Stolas' BREAKING POINT: Helluva Boss Season 2 Episode 1 Review

I missed this show. Don't miss staying up all night to edit. But Baby Stolas was WORTH IT. No no that's a lie. Stella had me cackling to much for that to be true.
I have a Patreon now!
/ sarcasticchorus
Feel free to chat with me on social media!
Insta: ChorusSarcastic
Twitter: @ChorusSarcastic
ending theme:
Artist: Causmic
Title: Much Higher
Download Song: / audiolibrary_. .

[@SarcasticChorus]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoPbdIOHjbaNntE Here's the link to the Original Composer's version of Stolas Singing. Yes I do think its better.

[@crystal-sr1322]

it doesn't work, at least not for me...

[@Neoluver1]

I really dislike the composers version and i legit love sam haft ,but Bryce is way better in the new song.

[@jammygamer8961]

yea i don't agree. Your only point against it was just a subjective nitpick still even then liking these songs is just opinion

[@bigrdog5352]

Personally, I find the version in this episode to be better even though it may not be the best, but compared to the composer it makes the composer sound like a cartoon character. I didn't really care for the last solo but I thought this one was really good

[@skoilerFUJI]

I wouldnt agree honestly. I love the shows version. The music fits the moment. it's not a jazz song in a club, the vocals and the music don't have to be on a 1 to 1 level. It's a broken ballad of someone drowning in their own grief. Of course the music isn't going to work properly with it. It felt intentional to me.

[@matthewmcshane399]

The moment when Stella is insulting stolas at the party may actually show her being somewhat dismissive of Octavia, since she just referred to her as just "an egg." it's also telling how Stella didnt even discuss how octavia would be affected by the divorce at the end.

[@tyrant-den884]

I really want to see one of her "taking Via on the weekends"

[@OrangeDragon04]

@@tyrant-den884 That is something I didn't know I want to see. But it'd probably be just Via listening to music, while Stella is calling her friends trash talking Stolas.

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

@@OrangeDragon04 the public thinks stolas likes Stella

[@OrangeDragon04]

@@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7 True, he didn't say anything about the abuse. He never could and now he's in the worst shape to do so.

[@vincikeeper1581]

I don't think Octavia even loves her mother

[@_marshP]

I feel like Paimon shapeshifts at the beginning because he's trying to match the species of his child because there are just so many and they're all different things

[@ParsureArts]

Ohhhhh, that’s interesting-

[@victorlannister5606]

I was thinking the same thing

[@yaoi.devil.]

:OOO

[@jf_kein_k8590]

Probably more something that happens depending on where he is, rather than him actually paying attention. Also fits as Paimon according to the Lesser Key of Salomon is depicted as a man with an effeminate face, wearing a crown and riding a dromedary. While Stolas and Asmodeus do resemble their descriptions, he has none of that except for the crown.

[@pop_dog7034]

Agreed

[@thenerdbeast7375]

Should be noted that the Asmodean crystals DO NOT mean Stolas is tempted to "love potion" Blitz. Someone translated the text and it talks about how Succubi and Incubi use them to travel to Earth. Stolas is probably going to gift one to Blitz so he doesn't need the book anymore and release them from their deal. Stolas doesn't want Blitz to be hurt by his bad decisions or suffer the consequences because of them. You know what they say: "If you love something set it free."

[@0racle.sunrise3570]

Oh yh, I saw a picture of someone's twitter account translating it.

[@valentinkambushev4968]

Well, that explains how Verosika and her crew go to Earth.

[@mayatijerina2756]

Great point but it could also mean that he's done with blitz's manipulation because let's not forget, blitz started this whole thing by going after the book and even after getting caught and stolas proposing the wrong idea, he went through and used intimacy to get what he wanted. Even after the "real fast night" the Ozzy's date was pure emotional manipulation, All just to stalk moxie and Millie. It's another form of toxicity that Stolas needs to remove himself from.

[@sanugi16]

Oh, that would be something, I knew someone would translate the book since they focus so much on it. That would make sense. Now I've even more excited to see what happens next :D

[@ThinCrusty]

I WILL CRY

[@CallicoJackracham]

A little note on Stolas' song in this episode, it is being sung by a depressed, hung over Owl probably semi-high on anti-depressants. Course it is not gonna sound stellar. But you rwally feel his hurt and i think that is what counts in this scenario.

[@McCammalot]

Apparently the VA sang it around four times so he could sound properly miserable (and made his fellow actors cry as well)

[@curtisleblanc5897]

Yeah I never saw a problem with his singing. but, I'm not an expert on music.

[@pearberryyy]

@@McCammalot and bryce actually cried in the take they used too, not only that but in order to make it more real; he sung the entire song in a single take rather than stiching takes to make it more authentic.

[@Claudia_Crimson_585]

*Of course, *really. Why is everybody's grammar so bad on Helluva Boss videos? Lol

[@Claudia_Crimson_585]

The song was great to me, I really felt the poor Owl's pain.

[@harpycartoons2695]

I actually loved Bryce's singing and the off key notes felt natural to me. It left the impression he had been sobbing all night which added to the feels.

[@ALiteralBee]

It also definitely feels more raw. I love those tiny little “mistakes” in music because it feels so genuine. Auto tune is great an all, but you can never truly portray emotions through it.

[@falconeshield]

@@ALiteralBee A survivor of B&TB 2017 I see

[@Nella_nova]

He needs more love imagine being compared to broad way singers. Like not hitting a note is embarrassing enough. Any I tend to like the covers better that the OGs so I will continue doing so.

[@velvetvanillabean]

@@Nella_nova ong hes taking it WAYY to personal

[@aynjohl]

Dude Idk why but when Stolas sang in the s2e1 episode, I kinda got Night Before Christmas vibes. Am I the only one?

[@julietteporcher709]

I 100% agree with Stella being one of the best part. Her voice actress did a phenomenal job to really fit her personality and how awful she actualy was. I can't wait to see what's next !

[@spectra5407]

I think she's the blonde one that Brandon (Blitzo) has in the British people videos

[@dejanbeep6293]

Ye it's the same as in Harry Potter with Umbridge. The actress did such a great job to play a hateable character that if I hear the voice of Stella's VA in another series I will immediately dislike the character

[@meh4294]

@@spectra5407 she was the queen of England

[@aliceveil622]

@@meh4294 She was both!

[@Joe-xx7nd]

@@meh4294 I CANT TAKE HERSERIOUSLY ISTG HELP

[@RandoSando.]

The fact that Stella was surprised stolas grabbed her arm instead of letting her hit him shows exactly the kind of person she is and I'm surprised no on else is talking about it. She's so comfortable with verbally abusing him in public and beating him in private and it shows in their body language. I hate that stolas has been keeping this from octavia, yet Stella has the audacity to spin the narrative to Octavia that Stolas was the one who ruined their relationship when he was only enduring it for Octavia. Its so manipulative. Stella is a great example of an abuser in so many ways. Its so realistic for a cartoon.

[@Sleepy_Cabbage]

im kinda disapointed they went in the direction they did, I get its a realistic depiction of one note jerks who exist irl and their are plenty of them, but I think it would've been better to give her more nuance then just her being a very cruel and abusive person.

[@Sleepy_Cabbage]

it lines up with what we know of stella already, but I think it be a surprise if we saw her in a bit of a positive light in the past, and their relationship is more grey then just her being downright abusive. Maybe she cared about their daughter, and was doing the best she could to keep their finances high enough to support such a lavish style of living, or even at one point stella and stollas genuinely liked each other. All this episode does is sorta solidify what we already know about blitz, stella and stollas, stollas likes blitz, stella is a cruel person, that's it

[@JackDurnenkii]

And the fact what she manipulated everyone AND the fandom. Because before this episode I've seen not only like opinions about Stella being right in her rage but also theories what Stolas is the abuser here. Like almost everyone was agreeing what Stolas is completely in the wrong here and was a jerk for cheating on Stella and using Blitz. Like if you recall in episode 2, even Octavia was blaming him for it(because she probably wasn't even aware of abuse): "Home doesn't feel like home anymore... You ruined it.", from her perspective and our, at a time, Stolas was totally a dick. And now it's like... Holy shit...

[@rurijo3169]

@stupid Caesar Yeah, I can say I was (to an extent) one of those people I just thought that they had a pretty okay marriage and that Stolas cheating with Blitzø was the breaking point, but other than that I never thought Stolas was an abuser. Just that he might have been a bit…is “tone-deaf” the right word?

[@twilightzone7141]

@@Sleepy_Cabbage I mean this was through Stolas eyes so it makes sense as this is how she is too him and i agree she is an awful person NOW and yeah while Stolas cheating ain't a good look and that was bad what she was doing was worse but I really want to know how she was as a kid beyond the picture we saw. How did she feel about being told she had to marry someone she never met and have a kid? cause, did she grew up to be the abuser in the relationship, was it always like that? or did she grow into that? we know it was shown in the picture she had a temper but it would make sense if she was spoiled normally and got whatever she wanted but being engaged may of been the one thing she didn't get to pick and was forced into along with having a child she may of never wanted in the first place. She has been shown to care a LOT about how the family thinks of her and she mentioned her brother which i theorize might be a driving force in how she acts as he was the person she mentions specifically beyond just the family about what HE would think about a divorce. I think due to this she grew hateful and filled with spite over her situation and instead of taking things and trying to make the best of it like Stolas, she blamed him, she took all that anger on this awful situation and focused that rage and bitterness on Stolas for this situation as he was someone easy to blame and he just took it with no fight and he became her outlit. this is a theory i crafted on Stella when trying to look at her as not just a one note jerk as yeah a lot of people are jerks for no good reason irl but in media it is more interesting to take apart characters actions and try and make a reason why they are that way and this was my take on Stella as we only got her right before the series starts and after the cheating with Blitzo.

[@nyancat2221]

I thought it was implied that the “sexual” behavior at the start was just a joke that blitz didn’t pick up on and it eventually *did* turn that way, by _accident_ on blitz’s part. Mostly because after the “I knew you were here to *~ravage me~* “ line he acts quite normal and even tries to distance himself a bit when blitz continues thinking that seduction was the actual interest. Up until the bed part, stolas was continuously stepping back and moving away to create distance. Ans blitz was continually moving in to fill said gap, for the book of course but stolas seemed to be ignorant of the actual goal. So from his perspective yeah, it did seem like his first and possibly only friend was genuinely trying to seduce him, albeit quite awkwardly

[@jazzie9247]

I like it

[@RafilaWan]

I took the backing up thing as him getting scared of Blitz after he mentions he kills people for a living

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

@@RafilaWan stolas was trying to know him better when he said his name isn’t blitzo

[@inukoexo]

Actually, I’m pretty sure he says “ravish me”. Likely hinting to how imps have tried to kidnap him before.

[@McCammalot]

@@inukoexo I thought that was a combination of him being awkwardly posh and trying to joke around. I think this mainly because he can kill imps with a glance without much effort.

[@PeachiBug]

"That was the sound of a FÆKiNg DIVORCE" is my favorite bit, especially the way stolas says it

[@emerald10808]

I thought the Stolas and Blitzo reuniting scene was more of a miscommunication issue than Stolas initiating something. The line about “ravishing him” felt like a joke since immediately after he tries to sit and talk, and it’s Blitzo that takes it seriously and tries to use it to his advantage. The fact Stolas was so nervous and confused when Blitzo started coming onto him made me think none of that was intentional

[@OnePolishMoFo]

I hadn't considered that. It makes the scene make more sense.

[@googoogaga7986]

YES, that makes perfect sense, he really didn’t seem to actually want to be with him like that at first

[@spoolysnail32]

Exactly, he tried some soap opera stuff but didn’t think ahead

[@demongrl81011]

also Stolas is drunk on absinthe, i totally agree that it wasn't a real flirtation ,just "oh I'm drunk and you snuck into my room ,that MUST mean ...." but he's depressed and touch starved so when his childhood crush runs with it out pops 25 years of repessed gay owl ass. ....i have loved Stolas since the very beginning and its so obvious even the blind could see how much he actually loves blitz and the episode with the dhorks shows that if blitz would pull his head out of his ass hed admit his feeling too.... who knows whats in part 2 of S1 finale..honestly I don't care. lets say S2E1 was it.....i know its not gonna happen but all I really want is for E2 to start with Stolas looking up and Blitz is standing in his yard and tells him he's fucking sorry ........sorry for the stupid rant

[@helihollow]

stolas did mention that he was just kidding when blitzø came onto him

[@gergenthequietmetalhead4226]

I'm here to come to bryce pinkham's defense, he is a very accomplished musical actor, and every solo I've heard from him in his other shows have been stellar. I think the issue with this show is that they don't give him musical numbers that fit his voice and vocal range, which is a shame.

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

He’s always sad so that’s why he has ballads

[@whalesaph]

I just wrote a stupidly long comment about this, but hard agree. Listened to the demo and it's vocally complex and really out of his usual range on top of that. Even his first ballad of the series was more suited to his voice than this. The writers didn't change anything between the demo and the final version and that's its downfall. I commend Bryce for just doing his best tbh

[@NightoftheLivingcookies10]

I was more thinking this song required a more louder and grander instrumental to suit his voice and the emotions behind the lyrics. The instrumentals sounded a little too soft to me

[@TheLawlessRogue]

I had to search up Bryce Pinkham singing just to confirm what you said and holy fuck??? That man's voice is literally angelic, just look at his cover on a song where he can sing comfortably. The difference is literally worlds apart: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXm4iaCYfrBphac&ab_channel=ChicagoTribune Definitely agree though that the song's pitch didn't match his vocal range. It's already one thing to stay in character, and a whole nother one to sing in their voice. While making it believable. Especially if their voice is different than your own.

[@dio_hoestar_4204]

It's possibly a little bit of that. As well as, stolas being mega fucked up when he sang that. Sam (the original singer) seems to have a slightly higher octave reach than bryce, but to be fair he was using falsetto. Not a fair comparison to bryce maintaining the soft Stolas voice while going for mixed or chest. But calling bryces singing weak? the man has a GREAT voice. His vibrato is absolutely stunning. Like the "You can find me in the sky" part of "you will be okay" is amazing, it gives me chills everytime. But yeah, all and all, I think this song was mostly supposed to sound slightly unstable in some parts. It wasn't just a song, but an emotional performance after all. You can tell the person in the video listens to more conventional music and not the type that stolas sings.

[@andrewwilliams8951]

You know, I always FIGURED that the reason why Stolas was unhappy in his marriage was because it was arranged, and the drama it was causing with Stella with cheating had this morally grey "It's not right." Energy. But now that it's been revealed that Stella has been a bitch all along before they started cheating, it just. . .gets rid of all the drama and tension for me as Stolas is now 100% in the right instead of that morally grey area that was the impression of season 1.

[@MahouShoujo-Studios]

I mean, the girl threw things at him, hired someone to kill him right in front of their daughter and verbally assaults him. Are you surprised? He still isn't in the right with how he treats Blitz, but it makes sense why.

[@andrewwilliams8951]

@@MahouShoujo-Studios It's just that there was more tension in the fracturing family bond before it was revealed "Oh, she was a bitch all along."

[@elfmonster1476]

@@andrewwilliams8951 You know, I'm with you on this. This episode kind of soured me on the character of Stolas as a result.

[@GeorgeTheIdiotINC]

@@andrewwilliams8951I think they want to transition the tension to focus more on personal issues like blitzos lack of self-esteem and need for a stable relationship as opposed to characters that arent main characters.

[@blade1hunter100]

Agree 100% I think it makes Stolas too sympathetic as a whole. I mean, aside from the adultery (Which can now be "justified) Stolas doesn't really seem like a prince/noble of hell, as he comes across as too good of a person.

[@d1n383]

Whilst I agree stolas singing isn’t the best, I believe he legit can’t get better because I believe his broken voice is because of the emotion he’s showing and to me he nailed it Edit: Thx for likes!

[@ennygalaxy]

Oh yes exactly actually! As a person who loves singling along to music, sometimes whenever I try to sing along to a particularly emotional song or just a song that has a lot of meaning for me (aheeemmm like the Persona 3 Dancing opening) I just can't keep from nearly openly weeping, I know what an overly emotional voice close to crying sounds like, and it sounds exactly like that :D That's why I loved thiss one including the vocals, you can feel the heartbreak!

[@MooksMookin]

exactly! like the dude JUST woke up from being blackout drunk and must have an absolute killer hangover (he downed ABSINTH. AGAIN.) that he almost throws up from and he just. bursts into song. of course its not gonna be pretty, its raw and its broken. and as someone who has cry-sung more than countless times before, i can relate to how it sounds. its not meant to be perfect. i also love the canonical addition that he does just burst into song when he's sad, as per stella's entrance at the end saying as much. a wonderful touch

[@sebsdemise]

i agree 100%

[@aureliarossi5897]

the singing wasn't top tier but it wasn't supposed to, the way he sang it was perfect and literally nailed the mood they were going for

[@undeadblizzard]

If I was in charge hw would sing Mask Off by Future.

[@birdsonbread9363]

Stolas’ high note sob (“You have no chOIce”) just made my heart break in half.

[@Wumbo_Sloth]

I had a problem with the fact that Paimon had trouble remembering his child's name, considering he is supposed to be near omniscient. He knows the past present and future in completion. It adds comedic effect, but it adds a little inaccuracy.

[@crocodilerock4662]

I honestly just think that was a joke to reference the “Ars Goetia”, a glossary of 72 Judaic demons of which Stolas is one of them. Presumably, this implies that Paimon has 72 kids lol

[@Wumbo_Sloth]

@@crocodilerock4662 True, although he knows everything, so not knowing who someone is kind of doesn't make sense.

[@universalpower419]

@@Wumbo_Sloth It's canon that He knows everything or that it's just Demon folklore?

[@SleepyStreak]

Exactly where was it stated he's near omniscient? As far as we know he's below the seven sins, let alone Charlie, Lilith, Lucifer, AND whatever archangels are in heaven and God. I have trouble believing he'd be near omniscient.

[@Wumbo_Sloth]

@@SleepyStreak I am going by demon folklore. According to demonology, Paimon is Satans right hand man, and is among the most powerful demons in all of demonology. In fact, he is mostly a knowlegde based demon. And going by this episode's reference to Paimon having many children, I was supposing they would retain accuracy.

[@kingpin1498]

Now that we know Stolas’s backstory, I want to see the other characters as well (although I know that would make the season really heavy on backstories but I DONT CARE) I have so many questions. How did Loona get adopted by Blitz? What was Moxxie doing before all this? How did Moxxie and Millie meet Blitz? Is Stella’s “arrogant brother” going to come into play? So many questions and only time will tell.

[@deede2378]

Stolas has probably got to be around 35. Why is because if he was, say , 10 in the flashbacks, he would have gotten married at 18 since that would make him old enough to take his rightful place in the Goetia family and that would be enough time for octavia to have been born since she is 17. But, yes, I was expecting these two to be in their late 30s or 40s. Man, were we off! :)

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

Blitz is like 33

[@nightmareshadow1420]

He was about 10-12 in the flashback, has a timeskip of 2 decades by the time he met Blitz again, and now he says he had Octavia 17 years ago. Meaning he and Stella had Octavia...

[@eol6632]

Or time goes by at a different pace in hell......

[@McCammalot]

I had been seriously assuming for the *entire run* that Stolas was a good few *thousand* years old, because demon. HIGHER demon, even. With the whole not-aging-unless-you-want-to-trick-someone thing. So I am thrown right now like you would not believe🤣

[@nightmareshadow1420]

@@McCammalot Yeah, I think everyone did, which would of played well into why it seemed Blitz thought he was basically a sex toy. Only to learn they are the same age. Jeez

[@shadow_shine3578]

I think its interesting that Blitzo apparently loved pirates and Fizz hated them. Why does Fizz hate pirates? Also I'm glad they skipped over his stealing being important. Instead he got away with it because he's good at what he does. I thought they would have Blitzo's scar be a punishment of what he did.

[@RukoHanaji]

Fun fact! Paimon is traditionally portrayed as a beautifully androgynous man riding a camel, and is supposed to be Lucifer's most ardent supporter. Also Paimon is the demonic antagonist in the movie Hereditary. Aside from that, I have to wonder if the balloon horse play time is supposed to be foreshadowing to Fizz losing his limbs?

[@ladisneyprincesse]

Is that why he takes on another form in front of each of his children??

[@Septic-Hearts]

The show really knows how to make you sympathise with assholes, just about every single character is one to an extent (except for Millie to the extent that she hasn't been developed enough to establish that she's an asshole, she's more like a desensitised assassin thus far) but that just makes the characters all the more interesting and relatable. They actually managed to get me to care and like characters with traits I would despise in a real world person. I LOVE Stella, she's one of my favourite characters, but it's because she's a total (probably) irredeemable bitch. The writers just made it so fun and gave them all arcs to still be assholes but possibly develop better build or burn relationships despite that. And I know that Stolas is less of an asshole than Blitzo, but you can't say the toxicity in their relationship is one-sided, even if you sympathise with him he still objectifies and belittles the guy and also hurts his relationships. Like an asshole.

[@cartoonmaster2401]

Do you think that Moxxie is an asshole I think he's actually on the same scale with Millie (literally)

[@kokopuff5836]

Agree 100% im wondering on what they are planning for stella like is she gonna be a bigger threat? And with stolas yeah even tho hes my favorite character, during S1 he makes blitzø uncomfortable, belittle and even tho they both possibly have feelings for eachother it's still like in the beginning from childhood that blitzø is forced into this one-sided relationship like stolas being forced with stella

[@Brute_Studios]

might just be a coin flip if Stella gets an episode or something

[@heyheyitsjae2475]

6:21 Actually, yes! Can't remember if it was in a tweet or a livestream, but at one point Viv said that most, if not all, of the Ars Goetia in this show are going to be bird themed. That actually leads to one of my favorite character designs in the show. Asmodeus. You see, Viv *also* stated at some point that hell in this show is going to have a bit of a circus theme, with Lucifer as the ring leader. This lead to a popular fan theory that the Seven Deadly Princes are all going to based on different circus preforming roles. The thing about Asmodeus, is that according to the Binsfeld Classification of Demons, he is one of the Seven Deadly Princes. However he is ALSO a member of the Ars Goetia. So to reflect both groups, for his design he appears to be a lion tamer + rooster. Only the rooster element is confirmed by the staff, but if he really is a lion tamer and the circus theming turns out true it's such a great design!

[@artisticbeautybyhanako6801]

I mean, if you compare the concept of taming a lion to taming your own formerly wild lust in order to pursue monogamy the way he seems to have done to get serious with Fizzaroli, it's a creative stroke of symbolism, but I could be looking too deeply at it😅

[@di5963]

I think its interesting that stolas probably takes Octavia to a circus because before Octavia was born going to a circus was the best thing to ever happen to him

[@Steve_SBU]

I disagree on stolas’s VA being a bad singer, yes his voice isn’t the most polished because it’s insanely hard to sing while doing a characters voice, and I can respect the talent it takes to do that, yeah it’s prolly not for everyone, and I’m sure there are other singers who could sing the song better, but I wouldn’t call him bad exactly, I completely respect your opinion though as music is highly subjective, love the rest of the video though!!

[@vearydays9974]

I think it's intentional! Stolas sang like a lullaby in 2nd episode, in this one he was heart broken so the actor tried to made it fit the mood of a heartbroken someone singing out their misery.

[@kimchu82]

I agree. Actually, probably an unpopular opinion, I like the VA's singing better than OP's version, because there IS emotion in there, where OP's cover is lacking. (Sorry OP. No disrespect. You sing great as well. It is just my preference.)

[@kirin1230]

I think he's excellent, but when you're singing a song where your character is crying, it's going to sound imperfect. Imo that makes it a lot better and more real.

[@Atlassx0]

yeah, Viv's team just did him a very big injustice by giving him songs not suited for his voice and not doing at the very least basic pitch-correcting. It does give an authentic feel, but objectively Viv's team really did under-utilize him to an extent

[@Atlassx0]

@@kimchu82 yeah, I feel like OP really was just hitting the notes rather than singing as a hungover heartbroken man- but that was intentional given he's supposed to be the bassline for compositional direction so the *actual* VA can add personality and feeling to it for the end product

[@alli1222]

I do agree that the far past part was the weakest. Definitely doesn’t mean it was bad, it was just very strange to see how innocent and hopeful these characters used to be knowing full well what their adults versions are currently like.

[@samueltrusik3251]

13:30 To be honest, the original composer felt really jagged and jumpy, Stolas` VA did a much better job at singing the songs.

[@SmileyTheJester]

Fr idk why people jump on the internet then shit on something but says "I'm a fan"

[@Nitzah]

I think my favorite background details this episode were the portraits that just add to their family dynamic. The two side by side that worked well was the one of Stolas and Stella next to the one of Stolas and baby Octavia. The unhappy couple really look like they’re trying to be stoic and regal but are also sort of irritated to have to be there in the first place. That juxtaposed to Octavia and Stolas where the two look super happy and just full of uncontainable joy it really cements how their house is full of examples of their family dynamic and how for Stolas that very household had both joy and pain all mixed up together

[@12ush.]

I really loved this review and agree entirely with your thoughts; however, I do have one opinion on the singing I wanted to share. I like Stolas' singing voice but personally, I also like the natural, untrained sound that some characters may have because it just really completes that on-the-spot break-into-song feel. I get why other people think differently though, especially when you mentioned how the sound doesn't fit the deep and beautiful lyrics. However, in my opinion, comparing Stolas' voice to Asmodeus' voice as characters may not work considering that Asmodeus is the owner of the hottest club in Hell and will probably perform nightly if not every other night. Whereas Stolas is just a depressed demon prince who watches telenovelas while drinking himself into a stupor and crying himself to sleep every night (or getting hammered in a different way, but that's another story.)

[@realCharlieBlue]

I didn’t like the singing in this episode but the lullaby for Octavia was sung soooo great and nobody can change my mind. Like how he raises his voice at the „when creation goes to die“ part - ugh I love it

[@nena9778]

I'm pretty sure the scene of Blitz and Fizz playing with the horses was foreshadowing for when Fizz loses his limbs, thats why it was longer than it needed to be otherwise.

[@daltoncady4038]

Sometimes you can sing flat to portray emotions so long as it doesn’t clash. Which works honestly. Both songs are about his life falling apart somewhat. So only being able to get so much when everything is out of control is wonderful.

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

Stolas might die because his eyes are very red

[@Dataanti]

13:50 i kind of like how casual and authentic he sounds. like an everage person. (well closer to average) i really dont mind one bit he might not have the most controlled voice, i think the emotion compensates for it.

[@spectre9340]

I'm so surprised at how much bearing on the main story that Stolas actually has, considering how he was introduced in the pilot. I'm glad they decided to explore his character more instead of just making him some sort of background character.

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

I think he will lose his powers

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

But why can’t stolas hide or transform into an imp

[@lordwillibur438]

One of the hard part about singing is generally conveying the story and the emotions the song is trying to convey. Stolus nails this and other than the low note, his accuracy was pretty good too

[@alli1222]

This episode was truly amazing and I enjoyed every bit of it! Seeing things from Stolas’s point of view really opens your eyes to his character and just helps you understand why he acts and says the way he does

[@emilyrobinson4103]

“It’s just weird to see blitzo with ACTUAL hope in his eyes”

[@alli1222]

I’m so glad Stolas stood up for himself at the end! I was cheering him on so hard then. I can’t wait to see more of him this season! This episode was 100% worth the wait

[@emiliomurkmere]

the big thing is, you need to think of the context of the situation for stolas. he's hungover after a terrible ass night (and was probably bawling), and now he's singing. obviously he's not gonna sound great.

[@potatoboy8340]

I'm not sure if anyone else agrees but I'm disappointed they didn't give Stella more character. For a show that tackles character writing I wouldn't expect Stella to be your generic one dimensional villain. Not to mention some of the dialogue seems forced in my oppinion like at the party when she was continuously insulting Stolas and shouts "What a pathetic man!" or "I like tormenting you" Like I'm forced to hate her. I get that it's played for laughs but I don't want to hate her. I think she could be a super compelling and some what tragic character if they view it from her perspective and make her more vulnerable. I know that we're supposed to have more sympathy for Stolas but why not have him be in some of the wrong. Idk it's just my take.

[@conorrigoli7578]

I think that her brother Andrealphus may have been an influence on her and was most likely abusive towards her. I hope it gets covered when we see him.

[@DivinityBrainrot0fficial]

HI I agree omfg. It just annoys the HELL out of me when an abusive character doesn't even have a "reason" (no reason is valid but for a compelling character they need to have motive). It seems so forced. Like I thought it was because of the affair and that would've been better, but no she's been like this since she was a child. And sure the photo bit where she's strangling a dog as a child is FUNNY but it ruins any chance of her feeling like a real person. She's just- like that. And it greatly irks me.

[@googoogaga7986]

I personally love a good old fashioned villain, especially because of how good Stolas’s angry rant felt after everything we know he went through and still is going through. I don’t feel like she needs any depth, I’d appreciate it but I really don’t feel like it would help her case hehe

[@michaelnaramore9310]

I think stolas/Bryce's singing does fit and work for the character. why the original composition is there that's the ballad powerhouse they want to show but they want Bryce to sing for the episode to add stolas'feelings/character throughout the song.

[@DarkcIoud1111.]

I like how Stolas and his father have a similar dynamic to Stolas and Octavia at the circus.

[@RicSimanePL]

It's so nice to see an episode after all those months. I generally agree with all your opinions and I think this episode was great but I have 2 problems with it: 1. I really don't like Stella being just such a 1-dimentional over the top evil character. Like you can be cruel and hateful but Stella is just cartoonishly cruel. Almost every major character in this story is well designed with complex personalities to explore but not Stella. Before it felt natural that she would hate him for adultery with a petty imp but somehow they managed to live together even if their marriage was without love or sympathy. And there were hints that it was not just Stella but also Stolas was a reason their marriage was falling apart. But now it turns out that Stella was there just to torment him because she is just pure evil and that's basically it. I really don't understand how this family survived this long. Why was Octavia so angry at her father when she must have been 100% aware that her mother is a total monster and abuser. I'm afraid that the show might lead to a simplified resolution of this family conflict that all they need to do is to get rid of Stella and all their problems will disappear. 2. What were the consequences for them Robbing Stolas' mansion? It seems like a major plot point that doesn't go anywhere. We see that a whole vault full of goods were stolen from there, it must have ramifications. Was Stolas punished for this? Did Blitzo and his dad get away with this? Did Stolas confess that it was him and Blitzo doing it? Were there consequences for the circus for this. I really hope we will get answers to that in future episodes.

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

Stella likes tormenting him because stolas is nice and Goetias think nice demons are wierd

[@ashley6917]

Stella did that because if they got divorced right after that, it'd ruin her image + she had a hand over in her marriage stolas. She was basically unmarried. Octavia didn't show any reaction towards her mother and we've seen that stolas is like her main force of love, her main issue was her fear of him eventually leaving her mother and in turn her Stolas is rich and they really only cleared out 3 rooms, they'll probably lightly bring it up later in the (hopefully) eventual "it's over" scene but it probably didn't effect them much because his dad seems to not care at all

[@geardog24]

Still can't believe Blitzo dad sold him for $5 and a slim fit. He could've at least held out for a Magnum.

[@ashaceto6529]

I think the voice for stolas, him singing is pretty good, considering there's a difference between putting your voice into a character to sing vs normal singing, and it's okay to have times where a person is just "good" not outstanding American idol all range vocals. Definitely the difference between asmodeous/frizzololi, being really well known for singing vs seeing stolas is a big difference, the songs meant for stolas do fit him in my opinion

[@TeenyWeenyDork]

this was def one of my favorite episodes of HB. i love ur reviews. 😭😭

[@MutatedAmerican]

Maybe the reason why Stolas is "just okay" is because he's not putting his heart all out. Maybe once he is actually happy is when he can show improvement in his singing, which would be a very cool small, but impactful detail

[@CamTheFurryKing]

I’m excited for more season two of helluva boss

[@BlueSky-ve9md]

0:00, that beginning is the reason why, rewatch this video so many times……..

[@nic5894]

Now it's time for family court for who's going to take care of Octavia.

[@skysiren4113]

I've seen people divided about Stella so I wanna share my thoughts Up to this episode we never saw how Stella was in the past, the most we got was the start of episode 2 where she rudely tells stolas to get up to look after Octavia after he asked her. In this episode we see how she was before he cheated, first the picture of her when she was younger where she's strangling two creatures, which makes Stolas cry, but after the child flashback, we see that even before the cheating how nasty and cruel she could be towards Stolas. She talks down about him and humiliates him to her friends and family. Her behavior towards and around him were nasty long before he cheated on her (Stolas cheating on her simply gave her an excuse). Later on the balcony she reveals that she still stays in Stolas's home cause 'She likes tormenting him' and 'reminding him what he did'. Stolas calls her out on the fact she has been abusive all the years they've been together and the only reason he's stayed was due to wanting to give their daughter a normal life. He wants a divorce. He's not happy in the fixed relationship. Neither is she. They both know this, but the only one who ever made an attempt all these years was Stolas. After this she goes to slap him with Stolas stopping her, it's implied that this isn't the first time she slapped him (with stolas quickly grabbing her wrist and Stella's shocked expression) Finally, let's point out the obvious: Stolas never tried to hide the fact he cheated on her. I'm not going to lie, this surprised the hell out of me. As soon as she demands answers after Blitzo takes off, he says "that's the sound of a divorce!" He's not being sneaky. He's not trying to hide it. He just announced to her and her companions that their relationship was over from that point on, regardless of their status This episode points out how she is the abusive partner in this relationship and has been for years, long before Stolas had his fling with Blitzo Does this make her a bland or flat character? No. Does this make the writers sexist? No. Is cheating ok? No. I will openly admit that Ive never loved Stella's character, but I will also admit she comes across as very realistic overall because, yeah, there are women out there like this. Men can be in abusive relationships too. It's not a one way street.

[@darkcat282]

Between this episode and how the season 1 finally ended, I would love to see a Luna and Octavia episode. Maybe getting to know each other because their dads need help.

[@felixargyle1]

Honestly I agree, Amber Bird was my favorite character in the worst way possible

[@Liketaknoww]

The speed with which you got this episode out LMAO! It's okay we know this show is your Fixation, and good for you! Happy to be back in the HB saddle and MAN was it pretty. One thing I'll disagree on is Stella---I feel like they're Big Badding her specifically for the purpose of making Stolas sadder and more sympathetic. I LIKED that her rage was "justified." I liked that it was a situation of neither of them doing Anything right, and I feel like the payoff of Stolas finally standing up for himself and not allowing himself to be pushed around by his family or expectations could've hit just as hard without removing that, I guess I would call it 'humanity,' from Stella. All around tho yeah this was a phenomenal episode and I'm so hype to have it back.

[@doncolbus134]

If I have one complaint about the series as a whole so far, it's that I feel like it's too stolas focused right now. I feel like every episode for a while has been about him, who felt like a side character for so long and is now basically the main character. this isn't a bad thing necessarily, but they're giving him screen time at the expense of the rest of the cast. we haven't had much of moxxie, millie, or Luna for a while. Ozzies seemed like it would be moxxie and millie for a bit, but was just more stolitz. For a show that presented itself as being about blitz and the way he ran the company, it's showing less of his employees and more of the reason he was able to have the company. it just feels a little imbalanced at the moment and doesn't really show any sign of changing. I kinda wish stolas had just gotten his own show if they knew this was the direction it was gonna take because I feel like this kind of distracts from the rest of the cast. I know that's a lot to ask of the studio, but it's just wishful thinking.

[@yakitori52]

Yeah I also feel like this episode is too dense to be a season opener. I expected the new season to start with a "back to everyday life" moment as usually happens. At this point I'm wondering what the 2nd part of the season finale will be about.

[@onebilliontacos3405]

I think one of the main things that bugs me about this show is how 1 dimensional al lot of it's characters are. It could be said that that's just part of the charm of this series or that some people really are just that terrible, but it does seem a a bit strange when we get characters like Blitzo or Stolas interact with others like Stella, blitzo's dad, young blitzo/ young fizzeroli and the murder family from episode 1. Stella herself isn't that bad in that regard, I suppose but she does still seem a bit too plain evil (which although she is a demon, many of the demons on this show outside of the sinners aren't all that off from just regular people).

[@rogaldorn4759]

Stolas' VA is a broadway actor, and as a decade-long hobby musician with almost too much training considering how long it took me to get where I wanted to, the singing was great. It felt like it had purpose. He was in-character, singing a song about his own downfall. Music design, expression and ACTING change the circumstances that determine how well something fits. Shaky, insecure highs while still keeping the voice qualities of Stolas, in this context, make it sound and feel real. This is partially subjective only. Nitpicking on a few "missed" or "unclean" notes while ignoring everything that makes a song, sung by a breaking and already broken, lonely individual haunting, is dumb. Blues musicians using guitars very often played quarter notes up or down when bending strings. Because music is art. Art with no freedom is not art. Isolating it from the scene and series takes away its meaning, when nothing else is supplied.

[@BobaSkulls4845]

Me: Hey this episode isn’t as dark as the other ones! This is so Cute and wholesome! This video: 17:35 through 17:55 Me: OH SHIT! 😱😂

[@Bezaliel13]

The thing about "show, don't tell" is that showing can take more time than a sentence, like "Blitzo and Fizz were the best of friends."

[@lil_jackgamez8992]

I've waited for this to show up

[@bilgeakaln6335]

Me too dude. He is just so excited for this series it makes me so happy

[@marcelosilveira2276]

I found it really funny that Stolas taking Octavia to the park laughs and claps just like his father, though Stolas is by far a better father than his dad

[@theatoft7650]

"I don't know... It's just weird to see Blitz with actual hope in his eyes." 03:11

[@skyrimlover777]

I think it did perfect for what it was trying to do: set up themes forbthe rest of the season/series. And setting up that much can get a little messy. So slip ups, while fine to criticize, are also understandable to make the way they were.

[@delphoxhoopa7289]

I've been waiting for this video!🥰❤️

[@dillychan]

I thought you would have put The Magus' Bride when mentioning a slave falling for their master but when I thought about it ... I really don't think she actually fell for him being as young as she was and how much mentally younger she acted 😒

[@uckingfayotaku1281]

Owl boy can’t sing, but all of the romantic shows he watches has one of the characters singing about how they suck at love, and he couldn’t relate more. He must sing!

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

He was supposed to sound like he’s a Broken toy

[@necronyx7176]

Was waiting for your notification as soon as the video dropped. Loved your review, as usual.

[@demgozellegs]

My theory is that the baloon horse scene is foreshadowing of fizz and blitz falling out. Just my theory

[@pilotman463]

Personally I think Bryce is a beautiful singer for the character of Stolas and it’s perfect

[@lemonflavoredink854]

I wonder if Blitz scratches out himself in pictures both because of self loathing and the fact that he resembles his dad?

[@aces.spacee]

to be honest I absolutely love Stolas' singing voice and especially his song in this episode, it's very raw and full of emotion and lovely, in my opinion

[@Sleepy_Cabbage]

personally, i think im in the unpopular opinion of not liking this episode all that much, mainly cause of how stella is betrayed, I get that people like her exist, some people are jerks and noting but jerks their whole lives, but I feel as if their was some missed potential in not giving her a nicer side to her personality, perhaps she truly does care about her daughter, but spends all day having to manage the finances for their family, having worked her whole life to get to their position. If the episode focused on her and stollas as they grew up, I think it be more interesting then what we saw with bltiz, sense it just solidifies what we already know about bltiz and stollas but more so. If the episodes attention was stollas and stella, we could've scene more of how it started, how it grew to this point, and the fall to an end, which id think would be far more interesting then just, "oh, stella is jerk, hate her", sure it lines up with what we know of her already, but i think a episode about both of their perspectives would've been far more entertaining sense it adds more grey area to whats a broken relationship

[@sunnysunshine8897]

Same. Instead of adding nuance to her character, they wrote her as a generic mustache twirling villian. Due to her one-dimensionalness she doesn't even feel like a realistic genuine character, just an NPC in the story carrying out its pre-programmed commands. Waste of such a cool looking character design imo...

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

She will get a nicer side in episode 7 Season 2

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

@@sunnysunshine8897 stella will get a nicer side at the end of season 2 and Goetias think nice demons are an embarrassment and stolas is nice

[@FourDozenEggs]

Yet if the roles were reversed, you guys would be disgusted at the idea of Stolas being given sympathetic qualities if he were the abuser. It's a shame that these double standards exist.

[@Sleepy_Cabbage]

@@FourDozenEggs no? Thats not what i was saying at all, I see this interpretation of stella in the episode as a fair one, but if they were gonna fixate a whole episode about stollas and his origins, I feel they missed out on adding more complexity to stellas character and to set a more emotionally grey situation between the two. You can give a character sympathic quality, while not justifying their actions.

[@RikuIshmaru]

I wasn’t terribly thrilled with the singing in this episode, but I feel like Stolas’s singing “You Will be Okay” was absolutely phenomenal.

[@TeenyWeenyDork]

i think the reason the childhood thing works, for me personally, is because they had a 25 year gap between their next meeting

[@queennaynay1233]

Why is nobody talking about how before Stolas goes of on Stella how she tried to literally slap him

[@dadandsuesreactionsreviews7943]

I know and I love it. Stolas finally stood up to Stella and not letting her think she can hurt like all those times during the marriage.

[@henryapplebottom7231]

These backrounds *are* Stunning.

[@ArtistinherJammieZzZz]

I personally think Stolas' singing, it sounds really good and I really like it. Like you said it is full to the brim with emotion and in all honesty I wish I had more of it than just the 2 songs he sings.

[@wakkaseta8351]

I honestly didn't like the "known each other since childhood" angle. It always cheapens the current day relationship's writing when you drop it as a reveal instead of starting off on it and is basically a red flag for "the writing quality's about to start going down."

[@PlanetZoidstar]

Exactly, and it's a symptom of how "Stolitz" is devouring the focus of the show. It's not really about I.M.P anymore.

[@vyxkey723]

I’m so glad I know of your channel. Every other reviewer is looking for cheap views and calling the show garbage just for this episode.

[@galyngroves1795]

The line that’s sticks me in the heart ❤😭 more is ( After thinking he lost BLITZ ) my god that is heartbreaking for me! I really hope that this isn’t the end of STOLAS X BLITZ’s love story, cause they clearly LOVE each other.

[@nick25oo]

I like watching your reviews because it allows me to see others people points of view. Anyway, I disliked this episode of hell of the boss for multiple reasons. The three biggest problems I had with this episode was that multiple parts drag on way to long for me just like you said but I didn’t enjoy the cute children points that much so the dragging-on parts were way worse for me, this was also pure setup episode for stolas, blitzo and their shipping but pure setup isn’t the reason why I watch hell of the boss so that a negative to me and finally how they handle stolas’s wife. Stolas was already a great sympathetic character from the lulu land episode but they double down on this aspect by making his wife a even worst character for no real reason, they literally back track stolas character development to make her worse. Last season it felt like stolas had a choice when he cheated on his wife, it was his choice for liking blitzo and it was his fault for breaking up the family but now it seem like this situation was fated to happen and every thing that happened to him is someone else’s fault. It perfectly understandable why he cheated on his wife now because they made her average S-rank bitch but that also sucks away any character interest I had in stolas, and his wife situation. I can even find the situation funny like last season either because they made her character petty evil which is the worst funny evil, unlike the sorta righteous evil she was last season.

[@alli1222]

It’s been a day since it came out, y’all work so quickly 😂

[@urmom9975]

“That was the sound of a FUCKING DIVORCE!” (Laughs Menacingly)

[@ruby_lynne]

everyone should like this comment if you think "Look my Way" changes everythng he said about Stolas's singing

[@moonshadow1795]

Tbh the reason i never really picked up on stolas' song as "subpar" Is because i was looking at is like those voice breaks you get when sad or, well, fucked up, but whenever you pointed it out i was like "yea, your right"

[@ShaunOfTheN00bs]

8:32 this cutaway gag is even funnier when you consider that the guy with the opera glasses is none other than Blitzo's VA, Brandon Rogers

[@hellswinter8911]

09:59 A friend of mine noticed something: it's called a "Not-Divorce" becuase Marriage is a sacrament, and since they're demons they dont do those.

[@Kozamae]

Comparing Stella to 'oh dear I seem to have spotted a c***' absolutely killed me😂

[@Kozamae]

But hard disagree on Stolas' singing - it's absolutely gorgeous and perfect imo ❤

[@grimgor07]

It's a controversal opinion but I don't like this episode because of how Stella is written here... I really hate how they made her into this super one-dimensional vile character. I expected so much from her, to see a more developed personality with serious angry issues, like we've seen with Stolas and Blitzo. Not this goddamn "Amber heard" bitch-ery level avatar... I mean what's next now? She will be more stupidly unlikable and irremediable because she is the boring snob wealthy villain cliche? Or worst, she hates LGBT couples? If she has just bad anger management, It'd be fine. I mean, except Moxxie, Millie(?), Collin and Octavia, everyone is a d*ck. My complaint here is how the writing to designate Stella as a villain is terrible. Hoo I'm so dissapointing and pissed right now! Well, maybe it's my fault to have so much expetations or maybe we have to wait for Stella confrontation with her, as Stolas quoted, shitty brother to have her "sympathic" viewpoint...

[@Edmqueen]

i think, that, BP while a good BROADWAY singer, is AMAZING., I mean, he's an incredible V/A & can carry a tune. he's just, i mean sorry, he's like 95% great

[@Linmyra]

I got really into thinking about why the kids playing balloon horses felt like it was drawn out. Looking back at season 1 finale, Fizarroli not only points out his robotic clones but his arms. And judging by his movement, his legs are too. Edit: on the same episode, Blitz has many drawings of green horses with only a few of red horses around photos on the wall. While most, if not all, images with Blitz crossed out.

[@Nstone53]

This is too perfect. lol. His wife looks more like a Black Faced Hawk. Which would be just chef's kiss because owls and hawks literally hate each other in the wild. In the day hawks hunt and kill owls and in the night owls hunt and kill hawks. Stella probably goes around in the day talking shit about stolas and at night Stolas is cheating on her.

[@Hecate_Child13]

I think the Ballon animals are subtext for how fizzaroli lost his legs, there's a war all the time when the angels come and do a cleanse so maybe there was an attack that went wrong?

[@byrontheusurper6505]

She thinks she won that conversation. She did not.

[@Neoheim.]

some of the shots of Paimon kinda reminded me of general greivous from the animated clone wars where he was a complete bad ass with his cape cloaking over his shoulders and standing tall

[@PeregrinePilgrimage]

as someone with a fair amount of musical knowledge and can also sing yeahhhh my thoughts exactly on his performance. it's good, better than most people could do, but i was pulled away from the moment thinking "can we get one or two more takes on that pleeease? or shit, help him out with melodyne if you must" it sounded really weak, like he was, as you put it, struggling. I didn't even know there was any other version of the song so thank you for putting that out there so i can listen to it without cringing to hell and back. much love and no intended disrespect to mr Pinkham, but whyyyy can't we just use an objectively better version? edited for grammar

[@diogosousa7698]

i was expecting stolas like to really snap as in even realing his true form because of his rage that just broke its container

[@sabrinag.2572]

17:59 you could see Blitzo's mom in the portrait in the background

[@sevendeadlysins5303]

The voice actor for Osmodious originated the genie in Aladdin on Broadway. Stola’s actor has a decent voice but I think it could’ve been better but You Will Be Okay is a personal favorite

[@DeaditeCaz]

I love to see the difference from the pilot to the newer episodes, the colours are amazing

[@ShaSha-lex]

I will say Stolas being higher pitched doesn't give Bryce a chance to sing with his chest and he is singing with his head voice which always sounds more light and airy. James Monroe in the house of Asmodeus was singing in either his chest voice or a combined voice and because Ozzie has such a deep smooth voice it works. In simple terms the chest voice is stronger and more powerful and is usually lower, I believe Bryce to be getting the voice of Stolas is full in his head voice with makes the sounds smaller and more airy less powerful. The way to fix this would be less power ballet songs for Bryce or Stolas having a less pitched up voice but one of those isn't really an option. Either way as someone who is Musically theatre trained there's my unasked for two cents.