background, in feral melee style just like his wife.  And matter-of-factly pumping gas while doing it, that’s SO badass.

- That is a Blitzo drawing Millie is showing off, dyslexic R and the distinctive style. Blitzo had a doodle of Striker in the car.  He probably keeps a sketchbook there? I’d love to flip through it, that’d make a great comic/animatic. 

- "Very outlaw aeshetic"

- "Wouldn't a holy bullet have sufficed? Or could you not afford those?"  I knew this would be addressed.

- "Is the giant statue of yourself also a classic, or..."   Salty Stolas is the best. Is it just me, or has he picked up a very Blitzo style of trash talk?

- I mean Striker isn't wrong, here, and in another situation I'd be on his side.

- RESPECT.  Stolas just took just another angelic stab wound without even flinching and handed back snark in equal measure.

-  I wonder if he's telling the truth and their S&M play is that vicious. The bear traps thing suggests Stolas likes serious pain, but I didn't get an angry contemptuous vibe from their interactions in Truth Seekers or Harvest Moon.  Fond, if anything.

- The hut-sized Fortress of Solitude look of Andrealphus' place is kind of silly, but I do really like the icy feathers.

- So Andrealphus wasn't in on the Striker thing. And he doesn't seem at all concerned about Stella losing all her status and wealth.  These two may be close but it's not the genuine family love we see between our protagonists.

- So Stolas does have legions? I still cannot picture him as any kind of war leader, as fierce as he can be when provoked. Must know more.

- "A Goetia's never behaved like this before" - interesting.   Probably not true and past indiscretions have been hushed up, but Andrealphus seems to believe it, which means not many and very well hushed up.

- "Eternity is a a long time"  - so Goetia do live forever?  That's very unfortunate for Stolitz. :(   Don’t like that idea at all. It also means that unless we're handwaving all practical considerations - which we might be -  something is weird about the Goetia. Why does Paimon have so many kids if they won't age and die naturally?  Are there tons of ancient birds cluttering up the place that we haven’t seen?  Or do they get winnowed out somehow? - Am I getting a Folger’s Crystals vibe here?  That wouldn't bother me (seriously, Game of Thrones had that going on and everybody but me was all over that show when it was airing, even the non-geeks, nobody batted an eye)  but it would be a suprising choice when the creators know how hypercritical the fanbase is.

- Ooh, thank goodness for cartoon logic or that van would be totaled.

- Oh my god Striker is tapping his foot to the beat.  He's into this fight. What a relief for him after dealing with Stolas and Stella who both refuse to stay on script.

- And he's so annoyed when the music changes to pop (with similar lyrics - is it the same song?) 

-  Moxxie taking a cue from Angel there. 

- I like the plague doctor masks on the EMTs.

- "He can get hurt?" Oh. Oh, hon.  You never thought he was actually in danger.  Not even after the Harvest Moon festival?  Did you not tell Stolas about that attempt because you downplayed it in your own mind to make yourself feel better?

-  the texts.  the texts.  Oh my GOD.  oh, sweetie, Stolas, oh.  He’s trying so hard and he is SO clueless. “come over and say mean things to me, haha, I always enjoy that...”   Flailing desperately to put a light positive spin on the situation, like he’s been doing his entire life.  But this time he doesn’t know what Blitzo wants to hear and his “lead with joy” style is not suited to the situation.

- This makes me feel better about Seeing Stars. There’s the missing context for their seemingly-effortless pretense that nothing is wrong in that episode. They already did the awkwardness over text.

- The whole ending sequence is heartwrenching, but not unexpected.  Next episode I hope we see the meeting with Ozzie to deal for the crystals, and perhaps some conversation about what it’s like to have a forbidden relationship.  Will Fizzarolli reveal a bit of why he hates Blitzo so, and tell Stolas he’s better off without him?

- Who are the flowers from, I wonder? Not Via’s style.

[marithlizard]

I enjoyed the heck out of the new Helluva Boss episode and have a lot to say about it, but for now, a couple of images that stood out to me:

Loona, who veers unstably between hostile contempt and insecure anxiety and often lashes out at her adoptive father, is terrified the entire episode.  She has no spoken lines, only whimpers and growls.  And yet - If she was truly unwilling, either she would’ve savaged him and run away long before they got in the van or she’d be trussed up and sedated.   She’s cooperating as much as she can through her fear.  And she’s showing a huge amount of trust in Blitzo right up until the moment of truth (at which point who could blame her).

A lot of viewers have condemned Blitzo as a terrible parent or Loona as an abusive monster of a daughter.  But the moment above of her actually being reassured for a second by his cheesy, overprotective dad behavior speaks volumes.  Those two have a functional relationship in their own way.

(Also, Blitzo fought the healthcare system for five years to get her this appointment? He must have started trying to schedule it the day he adopted her. And he didn’t forget it and they’re not late and he obviously put in a ton of prep work talking her into going.  He may be stupid about money sometimes, but Blitzo has more adulting skills than some of us give him credit for in fic. )

Look at this little guy with his eyes flicking back and forth to each speaker.  And I saw the even smaller imp in a Goetia’s purse, too.  (Are they really that small or are they shrunk by magic?)  New headcanon:  Imps sell the tidbits they pick up from the wealthy demons who treat them like furniture.

Come to think of it,  Stolas’  much-abused butler was spotted at Ozzie’s that night, and not as a servant:

If anyone’s looking for a story prompt...wouldn’t he make a great villain as an information broker and spymaster? Finally, any ideas on what’s being prohibited here, besides flash photography?

[dukeoftheblackstar]

@definetlyaddicted

I am on-board with this. I don't think dumbing down Stella to make her brother more devious is a good move. The hate piled on Stella for being a bitch is also an accentuation of her being a cunning bitch. To shamelessly hide Striker via the previous episodes is all 'balls to the wall' move. Her confidence and uncaring nature to not give two shits if she gets associated to Striker in the most obvious forms just screams how she is such a villain deffo not to be trifled with.

I am down with her being extra and emotionally driven to plummet Stolas to the ground and her greed of power and fortune, but so much was just wasted by making her a bimbo. Very disappointed.

I can also turn a blind eye on the corny and unexciting aspects of the episode, but they also ruined Striker for me. I get the mild display of angst and peek at his possible backstory of why he abhors royals, but I feel like him immediately breaking off the perfect balance he had for being this arrogant bastard has gone to waste.

They could have fueled him with so much anger, but no. I felt like his angst was a petty, comedic attempt of a teaser for Striker backstory.

I'm all for Stolitz and all scenes tied to it. Those were the good parts. Loona being cute, sure. M&M's screentime, okay.

But seriously. So much waste for what had been built as a match made in heaven. Viv broke them with such pitiful disdain, I'm actually sad.

Sigh... Helluva Boss episode 4

Okay Vivzie, I'll give you some props... This recent ep was miles better than episodes 2 and 3. Not too good, but it was okay. I appreciated the ending, gave me the vibe that Stolas really will move on this season (thank god for that)

However, they almost lost Strikers personality completely, the dick statue was once again, corny and unnecessary.

Also, they lost me by trying to make Stella dumb. She's meant to be an asshole/ a scorned woman, not a bimbo.

Ill make my critique on the Stolitz texts in another post though.

[marithlizard]

It's subtle, I grant you, but everything about the clinic they visit has "hellhounds are pets not people" ingrained in it. It takes years to get an appointment for the shot hellhounds are supposed to get every year - but the aggressively awful mom in the waiting room was demanding to reschedule just so she wouldn't have to sit next to Blitzo, so appointments are easy for her to make.

The posters are condescending:

But what got to me most of all was that neither of the staff members we see bothers to talk to Loona at all, never mind try to reassure their obviously terrified, fully grown adult patient. They don't even make eye contact with her. They talk to Blitzo. And they're not surprised or curious about why an imp has a hellhound daughter, because it doesn't occur to him that they are family. They assume he's her owner.

And when he says to hurry up for her sake, the response is "It can't be that bad, I see hellhounds every day and there hasn't been one that has caused any - "

Yeah, I wanted Loona to bite him even before he brought out a needle the size of a small Volkswagen. (And now that I think about how she's been treated in other episodes, I feel a lot more sympathetic to her belligerent slacker persona. It's armor.)

Some of the background art from the most recent Helluva Boss episode:

The colors are beautiful, but what catches my eye is the details. Well-stocked condom vending machine, safe sex poster and water cooler. Add that to the factory floor of contented-looking employees - they're even wearing safety gear!

and Ozzie's is seeming like a downright civilized and pleasant workplace by Hell standards. I have a feeling Mammon's operation will be the complete opposite.

(The party didn't give me enough information to guess what it's like working for Beezlebub, as pleasant as she seems. As for Sloth...it's pretty and clean and all, but there's hints of some serious discrimination going on there.)

[always-a-doughnut]

Ah fair enough. My main problem was that he knows Striker has weapons specifically to disarm and to kill upperclass demons but still is surprised Stolas was capable of being hurt? I can see your point though, it's just he seemed a bit too surprised. Ah well, hopefully the next part clears it up a bit.

Helluva boss opinion (SPOILERS for season 2 episode 4)

👏 so...

... I really hate how dumb they made Blitzo in that episode. Like, your surprised Stolas could get hurt? Really?? Like, you seriously already forgot that Striker had the tools to hurt him? Like, you can't be surprised! The fact that he was *surprised* Stolas could be hurt had me FUMING. He can't be that dumb!

Ugh, okay, hot take over.