Episode: 1:5
April 30, 2021
Average
Pros: Animation, Action, Cool Villain, Good Arc with Moxxie and Millie
Con: Some Disappointing Narrative, Continuity Errors
When I first saw footage of this episode in the Season 1 trailer, I was hoping for a quieter entry in which the characters were developed further and even sorted out some minor issues between themselves. It was obvious that wasn’t the case, but I could always dream. One thing I was not expecting was Stolas’ involvement.
The episode opens with Stolas and Blitzo in the aftermath of a sexual tryst when the former offers an invitation to the Harvest Moon Festival in the Wrath Ring (apparently the rural area of Hell). Stolas usually hosts the ceremonies as part of his job. Blitzo agrees and brings the whole family to stay with Millie’s parents (Edward Bosco and Su Jan Chase) and her mtf sibling (Morgana Ignis).
Unsurprisingly her parents disapprove of her relatively effete and fragile husband, and Moxxie’s arc focuses around proving himself worthy of her hand to them. The heartwarming thing is that Millie’s faithfulness to him never wavers; she loves him for being the sensitive man he is. I also love how Moxxie shows signs of ditziness despite being an intellectual. In a desperate attempt to impress them, he volunteers for the Pain Games, in which he is completely defeated at every turn. One of the funnier moments in the episode is when he is repeatedly mauled by a demonic shark every time he falls into a body of water. The shark even goes out of his way to bodyslam him after he lost a mudfight. Blitzo’s badass status is reinforced, as he actually ties with Striker in the game.
Confounding Moxxie’s efforts is Striker (Norman Reedus), his in-laws’ hired hand. He’s intimidating and does everything better than Moxxie. It’s eventually revealed that he’s a villain planning to assassinate Stolas with an angelic sniper rifle. When Moxxie finds out, Striker subdues him and Millie in a particularly brutal fight. He savagely attempts to smother our hero before Millie attempts to stab him, prompting him to disable her with a graphic compound fracture to the arm. Oddly enough, there wasn’t much leverage against which to break the limb; he apparently just shoved her against a flat wall. The next scene forgets about this since not only is her arm apparently clean, she’s also putting weight on it. It’s still a rather impactful fight that’s rare to see in a cartoon.
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| "Uh oh, Looks like Wilson's going to have to spend some time in the penalty box for this." |
Striker, despite being a supposed professional, moronically locks the two in a shed without bothering to check Moxxie for weapons, allowing him to shoot through the door. He’s been hesitating to use his gun out of pride and insecurity, but realizes that in order to beat the enemy he has to do what he’s good at. Blitzo intercepts Striker’s assassination attempt and is momentarily tempted by the latter’s offer to join forces with him. Moxxie shows up just in time to provide back-up, and we get a great moment when Striker provokes primal rage from Blitzo by attempting to kill his employee.
During the confrontation, Blitzo attempts to summon Loona, who’s immediately shown to express annoyance at the call. Despite his usually charitable treatment of her, he’s frustrated that she doesn’t somehow teleport herself there in an instant. The joke is that Loona doesn’t give a shit, but that doesn’t make sense because she does end up entering the room in a reasonably timely manner, apparently unaware it was a life-or-death situation. Her entrance accidentally robs Moxxie of a shot at Striker, who takes the opportunity to escape, much to her surprise. She doesn’t seem to be truly at any fault here, but I wish we could have seen her looking at least somewhat guilty for dropping the ball at the end of the episode. Then again, her presence may have been the thing which tipped the scales enough for Sriker to flee. I would have preferred a lot more depth from Loona in this episode. At least we got a moment in which she protests being called “Blitzo’s hellhound,” subtly indicating that she does see him as her father.
Before I.M.P. leaves the ranch, Moxxie finally earns his in-laws’ begrudging respect by angrily calling them out when they victim blame Millie for getting beaten by Striker. It’s a satisfying moment. The episode ends with Striker’s discussing the setback over the phone with his client, who turns out to be Stella. I’d like to see the dramatic fallout of that when Octavia finds out.
It’s an interesting enough episode, introducing a more serious villain, and upping the animation’s atmosphere accordingly. Striker’s a cool antagonist, even if he is a stock Lee Van Cleef character. This type is very common when cartoons want to do a Western episode (the least they could do is drop the mustache). He has a cool voice, a good bit of Scorpio energy, and his design is great. He’s so sexy he’s one of the few furry characters I’ve seen who could pull off a mustache (although it’s easily mistaken for whiskers or nostrils).
Unfortunately, it undermines a few of the things I like about Helluva Boss. Stolas’ still having an affair with Blitzo like it’s nbd devalues the apparent moral of “Loo-Loo Land” (the show’s best entry), and the episode inconveniently reminds me of how much the show coasts on the superficial likability of its main cast. Striker may be motivated by money and arrogance, but he makes a good point when he calls out Blitzo for making a living murdering random people for relatively petty souls while being in thrall to a sexually exploitative Prince of Hell. It also doesn’t make that much sense to hate him that much for his mistreatment of Millie when the episode reminds us that she is known to murder multiple random people simply out of sadism. Unfortunately, the show’s creators have a tendency to use the “they’re demons in hell” as an excuse while still prompting us to root for them.
There is one theme I particularly like in this episode. It would definitely be a presumptuous stretch to say the creators of this show are pro-gun, but “Harvest Moon Festival” is an unambiguous repudiation of the shallow red herring that “Real Men Use Their Fists.” Real men use whatever means are most effect to defend themselves and their loved ones; it’s not about pride or macho-ness, and anyone who plays that card is intentionally dancing around the point of the issue.
BLITZO: Look, I told you, we're not bodyguards. That was a one-time thing we did badly.
MOXXIE: Oh crumbs. M-my bad! I am so sorry. I didn't mean to open that wound...sir.
BLITZO: Hey, watch it. I'm the "sir," here, Bucko.
MILLIE: Oh yeah! Y'all haven't met my boss Blitzo and his hellhound.
LOONA: I'm not just "his hellhound."
BLITZO: Yeah, she's my daughter.
LOONA: Only on paper. Y'all don't deserve to know my name.
BLITZO: Now just remember, your rep with the in-laws is on the line here, so no pressure at all. You will totally not make an ass of yourself in front of everyone important in your life. Go get'im, Tiger.
MOXXIE: Oh...
MILLIE: Moxxie, you don't have to do this.
BLITZO: Oh, he totally does. KICK HIS ASS, MOXXIE, YEAAHH!!!
[Moxxie attempts to subdue the Hellhog and fails, causing it to go wild while he clings for life]
BLITZO: FUCK YEAH, MOXXIE! RIDE HIM, MOXXIE! MAKE HIM THAT BITCH YOU WON'T CALL BACK IN THE MORNING!
LOONA: [holding her phone up] This is fucking beautiful.
BLITZO: DOING GREAT, MOXXIE! (Send me that video later.)
STRIKER: You wanna help the men skin this thing for dinner?
BLITZO: Oh, I am always down to skin the manly meat with the manly men.
LOONA: That's what she said!
BLITZO: What who said? Wait, what bitch is talking shit about me?
MOXXIE: Millie! Oh, Satan…
MILLIE: Moxxie, I’m fine! I got worse than this during the flower toss at my brother’s wedding, but I caught that fucking bouquet and it was fucking worth it. You just have to get up there and fuck up that brown-nosing cocksucker for me.
MOXXIE: But I can’t break through. I’m not strong enough.
MILLIE: Not with your hands, baby. Use what you’re good at.
MOXXIE: I’m not good with my hands? [Millie gives him a look]. Oh, right. Yeah, yeah. [shoots door open]. I-I should have used this earlier, huh?
MILLIE: I love you, hun, but for fuck’s sakes.
STRIKER: Blitzo, c’mon. You know the two of us are superior than most of our kind. And you are so above sucking on a disgusting rich pomous Goetia only to sneak topside for scraps and work for bitter sinners who could care less who you are, when you could be slaying Overlords. Why struggle to run a business that is rigged against you when you can partner up with me and kill the unkillable? Starting with the one that treats you like a plaything. We can be the most dangerous beings in Hell, Blitzo.
LIN: I can't believe you let him trap you, Millie! Haven't we taught you better?
MILLIE: I was seein' red, ma! And he was slippery.
LIN: Excuses. You're better than that Mildred.
MOXXIE: You know, she protected me. And maybe I'm not a strong, beefy dickhead, but Millie has the strength enough for both of us. You two were getting on her case about getting hurt by a psychopath you hired? Shaaame on you.
BLITZO: Oh, Moxxie, look at you. Speechin' like a big boy with his big pants.
[Joe walks up to Moxxie, nods gruffly, and leaves]
MILLIE: Wow, he nodded! He's never acknowledge your input before!
MOXXIE: So, is that progress?
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