Greetings, everyone, and welcome to the continuation of my analysis of "Helluva Boss" season 1! As the title suggests, this review will begin covering the latter half of the season. If you haven't read it yet, I highly suggest reading Part 1 before progressing further through this one, linked below:
Part 1 went into greater depth about those four episodes, but to sum it up simply, while they were relatively less substantive than the rest of the series, they expertly established everything for what's to follow. From episode 5 onward, the true colors of "Helluva Boss" begin to show; the seeds that were planted by this point truly begin to blossom here. The seemingly simple series about demons killing humans evolves into an intricate character study that isn't afraid to delve into heavier subject matter, often leading to dramatic stories that succeed at tugging the heartstrings when it needs to.
For someone who had seen very little of the series, you'd swear that I'm making that up. But to showcase how this is the case, it's only fitting that I dive into the latter half of season 1, starting with 'Harvest Moon Festival'. Without further ado, let's do it!
At the time that I had binged through the show for the first time, this episode, 'The Harvest Moon Festival', was the most recent one. And if 'Loo Loo Land' wasn't enough of a sign to me that the show aimed to be more than just a silly yet violent sitcom, this was clearly the contingency plan for that. Not only does it ramp up the stakes for the overarching plot, but it begins letting the greater potential for the world and its characters truly blossom.
The episode begins with Blitzø and Stolas having just had one of their sex sessions, and right off the bat, we start off with a clear indication of the kind of dynamic they share. Blitzø is chilling with his hands behind his head as he smokes a cigarette, and Stolas has his own hands tied to the bed in a show of submission. Considering that they're a lower-class imp and a royal aristocrat respectively, this image takes that dynamic and turns it on its head, demonstrating Stolas the submissive one whereas Blitzø is the one in control. Contrast this with the fact that Stolas is essentially using the book deal to get special alone time with Blitzø, and it paints a very interesting picture about the power dynamic at play here.
Despite Stolas being the one facilitating this mutual sex to begin with, it's intriguing that when it comes to actually taking part in said sex, he plays the role of the sub, the one that Blitzø takes charge of. It's a pretty good sign early on of what exactly he sees in Blitzø that attracts him so much; the take-charge attitude, the complete willingness to speak his mind, and isn't afraid to insult others in the meantime. For someone like Stolas who's had to live a life of dignity and restrictions for his entire life, getting together with someone like Blitzø would naturally be enticing. After such a long time of having to rule over others, now he gets to be the bottom for a change, and it's something different and exciting, a spark igniting within him that he may find true happiness with this imp.
As for how Blitzø about their dynamic...well, we'll be getting to that later in the episode and the season.
Plot-wise, the scene establishes that Stolas needs the Grimoire earlier than usual for the annual Harvest Moon Festival, where he can showcase the full moon to the imps in the Wrath Ring. Blitzø expresses that while Moxxie and Millie are from there, he had never been there himself, and Stolas invites them all to join him for a day of fun. Blitzø agrees to do so as long as there's no sex involved. It's worth noting that while he's concerned with having the book because of all the clients he has, once he's invited to come to the festival with Stolas...
Stolas:"Awww, I'm sowwy your clients will have to wait~"
Blitzø: "Oh, fuck my clients."
Once again, I'll expand on this later. It's part of the Stolitz thing, trust me.
We cut to Moxxie and Millie's apartment as Blitzø calls them in the middle of the night to let them know about their trip to the festival. Watching this scene, a viewer would most likely notice that the framerate is quite a bit choppier than it usually is for the show. While it would be easy to say it was a bout of laziness on the part of the animators, I like to think it was more a budget-saving practice. What they were saving it for is another thing I'll get to later.
Once they're both informed, Millie is noticeably much more excited than Moxxie is, though Moxxie is begrudgingly willing to go along with it. We also get a great bit of continuity as Blitzø's tendency to stalk the couple and insert himself into their lives gets carried over from the pilot as he falls from the ceiling, revealing that he's been calling from within their room the whole time. I think it's a funny joke on its own, and for people like me who've rewatched the episodes several times, the little bit of consistency is very welcome.
Cut to the Wrath Ring as the I.M.P. gang all arrive at Millie's parents Lynn and Joe's house, and we can tell that while Millie's relationship with them is very strong and loving as they've toughened her up through all the time they've raised her, Moxxie is considered by her parents as very weak and submissive, not having earned their respect yet. Upon hearing about their nostalgia for war, he tries to get on their good side by talking enthusiastically about guns and weaponry and all the advancements that have been made in that regard, but it's clear that Lynn and Joe value physical strength more, which Blitzø is willing to go along with and mock Moxxie for. The scene also introduces Striker(played by the great Norman Reedus), who initially comes across as the tough antithesis to Moxxie, getting respect from Millie's folks and besting Moxxie at basically every physical challenge he tries.
The scene does an excellent job setting up Moxxie's arc for the episode, and building on an aspect of his character that's only been hinted at before. As shown in previous episodes, he is capable of speaking his mind when pushed to do so, but this episode builds on that by showing that he has the unfortunate habit of worrying what others think. It brings that flaw of his to the forefront and makes it the center of his growth. With him being desperate to seek approval from Millie's parents in how he presents himself and tries to get on their good side, trying to act tough in spite of his different upbringing, Moxxie's inner timidity shines brightly here, and we'll see how he develops as we go further.
There's also a brief exchange between Blitzø and Striker, with Striker giving him props for starting his own business despite being an imp. It's clearly an attempt to butter him up and get on his good side, which will come into play during the climax of the episode. On top of that, Blitzø tries to claim that his deal with Stolas is more of a "transactional fucking", but given his stammering and flustered attempts to pass it off like that, the conversation hints at his hidden feelings for Stolas, the kind that go just beyond mere transaction and right in the realm of proper attraction. Moxxie and Millie chuckling and smirking at each other and rolling their eyes during this is another great detail that I love. Like, they know that Blitzø loves that bird and are all for it.
On top of all that, the scene also takes the time to establish Millie's sister, Sallie May, and...wow, where do I begin with her? Well, I guess I can start by acknowledging exactly what little screentime she gets. Collectively, she gets a whopping fifteen seconds on screen, and only has about four lines. She isn't a major character by any means. And yet despite that, she's quickly become a fan favorite, with tons of merchandise dedicated to her as a result. But why? Is it just because she's hot? Well...that's part of it, yes, but trust me, there's a lot more to it than that. Specifically, even despite how limited her appearance in the show is as of the time I'm writing this, she's proven herself to be a top-notch example of how to pull off LGBTQ+ representation. Vivienne's work is consistently excellent in that regard, and being able to do so with a character that isn't on screen that much is truly remarkable.
In case you're not aware, Sallie May is canonically a transgender female. Vivziepop would go on to confirm this later on her Twitter, but this isn't a J.K. Rowling situation where you would never be able to tell without the creator's input. The way Sallie May is portrayed in the show gives you all the necessary clues to be able to deduce it without having to resort to looking it up.
One of the more subtle ways you can tell is through the way she's designed. I've touched on this briefly in the past, but in Vivziepop's Hellaverse, character design plays a big part in deducing a character's identity, whether it's their past or how they see themselves now. In a vacuum, it's easy to say these characters were designed the way they were just to look awesome, but each detail given in how they look tells us something about who they are and what their life is like even if we don't entirely know what it is yet.
In Sallie May's case, it's really her horns that hint at her trans identity. Casual viewers may not be able to pick this up, but when it comes to imp designs on the show, male imps such as Blitzø and Moxxie tend to have bulky and curvy horns with a black-and-white stripe pattern, whereas female imps like Millie have relatively straighter and shorter horns with an all-black color scheme(with little white lines to indicate indents). Keeping that in mind, Sallie May's horns have the male imp color scheme and the female imp shape, a telltale sign of her trans identity.
If that wasn't enough to give it away, the voice certainly would. She's voiced by trans voice actress Morgana Ignis(who is an absolutely beautiful queen, BTW), which is just flawless casting. The YouTuber hotdiggetydemon makes a point in his video about Apu from "The Simpsons" that a voice actor's personal identity has no bearing on their ability to perform a role, and while I do agree with that sentiment, it's still worth celebrating when LGBTQ+ people get the chance to play characters that do coincide with their identity. Having someone like Morgana Ignis play a trans character makes perfect sense, and as a fellow trans woman myself, it feels so damn amazing to have a character played by such an icon.
And then there's the matter of Sallie May's character. Despite the little time she has in the episode, she's effectively established as a smart-aleck that's kind of full of herself and isn't afraid to make jokes at other peoples' expense. If you ask me, we need more nuanced portrayals of LGBTQ+ people like this. There's a common tendency to make LGBTQ+ characters perfect in an attempt to pander to the community, and that's essentially a case of good intentions, bad execution. By portraying us as perfect people who can never do wrong, you're removing the nuance of it all. We're flawed like everyone else, and we need that to be carried over into characters portraying us if we want to really help things. Sallie May is snarky and prideful, but you never get the sense that she's actively malicious. It's more in the sense of "I'm poking fun at my sibling and that's what families do", and while Millie doesn't take kindly to her comments, the episode makes it clear that there's a tinge of jealousy involved.
Unlike Millie, Sallie May is more efficient at hiding her kills, which allows her to compete in the Harvest Moon Festival challenges, and Millie doesn't exactly take it well. There's definitely a bit of a rivalry between the two, and Sallie May is confirmed to be returning for season 2, so this could be something they explore in a future episode. There's room for growth between both of them, and I get the feeling it'll be incredibly heartwarming to see them both bond in the future.
And the cherry on top of all of this? Sallie May's trans identity is treated with grace, dignity and respect in-universe. The family refers to her as her proper pronouns of she/her, it's never questioned or called out, it's just something the characters treat as normally as possible. Us folks in the LGBTQ+ community need our existence to be normalized if we're to make true progress going forward, and I can't thank Vivziepop and the crew enough for putting in all the effort in making Sallie May probably the best trans representation I've seen in a long while.
The only thing more impressive than all of that is that I've spent several paragraphs dedicated to a character that's only shown up for fifteen seconds. This is what this universe does to me, people, and I can't be happier.
Anywho, the festival begins proper and hey, Wally Wackford is back and now the announcer for the festival itself! Guess his deal with Lyle and Loopty has been paying off. He went from desperate for cash and people buying his products to hosting the Harvest Moon Festival. That's quite a glow-up.
During this scene, Stolas takes the time to address the imps in the crowd, using a rather condescending rhetoric by referring to them as "tiny" and how the spoils of their labor go towards the other citizens of Hell and not so much them. On top of that, he's also openly flirting with Blitzø in public, even outright calling him "sexy". These are things I'll get back to later. I realize I've been saying that quite a bit throughout this review, but this is a case where the second half of the episode has it all come together in such a compelling way that it makes rewatches that much better.
Once the games begin, we're treated with a montage as Moxxie fails at basically all of them. I'd classify this montage as having a great mix of character work and comedy. Given how he was determined to prove his worth in the games despite Millie saying he doesn't have to, it hurts seeing him fail despite his best efforts. Even with his more gung-ho attitude, physical challenges are just not his forte, hinting that his potential could be discovered elsewhere.
The comedic aspect helps to soften the blow a bit with the shark that pops up to give him even more trouble. It cleverly uses the rule of three, ramping up the absurdity each time until it reaches its peak and doesn't drag it out in any way. We go from the shark attacking him in a puddle during the obstacle course to the shark attacking him in water when he falls in Tug-'o'-War to the shark just showing up at the wrestling match to elbow slam him. Or...fin slam him, I guess? I dunno.
The timing of it also aids the joke immensely. Because it's in a quick montage, it doesn't give you the time to really process what's going on until it hits you with it again, and it doesn't linger on it for too long. Once you've just been able to register the elbow/fin slam happening, the story moves on as it naturally would. Even if you didn't find this joke funny, the scene still fits perfectly with the story and provides great character work for Moxxie.
Once the montage is over, the winners are announced to be a tie between Striker and Blitzø, and just when Moxxie starts to assure himself that he can just take the loss, Striker decides to rub salt in the wound with a song just to mock him even more. And I gotta say, both the dialogue and delivery from both characters make it kill every time.
Striker: "I'd like to sing a song that I wrote, just now, about me winning."
Moxxie: "OH, WHAT THE FUCK?!"
And with that, we get "Striker's Song", which just perfectly captures his whole cowboy smooth-talker attitude. The country tune, the lighting accentuating the fact that he's on a stage, kicking a girl trying to kiss him away from him, and having the entire audience love him even more than they already did.
During this, Blitzø approaches Moxxie and reveals that he's offered Striker a job at I.M.P., which Moxxie doesn't take kindly to but can't find it in himself to really argue against it. This poor man who was so determined to prove that he could be as tough as Millie has spent the past few minutes getting both physically and emotionally beaten down, and is now at his lowest point in the story so far. With that, the stage is set perfectly for the latter half of the episode, which has everything established up to this point, both within the episode and the show itself, come together beautifully, giving us a true taste of the kind of stories to come in the future, the kind of character development we could get later on, and all in a way that really starts to show the true potential of the series.
With the games done, Moxxie heads back to Millie's house and notices an odd glow emanating from an upstairs bedroom. He goes in to investigate and discovers a sniper rifle infused with angelic metal, expressing disbelief at what it could be doing there. At that moment, Striker appears behind him(rather ominously in an excellent panning shot) and reveals that the gun is his.
Moxxie: "Why do you have this...m-mister? Don't you know that a gun like this could kill-?"
Striker: "Demon royalty?"
Moxxie: "Y-Yes."
Striker: "No shit. That's kind of the point."
In one fell swoop, the stakes are higher than they've ever been up to this point. Moxxie's dislike of Striker is validated as he's revealed to be a villain, and is set on assassinating Stolas. And as Striker tries to silence Moxxie, it's time to touch briefly on the animation of the episode. Remember that scene I touched on earlier where the framerate was noticeably choppier than normal? Well, scenes like this are most likely the reason why we had that. Reducing framerate is a budget-saving practice that's been used in animation for decades, and it's often done so that the scenes that need to look as incredible as possible are much more likely to have that be the case.
Despite those choppier scenes, this episode ends up being the best-looking one up to this point. The lighting is absolutely stellar, the sun coming in from the outside window lighting just enough to give it an ominous feel without making things too bright or too dark. The fight scenes themselves are animated very fluidly, smooth as butter and expertly translating the tension to the audience. Moxxie's struggles to stay breathing despite Striker trying to choke him out, Millie coming in to give Striker some knife stabs, and the eventual Blitzø encounter have some of the best fighting animation in the show so far. Definitely not THE best(the next episode has that by far), but it's up there.
Making these action scenes stand out even more is the cinematography. Because they take place in such an enclosed room, the camera tends to stay up close to the action as well as shake ever so slightly, making it all feel that much more real and visceral. It gives a sense of claustrophobia like you're in the room with them, and getting up close shots of Striker trying to suffocate Moxxie just makes it hurt that little bit more, in a good way.
And even during this scene, we get even more character work for Moxxie. As Striker has him on the floor, he makes an effort to stun him not through brute force, but by knocking over the nearby vase onto his back. For plot purposes, this gets Millie's attention, but from a character standpoint, it shows that Moxxie specializes in strategic thinking and quick wits rather than physical strength. Granted, he doesn't end up winning this fight, but it did help at least a little.
Anyway, Moxxie and Millie lose the fight and get tossed into the basement, Millie's leg getting caught in a bear trap. Striker says he's going to let them live so that he can have more leverage with his boss before closing and locking the door. What follows is an adorable scene as Millie encourages her husband to take down Striker, and though Moxxie is initially unsure if he can do it, she nudges him in the right direction by telling him to use what he's best at. This does lead to a humorous moment where Moxxie dumbly remembers that he has a gun in his pocket that he can use instead of his hands, topped off with Millie's loving but irritated response.
Millie: "I love you, hon. But for fuck's sake..."
But on top of the comedy aspect, the scene also works splendidly as the turning point for Moxxie's arc in the episode. After spending the whole episode convinced that physical strength is the way to prove his worth, it's here that he realizes that his skill with guns is where he works best. He can't really punch someone worth a damn, but what he succeeds in is ranged weaponry and strategic thinking. The exchange between the two is very sweet and loving, with Millie proving herself as a very supportive and loving partner and Moxxie's timidity coming into play in a way that suits his arc in the story.
Cut to the next scene as Stolas is showing off the Harvest Moon to the Wrath Ring imps, all while Striker is aiming his rifle at his head. At that moment, Blitzø appears behind him with his own gun pointed at Striker, and the following exchange between the two is, I'd argue, the highlight of the entire episode. Striker is often regarded as the show's best villain to date, and if you ask me, it's this scene that really cements that.
Striker is of course skilled at fighting and guns, and can be threatening on that level, but it's his character itself that pushes him even further. Blitzo has a gun pointed right at his head and he could have a bullet in his brain any moment, and yet with nothing but his silver tongue and slithery demeanor, he's able to get Blitzø to aim his gun away from him. Norman Reedus's stellar performance accentuates this perfectly, the gravelly yet snakelike delivery matching the character flawlessly as he gets under Blitzo's skin.
But if you ask me, it's not just his attitude that makes him such a great villain. It's also his motivation.
Striker: "Blitzø, come on. You know the two of us are superior than most of our kind, and you are so above sucking on a disgusting, rich, pompous Goetia only to sneak topside for scraps and work for bitter sinners who could care less who you are when you could be slaying overlords. Why struggle to run a business that is rigged against you when you could partner up with me and kill the unkillable, starting with the one who treats you like a plaything?"
There's a hell of a lot to read into this, and it would take a good amount of time to go into it...so let's go into it.
First off, even on the base level, this motivation sets Striker apart from the rest of the baddies we've had so far. He's not motivated by petty revenge like Verosika or a privileged lifestyle like the Cherubs; Striker is compelled by his morality to do what he's doing. He's a villain that firmly believes he's doing the right thing, that if he were to kill Stolas, a figure of royalty, then lower-class imps could start to go further up the social ladder. He's a "kill the rich" type in its purest form.
Second off, it's a motive that brings one of the show's themes to the forefront, one that's been lurking in the background from the very beginning. In Vivziepop's Hellaverse, Hell's hierarchy is essentially a power scale; the more raw power you have, the higher you are in society's pecking order. Imps and hellhounds are at the very bottom tier, with even human-born sinners being higher than they are. The Ars Goetia line is also pretty high up there, essentially being royal figures where imps are treated as the lowest class possible. Even Stolas plays into it a bit, even if he doesn't fully realize it, using rather condescending language referring to the imps during the festival. I highly doubt he means anything negative about it, but given how Goetias are higher-level than they are, it's not surprising that said imps are shown to not take it well.
Striker is fully aware of this set-up and is willing to take action, and he's able to use underhanded tactics as well as his smooth talk to get people on his side. He is resorting to cold-blooded murder, which does ultimately make him a bad guy and needing to be stopped, but his motivation isn't necessarily that evil. Given how imps are seen as the chewed gum of society, can you really blame him for wanting to climb out of it? Again, his means of doing so is not the right way to go, but he is at least understandable in terms of motive.
Second, him bringing this up to Blitzø is incredibly important. He did bring up to Blitzø earlier in the episode how impressive it is that an imp was able to start his own business, and in isolation, that could just be a nice little exchange between the two. But with this context, it's clear that he was trying to nudge Blitzø to side with him when the time comes. It's out of the ordinary that an imp got to start a business, and so Blitzø would understand more than any of the other I.M.P. members how it feels to climb out of the mud at least a little bit. Striker's tempting him with even more of that feeling until imps end up coming out on top, the corpses of the rich rotting behind them in the process.
Third, while this classism theme hasn't been hinted at in a broader range until now, the extreme power imbalance has always been present between Blitzø and Stolas. Their Grimoire deal ensures that Blitzø is able to use the book so he can do his job, and that Stolas is able to get sex with him out of it. Given how far up the totem pole Stolas is compared to him, it shows a toxic and unhealthy power imbalance that inevitably puts a huge wrench into their relationship. Both characters give the impression of being emotional trainwrecks that are just sane enough to at least be loving parents, and you want the both of them to actually become a couple so that they can both start to be legitimately happy. Their chemistry together has charm and love present in it whether they're willing to admit it or not, but unless this power imbalance is effectively dealt with, then it won't start to be a healthy one. In effect, Stolas is taking advantage of the Grimoire deal to have sex with Blitzø, and Blitzø knows this first-hand. Heck, Stolas isn't exactly being secret about it, hanging their dirty laundry out for all to see during the festival itself.
Fourth, all of this is exemplified by the fact that all throughout this exchange, Blitzø doesn't reject any of it. When Moxxie shows up and aims his gun at Striker, Blitzø does try to play it off like it was planned the whole time, but his attitude when he and Striker are alone throws a bit of doubt into it. This is accentuated by the change in coloring the scene takes, going from its normal aesthetic to a more dominantly red, with Blitzø's eyes going red as Striker's words are clearly having an effect on him. He's fully aware of the problems with his relationship with Stolas, and there is a small part of him that wants to do something about it, and so it fits that Striker is able to start convincing him to join his side.
In isolation, the scene is a solid showcase of character work between the protagonist and villain. Striker's compelling motivation is laid out bare for us all to see, and Blitzø starting to be convinced makes it a tense situation where you could conceivably see him side with the villain. But when placed in the context of the rest of the show, it also brings to light a fascinating bit of social commentary that the show's hinted at from the very start, indicating that the show itself is going to prove itself to be more than just a funny sitcom. The excellent lighting and coloring change is just icing on the cake in this short yet amazing exchange.
Once Moxxie comes in, the fight starts proper, with both Blitzø and Moxxie getting up close and personal against Striker. Amidst this tense battle, Blitzø gets a comedic moment where he whistles for Loona and she doesn't show up until later, and Moxxie gets a badass moment as he uses his skill with guns against Striker and becomes bolder than he's been so far. Once he's in his prime and doing what he's best at, he feels at the top of his game, even preparing to kill Striker right then and there. It's only because of Loona's late arrival that Striker was able to get away, using Stolas's pet name for Blitzø to taunt him further. After how timid and unsure of himself Moxxie has been since the start of the show, having him be so cutting and willing to kill is quite a shock, but it makes perfect sense with how the episode developed him.
The next scene features the aftermath of the climax, with Millie's leg injury being tended to by her parents while they're chastising her for not being able to take care of Striker. In the perfect point of character progression for Moxxie, he decides to stand up for her, telling her parents off for talking her down and reinforcing that she's strong enough for both of them, and that they should be ashamed for getting on her case about the situation. It's incredibly satisfying seeing him have the guts to stand up to Millie's parents after not feeling like he's up to snuff, and her father acknowledging his input is a sign of progress. Moxxie's often used as a sort of punching bag throughout the first half of the season, with him being the straight man to everyone else's antics, particularly Blitzø. This episode is a clear sign to show that he's able to evolve beyond that and come into his own as a fully capable person with agency and talent, and this scene was an excellent capstone to his arc here.
But we have one final scene left. We cut to a motel where Striker is hiding, as he's talking on the phone with the person who hired him to kill Stolas. Said person turns out to be none other than Stolas's wife, Stella, who tells him that she wants her husband dead by any means necessary, no matter who he has to go through to make it happen. Now, as a reveal in and of itself, this isn't exactly super surprising. Stella was shown to hate her husband back in 'Loo Loo Land', and it kind of tracks that she would want him dead. But the ending also hints at something bigger to potentially come in the future.
Striker made his motivations clear early on, wanting to show that imps are able to climb up the social ladder by killing the rich. So why would he be working for a rich figure like Stella? As of the time of writing this, we don't know for sure, and we'll likely have to wait until Striker's return to figure it out. But in the meantime, I'd like to go into speculative territory. I think he stands firm with his "kill the rich" mindset, and given his silver tongue and use of underhanded tactics, my guess is that he's trying to use this opportunity to his advantage. Whether he ends up killing Stolas or bites the dust himself, I'm thinking he'll end up outing Stella as the one who hired him, and doing so in a public setting, thus ruining her reputation in one fell swoop and putting a huge damper in the Goetia family. Again, this is just speculation at the moment, but it would make perfect sense, I think.
And so the episode ends on an ominous note for the first time in the entire series, with Striker promising to get Stolas next time, his sinister chuckle and glowing eyes fading out as the sound of a rattlesnake comes out, bringing us to the end credits.
With this episode described as the first of the Big Four, it's very easy to see why. On top of being a very well put together story with great character progression for Moxxie, it also presents a truly imposing threat that's set to return in the future and hints at bigger things to come, both in the plot and in terms of themes. While the first half is admittedly slow, it's more than made up for with a stellar second half that makes that slow build worth it, and also presents the best animation the show's had up to this point.
But this isn't the first time this season that Moxxie's role as the butt monkey will be called into question. Now that he's started to grow bolder, the stage is set for him to keep progressing down that road and for his arc in this season to really be complete. And we'll be getting more of that in the very next episode...
To Be Continued
コメント