Hazbin Hotel Temporada 2 Episodio 5 Reseña – ‘Silenciado’

      Ricky Church reviews the fifth episode of season 2 of Hazbin Hotel…

      Now that we’ve entered the second act of Hazbin Hotel's second season, the stakes have dramatically increased as Vox has built a formidable following while Charlie, Vaggie, and even Heaven have suffered significant setbacks. This episode clearly underscores the genuine threat that Vox poses as we approach the final episodes.

      In the premiere, Vox made a fleeting mention of his previous life as the leader of a “movement,” and 'Silenced' provided us with a first look at his talent for captivating an audience. Every element of Vox’s rally resembled a televised Evangelical broadcast, complete with him donning a spotless white suit. Once perceived as somewhat of a joke, both in the context of the story and among viewers, Vox has evolved into a powerful villain capable of undermining various characters through his rhetoric and charm.

      The challenges faced by the protagonists were quite significant on a personal level. The breakdown in communication between Charlie and Vaggie has been brewing for some time, as Charlie persistently disregarded Vaggie’s advice and affection in favor of her own naive plans to combat Vox, which has unfortunately played right into his hands repeatedly. While Charlie’s intention to disrupt Vox’s rally with Emily and Sera in order to ease tensions and demonstrate the possibility of redemption appears sound, she should have anticipated how quickly Vox would twist the narrative, or that the angels’ way of addressing the Exterminations was inadequate and inappropriate. The same applies to Vaggie; although her suggestion to have Lucifer bluff Vox was good in theory, she and Charlie should have collaborated on a more effective strategy. The argument that erupted between them at the end has been building for several episodes, and its culmination served as a rewarding moment for Charlie's character arc.

      In addition, Heaven’s arrogance has led to consequences for their actions. Although Emily and the other angels were largely unaware of the Exterminations, witnessing Hell's fury was a pivotal moment that shattered Emily’s naïve perspective (especially as the gift baskets were her idea), and Sera was confronted with her own self-fulfilling prophecy of a Hell-wide uprising. Her attempt to rationalize the situation after losing her temper did not help matters. The similarities between Emily and Charlie were effectively highlighted in their responses, while Sera’s indifference to both the feelings of the Sinners and Sir Pentious (and Charlie’s concern for him) contrasted sharply with Vox, who manipulates the Sinners' anguish for his own purposes.

      The songs in 'Silenced' were impressive, with Vox making a strong impact in each of the three musical numbers. ‘Bad With Us’ serves as an ideal opener for the second act if this were a stage production, while ‘Vox Populi’ and ‘Vox Dei’ were the real standout performances. Jeremy Jordan’s brief performance as Lucifer in ‘Vox Populi’ deserves to be released as its own single, and Christian Borle excelled in delivering Vox’s gospel-like vocals, shifting between rage and arrogance in ‘Vox Dei’. The visual elements of these songs were striking, featuring imagery that the show hadn’t used previously, including 180-degree spins around certain characters.

      Most of the supporting characters took a backseat in this episode, but that was acceptable as plenty unfolded in 'Silenced' without feeling overcrowded. Charlie’s character development felt well-deserved, and Vox stands as a substantial threat to the future of both Heaven and Hell. Interestingly, Alastor seems to be in a position that ironically suits him perfectly, despite being captive, as he appears to be scheming to disrupt the Vees from within. The events in this episode certainly advanced the plot in intriguing directions, setting the stage well for the episodes to come.

      Rating: 8/10

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