*claps* Soooo, its been a hot second since I uploaded a Tier list here, and since we're most likely gonna be getting the next batch of Helluva Boss eps pretty soon (dunno if in this exact month or so, given Hazbin Hotel's focus in February .3.), I figure it'd be safe to still give my general opinion of all the HB eps we've gotten so far (from the initial pilot to the Mammon ep). Hope you all enjoy reading!
NOTE: Like with my past tiers, these are all just my own personal opinions listed below, so DO try to keep things civil if you disagree with anything here. Thank you- 🙏
~Fave~
-"Ozzie's" (S1 Ep. 7)
By FAR the ep that truly captured all of the show's best qualities into one, and I still find myself going back to it more times than I could count!~ 🤩👏👏Everything from the gorgeously animated Lust ring visuals, the whole climax of the ep being carried out through-song, Fizzarolli & Asmodeus making their debuts as the wickedly fun power couple, and of course there's the major focus to Blitz and Stolas as a whole here :O
What started as a faux-date in order for Blitz to sneak into Ozzie's club/spy on M&M, became something that truly tackled the inner flaws to both their characters; Blitz as the emotionally closed-off, insecure imp who finally told off Stolas when-alone ("-Stolas, DON'T act like what we have is anything more than You. Wanting Me. To F*** you. Okay?? You make that really clear, all the time..."), to Stolas's own transgressions being turned against him in-public ("You used to have a smoking wife! A kid! You had it ALL~! I hope you didn't give it up, so you and him could get it ooooon... you sold your life for a thruuuuuust~!")... all resulting in said prince silently reflecting on what he had done, all alone out on his front manor steps, now....💔
Just... daaaaang, now THAT was truly something I never expected to see in a silly, raunchy assassin-focused show like this... but man was I eager for more once the credits came to a close! 😭👏👏
-"Loo-Loo Land" (S1 Ep. 2)
Definitely one of the more "classic" S1 eps for alot of people, and the one that most definitely got me into the show full-on~ 😊 While maaaaybe an odd choice to have the second-ever ep of a series focused on a side character (or, in this case a side character's child lol), I was very much invested in Octavia's story the more we got to know her~ 🥺✨ A lonely owl princess who used to be filled with wonder in her childhood years... torn apart by her parents' crumbling marriage (+Stolas' infidelity) as a teenager.
And now with her dad trying to recapture old memories by taking her back to Loo-Loo Land, we got a new glimpse into Stolas' character as he does all he can to be a doting (if ignorant) dad, struggling to balance those attributes with his attraction to Blitz (+him & the other IMP antics at the park), only for everything to backfire at the Robo Fizz show in-question. Ultimately, all building up beautifully to Stolas being acknowledged as having acted selfishly ("I just wanna go home, but home doesn't feel like home anymore. You ruined it..."), but at the same time... also showing him capable of admitting when he's wrong, enough to make things right by his daughter 🥹Which just... d'awww, never fails to hit me in the heart ngl~ 🙏💜
~Amazing~
-"Mammon's Magnificent Musical I'm not typing the whole title lol" (S2 Ep. 7)
P h e w, quite a mouthful of an ep this was... and yet one I gladly ate up in-full for how entertaining it was!~ 👏👏 Fizzarolli coming back to show more of his insecurities/fears of losing his status in-life, all the great songs and visual imagery to explain his plight, Mammon being a surprisingly fun villain who was both bombastic and threatening, Asmodeus & Blitz serving well as supports to Fizz, and I even loved the smug-but-determined bitch energy for the Glitz & Glam twins~ 👌
Even if part of me kiiiiiinda feels like we could've gotten a whole season's worth of story with Fizz's focus here (as is, we most likely won't get another one of these with him if he's not gonna become a main-stay lead :c), I still very much recommend this one for anyone up for a good bit of musicals, angst, feels and hope for a character like Fizzie~ 🥹💜
-"Oops" (S2 Ep. 6)
For the first ep that really dove into Fizzarolli in his own focus plot, this remains a pretty fun ep in alot of different ways! 😄 From Fizz being a chaotically goofy weirdo to root for, his adorable relationship with Asmodeus, the reunion with Blitz bringing back SO much angst and feels (esp as they both got kidnapped), it all really made you invested to see these two work through things once the plot got rolling~ 🥹🙏
Now, was it a "totally" perfect ep? ...Weeeeell, I'll admit I was a bit bummed that Asmodeus didn't get to do a whole lot than just sitting in a boring ol' office, Stolas (though he had some amusing lines) lowkey felt a bit pointless here as he just read a bunch of papers all day, and while I'm glad we got even more of Striker as a threat... idk, him randomly teaming up with Crimson just felt like an odd writing choice ngl .x.
BUT hey, we got to see Blitz and Fizz finally making that move to amend things between them, some interesting plot potential with Stolas buying an Asmodean crystal (most likely to end his "deal" with Blitz), and the potential for Fizz to truly shine as a main lead really made it a worthwhile ep nonetheless~ :3
-"Truth Seekers" (S1 Ep. 6)
The penultimate ep before the S1 finale, and boy was it a thrilling one!~ 👀 Even if the main human characters from the DHORK agency weren't too terribly interesting, the rest of the ep remained pretty solid in getting us invested to the action!👍From all the intense action of IMP racing to save one another from the human agents, the deep dives into Blitz & Moxxie's psyche as they reveal their genuine value to one another as friends (beyond just the snarky jests/insults), and even that end shot of the humans revealing they've captured everything on-camera really added to the stakes for what our protagonists could get into next~ :O
Now, granted I can see why some could take issue with certain parts like the deus-ex-machina style ending (cool as it was seeing Stolas becoming an eldritch horror lol), along with some of the conflicting implications from Blitz's "trip" (like, are we meant to see Stolas in a good light with all that golden/“heavenly” imagery… or someone we’re meant to root against with Blitz being chained to him? .-.), but ultimately its not enough to take me out of the ep overall imo.
~Great~
-"Harvest Moon Festival" (S1 Ep. 5)
As the first-ever introduction to our fave cowboy Striker, I'd say I still find myself having fun going back to this ep here & there :). Seeing his sly charm & charisma with our main leads, his genuine strength during the competition/end fight with the IMP crew, and the way he was able to break through Blitz's own inner-struggles with Hell's hierarchy ("-You are SO above suckin' 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...")... was just peak character-building, right there~ 👌👌
With all that said... why is this ep not ranked higher with the others above? ...Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a lil salty that this turned out to NOT be a Millie-centered ep T-T. Like... come oooon, we're right here in her hometown, her whole family's here, AND there's a whole competition about Imp fighting & Wrathian strength... you're seriously gonna give most of the spotlight to Moxxie instead, and then leave poor Millie more to the sidelines (even during the big Striker battle)? Smhhhh... -n-
-"Queen Bee" (S1 Ep. 8)
About time we finally got the "official" last ep of S1... and though not quiiiite as grandiose compared to "Ozzie's", I couldn't help having fun with it nonetheless ^^. The Gluttony ring visuals were pretty, Bee(zlebub) was a fun new character, we got to see Vortex back as a supportive bud to Loona's struggles at the party, and even Loona & Blitz's father & daughter-bond focus (esp during the ending) was honestly pretty touching 🥺
Though, sadly I can't quiiiite rank this one much higher, due to this more-or-less being on the "filler"-range of eps (and Loona's development here unfortunately not carried through to S2... which ironically aired before this one did, so... oof >>; ), its still nice seeing the final vision of it after so long of waiting for it way back then 😊
-"Spring Broken" (S1 Ep. 3)
One of the more "low-stakes" eps of the series, but one I still find a nice bit of charm too on its own accord ^^. We got a fun mix of cattiness from Blitz and his popstar-ex Verosika, Loona showing more of a softer side through her crush on Vortex, and a fun change of scenery by having the main IMP gang go up to challenge the Succubi at the beach (-all over a petty disagreement about a parking space, of all things lol).
Granted, I do wish we could've actually seen more of a proper resolution to Blitz & Loona's fight (rather than them abruptly dropping it for a monster fish threat (+Moxxie getting drunk)?), but nonetheless its a nice lil palette-cleanser for those who want a break from shipping drama & angst :>
~Good~
-"Helluva Boss" (aka: The Pilot)
While it may not be considered "canon" anymore in the grand scheme of things... I honestly can't help still having a soft spot for the original pilot that kicked off this whole series ^^. For the time, it was a nice mix of casting we got from Blitz introducing his classic "raunchy dumbass" self, Moxxie being more of a down-to-earth snarker to Blitz's antics than a punching bag, and even those like Loona & Millie had a nice bit of "bite" to their characterizations (that didn't just left them feeling like the token "girls" of the group). Heck, even Stolas seemed like he would've made for a fun villainous threat with the whole phone call scene with Blitz (pushy, threatening but still keeping his posh-rich guy schtick... think Brandon Rogers' British series in a way lol).
As unpolished & awkwardly-paced the pilot was in hindsight (as even story-wise it lowkey felt more like a bunch of skits than a cohesive plot, I'll admit .w.; ), I think it could still use some fan-appreciation nonetheless 👍
-"Murder Family" (S1 Ep. 1)
The more "official" first ep of the series... and, while admittedly not as memorable as the OG pilot, I think its still a fine ep on its own accord imo ^^. The main cast is still generally solid, I enjoyed Mrs. Mayberry & her story against Martha (+her secret killer family lol), and though a lil low-stakes in the long run, I think it sets up some interesting potential for characters like Stolas to become more relevant (-albeit his whole "deal" with Blitz not... exactly aging well, even for his previous-established creepiness .-.;; )
Still, for what it was I'd say it was a fine start to the series👍
~Ok~
-"C.H.E.R.U.B." (S1 Ep. 4)
Seems to be considered the general least-favorite for alot of the fandom back when it aired... buuuuut tbh, I don't really think its that bad, looking back? ^^;
Like, yeeaaaah its not a perfect ep; as the Cherubs (save for the purple one) were a bit forgettable in-hindsight, the old geezer duo weren't too interesting to get invested in, and I can see why some would take issue with the lowkey-unfair ending (I mean... really, kicking the Cherubs out of Heaven purely for an accidental death? Harsh :/).
...But other than that, I'd say this ep was honestly a bit refreshing to not be focused on melodrama or ship angst... as instead it kept its focus more on the IMP crew's assassin gig & their wacky shenanigans against their squeaky-clean rivals lol. With honestly a good handful of jokes I still find myself chuckling at today, I think if this ep just had a lil bit of polish/fine-tuning, I think this could've very well been a good pattern to have kept going for the rest of the show imo. 'Cause after all... wasn't that what the show was advertised as at the start, a series of goofy assassin-based adventures? lol
~*shrugs*~
-"Western Energy" (S2 Ep. 4)
For the time, I'll admit to finding this among the more "okay" S2 episodes... and, I guess I still think thats the case (albeit a lil less now)?
Like, yeah its not exactly the most special looking back given its... kinda clunky-handling of the "Stolas gets kidnapped" A-plot, Striker (tho fun as it is seeing him return) coming off a bit watered down character-wise, Stella becoming more & more like a one-note joke that I don't see why she's even a "threat" anymore, her brother Andrealphus (admittedly cool design aesthetic-aside) being randomly-thrown in to the villain brigade outta nowhere, and... yeaaaaah I still don't get why they only NOW decided to address the "Ozzie's" drama (...through a blink-and-you'll-miss-it text message instead of an actual conversation, wow 🤦♀️).
...Buuuut, at the same time, I did find myself enjoying some of the B-story with Blitz & Loona (namely through him showcasing his dad priorities of keeping her comfy at the doctor's, aww ^^), M&M getting the chance to fight Striker on their own was refreshing, and I'll admit some of the humor gave me a chuckle here & there (like Striker's annoyed rant at the singing band xD). Could the overall-writing & pacing been handled better? Oh most certainly... but for what it was, I don't mind going back to this ep for at least those lil highlights lol .3.
~Ehhhh...~
-"Exes and Oohs" (S2 Ep. 3)
Now, admittedly I didn't mind this ep too much back when it originally aired... buuuut the more I think on it nowadays, I'm just... not sure if its "aged" the best tbh. Even with the unique premise of focusing more on Moxxie's side of things, from his family upbringing to his devotion to Millie... it ultimately fell kinda flat since Crimson (admittedly entertaining as he was at times) overall felt like your average mob boss-type villain, Moxxie's ex-bf Chaz being a painfully unfunny presence with all his "hurrhurr I'm sexyyy~" humor, and even as I wanted to enjoy Millie taking a stand for her husband's defense... idk, it just kinda felt like the same "Millie gets to be kickass while Moxxie watches" song & dance we've been used to, already 🤷♀️
Not to say the ep's "completely" without its merits, as I did enjoy Blitz's addition as more of a chaotic doof than his usual asshole schtick here, the murkier green atmosphere a nice change of pace setting-wise, and the childhood Moxxie flashback being chillingly sad to watch... buuuuut if yall are gonna immediately backpeddle from such intensity through a literal d***-on-the-wall gag, then like... whats the point, man? :/
-"The Circus" (S2 Ep. 1)
Definitely seems to be the most... "base-breaking" ep of the series, as you've got half the fans who do love it for exploring more of Stolas' backstory... to those who can't stand it for the inevitable continuity errors, melodrama & fanfic-y writing throughout most of it. For me... while I don't outright hate it, personally (as I do still enjoy some of the pretty visuals, Paimon (voiced by Jafar lol) being an entertaining asshole-type character, and some of the flashback scenes with the kid-aged cast were cute), I just... have the hardest time fully-enjoying the ep whenever I look back on it :(
Namely for this... sadly being the point to where Stolas went from such a well-balanced, complicated character w/ gray morality... to just your average "uwu poor bean who did nothing wrong & only wanted true looooove~ 🥺🥺" protagonist from literally any cheap Y/A romance story 🤷♀️. Nothing really seeming to be his fault anymore as we've got Stella being confirmed a heartless shrew their whole marriage, Paimon having been the catalyst that instilled the Goetia's toxic views into Stolas from childhood, and now Blitz having been shown as the one who "lead on" Stolas since the get-co (even as kids as he basically stole all his stuff under the guise of being his playmate + seduced Stolas (while drunk) as reunited adults).
And like... if the show needs to bend over backwards THIS much to make you root for a character... then I just ain't interested in 'em anymore. Sorry :/
~No. Just No...~
-"Unhappy Campers" (S2 Ep. 5)
Y'know, it says alot about an episode when it becomes the universal least favorite for alot of the fandom overnight (so much that even the hardcore M&M stans prefer to pretend it doesn't exist)... myself included -_-. Like... really? This has to be the point in finally giving M&M the major-A plot together? One where they're basically both at their absolute worst (from Moxxie being a whiny drama queen, to the writer's attempt at "Millie depth" feeling more like a half-assed ploy to ward off her critics), the humor being an absolute cringe-fest all the way through (like... whyyyy oh why did they had to make the setting at a kid's camp, of all things? 🤢), and as much as I wanted to enjoy the B-story with Blitz finding his sister Barbie (even more for her not immediately forgiving him right away since he kept stalking her all day)... the fact that it was ultimately just too rushed in and forgotten about by the end doesn't do the ep any favors for me :/...
-"Seeing Stars" (S2 Ep. 2)
Ughhhh... while I guess not technically the worst HB episode given the previous one I mentioned... this one just, never fails to bug me for how filled to the brim it was of missed opportunities🤦♀️. What should've been a wholesome & touching ep focusing on Octavia's struggles with her parents' impending-divorce, getting to bond with Loona, and allowing them space to just hangout & have fun outside of their respective homes... was instead just a pointless venture into a bland af Hollywood setting, cheesy Stol*itz fanservice at some sitcom-set eating up the runtime (-all the while not addressing any of the drama from the prior "Ozzie's" ep), Loona being WAY too violent to her dad for no reason (even beyond her usual grumpiness) that it felt OOC, M&M adding nothing but fluff for the upteenth time in yet another side-plot...
...and the worst part of it for me, was just how backwards in logic it was to paint Octavia as "wrong" for being upset at her dad... WHEN SHE HAD EVERY FREAKIN' RIGHT TO BE??😑Yes, I know Stolas loves her, and that he IS trying his best after the shitty cards he's been dealt with in-life... but jfc Stolas, did you need to stay on the phone arguing with Stella all-morning? Did you need to act so helpless and distracted at the studio with Blitz (-when you're literally the same dude who went hellish-giant bird mode to save IMP in "Truth Seekers"...WITHOUT the grimoire on top of that)??
*sighs* And like... as much as I want to give Stolas kudos for (kinda?) apologizing & making amends at the end with Via... idk, I feel like that ultimately further-added to me growing disinterested in his overall character 😔. I could go on but... yeah. Even as a Via fan, this ain't an ep I'd watch again anytime soon...
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19, 20, and 21 for the VIOLENCE let’s GOOOOO
ily 💕
Thank you for engaging me <3
19. you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...
can I really say Regulus when I'm not horrified or ashamed in the slightest? And it's the same with Vega.... and Ivan.
20. part of canon you found tedious or boring
I won't say Brachium, Elliott, or Blake because it's not their fault I won't listen to pretty much any of their videos. I find Ollie kind of boring (he's not really my type) and I find Asher's voice tedious to listen to despite liking his character.
21. part of canon you think is overhyped
funny-not-funny, Sam and Darlin. Maybe it was all the feral Darlin stans on here and tiktok but honestly the more they talked about how Sam was perfect despite his very real flaws... idk. I love Sam, but not as much anymore and I think he's just a dude. A hot one with an accent, but considering Lexi and I both can have one, it's nothing crazy.
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