Hb Crimson - Tumblr Posts
After seeing the new HB episode I've come to the conclusion that Crim is a blessed character and any episode he appears in will be more entertaining to me than most others.
I'm bored so I'm gonna post my predictions for the rest of HB season 2
Episode 7: Similar structure to The Circus, one flashback with Blitz and Fizz at Mammon's concert, the second with Fizz working for Mammon and being miserable behind the scenes (maybe how he started working for Mammon in the first place), and lastly a scene/sequence at the end with Mammon in the present establishing him as a looming threat. Mammon will probably consider going after IMP due to another villain, probably either Crimson or Stella and Andre.
Episode 8: Stolas gives Blitz the asmodean crystals shortly before the gang get a new client and the episode follows them using the crystals for the first time while Blitz feels increasingly guilty. I get the feeling someone familiar might show up, like Barbie, the cherubs or the agents.
Episode 9: Blitz trying to fix things with Barbie and/or Verosika, probably the latter. I'm not sure what else we might see for the actual plot, but if we do see Verosika we'll also be getting more Tex content.
Episode 10: A weird, world-building episode in the vain of C.H.E.R.U.B, based on an old idea I had before the series properly started, a client jumps through a portal and assumes a ghostly form in the human world, with I.M.P. having to hunt them down. I really hope I'm right with this one
Episode 11: The most mysterious episode, there's a good chance this will be some completely new thing (or at least something following from something we haven't seen yet). If it is something already established then my money's one either the D.H.O.R.K.S or Stella and Andre, some people seem to think this will be another Crim episode, which is possible. A friend (who doesn't have a tumblr) suggested that this episode might introduce Belphegor, since she's implied to be a mad scientist, tough I find that highly unlikely I still thought it was worth noting.
Episode 12: Some big Stolas stuff, maybe the first time Stella and Andre personally try to carry out some scheme. Probably won't have anything to do with the plot, but we might learn about the Hellavrse's version of Krampus.
And that's all I've got, kind of hard to believe that by the time all these are put to the test we'll officially be half-way through the show. Feel free to discuss and suggest alternate ideas.
I'm sorry, but I must argue against this.
I think Mammon will be more of a lynchpin, one entity acting as a manifestation of the villains behind the show's current conflicts .
Given that he was likely involved in splitting Blitz and Fizz apart, along with Cash, him ruling over the only ring we've seen Crimson in, and being high enough in rank that he may occasionally cross paths with Stella and Andre. Mammon has all the connections to narratively tie these threats together in a logical way.
He's the perfect sin to embody I.M.P's main narrative opposition, up to this point in the show. He would still be a great thematic villain without even having to target the main cast directly at any point. After all, isn't callously acting in a way that will hurt others for personal gain the most basic form of greed?
After my last post on the topic, I’ve found myself thinking more on the theories that Mammon is going to be some kind of villain or otherwise antagonistic presences for Fizz and possibly Blitzo. And I’ve realized why I feel that idea just doesn’t seem to fit.
See, let’s look back on the proper recurring villains that we’ve been introduced to: Striker, Crimson and Stella.* A common thread among all of these is that they are actually at about the same level of power/authority/prominence as the member of our main characters they serve as a villain to.
Striker and Crimson are imps just like Blitzo and Moxxie respectively, while Stella (and Andrealphus) are fellow Goetia nobility just like Stolas.
For all that people both in and out of universe have talked up the ‘power imbalance’ in Hell, it seems that the main villain or antagonist that each of our main characters must grapple with is NOT someone of much greater power or authority, but rather someone much more on their level. Again, Striker to Blitzo (plus Moxxie and Millie), Crimson to Moxxie (plus Millie and Blitzo) and Stella to Stolas.
By the way, I think if we want to theorize on a potential ‘Main/True’, ‘Big Bad’ villain for the story and Blitzo’s personal arc (aside from himself, obviously), I think we can ALL agree that the best candidate is his father, Cash.
Which is why Mammon feels rather out of place as some prominent villain or antagonist for our main cast. Sure, he probably has some personal connection to Fizzerolli, but he’s still one of THE top dogs of Hell. Going by the trend we’ve seen thus far, the only character Mammon could possibly serve as an antagonist for is Asmodeaus (a fellow Sin), but frankly I would NOT call Ozzie that prominent of a character in this show that he gets some personal antagonist.
Helluva Boss feels like a story where the main villains faced by our protagonists are NOT these big, powerful beings far above them in power, status and authority. But rather people far closer to them. People who come from very similar walks of life, or even outright family.
And Mammon really is the former of these far more than he is the latter.
*As an aside, I’m not counting Fizzerolli, Verosika or Barbie Wire in this group, as while they may have acted in an antagonistic fashion, it’s clear that they were harmed MUCH more by Blitzo than they may have harmed him. Hence they more represent Blitzo’s own personal issues that he needs to deal with.
I know we all joke about how shitty of a bodyguard Alessio is, but all that tells me is that when someone, probably Moxxie, goes for Crim's throat, Ale will go fucking berserk and show us why he's Crimson's number one. I just REALLY hope this doesn't lead to him dying since he's honestly one of the best side characters.
Decided to rant about Striker's character and why I think he works (Warning: This ended up being massive)
The best analogy about Striker that I can make is that he isn't really a cowboy, but a comic book villain who themes himself around being a cowboy. Now that I've done the meme-y version, allow me to actually explain.
A lot of people seem to overlook that there is a single thread that holds together Striker's personality, and is the root of most of his characterization. And that thread is a need for respect.
Let's look through his appearances and explore how his obsession manifests:
Harvest Moon Festival:
In his first episode, Striker presents himself as a model Wrath imp in order to gain the trust of Millie's family and Blitz. The only person he breaks character around is Moxxie, since he assumes Moxxie's insecurity about not being good enough in the eyes of his in-laws will make him automatically respect someone who they do approve of.
He later breaks character when Blitz catches him, he tries to convince Blitz that they're too good to live their lives around the whims of nobles, he tries to show himself as someone who can get Blitz what he wants, or rather, what Striker thinks Blitz wants, again to seem like someone who's "got it figured out" .
Another note worthy thing is his very professional way of speaking with Stella in both this and the next episode he's in, we'll get back to this later.
Western Energy:
The first point of interest is easy to miss the significance of, when breaking into the Richest Cup he makes it as dramatic as possible, he's trying to show himself as dangerous enough to warrant such cocky recklessness while surrounded by goetic demons.
After he takes Stolas we see his hideout which is full of scavenged western imagery that looks like an ominous lair, but upon closer inspection is actually a meager living arrangement for a deeply troubled demon.
His actual rant to Stolas includes a line about nobles taking everything lower class demons care about, showing WHY respect is important to him, he's never felt that he, or the part of society he belongs to, have been respected, or as he later says, all nobles do is try to talk over them.
Striker torturing Stolas shows how his need for respect is reflected in him being an assassin, he thinks he can get respect through fear, that having the most primal form of authority over someone will make him feel more significant. And this is why Stolas and I.M.P. are his greatest enemies, their irreverence makes them the only targets that don't play his game, that remind him of what he really is, a desperate, fragile, hero in his own mind, willing to do whatever it takes to prove his importance, not to others, but to himself.
Once again, he's begrudgingly cordial towards Stella despite his hatred of royals, in an effort to get even a fleeting acknowledgement of his worth. Showing that his belief that he can play into people's minds to get what he wants extends to his emotional wants as well.
Oops:
Here we see Striker in a much different light, mostly due to his new employer. First off, he's much more open with his frustration and moments of weakness, despite Crimson actually being physically present there and being able to see and hear everything. I think this is because Crim is a rare example of someone Striker doesn't feel he needs respect from. Crimson is, at least in Striker's eyes, an imp who has found moderate success by mimicking the lifestyle of a royal. He might not show it, but Striker probably resents Crimson just as much as, if not more than, he resents Blitz and Fizz, since Crimson has no actual royal support (that we know of).
Speaking of Blitz and Fizz, in his interaction with them in the cage scene we get the most blatant example of Striker thinking that his victimhood as an imp makes his "accomplishments" more worthy of respect, as he completely skirts around the fact he's the only hybrid out of the three, and we also learn he's aware of all this on at least some level when he threatens Fizzarolli for comparing him to a royal due to his arrogance.
And lastly, the climax when he grabs Fizz and the moment when we get the immortal line "Why is it always a sex thing!?", and why is it always a sex thing? Why do the members of IMP and those close to them not fall for his act? Put simply, it's due to trust, no matter how skilled or intimidating he is, Striker is still a loner with no one and nothing to fall back on beside his own skill. In sharp contrast to this the main cast have strong enough bonds that they know someone will oppose him. For example, Striker's attempt at demoralizing Stolas fails because he didn't think Blitz would trust his employees enough to do the saving.
So, yeah, I think Striker currently has a better thematic through line than any other villain in the series and I'm interested in seeing where they take him next. That being said, I feel Crim could be just as great and will probably make a similar post for him after his third episode.
Does anyone else know what it feels like when you want to dissect the writing of a character and then realize that it would be way better to discuss them in comparison to another character but also know it'll be months before either of them have another focused appearance?
Anyway, I'm fine and not being pissy, at all.
Helluva Boss animatic ideas I'm shocked I haven't seen done yet.
Just some idea I'd like to see someone do
Stella and Andre with audio of the Fischoeder brothers from Bob's Burgers, they basically have the same dynamic with Andre as Calvin and Stella as Felix
Chaz with literally any seen of Aladdin from Twisted, again, they're practically the same character
The dinner with Pop scene from season 2 of The League of Gentlemen with Crimson, Moxxie and Millie
This one will almost definitely happen after the next episode but here it is anyway, Mammon as Big Jack Horner
The weight things is that Crimson's design was changed to Moxxie with a fuller figure, until Mammon was introduced, he was the closest the series had to a properly plus-sized significant character. Meaning we have not one, but two characters from the Greed ring who are the only major overweight characters, and their both portrayed as pure villains.
I'm pretty sure that when the beat boards were made Crim was going to live in wrath nd be a sort of big game hunter, but it was changed to Greed, possibly to build up to Mammon being a villain. And though it probably made the episode worse, I am kind of thankful for it. I love the grimy industrial aesthetic so much, you don't even know.
Only way to know for sure how much the plot changed is to see all the beat boards, which likely won't happen, at least for a long time.
And now, by literally no one's demand, Another Reason Why Crimson Doesn't Quite Work!
So you know the song and dance about Moxxie always being called fat, but did you know what Crim looked like in the beat boards?
A hairy, hulking brute with a more modern fashion sense. This design makes him feel powerful, an active and competent threat. Also notice that Alessio, his bodyguard, seemingly didn't exist yet and weapons were a more prominent motif in his house at this point in production.
But Spindlehorse didn't go with this design, they made him a slightly taller version of his son, who is constantly mocked for his "weight", might I ad, with thicker legs and gave him a bodyguard. They made him a "fatter" pretentious blowhard who needs his cronies to do everything for him.
Maybe this is more weird fatphobia from Spindlehorse, or maybe this was just done to justify him hiring Striker in Oops. Hell, maybe the Crim and Chaz stories were originally 2 different episodes, that would actually explain a lot about the final product. Either way, I we confident that the original version of Crimson Knolastname would have been a much stronger villain, both figuratively and literally.
Look at Blitz smiling obliviously, he’s so cute and silly as always. It’s kinda weird in hindsight that they didn’t just have Loona call in sick or something her absence wasn’t really explained. I know the VA was on break but the writers didnt come up with anything for it.
Ughh it bothers me so much to hear all the potential creativity and original ideas/stories we could’ve had. So many creative minds on the team and it all gets drafted to be a sausage party episode with funnee fuck jokes~
He’s way better there. Sans stache because everyone seems to have the same stache as Striker and he’s better original. I still feel like he’s unnecessary. Moxie was born in wrath grew up in wrath and both his parents were still alive originally, so rewriting his story is really stupid. I actually don’t even know why Crimson couldn’t be a wrath ring imp mafia. Why greed?
The concept probably didn’t have the creepy and ridiculous ‘forced gay marriage’ plot either. That was so incredibly stupid and senseless. That said I really enjoyed most of the episode, the setting was really cool, the green saturated colors and dark lighting were really threatening. But it had to go and make this all about penises…I’m embarrassed that I watch this show sometimes.
I honestly cant comment on the weight thing, I don’t really see the point being made there.
That could've worked, also maybe ditch Crim's homophobia/biphobia and just make him resent Moxxie for relying on weapons.
Then, later, during the climax, Moxxie takes out most of his dad's goons when one manages to knocks his weapon away, which is when Millie joins in and this makes Moxxie realizes that he should at least try to improve in hand-to-hand. This would explain how he was able to take out the random biker gang in Western Energy, which always felt weird to me, like we missed something telling us that Mox didn't want to just rely on weapons.
Maybe make it a point that Moxxie is the one to spare Crimson, simply to not give him the satisfaction of the last thing he sees being his son being as raging and ruthless as he is.
Fixing this show's issues is so easy, fixing a problem gives you the perfect setup to fix two or three more, almost like you're reverse engineering how it was fucked up in the first place.
And now, by literally no one's demand, Another Reason Why Crimson Doesn't Quite Work!
So you know the song and dance about Moxxie always being called fat, but did you know what Crim looked like in the beat boards?
A hairy, hulking brute with a more modern fashion sense. This design makes him feel powerful, an active and competent threat. Also notice that Alessio, his bodyguard, seemingly didn't exist yet and weapons were a more prominent motif in his house at this point in production.
But Spindlehorse didn't go with this design, they made him a slightly taller version of his son, who is constantly mocked for his "weight", might I ad, with thicker legs and gave him a bodyguard. They made him a "fatter" pretentious blowhard who needs his cronies to do everything for him.
Maybe this is more weird fatphobia from Spindlehorse, or maybe this was just done to justify him hiring Striker in Oops. Hell, maybe the Crim and Chaz stories were originally 2 different episodes, that would actually explain a lot about the final product. Either way, I we confident that the original version of Crimson Knolastname would have been a much stronger villain, both figuratively and literally.
Look at Blitz smiling obliviously, he’s so cute and silly as always. It’s kinda weird in hindsight that they didn’t just have Loona call in sick or something her absence wasn’t really explained. I know the VA was on break but the writers didnt come up with anything for it.
Ughh it bothers me so much to hear all the potential creativity and original ideas/stories we could’ve had. So many creative minds on the team and it all gets drafted to be a sausage party episode with funnee fuck jokes~
He’s way better there. Sans stache because everyone seems to have the same stache as Striker and he’s better original. I still feel like he’s unnecessary. Moxie was born in wrath grew up in wrath and both his parents were still alive originally, so rewriting his story is really stupid. I actually don’t even know why Crimson couldn’t be a wrath ring imp mafia. Why greed?
The concept probably didn’t have the creepy and ridiculous ‘forced gay marriage’ plot either. That was so incredibly stupid and senseless. That said I really enjoyed most of the episode, the setting was really cool, the green saturated colors and dark lighting were really threatening. But it had to go and make this all about penises…I’m embarrassed that I watch this show sometimes.
I honestly cant comment on the weight thing, I don’t really see the point being made there.
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So yea, I liked the new trailer. Also, I don't think this technically counts as a spoiler, but putting it under a cut just in case
According to some older leaks, I can confidently say that the hotel owner guy is probably not Leviathan in disguise, and just thematic build up, the same way both Robofizz and Crimson built up to Mammon.