Trigger Warning
This article may contain topics that may be sensitive to certain people. Mentions of drug use, sex, abuse, or more may be present
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Sinsmas is the twelfth episode of the second season of Helluva Boss, the twentieth episode overall, and the final episode of the second season. It premiered on December 21, 2024, on Vivziepop's YouTube channel.^[1]

Synopsis[]

It's SINSMAS and things sure do happen.

Plot[]

The episode begins with the aftermath of the previous episode after the Goetic Prince, Stolas, was banished by Satan, with Stolas waking up the next morning and finds himself being cuddled with many stuffed horse plushies. Blitzo happily greets him and is making breakfast for the both of them. Stolas finds it disturbing that everything in Blitzo's apartment is filled with horse memorabilia. Stolas wonders if there is a reason why Blitzo was so obsessed with horses. Blitzo confirms he does, but it's something very long and ominous.

Since then, Stolas has been living with Blitzo and Loona in their apartment, and everyday, in a montage, Stolas has trouble adjusting himself to the common demons because of his royal habits that makes himself an outcast by the commoners and workers alike, making himself more miserable than ever. His depression worsens when he tries to call his daughter, Octavia, but every time he tries to call her, she doesn't pick up, mainly because Stella and Andrealphus forbid her from talking to "the deadbeat".

A month goes by and then, one day, it is Sinsmas, a once-in-a-year holiday for every Hellborn demons celebrate their sins from which Rings of Hell they were born into. Blitzo suggests Stolas to come to the office and work for I.M.P since he also works on the holiday to make some money. At his office, Millie and Moxxie celebrates Sinsmas by playfully fighting each other in celebration of the sin of wrath, while Loona is stuffing her face with various junk foods in celebration of the sin of gluttony. Stolas is even more depressed now that he realized he's broke, so he is taking over Loona's place as I.M.P secretary to answer and schedule killing dates for their clients. A phone call rings, and Stolas tearfully answers it, agreeing to have the target be killed.

Once the call ends, the Sinner Demon lady comes immediately, exaggerating of her anger towards her ex-husband enjoying an Earthly holiday counterpart, Christmas, with her daughters after he left her for another man, probably thinking he cheated on her, so she wants him dead and be done with it. Blitzo finds it awkward because that situation sounds a lot like him and Stolas, much to his distress.

Blitzo reluctantly agrees to take the job because Stolas was crying like a baby over the being in the same situation too. Meanwhile, Octavia is even more miserable than ever before because Stella and Andrealphus are neglecting her and boast on over Stolas' humiliation and his many calling attempts. She convenes her emotions into a song, singing in her closet of how disappointed she is in her dad's actions and, feeling abandoned by the person she looked up to the most, wants to survive without him.

Before Octavia leaves, she discovers Stolas' old stuff, including a picture of him and her. There, she finds boxes of Belphegor's happy drugs and anti-depressants prescriptions She silently figures out her father has been dealing with depression for a while, but wonders what this means for her.

Back at the office, Stolas still hopes for his daughter to call or message him while listening to the impatient client's constant whining but, after answering an unrelated call, he can't stand it anymore. He lements how his rash actions in the trial had ruined everything for him. No longer caring about the consequences, he goes out to see Octavia back at his mansion. On Earth, I.M.P and Loona go to the home of where the lady said her ex-husband is supposed to be, but then, they see them happily celebrating Christmas together. Upon seeing this, Blitzo hesitates because seeing them happy reminds him of what his relationship with Loona and Stolas could be if Stolas' daughter joins them.

He decides that it's not worth killing them, and tells the gang they're going back. Millie is outraged and wants to kill them, but then, she has an emotional breakdown, finding herself confused. The gang heads back to the office to cancel the contract, only for Blitzo to see that Stolas is missing. Their client says he left, while insulting the fantasy book he wrote. Fed up, he throws her out of I.M.P Headquarters from his office window, which Blitzo finds pleasureful. Just then, Octavia arrives at the headquarters to find her dad, and asks where he was. Blitzo guesses where he's going, and heads for the mansion.

At the mansion, Stolas is unable to come back inside because of a magical spell cast by Andrealphus that prevents him from entering. Andrealphus comes out to gloat at him, only for Stolas to demand to see his daughter. When he refuses, Stolas brutally beats up Andrealphus before the demon subdues him in his ice magic. Angered, Andrealphus is about to kill him when I.M.P comes and rescues Stolas from Andrealphus' ice dragon and defeats him.

However, Andrealphus still outclasses them, and just when he's about to get his revenge, Octavia intervenes and stops Andrealphus with her magic alone. She demands for Andrealphus to leave, and when he doesn't, she says she can tell her mother that Andrealphus was just beaten by a lower-class demons like them, and what would Stella react if she ever knew. Andrealphus reluctantly concedes, but warns that they will regret it soon.

Despite Octavia saving Stolas' life, she refuses his hand and confronts him about his anti-depressants, accusing him of lying to her all this time, believing that she’s been abandoned by Stolas long ago and that he chose Blitzo over his family. What's worse is that, by discovering his drugs, she now believes he saw her as an obligation in his miserable marriage, rather than what he claims was the "only good thing" that led him to endure it. Fearing to be hurt again, Octavia decides to instead cut off Stolas and returns to the mansion, leaving Stolas completely heartbroken.

Now that he's truly lost everything, Stolas returns to Blitzo's apartment where some of Loona's friends and the rest of I.M.P come to celebrate Sinsmas. Meanwhile, Millie is devastated when she finds out that she's pregnant, and calls Sallie May to discuss her situation. Outside, Stolas and Blitzo have a chat. Blitzo appreciates that Stolas went out of his way to save him, but feels guilty that it cost him his daughter's love and trust in the process. Stolas tells him that he felt it was the right thing to do and has now accepted that everything that happened was his choice and must now live with the consequences.

That said, Stolas is afraid that, even after his banishment has passed, Octavia will never forgive him and the time apart will make them strangers to one another. Blitzo comforts him and tells him to never give up on his daughter and it would take some time, mentioning his own experience with his twin sister and how he misses her but still have faith that they will make up someday. The two then dance together on the balcony but, as Blitzo hugs him, Stolas seems unsure about how he will truly move on as the episode ends.

Features[]

Characters[]

• Employees of I.M.P
  • Blitzo
  • Millie
  • Moxxie
  • Loona
• Goetia
  • Goetia Royal Family
    • Stolas
    • Stella
    • Octavia
    • Paimon (pictured)
  • Andrealphus
• Goetia family butlers (non-speaking cameos)
• Millie's family (cameo)
  • Joe (non-speaking cameo)
  • Lin (non-speaking cameo)
  • Sallie May
  • Millie and Sallie May's brothers (non-speaking cameos)
• Unnamed sinner client (debut)
• Loona's friends (cameos)
  • Gigi
  • Russ
• Blitzo's family (pictured)
  • Barbie Wire
  • Tilla
• Vikki (pictured)
• Seven Deadly Sins
  • Mammon (pictured)
  • Belphegor (name only)
• Verosika Mayday (singing voice cameo)
• Karen Client

Locations[]

• Hell
  • Pride Ring
    • Imp City
      • Blitzo's apartment
      • Marketplace (cameo)
      • Supermarket (cameo)
      • Pridiner (cameo)
      • Mr. Sudz laundromat (cameo)
      • Frock Off! (cameo)
    • Stolas' mansion
      • Living room
      • Stolas' bedroom
      • Weaponry room
  • Wrath Ring
    • Rough n' Tumbleweed Ranch
      • Lin and Joe's house
• Earth (cameo)

Objects[]

• Blitzo's Asmodean Crystal
• Stolas' Happy Pills bottles
• Octavia's guitar
• Stolas' diary

Events[]

• Sinsmas
• Christmas
• Father's Day (pictured)

Music[]

Songs[]

• Day By Day
• I Will Be Okay
• A Sinsmas Party (I'll Murder You)
• Merry Sinsmas

Instrumentals[]

• Stolas Speaks
• Rage of the Frost Marquis

Trivia[]

• This is the first episode to show the Helluva Boss logo after the end credits.
• According to Sam Haft, this is the first and only Helluva Boss episode to have a total of five songs.^[2]
  • This was also the first episode to have both members of The Living Tombstone work on, and the dragon fight sequence music was completely the brainchild of Yoav Landau.^[2]
• This episode has a scene shown in animatics and storyboards from the 2022 trailer, to which the shot was completed and improved.
• This is the first time I.M.P has rejected a job commission, which was due to the specific situation shared between Blitzo, Stolas, and the job target.
• Blitzo hints on the story that drove him to develop his obsession over horses, saying that it is "way too long and way too traumatic".
  • He could be referring to the circus fire in a flashback from "Oops", but the way he immediately switched to a happy demeanor implies that he did that for a bit.
• It is revealed that hellborn demons celebrate a holiday called Sinsmas, where hellborn demons spend the day reveling in whatever sin they want, normally being their birth sin.
  • Those celebrating the sin of wrath by fighting against their loved ones.
  • Those celebrating the sin of gluttony indulge themselves eating snacks throughout the day and gather to have fun and get drunk.
  • Judging by Stolas' confusion, goetic demons may not celebrate Sinsmas. An explanation for this might be due to the lower-class races revering the sins as deities, as "Mastermind" showcased with Satan.
  • Since Hellborn demons celebrate Sinsmas, this holiday may not apply to Sinners as they originate from Earth where Christmas is celebrated, so may not know about the tradition or may not participate in the holiday.
  • The Sinsmas tree is decorated with items reflecting each of the Seven Deadly Sins. Mammon's hat is used as the top, Lucifer Morningstar or Satan may be represented by the pentagrams, Beelzebub by the honeycombs, Belphegor by the purple candles, Asmodeus by the blue flames on the candles, and Satan by the horned eye bobbles. Interestingly, Leviathan appears to be lacking any representation.
  • Sinsmas in this episode happened on the same day as Christmas on Earth. However, it is unknown if the days typically align due to Hell years being said to work differently than Earth's.
• It is shown that Andrealphus, due to have taken over Stolas' duties, has moved into the latter's mansion, covering it in ice and causing his plants to die.
• Due to now needing a job to get income and pay for his needs, Stolas is hired by Blitzo as receptionist of I.M.P, in this way allowing Loona to go on missions with the others.
• Due to Loona undergoing a secondary transformation into a fully-formed wolf, this may imply that even lowest-ranking hellborns possess a full demon form, much like higher-ranked hellborns, sinners and royal demons do. Although it is possible this is a trait unique to her species.
• As of this episode, Millie is revealed to be in her early stages of pregnancy, and has only told Sallie May about it.
  • Signs of her pregnancy were shown during their mission, as she vomited after arriving on Earth and then lost control over her emotions when Blitzo ordered them to give up on the job and go back home.
• It is revealed that Stolas doesn't eat eggs due to him being a bird demon, or at the very least, he is uncomfortable with the idea. In real life, however, it is not uncommon for birds to eat eggs from other birds, or their own, to recover protein and calcium. This is probably why he remarks it isn't considered cannibalism, just off putting.
• In the scene where Blitzo and Stolas dance, a full moon is shown in the background, which used to be the the time of month they would meet to for their sexual transaction, which is referenced when they joke about how their height difference was never an issue when they had sex.
• It is revealed that Octavia loves eating rats as a snack (a trait she shares with her father), and that she can play the acoustic guitar.
  • The back of Octavia's guitar is signed as "Love, Dad", showing Stolas gifted her the guitar.
• The concept of Sinsmas as the Hell-counterpart of Christmas on Earth may be connected to the revised holiday Vivziepop was referring to during the preproduction of Hazbin Hotel, wherein she mentions demons celebrate a similar holiday but wait for Krampus instead of Santa.^[3]
• There are scenes parallel to the first episode of the season.
  • Stolas waking up surrounded by Blitzo's stuffed toys wherein a young Stolas wakes up on his bed full of stuffed toys.
  • Blitzo dipping Stolas near the end of the episode is a parallel to when he does the same back in the second flashback of "The Circus".
  • Stolas runs after Blitzo after the theft, similar to how Stolas runs after him in "The Circus" while Blitzo is putting everything in a bag and hiding the theft behind a game of pirates.
• The scene where Stolas pummels Andrealphus' face into a bloody mess somewhat parallels Lucifer doing the same to Adam in "The Show Must Go On".
  • The scenes even finish similarly, with Stolas breaking an ice sculpture over Andrealphus' head, while Lucifer almost hits Adam with a fireball before being stopped by Charlie.

Cultural References[]

• While confronting Andrealphus when he is fighting Stolas, Blitzo calls the former Elsa, this being a reference to the main character of the movie Frozen who possesses ice powers.
• The two human dads, one of whom was the designated target, bear a striking resemblance to the most popular fan designs of Jonathan Sims and Martin Blackwood from the horror podcast, The Magnus Archives.
• When Octavia overhears her mother and uncle laughing at Stolas's expense, Stella's laugh is similar to the laugh her voice actor makes while playing Lady Mingeworthy in Brandon Rogers' previous work, Normal British Series.
• The music Blitzo sings in the ice dragon's mouth is Richard Wagner's "Ride of The Valkyries".
• After Blitzo cuts off the head of Andrealphus' ice dragon, the latter makes three heads growing on its place, with this being a reference to the myth of the Hydra of Lerna, a serpentine monster who was said to regrow multiple heads for each one that was cut-off.
  • Blitzo being swallowed by the dragon and escaping by slicing off its head from inside its throat is likely a nod to Disney's 1997 adaptation of Hercules.
• The board game Moxxie is holding, "Mammonopolli", is a reference to the real-life board game, Monopoly.
• One of Blitzo's support banners for Stolas shows the phrase "Yas Queen," which originated as a term of encouragement among POC drag queens in the 1980s that became widely popularized in the 2010s.
• The call Stolas gets through Blitzo's phone is a reference to the now highly-memed phrase, "Hello, we are calling about your car's extended warranty".
• During the montage, there is graffiti in an alleyway that says SpindleHorse, the name of the studio that animates the series.

Continuity[]

• Stolas reaching for pills in Blitzo's bathroom recalls grabbing for his antidepressants that was first established in "The Circus". It is shown Stolas also has a box filled with anti-depressants, which suggests he either requires a large amount, has an addiction to them, or skips doses.
• Stolas is made a receptionist for I.M.P, which is a callback to Stolas asking Blitzo if he would hire him in the latter's potential business when they were children in "The Circus".
• Blitzo giving Moxxie a high five then saving Stolas from Andrealphus' ice dragon reflects Moxxie giving Millie a high five and then Millie saving him from the Catfish Monster in "Spring Broken".
• When Octavia and Stolas argue after the fight with Andrealphus, Octavia refers to the talk she had with her father in "Loo Loo Land".
• Octavia's song, I Will Be Okay, is a parallel to the lullaby Stolas sung for her as a child from the episode "Loo Loo Land".

Errors[]

• Octavia's eyeshadow disappears when her back is turned to Stolas during the second line of her song.
• When Blitzo goes through the portal to Earth, the scar on his face is missing.
• When Andrealphus is getting assaulted by Stolas (around 16:34), his tiara is still shown on despite it falling off when Stolas pounced on him.
• In between 22:26-22:28 the two black stripes on Blitzo's tail are not visible.
• Blitzo not knowing the concept of snow on Earth contradicts his mission in the Helluva Shorts episode "Mission: Antarctica". However, when the short takes place is currently unknown, or Blitzo may have been referring to not knowing about Christmas.
• Millie and Moxxie not knowing about the holiday of Christmas contradicts them dressing up in Christmas attire and being in a Christmas-themed part of a mall in the episode "C.H.E.R.U.B".
• During Stolas's tantrum, he tosses off one of the briefing room's couch cushions, however, later on, both cushions are on the couch again.
• When being thrown out the window of Blitzo's office, the client's silhouette is sporting a tail, even though she has no tail to speak of in her earlier scenes.
• When Millie calls Sallie to talk about her pregnancy, Lin's face spots are missing.
• The content on a left page of Stolas' book (around 11:56) appears on a right page in a later scene (around 12:55).

Transcript[]

View the episode's transcript here.

Gallery[]

• Sinsmas/Gallery

Video[]

HELLUVA BOSS - SINSMAS -- S2- Episode 12 -FINALE

References[]