Bloodmoon

His Characterization in Oops

I want to detour here briefly, because I think Ozzie's behavior is significant. Crimson calls Asmodeus weak and nonthreatening, then tells him to “be a good little bitch boy.” And instead of reacting in a way that asserts his status or authority, instead of clinging to the narrative that if an imp undermines his power, his focus should be on teaching a lesson, Ozzie lets Crimson have his way to keep Fizz safe.

Asmodeus would’ve turned over his whole factory without even reading the contract. Look at Ozzie's face when Stolas tells him they were going to take all of his factory assets, then compare it to the second picture when he hears Crimson planned to kill Fizz:

He also doesn't verbally protest when Stolas mentions the first point. He only snatches the contract away when the second fact comes up.

This isn’t directly a class issue, but I found it relevant. A ten-thousand year old god-like entity humbled himself enough for Crimson—an imp—to get away with aggressively talking down to him. For Fizz.

So we have a baseline here: for Fizz, Ozzie will set aside pride and reputation, while ignoring any thought of personal cost (i.e. signing the contract without looking) if it means his partner is safe. This is his default response. His instinct was to do whatever Crimson wanted without negotiating at all. The contents of the contract didn't matter, and he didn't consider what he might lose. I feel like this is worth keeping in mind when commenting on his priorities.

Fizz's Rebellion: 2 Minutes Notice

Alright, now let's pause to look at how Satan (and the typical royals) views imps. First and foremost, they’re supposed to be obedient and dutiful. Satan’s whole reason for the execution being broadcast was "to remind all of imp-kind why our power must never be challenged again." Satan, who is clearly the most powerful non-Lucifer Sin, considers keeping imps in their place to be part of maintaining the natural order of Hell. 

Now move to 2x07. When Fizz is being dutiful to Mammon, Asmodeus pushes back, encourages him to quit, and… suggests Fizz do so quietly, in an inoffensive way that upholds the status quo, ensures Fizz’s physical safety, and gets no negative attention thrown their way? Or maybe Ozzie pushes for the safe, not-risky route that’ll require no sacrifice on his part? The route that prioritizes his concern for Fizz over any adjacent class, moral, or political issues Fizz might feel inclined to loudly express? 

That’s what Ozzie does... right? 

Of course not. Asmodeus takes obvious delight watching Fizz tell a Deadly Sin “Fuck You” over and over on live television, in a politically charged act. This isn't neutral or doormat behavior. Ozzie is facilitating an imp's decision to openly challenge a royal demon's power.

Consider how this is shown. Fizz starts out bowing to Mammon. “I have worshiped at your feet.”

There’s the sequence of him being used like a puppet. Being crushed under heel. I want to add, we see Ozzie’s shadow puppets/images in House of Asmodeus. I’m pretty sure there’s an implication that Fizz’s special effects are made by Ozzie. Here are some things that get portrayed:

Fizz chained. Slapped. Stepped on. Treated as a puppet while he's mocked and laughed at. Fizz in various degrees of a service to a Deadly Sin, feeling trapped, hurt, and vulnerable. Fizz talking about getting his fortune stolen (think of the Wrath Ring imps booing Stolas in 1x05 for talking about the “spoils of their labor”).

Yes, the content is more focused around a proclamation of worker's rights than the imp/class-centered framing Blitzø uses when he snaps at Satan. But the heart of the song is that if a worker is being treated poorly, the guy doing the mistreatment is a dick, and the worker should fight back. An obedient, dutiful imp would not say these things. Especially not to a Deadly Sin.

There is a charged message here: I’m an imp, and he is a Sin, but that doesn’t give him the justification to use me, see me as lesser, or treat me like shit.

Sounds like Fizz is challenging royal power, yeah? With Ozzie's help, Fizz starts the song showing himself being exploited in various ways that seem pretty symbolic of Hell's overall class system. Followed by him doing this:

And Ozzie doing this:

If you can't see the second picture, Ozzie shifts Mammon's logo to his own. Fizz sets up this visual of feeling used and abused, then breaks free from his chains, and says, "Fuck you," to the face of one of the most powerful demons in Hell. While Ozzie grins, throws him his fire, and puts his name/symbol on the stage behind him. In full view. Asmodeus isn't doing this grudgingly, he's loving it. I'm fairly sure the third shot is implying he's getting a boner from it.

The obvious objection being, Fizz's song is just about Fizz. Ozzie is supporting Fizz's self-expression, not a political message. But Fizz doesn't make the song only about himself. Fizz's bridge involves directly bringing the crowd into it.

Have you ever felt sick and tired of doing the same shit everyday with your anger brewin'? Eatin' shit for a boss that you're sick of obeyin'? If you ever felt the same, let me hear ya say it!

By the end, the whole stadium is singing anti-Mammon/anti-exploitation lyrics. The direct meaning here is in a job/work context: if you have a shitty boss, say "fuck you." But it's worth repeating: imps are supposed to be obedient. The quiet, dutiful working class. Fizz is telling his fans, imps included: if you're sick of being obedient, you don't have to put up with it. And, I know I'm getting repetitive, but Fizz says this to Mammon. Again: a Deadly Sin.

More of Fizz publicly 'respecting' a Deadly Sin:

Wish I'd... cut you off just like a tumor | Hope you die, kiss my ass goodbye, you cuck | So this is it, Mammon you sad sack of shit, fuck you.

Nothing rebellious going on here! Just your average very popular celebrity imp making a neutral statement about refusing to bow to a royal demon... to cheers from a packed house. In said demon's own arena.

And when Mammon reacts badly, Ozzie's response?

Asmodeus stands behind the rebellious, disobedient imp. Then doesn't just support him, but says he loves him: which implies valuing him, respecting him, viewing him with inherent worth and autonomy. This is an act of rebellion, and it isn't the 'safe' choice. Mammon's "you're going to regret revealing that" reads as foreshadowing, not an empty threat. Ozzie has also built a reputation on decrying love in favor of lust, so it's possible this also carries consequences relating to that.

If he didn't genuinely believe this would cause trouble, Ozzie wouldn't have kept their relationship secret for so long. Yet, even after Mammon's threat, he's not embarrassed, ashamed, or frustrated. Ozzie is just glad Fizz is safe.

So we see in Oops that Ozzie will all but grovel to get Fizz home alive. Then in 2x07, his support is entirely about Fizz's emotional well-being and ability to be heard. Persuading Fizz to quit wasn't necessary, and helping him quit in the way he did certainly wasn't. He encouraged Fizz to make a loud, revolutionary point in a way that could be directly traced back to him, and the only direct benefit is that it let Fizz get his emotional catharsis.

I'm not going to go in the whys of what might've left Ozzie more muted in Mastermind. This is already long, and I've touched on that a little elsewhere. But so many posts have stated outright that Ozzie betrayed Fizz by being unwilling to break from the system. Some even make it sound like Ozzie isn't aware it'd be an issue. But Ozzie has already helped Fizz wage music-themed rebellion. 2 Minutes Notice celebrated an imp breaking entirely from Satan's view of what imps should be, in front of all of Hell.

If Ozzie is willing to do that solely to make Fizz happy, why would he draw the line at speaking a few words on Blitzø's behalf (when his death certainly isn't conducive to Fizz's happiness)?