Helluva Boss Season 2 Review

Rating:

Helluva Boss Season 2 Earned a Raise

Created By: Vivienne Medrano
Voice Actors: Brandon Rogers, Richard Steven Horvitz, Vivian Nixon, Erica Lindbeck, Bryce Pinkham 

Helluva Boss is back for another season of bloodshed and drama. The musical workplace comedy about demonic hitmen assassinating humans was a smash despite odd pacing and poor musical numbers. Can it pick up the slack in season 2 or is Helluva Boss damned? Let’s find out.

Last Season on Helluva Boss

Circus performer Blitzo (the o is silent) became a hitman and founded Immediate Murder Professionals. He hired murderous couple Millie and Moxxie as well as his adopted hellhound daughter, Loona. Blitzo seduced Goetian Prince Stolas to secure a grimoire that allowed I.M.P. to travel to Earth.

Blitzo and Stolas maintained a transactional relationship, trading the grimoire for sex. Stolas’ abusive wife Stella found out, wrecking their arranged marriage. Blitzo grew closer to his patron over several missions, but his fear of commitment pushed him away when Stolas confessed genuine love. The murderous imp and adulterous Prince’s relationship is now on the rocks.

The Good

Blitzo’s Krieg

Season 2 explores how Blitzo is one of the biggest assholes in Hell. He grew up in a circus that he accidentally burned down. Blitzo made his way across all seven rings, leaving a trail of broken hearts whenever his partners wanted more than meaningless sex.

Blitzo hasn’t gotten better in the modern day. He’s dismissive of Stolas’ emotions and constantly intrudes on his employees’ lives. His mask starts to shatter as he runs into old friends turned foes, as well as his twin sister Barbie, who hates him.

Abrasiveness is Blitzo’s shield. He knows that he ruins all his relationships and breaks down whenever he has to be honest with himself instead of acting as a horny playboy assassin. At his lowest points, Blitzo’s true self-loathing identity lashes out. Blitzo doesn’t believe he’s worthy of love, but craves it more than anything.

Helluva Boss Season 2 is Down to Clown

Victims of the week are a dime a dozen, but Helluva Boss season 2 introduces new allies for I.M.P. to party with.

Fizzaroli is a world-famous jester and Blitzo’s former circus partner. He was maimed in the fire and hates Blitzo for abandoning him. They are forced to work together after being kidnapped, but manage to clear up the misunderstandings that ruined their friendship. 

Asmodeus is the King Sin of Lust and Fizzaroli’s lover. Their relationship is an open secret that most of Hell knows. Asmodeus is supportive of Fizz’s career despite hating his boss, Mammon. He hires I.M.P. to protect Fizz and consoles Stolas over romantic woes.

Vassago appears when I.M.P. is arrested for illegally going to Earth and establishes himself as one of the only Goetian Princes with a sense of justice. He peppers his speech with Spanish while railing for a fair trial and poking holes in the prosecution.

Matters of the Heart

Fans love pointing out that Hazbin Hotel is a musical about redeeming sinners and turned into proxy wars between Heaven and Hell. By that same token, Helluva Boss season 2 is less about demon assassins and more a demonic soap opera.

Stolas is torn over his relationship, wondering if Blitzo actually loves him or is only sleeping with him for the grimoire. He gives Blitzo another way to Earth to improve their relationship. That infuriates Blitzo, who thinks Stolas only values him as a living sex toy.

I.M.P. and pals don’t have the smoothest sailing either. Moxxie runs into issues during his own adventures, including his father forcing him into an arranged marriage and pissing off his wife Millie by getting lost in character during an undercover sting. Head down to the Ring of Lust and you have Fizzaroli struggling with self-worth and believing Asmodeus only wants to be with him because he’s a star.

There is more than romance here. Stolas’ divorce ruined his relationship with his daughter Octavia. Loona has a heart to heart with her that briefly patches things up, but Octavia grows distant and bitter as Stolas ignores her in favor of Blitzo.

Helluva Enemy

I.M.P. hunts the worst of humanity, but plenty of demons also make their hit-list in Helluva Boss season 2.

Stolas’ ex-wife Stella starts trouble by keeping Octavia away from him and hiring assassins to kill him. Her arrogant, incestuous brother Andrealphus talks her out of that plan and schemes to steal Stolas’ fortune through political maneuvering. He’s also no slouch in a fight, able to cast ice magic and summon a dragon. 

Some threats come from the past. Moxxie is kidnapped by his mob boss father, Crimson Knolastname, who has plans to steal fortunes. Fizz has his hands full with his abusive boss, Mammon: King Sin of Greed, who constantly belittles him. Slutty clown twins Glitz and Glam add to Fizzaroli’s problems by upstaging him at a clown competition he’s desperate to win.

The biggest threat is Satan: King Sin of Wrath and judge at I.M.P.’s trial. He intimidates everyone into obeying his rulings and is only kept in check by his anger manager and respect for the law. Satan is one of the strongest Deadly Sins and lies about being their leader because Lucifer’s busy at the Hazbin Hotel.

Helluva Boss’ Encore

Helluva Boss season 2 learned from its biggest mistake and followed in Hazbin Hotel’s footsteps. The new soundtrack has rock, ballads, and selections from Ghostfuckers: The Musical.

The tunes start quickly with “Stolas Sings”, as he serenades viewers with a season one recap. He and Blitzo share many songs tracking their ups and down, including “When I See Him,” “All 2 U (Motherfucker),” and “Mastermind.”

Season 2 gives the rest of the cast time in the limelight. Millie has a brief musical career with “Crashin’ a Wedding,” “Regular Joe,” and “You Got The Power.” Fizz improvises “Look at This” and “Crooked”, but when Glitz and Glam steal his thunder with “Klown Bitch”, he uses “Two Minutes Notice” to tell Mammon what he really thinks. 

We’d be here way too long listing all the songs, but the soundtrack’s variety is its greatest advantage. Listeners groove from a badass cowboy ballad to something bouncy and silly, or a heart-melting ballad. The final number is a wholesome Christmas carol that could play on the radio without any changes.

The Bad

Imp-eriled

Romantic drama and wacky hijinks are Helluva Boss’ lifeblood, but season 2 mixes in another element that poisons its heart: Classism.

Imps are the lowest-ranked Hellborn species while Goetic Princes like Stolas are among the highest. Season 1 played off that part of their relationship as Stella being a bitch, but other season two characters address issues between the haves and have-nots.

Blitzo and Fizz are with people high above their stations, sparking scandals when they’re exposed. The divide becomes the biggest obstacle for Stolas since he can’t see the differences that society does. Blitzo is painfully aware that he could easily be replaced and doesn’t understand that Stolas loves him.

Classism has a lot of story potential, but it falls flat because the series is set in Hell. Characters have to acknowledge when they’re talking about class differences because everyone’s an asshole and those issues are hidden by all the cursing and insults. Helluva Boss season two needed to be much more consistent about classism being an issue or find other reasons for characters to squabble

The Verdict on Helluva Boss Season 2

Helluva Boss season two is head and shoulders above season one. The plot has tightened as the cast expanded. A romantic throughline and more focus on the musical numbers help a lot. The screenwriters now need to decide if season three’s theme will remain classism, but season two is worth your time now.

I.M.P.’s Testimonials

Helluva Boss: Season 1 Review
Hazbin Hotel: Season 1 Review
Hazbin Hotel: Season 2 Review

Jared Bounacos

Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.