I’ve noticed for a very long time now that there are some really, REALLY media illiterate people in this fandom. Before I start I want to say that I do not think Helluva Boss is a perfectly written show. It has its flaws. However, a lot of the things that people seem to get wrong or complain about genuinely astounds me.
First and for most I want to say that Vivziepop is not obligated to spoon feed you character motivations, backstories and explanations within the span of one episode. As the audience, you should be able to pick up on subtext and nuance THEMSELVES.
I see a lot of complaints revolving around certain things not being explained, when said thing will most likely be explained in a future episode. Or a character not completing a certain arc or having their motivations explained when, once again, that’ll most likely be covered in a future episode OVER TIME. This is a show that’s going to have around 50 episodes and we’ve only just gotten to the 19th. We’re not even HALFWAY DONE and people are expecting characters to have completely changed and undergone growth already 😭
Genuine criticisms such as tonal issues and the female characters needing more attention are things i completely understand and also agree with. But I’m not here to discuss that.
I have seen people across social media platforms completely misunderstand a character’s intentions or motives, or just blatantly making stuff up and saying it’s “poor writing”.
The whole “why is Beelzebub disgusted at Mammon eating” and “why did Stolas not explain that Stella sent an assassin out on him” frustrate me so much because if you actually WATCHED Bee’s debut episode you’d know she can taste the flavour of people around her and also encourages indulging for enjoyment, but also knows when to stop at a certain point. And as for the Stolas argument, Stolas DID NOT watch the trial. He DID NOT know what Blitz was being accused of, nor did he know Striker was there. You, as an audience member should know that Stolas automatically assumed that Blitz was probably being executed due to being exposed for using his grimoire, because he KNOWS that it’s illegal. That’s why he only alludes to the book in his song.
And don’t even get me started on the “they ruined Striker/Fizz/Stolas/Stella” debates because we’d be here all day. Striker’s is definitely the worst because people boiled down his entire character to the fact that he was a badass cowboy voiced by Norman Reedus and then proceeded to get mad when it was shown he has a personality and character outside of that. Not only that, but he’s shown up in ONLY FOUR EPISODES. wait a while until we get to his perspective and backstories before jumping to conclusions. And the fact that everywhere you go, ANY TIME someone brings up the Striker controversy, Norman Reedus is brought up proves my point. You didn’t like Striker. You liked the idea of Striker based on the fact he was voiced by your favourite celebrity.
As for Fizz, I have seen a lot of discourse surrounding him and Ozzie being “ruined” on TikTok and Fizz being “woobified” to a “gay uwu twink who needs his big strong daddy to save him.”
I cannot even explain how dumb this is. At what point in the series apart from at the end of Mammon’s, does Fizz need Asmodeus to save him? He was able to fight alongside Blitz and distract the mafia goons just fine. He was able to stand up to Mammon all by himself. But because he has a panic attack and needed Asmodeus to comfort him, he’s suddenly ruined? People also bring up the “Crooked” song and “Burger Time” as a way of saying how they made them cringe and how they wanted Fizz to be “menacing and badass” like he was in Ozzie’s.
Does this fandom not understand the concept of characters behaving differently in different situations, depending on who they’re interacting with? Because it seems to me like this fandom has a hive mind problem. A lot of these “criticisms” are echoed over and over again. People have problems with boiling down characters to just one trait/idea and then get mad when it’s shown that said character has more nuance. Anyone who actually watches the show would know that Asmodeus is not Fizzarolli’s “alpha male who needs to protect him”. Asmodeus is a kind, gentle man who understands when his partner needs emotional support but also is able to express concern when needed. And Fizzarolli is a literal burn victim who survived a horrific accident, and was used by his abuser for over ten years purely for exploitation. Of course he acts differently onstage compared to when he’s alone with Ozzie. Those are two COMPLETELY different scenarios.
I don’t know if this is just an issue on TikTok due to “brainrot” or if there’s a genuine epidemic in media illiteracy but it’s genuinely starting to get really bad.
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