Hazbin Hotel Therapist Analysis: Sera's Machiavellian Tendencies

[@GeorgiaDow]

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[@BloodBornShadowWalker]

PLEASE CAN YOU DO VALENTINO NEXT?

[@Lazyspaceout]

Have you seen ARK the animated series? Its out! I want to know about each characters break down they all had to die in order to be in the ARK

[@Atinywithsocailanxiety]

I think it kinda ironic a snake is the first soul redeemed

[@GBS4893]

Definitely intentional

[@ZephyrBW]

It’s a whole new world

[@GeorgiaDow]

Such a good point !!!

[@Atinywithsocailanxiety]

@GeorgiaDow I honestly would love to see eve's reaction

[@VelKitty]

I feel like an idiot for not even noticing that

[@delphoxhoopa7289]

I love how Sera's eyes close when she says, "at all costs." She's so blinded by her desire to protect Heaven, she literally *refuses* to see any other options that aren't the Extermination, while Emily's eyes were *wide* open after finally learning the truth, symbolizing how her eyes were literally opened to the horrors Sera was desperately trying to keep from her.

[@biancaporto4119]

Your observation is so accurate!

[@origamipein18]

That is why Sera is so foolish.

[@msk-qp6fn]

And recall how all of her eyes opens when she gets a bit more emotional and tells emily that she had to do what she had to do and she is afraid emily will fall too, so there may definitely be stuffs we do not know that may shift perspectives a bit

[@GeorgiaDow]

That is such a wonderful observation wish I had noticed it so I could have placed it in the video !!!

[@delphoxhoopa7289]

@@GeorgiaDowOh my gosh, thank you so much for the compliment and replying! Watching your videos made me want to rewatch certain scenes to analyze them better so I could notice details like this!

[@revolesto4151]

I get the feeling that Sera is trying to protect Emily from a force greater than herself. "You could end up like Lucifer: fallen" feels less like a threat and more like "stay in line because THEY'RE watching.

[@dazzlingdexter5060]

This seems like the case

[@origamipein18]

It's a warning. ):

[@spamachuchan8824]

​@@origamipein18 both can be true at the same time. To Sera it's a warning, to Emily and Charlie it could be seen as a threat. It all comes down to the personal definition of words thing and phrasing. To my brain "you could end up like Lucifer, Fallen" sounds like a threat/promise to fall in line. Had she phrased it like "Emily, please! Be careful of what you say. This was how Lucifer fell, I don't want to see that happen to you, too." Id have taken it as a warning. Both are true, it's a threat and a warning.

[@origamipein18]

@@spamachuchan8824 Right.

[@juliaboskamp9666]

Sera gives off the elder sister with eldest daughter syndrome who refuse help from the younger siblings vibes

[@myladynaynay]

The cruel irony of the Head Seraphim of Heaven in this moment being the embodiment of this quote: "The highway to Hell is paved with good intentions."

[@thesaltybeard1793]

But that's not true tho. It's not paved at all. It's like a portal or something

[@JVarley9001]

One of the little design things I love in this show is how when some characters, like Emily or Angel Dust, get upset, they reveal how many eyes they really have.

[@ForgottenHonor0]

"You are gifted to be here..." The backhand in that statement...

[@garg4531]

Most definitely Basically telling them “You must be so honored to be allowed up here” as opposed to saying “We are glad to have you were”

[@samuelspurlock727]

Agreeded

[@tobsonasanya4765]

To be fair she ain't completely wrong lol​@@garg4531

[@msk-qp6fn]

She definitely has a holier than thou attitude despite being well meaning

[@origamipein18]

Ouch.

[@poissonsumac7922]

To be fair, as soon as a dead exorcist showed up, Velvette was like "let's start an uprising". I think the fear of a Hellish uprising isn't that unreasonable.

[@josiea.3855]

Well they only wanted to uprise BECAUSE of the extermination. If the extermination never happened, they may not have actually wanted to uprise

[@fluidwolf]

​@@josiea.3855It might have been a cycle of things honestly. There could have been an initial uprising attempt that the exorcists quashed but instead of stopping the exterminations they kept it going which leads to another one happening due to it this time.

[@cyruslupercal9493]

Velvette didn't say uprising. She called it "power grab". They want to take as much of Heaven as they possibly can.

[@Clicint]

At the same time, the other Overlords refused to start the uprising specifically because of their fear of the Exorcists. So like, on the one hand, the Extermination is feeding Hell's anger towards Heaven. On the other hand, it's keeping them in line as well. Maybe, at the time, it was the best option Sera had available to her. But now that Sir Pentious has proven redemption is possible, the right thing to do is to stop the Exterminations entirely and re-evaluate how to approach Hell.

[@fohb7291]

​@@cyruslupercal9493that's... the definition of an uprising. An uprising is an act of resistance or rebellion; a revolt. You don't have to completely take over for it to be an uprising, you just have to fight back against someone, usually an authority figure.

[@trajan74]

I have this backstory in my head that the "uprising" Sera mentioned was a deception by Adam to get a position of power and an opportunity to get revenge on the Morningstars. So when Sera tells Emily "they were uprising" I wanted Emily to say "And who told you that, Adam?" And we can see the realization on her face that she got played.

[@domacleod]

I still maintain that Sera's reaction at the end is not disgust or shock at being proven wrong or anything of the sort, but rather the shock and realization of the fact that she allowed potentially redeemable souls to be slaughtered year after year.

[@fluidwolf]

Like "good lord what have I done?"

[@CaitlinCloud-xe7sw]

Exactly!! It was that “oh no we’ve been erasing souls that could have been redeemed”

[@mysteroads5598]

Oh, that would be *delicious*.

[@LilGrimmieReap]

For clarification! Sera and Emily are sisters- sera being the elder seraphim/sister. I believe Sera just wants to protect Emily from becoming another Lucifer.

[@SparDanger]

I thought the same thing.

[@laughingalex7563]

Whats funny is think about it, sera’s actions or actions she endorsed likely may end up driving Emily to becoming fallen.

[@dusk2573]

I feel like Sera is probably Emily’s older sister but has been acting as her mother.

[@anthonyross3418]

I missed Sera's "You're gifted to be here" line due to Emily squealing.

[@spamachuchan8824]

I find it a bit amusing to see what I catch, but other don't pick up on and vice versa. Example something I didn't pick up on till the Emily episode, Vaggies jealous face when Emily is holding hands with Charlie. I picked up on the "Your gifted to be here" only because it sounded like a back handed compliment. But that line is the gist of what I was raised to believe when I was a kid at church. Your gifted to be in this house of worship, and you would be gifted to be in heaven. Why is it SUCH a "gift" to be welcomed to a place that claims to love humans equally but damns them when they don't fall in line? (Sorry, been "burnt" by the Christian religions. Kinda why I love the show.)

[@MrBern-ex3wq]

​@@spamachuchan8824 Don't apologize, you're absolutely right. That's exactly what the show is conveying too.

[@seeleunit2000]

And it's a telling line

[@SailorStudent]

⁠@@spamachuchan8824It’s okay!👍🏼 You’re right, I know how that feels cause I’ve also grew up in certain toxic churches for lots of years that were uptight, but they permitted certain stuff happen that wasn’t very Christian-like.😒 Looking back at those churches I truly regretted not leaving earlier cause I would’ve saved myself some unnecessary stress and pain. But after leaving those churches, I kept looking until I was able to find a church about 3 years ago that were accepting and loving.🥰

[@ChestnutMustang]

Something I love about listening to Sera's lines again is realizing the little ways Sera is condescending to Charlie and Vaggie, and even Emily. I got a little too distracted by Emily's happy squeal to realize Sera said "You're gifted to be here," not "We're gifted to have you." She feels the need to remind Charlie that her presence here is only temporary, a visit, that they can't stay. She's polite to Charlie upfront, but then turns around and calls her misguided for even considering the idea of changing the system. She tells Emily and Charlie "not everything is spelled in ink," and "there's a lot that you don't know," but never gives them this knowledge so they can understand why things are the way they are. She expects everybody to fall in line, and instead of explaining anything, she demonizes those who question it, and reminds them that they're even lucky to have her listen to them at all.

[@ZephyrBW]

It’s the whole thing of how little kids play checkers. They like to make the rules up as it goes along.

[@Jjames763]

I can only imagine the terrible mixture of pride and horror Sera feels at seeing Emily stand up for her moral principles so strongly.

[@BalthusHomewood]

I doubt she feels any pride at all. Horror and dread, certainly. After all, Sera has seen this kind of resistance before: from Lucifer. That resistance created the very things Sera is so afraid of that she approved the exterminations, and Emily is following a similar path.

[@IM-vv5dm]

Sera's justification for the Extermination really says a lot: "They were uprising". Initially, the response to the Sinners was fear of what they could do and possibly afraid that Heaven cannot handle them uniting as one. Still, that was then and now they continue the purges because it's easier to stick to the course than question where they lost themselves along the way.

[@RaquelVallejo93]

I feel there’s a blatant parallelism between the biblical passage of Moses birth and survival and Hell’s overpopulation issue. The Pharaoh presumably ordered the killing of every Hebrew baby boy because, again, they were becoming too numerous and he feared an uprising.

[@Iejir_Isk]

Honestly, I half think Adam just said that so he could go down and 'have fun', and she believed him.

[@j.bat.8235]

That final *squeak* from Emily is all the vindication I'll ever need.

[@origamipein18]

VindiCATION~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >:D

[@jamespage4809]

Something just clicked for me; Sera says it was her responsibility to keep the extermination secret because she's 'older'. Not more mature, not higher in authority, specifically OLDER. So... Does this mean that seraphim are capable of creating other seraphim? That they didn't just come into being through whatever means at the same time?

[@dracorim6370]

Well, I have a theory that Emily is Lucifer's replacement in heaven and that Lucifer was the previous seraphim in charge of making people happy.

[@olgabak771]

Ohhhh that makes so much sense. Especially when you look at how happy he seemed in picture book

[@dracorim6370]

@@olgabak771 If you remember in More than Anything when Lucifer is talking about not wanting to lose everything again, we see imagery of multiple seraphim, way more than we actually see in the show there's about six and excluding Emily who I don't think existed when Lucifer fell and doesn't match any of the silhouettes, we only meet one seraphim and that's Sera so where are all of the others? Are they just busy, are they dead, are they not in heaven for some other reason?

[@olgabak771]

@@dracorim6370 i guess they will just appear later in the show. Sera may be that one pearson in the team who actually show herself regullary to winners in town. And the rest of them don't bother beacause they have other jobs (maybe they are higher in hierarchy than Emily and Sera, and thats why Sera is so scared of Emily misbehaving, because there's someone more powerfull than them who wont care about Emily the way Sera do).

[@belovedwarrior3192]

Another possibility is that like the Hellborn the Heavenborn can have children

[@TalionGraves]

I love the fact that vivsy made this show so well a literal therapist can react and read certain characters so well lol WOW 1k likes tysm!!!

[@jacquelinewright868]

Ikr it's so entertaining!

[@fantasy-writer-v5z]

I know it’s insane, Vivian truly is a mad genius

[@Maxisamo1]

Ehhhhhhhhh when it comes the creativity of how characters show more subtle themes, yes, but her other writing skills are a bit weak. Especially with balancing storylines

[@chimericalbeast]

@@Maxisamo1 I think a lot of that comes from being given such a short time frame to tell everything you need to tell. I mean, I’m impatient, but we kind of act like people are less intelligent, and have far shorter attention spans than they actually do. “Here, have all of this in here, so that people don’t lose interest, and condense it to four hours.” And then, if you’re talking about her other show, that’s indie animation, and a million things can go wrong at any time (see episode eight). But they have very different pacing, for better or worse.

[@hipsterluigi1785]

I find it amusing that the characters with the least amount of screentime like the angels oftentimes have longer videos than the more prominent characters of the show.

[@zorokid]

Going off her look when sir pentious shows up, I personaly read that as horror. kind of a "Oh no, I had other options" kind of reaction

[@werecoth]

The main question now, is how will she act going forward with this information. It's either a path to her Fall or her redemption.

[@applepieexplosion4030]

That's an awesome take. Like the guilt that would absolutely crush her realizing that she didn't have to allow the genocide. I wonder if she'll double down instead of accepting it

[@garg4531]

I agree with the comments; will she realize her mistake and try to redeem herself, or refuse to admit she was wrong and double down on her efforts to keep anyone from finding out

[@werecoth]

​@@garg4531it gets dark if she tries to keep it under wraps. She will have to keep Emily quiet and do something with Sir Pentious.

[@anthonyross3418]

@@werecoth This is what I'm waiting to see in season 2. Before she had the excuse of ignorance not knowing redemption was possible, but now that she knows this and that someone above her pulled Sir Pentious pass the gates straight into her Office her next decisions will determine how she'll be viewed in the story.

[@nuggs5509]

I love how whoever judges a soul, smacked Sir Pentious not at the gate BUT IN THE SERAPHIMS HQ. Like just shoving in Sera's face 👀🪕

[@Kayta-Linda]

I *really* want to find out who/what is doing that.

[@nuggs5509]

@@Kayta-Linda Same here.... Are they a force or an entity, makes me wonder 🤔

[@origamipein18]

😄👍

[@riccardomosena4162]

i think it's because ithe gate is for souls from earth, pentious was already dead so already passed the initial "check" and simply changed outer sphere

[@nuggs5509]

@@riccardomosena4162 Oh that makes sense 😲

[@jdogx211]

You notice, Serpentine NEVER went to the Gates? He was...SUMMONED(?) directly to Sara and Emily.

[@fantasy-writer-v5z]

I don’t see Sera as a villain, she’s more of a anti-villain (an antagonist that doesn’t have any typical villainous qualities) But man she must really be kicking herself after Sir. Pentious ascension😅😂🤣

[@fucknames]

I hope she releases she’s wrong and doesn’t double down and say well they can come here now it’s time for all out war 😂

[@fishraposo7192]

She's the perfect example of an anti-villain. She means well, but goes too far

[@Ultimateverse-u7g]

For sure someone is going beat Sera off the pedestal

[@EndyTheArtist]

A real Takuto Maruki here

[@machacasaurius]

She is the authority behind a yearly genocide over a completely defenseless population... She is totally an irredeemable villain.

[@bittersprout3694]

Loving the habit of dressing up as your therapeutic analysis subject. Forget _'being in someone's shoes',_ *BORROW THE WHOLE OUTFIT!!!*

[@GeorgiaDow]

hahaha why wear the shoes when you can have wings !!!

[@sandorkovacs6974]

@@GeorgiaDow Wearing Sera's shoes would be difficult anyway. We haven't seen her legs. 🤔🤷

[@Allantitan]

@@GeorgiaDowhow many Red Bulls did it take to get those wings? 😂

[@ToastyNoneofyourbusiness]

Never apologize for including Emily's squeals she is a precious sweet bean

[@icemagiciangh]

Sera is definitely allowing the Exterminations to ensue because she genuinely thinks it’ll help her own people. (In the first opening scene we even see her acting sad as the Exterminators descend). I hope that, with Sir Pentious redeemed and in Heaven, she’ll reconsider the hotel’s validity.

[@ExtraStage300]

Regarding the Sir Pentious scene at the end, I think it's interesting to note that he was redeemed *directly to Sera*. That means that if the Big G is the one who decides which souls get redeemed, he sent Pentious on the fast track, SKIPPING the pearly gates and all of heaven entirely, and plunked him right down in Sera's office.

[@fluidwolf]

Plopped right in front of the two angels that would need to see a redeemed sinner the most

[@emmanuelmartin7609]

1. I understand wanting to prevent a catastrophe. However, if Sera had not started the extermination, her fears wouldn't have been realized. 2. I wonder if she knew about Lilith being in Heaven.

[@DanGamingFan2406]

Those wings have gotten so much use and they're still so beautiful. I love the way the fire reflects in Sera's eyes when she sings "do what was required." Not only does it show how tense she is, trying to make Emily understand, but from Emily's perspective, it's a reflection of how unholy Sera's Machiavellianism is, and how far her mentor has fallen in her eyes. Then when Emily flies to the same spot, there is no fire in her eys because she's uncorrupted.

[@watershipup7101]

That visual is always terrifying.

[@richardwarnercool1]

It doesn't just show how what Sera is doing is wrong, it also brilliantly shows the difference between Sera and Emily, because when Emily sings the verse afterwards, Emily moves upwards and around, going to the same spot Sera was... and the fire isn't reflected in Emily's eyes. Because she is pure and uncorrupted.

[@waterbullstudios9195]

I always love when the wings come out.

[@deathwish-fs1ib]

Its also a subtle design choice in that in some traditions seraphim are angels of love, light and fire. Fun fact: They're also sometimes depicted as fiery serpents.

[@GeorgiaDow]

Ha yes love getting to use the wings as well. Wonder what will happen with Sera in season two now the rules have changed. Thx for always supporting = )

[@myhairhasamindofitsown]

Also, Sera preventing Charlie from using dictionary definitions is a powerplay by her, because it prevents Charile from setting the boundaries of what "redemtion" actually means and wether or not it can be archieved. Sera needs the plausible deniability for "redemtion" being so ill defined to prevent the Divine Judgement from being questioned, because if redemtion is defined in a way that is not working in accodance to what they know, then her case is already lost.

[@ZephyrBW]

The double standard of hypocrisy at its finest

[@GeorgiaDow]

well said

[@happypasta6]

@@ZephyrBWwell I usually reserve that phrase for Sera and Emile’s reaction to Charlie cursing just as a happy/enthusiastic reaction when Adam had been swearing left and right for much worse and mean spirited reasons. But yeah it works here as well.

[@Dawg-Bone]

That shot of her face with the flames in her eyes is still engrained in my mind. Maybe the best shot in the entire show, and that’s saying a lot.

[@cwengel22]

That shot of Sera with the fire in her eyes is, imho, one of the BEST visual moments in the show. So damn powerful.

[@BalthusHomewood]

And when Emily stood BETWEEN Sera and the view of hell when Emily spoke back to her! Em literally standing between the people of Hell and Sera's judgement

[@blueboxarts7015]

please do velvette! i think she is touching the topic of stolen youth, dying too early, regretting losing what was ahead of you

[@fantasy-writer-v5z]

Yeah her and Val About analyzing their psychology not their own psyche

[@garg4531]

Dang I never really thought about that aspect! We know she’s the youngest Overlord, having died only in recent years, and as I was typing this out I realized that when you pair that with how quickly she rose to power, it’s no wonder she has that attitude she does, especially towards Overlords who’ve been in power for tens or *hundreds* of years and have far more experience than her

[@garg4531]

@@fantasy-writer-v5zValentino would definitely be interesting imho He’s a truly despicable human being with no redeeming qualities, but I’m curious about what an analysis of his character might reveal about his mindset

[@fantasy-writer-v5z]

@@garg4531 who knows maybe her analysis on Val will make him more sympathetic… MAYBE

[@garg4531]

@@fantasy-writer-v5z I did consider that. We don’t really know for *sure* why he does this He obviously enjoys the power and control he has over others, and hates it when they try to go against his will or escape from his grasp, but maybe there’s some deeper reason for it, like some tragic backstory or psychological issues we don’t know about

[@ZephyrBW]

I love how Emily stood her ground and told not only sera but all of heaven off with Charlie they flat out said the naked truth and it was so pure and beautiful

[@GBS4893]

When Sara says that "do what was required" line, it really feels like that "you understand, right?" sentence a person with emotional grip like a manipulative parent would say to keep an unhealthy situation rolling, it's unsettling because it feels very real

[@ZephyrBW]

There’s no understanding for that

[@kaleigrogan7306]

Thing I noticed on a rewatch Emily says she now knows they are killing “innocent souls”, intense true believer Lute is always quick to call out that these souls are not innocent. What they witnessed with Angel might indicate redemption but not innocence, innocent people don’t need to be redeemed. But Sera doesn’t go there, she goes into her need to protect heaven and how she doesn’t want to see Emily fallen. Sera is more pragmatic and operating out of more fear.

[@joshuaharris3039]

Sera's vibe always reminds of the qoute "A successful cynic is often a failed idealist" I'd like to learn about her history/background to see if she ever wanted to help the citizens of Hell but an incident left her w/some trauma and a change of beliefs. Also, I do believe the "Ends justify the Means" mantra can have merit but, like anything really, needs to be watched out for if it reaches it's logical extremes. Sera has definitely reached that point though.

[@friedpinnapple]

One thing i always think with Sera’s “its our job to keep our people safe” is charlie responding “the don’t be surprised when I keep my people safe” it would be super out of character for her but damn i would love that line.

[@josiea.3855]

Oh that would actually go so hard lol

[@sarahlandis289]

Oh man I'd love to see that 😂

[@GBS4893]

That "I'm sorry" Sara tells Emily at the end of the trial scene feels pretty wrong. We know that Sara at least can feel what she does is bad, she knows Emily both knows and that this person she holds dear is profoundly hurt, yet she wouldn't change a thing. This is not something happening to them, she's the one in charge of everything

[@grantpflum6844]

Sarah's greeting is very telling. Emily's first words are a squeal of delight followed by a "I'm so happy to meet you!" Sarah's greeting is "I am Sarah, you're gifted to be here." Emily is establishing a rapport and expressing happiness. Sarah is establishing her rank and that Charlie is lucky to even get a meeting with her.

[@eldaxternator]

I always felt Emily and Sera's relationship feels more like big sister and little sister, since Sera says she's the older and they call each other by their names

[@douglaspope-gz1eq]

I understand that Sera wants to protect Emily and heaven but the extermination is not the way to do it

[@SnakeRoadComicsOfficial3677]

Sera even said to Adam that she would've never went along with it if it was gonna cause more problems in Heaven.

[@emilyrln]

@@SnakeRoadComicsOfficial3677even if it didn't impact Heaven at all, it was still a morally repugnant thing to do.

[@SnakeRoadComicsOfficial3677]

@@emilyrln I believe she knows that. Look at a majority of her expressions during You Didn't Know. She looks...sad as if she's aware of how unfair it is. Remember they don't know how Heaven works so her dismissing that sinners could ascend isn't unfounded. But now they have proof that a sinner can ascend. And hopefully we'll see Sera trying to atone for condoning Adam's Evil.

[@AmeerahTawhai]

I know it's like sacrificing a small part of something for the bigger picture, but it's still messed up.

[@wynnefox]

Charlie said really the unspoken truth: No one knows the rules. Something I think shows in religion itself IRL. We have all these priests out there thumping on some old books and saying this is the rules when the reality is, they don't know and just hoping it is and using it uphold their authority.

[@ZephyrBW]

10000%

[@BalthusHomewood]

Also: the people assuming moral authority don't even follow the same rules they judge others by, in spirit or by the letter!

[@darkvizardking69]

I love how she thought this was going to be secret when Charlie came to plead a case against redemption instead of the exterminations.

[@Iejir_Isk]

to be fair... without Adam there, it might well have.

[@happypasta6]

@@Iejir_Isknot necessarily Sera got really crazy lucky that Charlie didn’t mention the exterminations off hand because she assumed everyone knew about them.

[@Iejir_Isk]

@@happypasta6 sure. Was a distinct possibility

[@rachelryan84]

@@happypasta6 I know, he has a long way to go but you could at least give them a chance instead of just killing everyone.

[@ultima1594]

Having the meeting be court trial is such a genius way of framing it because it immediately puts Charlie and Hell as lesser than the angels, and makes them have to defend themselves. It instantly creates an us vs them mentality and puts Charlie at a disadvantage.

[@CaitlinCloud-xe7sw]

Yes especially when they had no idea how souls reached heaven in the first place and shows that they have absolutely no authority on the matter as they denied the hotel and yet Sir Pen just shows up!

[@joekost1038]

You've noticed how obsessed this show is with their eyes. Eyes as decoration in hell eyes as decoration in heaven eyes as decoration on a hat.

[@fluidwolf]

Some say eyes are the gateway to the soul. Maybe it's similar thinking here.

[@aprilvaiarella435]

A thing I find interesting was the choice of words when Sera was justifying the extermination. She said They were uprising. Not revolting. Not trying to take over, but uprising. Or put differently, they were rising up. Ascending. It's not like just any demon can wander up to the gate. Charlie needed an angelic portal just to get there, so any army of demons would just be stuck in hell anyway. Lucifer told Charlie he tried to do something similar to her hotel and it failed. What if it was working and that was what Sera was trying to stop all along. Like when well off neighborhoods try to keep certain types of people from moving in because "it'll being down the property value". This would explain the quick verdict of no during the trail despite all the evidence that it could work. She doesn't want the riffraff tracking mud on the floor. That was my take on her anyway. I do like that whatever judges the worth of a soul plopped Pentious right in Sera's room in front of her instead of sending him to St. Peter. That's one way to express their feelings on the matter.

[@happypasta6]

Sera also only mentions an uprising/revolt as her means of justifying “Adam’s activities”. Throughout the series Charlie is the only one to mention overpopulation as the supposed reason for the exterminations. The fact that neither Adam nor Sera bring it up suggests it was all a big lie that was just told to hell (or possibly even just Charlie) to hide the real reason for them. Even Charlie herself mentioned it as stopping an uprising in her story book opening of episode 1. However, she brings up overpopulation again when she first meets Adam so it is definitely not a pilot to main series change.

[@jokodihaynes419]

"one would like to be both the one and the other but because it is difficult to combine them it is far better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both"- Machiavelli

[@randomcourier]

i have such distain with his quote lol, why would anyone want fear to be a driving motivator for others to follow you, im completely deriving from the statement but when people follow out of fear, expect them to cut an run at the first chance, love may take time an effort to implement correctly but that hopefully means that others will stay by you even in the most dire times.

[@msk-qp6fn]

@randomcourier on a smaller scale it definitely can work to be more loved than feared, but on a bigger scale of leadership a degree of fear factor definitely works to keep people in check

[@SirHackwrench]

I'm just glad someone used the whole quote. Granted, it got the predictable response of misinterpreting it to be about interpersonal relationships rather than about ruling a country, but I'll take what I can get

[@final_catalyst]

Fear is something anyone can offer and the strongest will win Love is something given and earned The difference between the two is one you lack true "control" over and will lose it to outside forces, the other you have control to maintain and cultivate. (it's this short term thinking, ends justify the means, machiavelli and other struggle with)

[@richardwarnercool1]

​@@randomcourierthe point is because if you aren't loved or feared, then people have no reason not to betray you. If you are loved, people will hopefully do what you order them to do because of that love, and if you are feared, people will hopefully do what you order them to do, while being too afraid to betray you.

[@klypbarfluffiness9527]

I actually have a different interpretation. There is a lot of information in the intro that I don't see people talking about. The way I see it, Sera is in some way traumatized after Lucifers fall and this is the reason behind her strict way of ruling and why she is so protective when it comes to Emily. First we see Sera together with 3 other angels, looking over the creation of earth. They seam to be the highest rank of angels, probably leading other angels. Then we are introduced to Lucifer and we can see that he is in a group of seven angels, the other 6 being frustrated with him. They all have the same amount of wings as Sera so I think they were her angels, working under her in some way. When Lucifer and Lilith is cast down to hell, we see 4 hands doing this which means that Sera was one of them. I think this probably was something she didn't want to do, but she had no other choice. Because of this she is now terrified of having to relive this traumatic event again and will do anything in her power to make the other angels follow the rules. She probably thinks she was the one who failed Lucifer, and if she had just guided him in the right direction she could have saved him. Also, I have a theory that Emily is in some way a replacement for Lucifer. He seemed more lively than the other angels, with his firework and all, so when he was cast out of heaven he left a gap. Emily seems younger, probably around the same age as Charlie, so I think she came after Lucifers fall and is in some way doing the job he was supposed to do. This could explain their similarities and could also explain why she isn't as afraid of questioning the system. This is probably the reason for Sera's close relationship to Emily and why she is so protective of her. She reminds her of Lucifer, the angel she once lost, and now she is terrified of the same thing happening again.

[@demonpokemon13]

In DnD, we'd call Sarah's allignment Chaotic Lawful. Sure, deep down in Sarah's heart, she has what's best for everyone she watches over in mind, but she is willing to make every ultimate sacrifice for those under her wings.

[@angrytheclown801]

Hmm...you're right. And in Ravenloft there's a darklord that is a fallen paladin. However the Powers are fuelling her power. Her Detect Evil is actually Detect Any Strong emotion Directed At Her. It would be interesting if this is a similar case.

[@AdmiralStoicRum]

They have that alignment It's called neutral.

[@demonpokemon13]

@AdmiralStoicRum nah, neutral is more reasonable and rational and significantly less extreme and understands when they are right and when they are wrong while only being willing to do things within reason.

[@shadenox8164]

Yes, thank you. The amount of people agreeing with Adam about the dictionary definition thing is like... they need to agree on what something means before they can discuss it and since its an entire room using the dictionary definition is the most expedient way to do that. But of course Charlie being Charlie she did go overboard on that, just the first one was all that was needed. The fact Sera wouldn't even let her define the thing they were there to discuss is not helpful.

[@rachelryan84]

I'm pretty sure she used the dictionary to cover for the fact she was unprepared.

[@shadenox8164]

@@rachelryan84 Uh no? The creating of notes demonstrates the fact she was not in fact unprepared. As creating notes is preparation.

[@rachelryan84]

Poorly prepared then. It looks like her plan was to use dictionary references to pad her speech then wing it. Frankly her pitch to Adam was better, but to be fair Sera kept the trial focused away from the actual point.

[@felixrivera895]

Sera's machiavellian streak is gonna come out Strong coming after Sr. Pentious's ascention. Dictionary refferences are the least effective way to tackle vernacular. Everyone uses words on a personal level, and the dictionary just records the most common uses. The dialog surrounding what a given term means has to be tackled on a contextual level. "In this context, I am using this word to mean this definition. Is there a word that would fit better?" And "I see, the definitiin you are using falls under this word in my vocabulary, I can adjust and proceed better now." - This is a pair of statements my BF and I have had to learn to use with one another. It's gone a long way to help us actually communicate through some confusion.

[@shadenox8164]

Except in this case she's giving a speech, not a one on one. She can't do that to get everyone's definition, so she's defaulting to the one most people would probably at least agree with hence why its in the dictionary. The only problem is she had way too many. Her first one was the only one that needed to be defined.

[@felixrivera895]

@@shadenox8164 but even then, if a member of her audience disagrees with an interpretation of the dictionary definition, that opens the dialogue to a meaningless debate of vernacular, rather than a constructive mutual language. Especially when you're dealing with someone who's already decided that they don't care what you think. In essence, the Dictionary refference was going nowhere from the start. Asking someone in a position of power what a word means to them is a faster way to reach your goal in that instance, even if it means you're not letting your entire audience share in a common definition that won't serve you in your goals.

[@NightmareRex6]

like peaople who use "homophobia" for a dislike of it, need to read the definition that "phobia" means SCARD OF, NOT "i dont like"

[@unluckystaravia2352]

​​​​the dictionary definition of a phobia is "An extreme or Irrational fear of or aversion to something." further "aversion" according to the dictionary means "A strong dislike or disinclination." Or "A person or thing that arouses strong feelings of dislike." In short phobias can mean an extreme fear or dislike of something that goes beyond reason Trypophobia as well as hydrophobic objects are excellent examples which lack the social implications of homophobia Trypophobia is a fear or disgust at seeing irregular patterns or clusters of holes While Hyrdophobic is a scientific term for a property of molecules which do not mix with water there in this case is no fear, as this is in reference to objects which cannot mix, though of course you have Hydrophobia in humans which is a more literal fear of water, they are obviously different but still retain the phobia/phobic suffix

[@SwedishSinologyNerd]

Sera really gives off the same vibes as Pharaoh Seti in prince of Egypt, she’d totes be all “Oh Em, they were only sinners…” while giving BestAngel a sisterly hug.

[@origamipein18]

Oh, Gods, you're right. D:

[@racookster]

That Georgia can use the characters' expressions and body language to discuss what they're thinking and feeling is a testament to the quality of Vivienne Medrano's animation. This is some top notch stuff.

[@Oltrya]

little counterpoint: if someone is questioning your right to EXIST you are entirely valid in shutting them down and not entertaining it. some people are not worth debating.

[@gracemaple1060]

Some people are not worth debating, and there are some situations where its valid to shut down a line of questioning because its not the time or place. However, that doesn't mean that its valid to always shut down a certain topic of conversation. For example, debating the death penalty is about people's right to exist - do you think that shouldn't be talked about?

[@Noctazar]

Shutting someone down for questioning something, great. Now you sound just like Sera.

[@maj0rjeag3r]

@@Noctazar I mean if what you’re questioning is “should this group of people be allowed to exist” then I don’t think that’s some thing that’s worth entertaining.

[@cristophernunez7786]

It is Sera who is carrying out the genocide, under your vision the one who must be silenced

[@Oltrya]

I made my comment because the video made it seem as though ANY kind of shutting down of an argument is inherently bad or toxic. I very well could've misread the intent behind it (autism and all) but it bugged me nonetheless.

[@TheOddityFair]

When you really think about it, it makes sense that Sera’s one rule to Adam was that only the exorcists could know about the exterminations. We see the higher ups were horrified by it, yes. But, more than that, the general population of souls would riot if they found out. After all, they have family & friends down there. Even if they couldn’t meet them or save them from suffering, they at least knew where they were & that they were after-alive.

[@applepieexplosion4030]

I never realized how great the faciel epressions are in this show. You can always tell exactly what theyre all thinking

[@Iejir_Isk]

which is why Sera is one of those in the show I feel most sorry for. You can tell she sincerely cares about all the souls (heaven and hell's), case in point: her response to 'don't you care Sera?'. But is required to protect heaven's above all. Not to mentoin the personal horror at allowing the exterminations. I honestly don't think she'd put up with Adam if given a choice.

[@sarahlandis289]

@@Iejir_Isk well she has been given the choice; he's dead now 😂

[@Iejir_Isk]

@@sarahlandis289 Rejoice! (I may not belong as a winner....)

[@jokodihaynes419]

"I was just following orders"-The Nuremberg Trials

[@maskedsaiyan1738]

Sadly, it’s perfect for this situation.

[@msk-qp6fn]

I am dying 🤣 so appropriate

[@faeleris]

"Nicht schuldig" - Not Guilty All of them when asked their plea.

[@origamipein18]

That's what they all say.

[@romeosantos3261]

Classic case of banality of evil.

[@CteCrassus]

The funny thing of the "...at all costs" line is that it is disingenuous, because the "solution" she settled on is the one that costs Heaven *nothing.* Hell is the one suffering the brunt of consequences of such a "solution", and with the Exorcists being (presumed) invincible, there isn't even the risk of having their immortal lives on the line.

[@lvoryRose]

I love the absolute insistence on using the 'Frontal lobe deficiency' for Adam, it's great.

[@MillieBee11]

16:14 I cracked up so hard at the moment the realisation kicked in.

[@cinderheart8545]

I believe Sera and Emily are siblings. I think Sera may also be acting out of fear, trying to shush any different ideas because she's terrified of anyone else under her care falling, like Lucifer. However, those acting out of fear can be the most dangerous, you never know what they will do.

[@GeorgiaDow]

Oh yes siblings works

[@joshrose8753]

I love how Sera's already also is looking down on Charlie *from the get go*. As the opener, she goes "St. Peter, we can take it from here. Greetings, daughter of the Morningstar. I am Sera, the High Seraphim of Heaven." And Emily's squeal of joy and excitement overthrows Sera's next line. "You are gifted to be here." That isn't saying "It is our honor", but rather "You're lucky to be here". She is already looking down from a position of power and authority in a domain SHE KNOWS Charlie has NO true say in.

[@happypasta6]

She also never refers to Charlie by her formal name and even calls her (behind her back) Lucifer’s misguided daughter. Charlie also only referred to her by her title “thank you, Seraphim” but she meant it more as respect. As point out in this video they are multiple ways in which Sera is a very biased judge (if we can even call her that title).

[@jacquelinewright868]

Love the sara wings they're so big and elegant!

[@Wolveycat]

"Just smile and wave, Emily. Just smile and wave."

[@TheNecromancer6666]

Honestly: the scene where Sarah pronounces judgement, I was like "Please just say, we consider this ruling a decleration of war." I was so furious 😅

[@Ultimateverse-u7g]

Insane theory: what if there is some other angel higher than Sera that has some more compassion to the idea of redemption that Sera completely disagrees

[@angrytheclown801]

Not so insane. I think that's what's going on because they likely don't welcome new souls in Sera's halls.

[@Daemonworks]

Arguably... Lucifer.

[@belovedwarrior3192]

Aren't Arcangels supposed to be higher up then Seraphims? If so then that could explain things

[@angrytheclown801]

@@belovedwarrior3192 In Christian and Jewish belief they're actually pretty much the lowest on the totem pole. People tend to view them high because it's such a cool word so it's up to the writer.

[@belovedwarrior3192]

@@angrytheclown801 Oh

[@nellialperovich4522]

Sera is the epitome of: truth doesn’t mind being questioned, a lie does

[@erianru]

Sera's absolute worst nightmare was a sinner redeeming: not only because of the court meeting with Charlie It was clear that even if she believed she "did what she had to", it still pained her to make that decision with the extermination. The moment sir Pencious appeared in heaven, she not only knew she was wrong, she realised all these years of slaughter could have been avoided, if only she listened sooner or thought of it beforehand

[@MrInternetHermit]

When you were talking about about Sera shutting down any discourse, it reminded me of an old quote that felt like it fit very well here: "When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say."

[@BeanieBabyXx]

It makes you wonder what actually judges Sir Pentious's soul and then takes him up to heaven. It clearly must be sentient because the fact a redeemed sinner was dumped right in front of the eyes of someone who refused to see redemption as an option is the biggest "fuck you" ever.

[@Klide-dorf]

I feel like one thing I haven't seen discussed much was the "It was such a hard decision" line. Sera says it like its a foregone conclusion, but it was never her decision to make, she just feels such complete authority that she decided it was her place to deem all of hell a threat and unworthy of a chance at redemption, she oversteps.

[@amethyst..2]

0:35 the books being the ✨Bible✨

[@ankokuraven]

Well that would certainly explain why Alestor was a powerhouse from the moment he showed up.

[@nicolpineda8632]

Hum. Lute and Alastor have the same haar cut. And Alastor and vaggi have both an flothing X over their face. This things are only seen in angels. Just saying.

[@GBS4893]

The relation of Sara to Emily makes me think of a much older sister, one that's already an adult when the other is born. One that teaches, has authority, has seen the other as a baby and finds herself in between a sister and a parent. That works even if Emily was born like she is now, because Sara probably did teach her a lot as the older, more experienced one I think there is this bond between them because they probably are born the same way, even though not necesarily from parents. There aren't many of their specific kin either, i imagine it would create a close bond. Someone like you, someone you can realte to, someone who can understand But what does it mean when "the other seraphim" suddenly has such a fundamental disagreement with you that it creates a fracture? Emily looked up at Sara as an example, and Sara being at the top is alone because of how authority transforms your relations... except for "the other seraphim"

[@jp1116]

I do like how Emily is basicly doing the "I'm disappointed in you mom." Line

[@jessicalind5086]

I've always seen Sera and Emily as sisters. Sera being the more protective older sister who carries the burden.

[@wynnefox]

One of the many thoughts I had on Alastor is that Sera is the one that holds his leash.

[@JasmineTea127]

Like when Zestial asked if he ‘Fell to holy arms’

[@cyruslupercal9493]

​@@JasmineTea127Zestial means "killed by holy weapons".

[@JamesRT1291]

8:44 I think they are supposed to be sisters, specifically the really older and really younger sisters. And Sera is basically Emily’s guardian. Now head canon believe is, Emily is actually the replacement for Lucifer, since he was the angel of joy and wonder. Hence heaven created Emily using Sera, one of their most loyal and devout angels as the template for Emily

[@carniethedat7071]

Even aside from the Machiavellian stuff and the perfect criticism of mass hypocrisy through the use of in- and out-groups, can we just appreciate how both Sera and Emily seem human at first, but their true form turns out to be covered in eyes? It doesn't matter what the church makes "canon". There's actually a book in the text that outlines angels (at least the ranked ones) as being eldritch creatures that have to command people to not be afraid of them when they appear to mortals. The effects of the details listed in that specific book are still felt all over the new testament, so it's really nice to see that even the ones who take a form that's more human keep their eldritch features hidden until they lose the focus required to hide them. Honestly, those two have A+ character design considering the premise. I just love how much the show pulls from so-called "apocryphal" texts that are considered non-canon due to being too messy. It really just shows how there's so much confusion and inconsistency that exists within the world of a supposedly consistent world, and also allows for such cool character designs to stand out.

[@HestiaVesta]

I wonder if anyone else noticed how when Charlie mentioned everyone was fighting Sera seemed to talk to Emily but Emily seemed to snap something and fly off just before Sera called for the meeting to end

[@Narutonarutonaruto85]

I do wonder what was going through Sera's mind when Sir Pentious showed up. She may have had a realization of just what she has done or she is afraid of what demons coming into heaving could bring, like people not wanting to hire ex-cons.

[@NightoftheLivingcookies10]

I think Sera was warning Emily about the consequences of “questioning” because there’s power higher than her (archangels?) and their word is law. If this “higher power” were to demand Emily be punished then Sera wouldn’t have a choice but to obey or stand by “for the greater good”. So she’s trying to prevent that situation from happening since she cares for her sister but never disobeys her duties

[@TalionGraves]

I already 4seconds in can’t get over that amazing cosplay !

[@spider-monki]

The Wings looks comfy as "hell"

[@classicslover]

Two shorts and two videos in ONE week! But...my birthday was last month! =)) Sera should be a fallen angel. Noticed you singing along, Georgia! MADE MY DAY!!!! Yes, agreed upon definitions upfront are not only helpful, but necessary to catch people playing fast and loose with meanings and subsequent actions. Robert Redford, in an effort to try to keep an area more pristine during a mountain road expansion agreed to two lanes, plus passing. Which the state led him to believe would be occasional passing lanes. In reality, the state simply made the road four lanes wide the entire route. Exactly what he and others fought against. As for Adam...and others who use the excuse of undeveloped frontal brain...I submit that in most cases...that part of the brain is simply ignored and not used.

[@filypa101]

I hope you don't mind if I wish you a Happy Belated Birthday 🎉 I'll delete this comment if you believe this brings bad luck.😅

[@classicslover]

@@filypa101 THANK-YOU SO VERY MUCH! I truly appreciate it!!! So please, don't delete it! I LOVE IT! You are a thoughtful and sensitive...and therefore, a quality person!

[@maestrochris12]

Missed the opportunity at 22:00 to combo "demonically fast" with "angelically fun". So close to a Hole in One but barely missed 😂

[@IsDefinitelyHuman]

13:20 the reflection is of the orb flames, a lot of people think she actually has fire eyes.

[@illidangraham2725]

If I could clone you, and make you a 1:1 for everyone in the world to work through issues, I honestly believe we would have no more wars. The way you explain how different groups see eahcother and how to resolve the issues of opposing views would change the world. Love your videos❤

[@blackagentsmith3562]

It's crazy how Sera and Alastor somewhat act the same when it comes to them putting up a facade, and their henchmen act the same except Alastor and his henchmen are more sadistic

[@AScribblingTurtle]

Sera is part of the opening narration about how Lucifer was cast out of heaven. So when she says, that there is more to know, it is not just to shutdown the argument. The Audience is inclined to believe her subcontiously. I love how Episode 4 and 6 are linked by more than Angel being just Charlies Evidence. This time Sera is the one wearing a mask. That Motion of Sera calming herself by doing that face whipping motion, is eerily similar to Angle doing the same thing at Husks Bar. She knows, that there is more to all of this, but she is willing to turn a blind eye to the darker parts to stay in her comfort zone and not make things worse. The "Eye opening" moment (Pardon the Pun), when she is talking to Emily seems to be a reflex to a true emotional reaction. Similar to how dogs can control their tails, but it also can take a life on its own when they aren't contiosly controlling it. Emily had the same thing going on when she got mad at Sera. (All be it with less eyes) I don't think Emily wanted to intimidate anyone, yet the Eye on her chest still opened.

[@Red-jb2zj]

Your cosplay's are amazing! Emily is probably my favorite character in the show after Angel.

[@GeorgiaDow]

my fav is emily also maybe ill do a community to see which are others.

[@UnidentifiedHumanBean]

0:50 though Vaggies face when Emily and Charlie were holding hands 😂

[@BloodDracolich]

That look on Sera's face at the end there is probably one of the best examples of the adage, "That when they realized; they effed up!".

[@unicorndiy9313]

I have the feeling you made a longer video than she was visible in the show and I find this very interesting 😁

[@LoneHowler]

I just noticed when emily says "the morals you are protraying" Adam makes a gag motion.

[@cliffwarden5934]

Machiavelli actually wrote the prince as more of a "what not to do" it tried to hold up a mirror to nobilitie's actions and making them realize how short sighted they are

[@sixoftwelve6363]

I think Sara is her actual mother. I definitely got that vibe anyway and I think she genuinely was terrified of Emily falling like Lucifer, because she probably knew Lucifer before he fell.

[@maxzifox4787]

These therapy videos are what I live for

[@theresivy]

in the leaked audition sheets, sera is emily’s older sister. emily is in her 20s while sera in her 40s