Hazbin Hotel 2×07 and 2×08 Review: “Weapon of Mass Distraction” and “Curtain Call”

Heaven and Hell must unite to stop the threat of Vox’s destruction in the second season finale “Weapon of Mass Distraction” and “Curtain Call.”

After making moves to further his agenda in the previous two episodes, Vox (Christian Borle) puts the final stages of his plan in motion in the season finale episodes “Weapon of Mass Distraction” and “Curtain Call.” Though Charlie (Erika Henningsen) finds a way to prevail, it takes the help of all her allies in both Hell and Heaven to save both worlds.

Once Vox has Lucifer (Jeremy Jordan) in his clutches, he reveals that he intends to use Lucifer to power his ultimate weapon. Vox’s entertaining victory song reveals a lot of backstory about his life as a human, primarily that he was a weatherman who killed those in his way to move up the ranks at the network. With all of the pieces in place, Vox broadcasts both his latest attack on Charlie and his declaration of war by shattering the barrier to Heaven.

The unprecedented attack has Heaven spiraling, causing Sera (Patina Miller) and the forces up in Heaven to argue over their plan to respond. Emily (Shoba Narayan) is in favor of a peaceful resolution, Lute (Jessica Vosk) is eager to strike back, and Abel (Patrick Stump) tries to remain neutral. Ultimately, it is Sir Pentious (Alex Brightman) who persuades Sera towards the peaceful solution. It’s great to see how he’s finally settled into life in Heaven and that he’s able to apply his lessons from the hotel to provide both friendship and guidance to Sera.

Back at the Hazbin Hotel, Charlie is equally perplexed about how to stop Vox. Thankfully, Vaggie (Stephanie Beatriz) and the other residents are willing to help. Once Emily and Sera reach out to Charlie, she is able to form a plan that will take everyone to succeed. As Charlie and Vaggie attend Vox’s party to distract him, the others will work to rescue the captured Angel Dust (Blake Roman) and interrupt Vox’s broadcast with their own to prove Sir Pentious’ redemption to the citizens of Hell.

Despite obstacles in the form of Valentino (Joel Perez) and Velvette (Lilli Cooper), the others eventually succeed in their parts of the plan. Baxter (Kevin Del Aguila) and Niffty (Kimiko Glenn) have a surprising, yet fun dynamic as Baxter works to hijack Vox’s broadcast while Niffty fights off Velvette. Elsewhere, Husk (Keith David) and Cherri Bomb (Krystina Alabado) work well as a team to rescue Angel and fight off Valentino, but Husk has to attack Angel to snap him out of his hypnotized state.

Unfortunately, Baxter’s delay in hijacking Vox’s broadcast ruins Charlie’s speech at the party to prove Sir Pentious’ redemption. While Vox gloats about besting Charlie once again, Alastor (Amir Talai) uses his deal with Charlie to get her to declare Vox as the strongest sinner in Hell. This declaration breaks Alastor’s deal with Rosie (Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer), while Vox touching Charlie in the aftermath frees Alastor from Vox’s captivity. Alastor’s triumph over Vox is fun to see, but it’s frightening to think of what Alastor has planned now that he has nothing binding him.

Unfortunately, Vaggie is unable to shut down Vox’s weapon and it becomes clear that it will destroy both Heaven and Hell. With Charlie leading the charge, all of Hell’s overlords as well as the visiting members of Heaven work together to shut down the weapon. Even Valentino and Velvette help out, preventing Vox from causing any further damage before joining the others. The moment of unity is powerful, and the ensemble song brings the cast together in a satisfying way.

Once the weapon is shut down, Baxter completes hijacking Vox’s broadcast and finally shows everyone a live look at a redeemed Sir Pentious in Heaven. While Sir Pentious and Cherri Bomb reunite through the broadcast in a cute exchange, everyone else is able to enjoy the victory except for Angel. Distraught over the revelation of his unknowing betrayal of the hotel, Angel refuses to return despite the pleas of Cherri Bomb and Husk. It’s a bitter moment of an overall joyful finale, but hopefully a more satisfying resolution for Angel and his compelling dynamic with Husk will be coming sometime in the next season.

In the aftermath, Charlie recounts in a voice message to her mother Lilith how the hotel is now filled with guests who are there for the right reasons, while Heaven is preparing to welcome more redeemed sinners to their realm. Like in the season one finale, the arrival of Lilith is once again teased for the next season.

Though Lilith’s arrival remains an intriguing potential storyline that will likely disrupt this newfound unity between Hell and Heaven, the pressure for this storyline to deliver after zero payoff after the first tease has raised substantially. Regardless, “Weapon of Mass Distraction” and “Curtain Call” combine to form a satisfying conclusion to the second season with plenty of intriguing storylines to follow up on in subsequent seasons.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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