Charlie Morningstar and her fellow residents at the Hazbin Hotel have hit Amazon Prime Video like a freight train, becoming one of the biggest animated series running today. Arriving over a year since the first season ended, the second season has been promised to be bigger, bolder, and more expansive to the universe and its characters, according to creator Vivienne Medrano. Along with the cursing, heavy-drinking, hard-drug-using cast of characters, viewers are given the chance to learn far more about the hotel’s residents this time around. With the Hellaverse’s long-awaited comeback, does Hazbin Hotel season two stick the landing?
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As a refresher for those who need it, Hazbin Hotel’s first season not only introduced animation enthusiasts to Charlie and her friends, but it also concluded with a war between heaven and hell, capping off the first batch of episodes. With Adam having died in the battle and Sir Pentious redeemed, transported to the pearly gates, the hotel is making quite a few headlines. With this newfound popularity, quite a few new residents are attempting to join Hazbin’s ranks while the villainous Vox attempts to tarnish the reputation of Morningstar’s endeavor. The second season spins quite a few plates at once, revealing some major origin stories while also heating things up in the major conflict of the afterlife. Unfortunately, the much larger second season tends to stumble in its enormity.
Rating: 3.5 Out Of 5
| Pros | Cons |
| The soundtrack lives up to, and often excels past, the first season’s. | The meaty season can often lose track of many of its characters when introducing new faces to the weighty cast. |
| The character building and back stories work well in expanding the universe. | There are times where the animation can look a little stiff |
| There are times when the animation can look a little stiff | Sometimes, the storylines can be a tad too melodramatic |
The Hazbin Hotel’s Open For Business
Season two of Hazbin Hotel can often build upon what the first season did to make it so appealing. Tracks like “Gravity” and “Once We Get Up There” do a fantastic job of both creating earworm tunes for fans while also working well with the overall plot. There’s one particular song that might rule the roost as my favorite involving Niffty and her “promotion” of the hotel itself that both plays on the strength of the series while having some hilarious nods to the anime world. If you were a big fan of the first season’s soundtrack, you shouldn’t worry at all when it comes to season two, as the SpindleHorse creative team clearly has a knack for whipping up catchy tunes.
As for the plot of season two, it’s a strong one, as the Hazbin Hotel has gained serious notoriety for its victory against heaven. This newfound success for Charlie and company has an unexpected drawback, as potential new residents didn’t quite get the memo that the locale is meant to create redemption. Along with new characters like Baxter, Cherry Bomb from season one is asking for a key to join the main cast, and the heavenly host also has some new members to add to the equation. Unfortunately, it’s with this fact that we can dive into some of the aspects of season two that didn’t work as well as season one.
The Hazbin Hotel: No Vacancies
All that glitters isn’t gold, and unfortunately, Hazbin Hotel’s second season feels like its biggest weakness is simply how top-heavy it is. It’s clear that creator Vivienne Medrano and the rest of the creative team were excited for Charlie’s return, jam-packing the second season with new and old characters, origin stories, plotlines, drama, and more. Unfortunately, with this torrent of new elements, various characters and plotlines seem to get washed out to sea, receiving little more than brief mentions or quick “flashes in the pan.” Without diving too heavily into spoiler territory, a major element promised to play a part in season two is surprisingly absent for a good amount of episodes. The second season is simply spinning too many plates at once, and unfortunately, some of those plates break as a result.
As mentioned above, there aren’t many foibles to take when it comes to the music and catchy tunes of Hazbin Hotel’s second season, but in some of the show’s quieter moments, it often doesn’t have the same animated flair as its more boisterous affairs. Ultimately, the animation never feels as though it dramatically excels past what the first season put forth, but it is strong in the places that it ultimately needs to be. Hazbin Hotel’s second season might not surpass everything about the premiere batch of episodes that kicked off the animated series, but if you fell in love with Charlie and her cohorts, there’s plenty you’ll find to love here.
Hazbin Hotel Season 2 streams exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on October 29th, with two episodes to start, and two episodes released each subsequent week.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
