Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Episode 2 “Storyteller” made me fall head over heels for Sir Pentious. During Season 1 I was too concerned with my favorite Angel Dust. I didn’t have time to include anyone else in my heart. I also didn’t think that Sir Pentious would actually make it past Season 1. Color me surprised when he ended up in heaven by the end of Season 1. And then color me surprised again that in the second episode of Season 2, I find myself so genuinely charmed and delighted with Sir Pentious to the point I want to wrap him in a blanket and protect him from the world.
“Storyteller” is happening at the same time as “New Pentious.” And it’s essentially the first real moments of Pentious being in heaven and everyone trying to figure out how he got there. What it ends up doing really well is showing the audience how fractured things are in heaven right now. Sera and the rest of the Angels lived with this perception that the people in Hell were redeemable. And there’s also the terrifying reality that the other angels didn’t really know about the extermination being done by Adam and the exorcists. But neither were they that concerned.
MORE: Already watched the next episode? Read our review for Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Episode 3!
Those in Heaven were only concerned about retaliation by Hell, which tells you everything you need to know about the angels in charge. They are so sure of their way of living being the only way, that they couldn’t even fathom that someone like Charlie could do what she did. Or even that Sir Pentious could be redeemed. Beings like that, who have absolute certainty that they’re right and walk through life with this conviction, they’re the ones that are scary.
This is why Lute is so terrifying. Vox might be trying to fill that power vacuum after the death of Adam. But it’s the angels and the exorcists like Lute that have this radicalized view where they are “absolutely right.” And because they think they’re absolutely right, it’s going to take a lot of effort to get them to see the light like Sera did. But because they are radicalized, they might not even want to see the light. Or if they do, they don’t care about it. Because they’re “right” and you’re wrong.
Go back to the Sir Pentious of it all.
Emily, the sweet seraphim that she is, is the other side of the coin of Charlie. She believes that Sir Pentious was redeemed and that he deserves all the finer things in Heaven. So she takes him on a tour of Heaven, with a catchy tune ready. But she’s so concerned about making sure that Sir Pentious is welcome, that she doesn’t really clock that the thing that would make him happy, that would make him feel whole, is being with his friends.
MORE: Need a refresher of the first episode of Season 2 of Hazbin Hotel? Read our review.
Pentious wanting to go back to Hell after he was redeemed, shakes the whole system up. And that makes Pentious really dangerous. Because if he was redeemed and he still wants to be with his friends in Hell, what does it say about who belongs in Heaven or Hell? Surely there are good people in Heaven who deserve to go there. The same thing goes for Hell having bad people that deserve to be there. But what about those like Sir Pentious?
Sir Pentious was racked by guilt over not speaking up when he saw what we assume was Jack the Ripper. That guilt sent him to Hell and he created a life for himself there. His actions in Season 1 redeemed him. But now he wants to go back to Hell. And it’s important to mention again something that I talked about in my Episode 1 review, that there will be people who want to keep the status quo. And as lovable as Sir Pentious is, he’s a threat to this delicate order. Luckily for him, he’s got a bunch of friends in Hell and Emily on his side.
Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Episode 2 is just the beginning of this next chapter. But it feels well-paced, not recycled same ol’ material that we see from Hollywood, and it has really interesting characters who are going through character arcs without it taking seasons on end. That’s why Hazbin Hotel is so special and beloved by fans. It’s not afraid to take risks while teaching valuable lessons and giving us a banger soundtrack. Wins all around.
MORE: Already watched episode 3 of Season of Hazbin Hotel? Read our review!
Additional thoughts about Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Episode 2:
- I know a couple people who would love a movie theater that continuously plays happy Christmas movies. Not me. That might be my hell even though I like Christmas movies.
- Lilith you better stop ignoring Charlie’s calls. That moment where she picked up her phone and just declined her call after reading Lute’s message. Rude.
- The fact that Charlie holds her mother to such high regard, and her mother is hanging up on her calls, tells me everything I need to know about what’s going to come up for these two. Because Lilith is going to return to Charlie’s life. And Charlie is going to be so happy and excited to have her mom back. But you know what Lilith is going to do, right? She’s going to break Charlie’s heart because keeping the status quo benefits Lilith. I feel it in my bones.
- There’s something about the art style when it comes to Sir Pentious that I really enjoy. So much so that for the first time in my life I’m thinking about how a cosplay for him would work…
- And if I want an easier cosplay, we now know what Sir Pentious looks like as a human. And he was super cute! I hope this is the beginning of Hazbin Hotel giving us more previews of what these demons looked like in the human world.
- Also, do you think at some point, the show might take things to the human world? Because that’s another plane of existence to conquer. So why not? Oh my God, why not?!
- But wait, the Speaker of God. Such beautiful design. Can’t stop thinking about what that’s going to look like when people cosplay them.
Rating the songs of “Storyteller”:
- Like You: This song was a catchy pop song that felt too cheerful. Because we’ve heard Charlie sing songs just like this in Hell. But it felt right. This one, I’m there yet. And it’s not like I don’t like any of the characters in Heaven. It’s just that “Like You” is paired with this deep sadness that Pentious is feeling. And it made me feel really sad. But maybe that was the whole point.
- Sera’s Confession: This song was visually stunning, especially with the Speaker of God there. But the emotional resonance wasn’t there for me. And it might have to do with me not liking Sera that much. But there’s room for growth in her so I’ll hold on, see if she changes, and give this song another chance.
- Gravity: Jessica Vosk, thank you. Because “Gravity” right here IS the song of Hazbin Hotel Season 2. It’s so raw, messy, and destructive. Lute wants to tear down the entirety of Hell and you can feel it in the way she throws herself into this song and how she destroys that room. She’s angry and everyone’s going to feel it. Instant classic.
Hazbin Hotel releases new episodes Wednesdays on Prime Video.
What did you think about Hazbin Hotel “Storyteller”? Let us know in the comments below!
Catch up on all our Hazbin Hotel Season 2 reviews below:
- Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Episode 1 Review: “New Pentious”
- Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Episode 2 Review: “Storyteller”
- Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Episode 3 Review: “Behind Closed Doors”
- Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Episode 4 Review: “It’s a Deal”
- Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Episode 5 Review: “Silenced”
- Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Episode 6 Review: “Scream Rain”
