Emigo

LUTE'S ROLE IN SEASON 2

Lute's role in the finale is small, but it is important in two ways.

1- Sera's Arc

Lute represents Sera's dark side. She is the part of Sera, who gives in to fear, hate and violence. She is the Sera who believes the exterminations are necessary. This season makes it very clear through:

Paralleling the two angels:

Emily: Sera, he didn't force his way in. We both saw it. He ascended. He was redeemed—. Sera: Don't. Don't say it, Emily. Please. We need...

Emily: Lute, this is a sign that Charlie was right, that redemption is possible. Lute: Don't you dare. What is wrong with all of you? They hit us back, and we just pussy out? We need to go down and—

Having Sera recognize the validity of some of Lute's points:

Sera: Okay. We... I have to decide what action will be taken regarding how much of a threat Hell could be now. They know what they can do to us, and many of them will be wanting to take out their pain on us. Lute was correct in that. 

Showing Lute as Sera's reflection multiple times in Sera's Confession:

Showing Lute together with Adam as one of Sera's "inner clouds":

Juxtaposing Lute to Emily, as respectively the "devil" and the "angel" on Sera's shoulder:

All of this comes together (for now) at the end of season 2, where Sera has a small moment of regression:

Sera: Emily! Abel, prepare your army. Sir Pentious: Sera, you mustn't! Please! Give me more time! I can do this! Sera: Are you sure? Sir Pentious: Positive. Trust me. Sera: Very well, but please, get Emily out of there!

Sera's flaw is cowardice, so as she sees Emily wounded she lets fear conquer her and she sends Lute in to retrieve Emily. This small moment of doubt is enough to almost kill everyone. Like, it is true Lute's actions do not have big consequences for the final outcome, but this is only because Abel steps in and stops her. Lute is about to kill Vaggi when Abel intervenes, which means she then would have proceeded to retrieve Emily and kill everyone in the process. This is not exactly a small impact :P In short, Lute's role in the finale highlights Sera's struggle to overcome her flaw. Sera's less noble part is still there, at bay, but not fully overcome. Sera's fear almost damns everyone and it is thanks to Abel's bravery that the worst is avoided. Abel finds in himself the courage to act and even actively goes against Sera's order to take Emily back. It is only because of this that everyone is saved.

2- Vaggi's Arc

Lute represents Vaggi's dark side. She embodies the past Vaggi wants to leave behind and is a dark reflection of the fallen angel. She is who Vaggi could have become if she had not rebelled. Season 1 and season 2 both make Vaggi and Lute's foiling very clear and season 2 even teases there is more to come.

Vaggi's Past And Lute's Trauma

On the one hand Lute irrationally blames Vaggi and Charlie for Adam's death (notice she is not targeting Lucifer or Niffty, the two majorly responsible, but Chaggi because they and Vaggi especially have what Lute is negated).

On the other hand Lute possibly did already take someone dear to Vaggi, when she was an exorcist. We have no idea if the exorcist we see in Vaggi's flashback is a friend or a possible first girlfriend, but whatever the case Lute cruelly separates them. It is also possible Vaggi's past will keep exploring the homophobia subtext set up in season 1.

Career Paths

Lute: As head of Heaven's exorcist army, I— Speaker of God: As what? Lute: As head of— Abel: Um, hey, Lute. Sorry to interrupt, but I think I'm actually the new head of the exorcists. Sorry. Lute: What?! Emily: Abel is Adam's son. Plus we felt he'd handle this situation more… fairly.

Vaggi: Are you sure about this? This place only works because of you. Charlie: And it only survived because of you. This place is my dream, Vaggie, but it'll only work if the right people are in the right place. [Charlie opens a box, takes out a pin reading "Charlie: Head Counselor", and puts it on her jacket. She then takes out another pin.] Charlie: Here. Are you sure about the name this time? Vaggi: Positive. [Charlie puts the pin on Vaggie's shirt; it says "Vaggi: Hotel Manager". They hug.]

On the one hand Lute has the top spot as leader of the Exorcists taken by Abel. Now, Lute not being in charge is a good thing overall, but Sera and Emily are not being fair to her. 1) They do not inform her privately 2) They give the spot to Abel, who is clearly unqualified, simply because he is Adam's son and an archangel. The subtext about misogyny in the workplace and classism is not very subtle :P

On the other hand Vaggi is given the position of leader of the Hazbin Hotel by Charlie, who tops Vaggi in power and hierarchy. Charlie is the Princess of Hell and has more power than Vaggi. She is also the founder of the Hazbin Hotel. Still, Charlie realizes Vaggi is better than her at ruling things and leading others, so she trusts Vaggi with the role.

This small parallelism that Lute and Vaggi have this season is also clearly meant to set up a general LuteXAbel and VaggiXCharlie's foiling. I think the two pairs will have parallel arcs.

So, Lute and Vaggi's arcs are intertwined. This is why they have a short confrontation in the finale. Wait, this fight leads nowhere, right? Yes, but that is because their beef and conflict is clearly postponed, as are their arcs. In general, season 2 has the main characters (Charlie, Vaggi, Angel, Lucifer and partly Al even if less) take a step back, so that supporting characters can shine more. As a result, both Vaggi and Lute do not get to go to the heart of their problems, but their short confrontation in Curtain Call promises us more in the future.

LUTE AS THE SHADOW

Lute represents the darkest side of both Sera and Vaggi, which means she is a character linked to the concept of Jungian Shadow. This archetype represents everything that is repressed, hidden and refused.

Lute is both Vaggi's jungian shadow (microcosm):

And Heaven's jungian shadow (macrocosm):

It means that neither Vaggi as a character nor Heaven as a Kingdom can fully evolve until they face Lute properly and solve their issues through her. Gravity as a song highlights exactly this thematically.

GRAVITY'S MEANING

Gravity as a song deserves its own meta, so I will simply highlight some of its major meanings.

Lute and Vaggi: Hate And Love

Lute and Vaggi are characters that don't sing much in season one because both struggle to have their voices heard. Lute mostly lets Adam speak and when she sings in You Didn't Know, she echoes Adam's philosophy. Vaggi has a problem expressing herself and her feelings, as she is hiding her past. In season 2, both girls sing more because their respective circumstances push them to.

On the one hand Lute has lost Adam, so she finds alone defending Adam's point of view. On the other hand Vaggi is growing into herself, so she is more comfortable at dancing, singing and overall expressing who she is.

As a result, both Lute and Vaggi get a song where they sing "together" with their loved ones:

Lute sings Gravity, where she hallucinates Adam singing together with her. It is a song where she grieves her loss by singing about revenge and hate.

Vaggi sings Easy, where she sings together with Charlie. It is a song where Vaggi forgives Charlie and celebrates the strength of their love.

Gravity VS Sera's Confession

Gravity needs to be juxtaposed with Sera's Confession, as the two songs offer opposite points of view important both for the series as a whole and for season 2.

Two Heavens (the series)

In Gravity we have Adam's point of view being inherited by Lute:

Lute: Eye for an eye says you owe me a debt! Blood demands blood, gonna get my hands wet!

She repeats Adam's mantra (an eye for an eye) as she breaks records. So, Lute herself is a broken record who can do nothing, but to repeat Adam's teachings.

In Sera's Confession we have the Speaker of God trying to pass down to Sera important lessons:

Speaker of God: One seeks an answer That one cannot grant her You're looking for light Only you can ignite Every transgression Must serve as a lesson Yesterday, you drew sorrow What will you do tomorrow?

Speaker of God: You speak of choices Made by other voices You can only atone (Sera: Tell me how to atone!) Once you speak with your own

The Speaker of God insists that what's important is not to avoid mistakes, but to learn from them. She also adds everyone is unique hence only the person can find their own redemption.

The symbolism is pretty clear:

Adam is the "devil" (without his halo, his satanic traits are even more obvious) who influences Lute. His point of view is inspired by the Old Testament and can be summed up by "an eye for an eye", as it demands punishment for crimes.

The Speaker of God represents God and she is trying to guide Sera. Her point of view is inspired by the Gospel (turn the other cheek) and does not ask for punishment, but for self-reflection and inner growth.

These two points of views are the two opposite philosophies trying to influence Sera (Heaven). This season the Speaker's point of view wins thanks to Sir Pentious and Emily. Still, Adam's teachings are still alive in Lute and will probably come back to bite Heaven in the ass. In general, they will keep permeating the whole series, as they are already introduced in season 1:

Adam: 'Cause Hell is forever Whether you like it or not Had their chance to behave better Now they boil in the pot 'Cause the rules are black and white There's no use in tryin' to fight it They're burnin' for their lives Until we kill 'em again!

Charlie and Emily: If Hell is forever, then Heaven must be a lie Sera: Emily! Charlie and Emily: If angels can do whatever, and remain in the sky The rules are shades of gray when you don't do as you say When you make the wretched suffer just to kill them again

Rain VS Sun (the season)

Gravity and Sera's confession make this season meteorological motif obvious.

Gravity is associated with rain:

Lute and Adam: Storm's comin' I can see the clouds No runnin's gonna save you now! And hard rain is gonna fall down like gravity Like gravity!

Lute and Adam: The flood's comin', now you can bet on tragedy Like gravity!

Sera's Confession is associated with sun:

In season 2:

Rain represents the antitheme - outside projection, war, hate and violence

Sun represents the theme - inside reflection, peace, love and forgiveness

When it comes to the theme of identity (the main one of the season):

Sera's Confession is about Sera having to look inside (a confession is a private matter) to find her own redemption and choose who she wants to be. This arc of her is later on continued and concluded in Live To Live, where Sera is finally able to find her inner sun:

Gravity is instead about Lute violently lashing out her feelings without any sign of self-reflection. Lute is unable to face her emotions and projects them outside, both in the form of an Adam's hallucination and as revenge against Charlie and Vaggi:

Lute: You think you're Hell's great savior? (Dominus) Will you still when I return the favor? (Ignis) Take the one you need Make you watch 'em bleed (Vindictus) Will you break thinking how you couldn't save her?!

It is not by chance she is literally projecting herself on the wall (she uses a projector and there is a broken screen cloth) as she sings about her revenge. It is self-projection LOL; it ain't subtle. Deep down the person Lute hates the most is herself:

Lute: Wishin' you were there when they needed you The only soul who's ever completed you Maybe then you'll get a little heated too And understand why this is what I need to do!

However, she can't face this, so she redirects this anger towards others. This makes Lute a foil to Vox this season. In general, Vox's Brighter is a parallel and foil to Gravity. Both songs are linked to the rain symbolism and are juxtaposed to a Sera's song associated to the sun (Gravity/Sera's Confession and Brither/Live To Live). In Gravity Lute redirects her self-hate outside (juxtaposed to Sera who faces her guilt), while in Brighter Vox steals others' lights and acquires artificial light (electricity) (juxtaposed to Sera who finds inner light, so natural light in the form of the sun).

LUTE'S SET-UP IS JUST LIKE VOX'S

When it comes to Vox and Lute, them both embodying the anti-theme this season is not their only similarity.

As a matter of fact Lute's writing in season 2 is not really different from how Vox and the Vees are written in season 1.

Vox is introduced in season 1 episode 2 and is given a song, which sets up his arc:

Stayed Gone tells us what are Vox's objective (to expand his influence in Hell through narratives) and his flaws (his obsession with Alastor). After this introduction, Vox and the Vees do very little and are mostly important thematically as negative foils of the Hazbin Hotel. The Vees keep saying they will protect the Sinners from the Exterminations, but eventually it is Charlie and the Hazbin Crew the ones who fight, while the Vees watch from their couch. In season 2 all of these ideas get explored more and the group is given their chance to shine.

Lute's character arc is set up in season 2 episode 2, where she is given her own song:

Gravity gives Lute a narrative objective (to kill Vaggi) and makes Lute's issues clear (she can't process her feelings, so she is projecting them outside through violence). After this, Lute stays in the background, but just like the Vees her role still has an impact thematically. Moreover, she receives a lot of foreshadowing for future events.

WILL LUTE BE A SEASON'S VILLAIN LIKE VOX?

So, will Lute be a season villain similar to Vox? So far, I doubt it for multiple reasons.

1- I think season 2 was special, as it is a season where the main plot and the main characters' arcs do not progress much. Rather it gives the chance to explore the world and supporting characters more. As a result, a character like Vox, who was supposed to be a secondary recurring villain could get the spotlight. I am expecting season 3 and 4 instead to focus more on the main characters and the main plot. For example, we know season 3 will be about the Morningstars and Angel. So, I am not sure we will have a one-villain show the way Vox got this season, where he basically could execute his own subplot. This does not mean Lute or other characters won't have focus, but I think their arcs will tie into the main narrative, rather than be their own thing. Especially, as established above Lute's arc is linked to Vaggi's.

2- I just don't think Lute is this kind of character. Differently from Adam or Vox, Lute lacks power. It is directly shown to us this season:

Sera: You are no longer in charge, and you will remain the lieutenant. The decisions are mine and mine alone to make. Call off any of your plans and report to Abel, or it will be seen as treason. Do you understand?

Lute is stuck as the lieutenant both practically and existentially. She is the byproduct of a system that has been exploiting her only to not recognize her pain and suffering. People are shocked Lute has not been doing anything, after Sera stops her, but this is the point. Lute is a soldier of Heaven. She fights in the exterminations because she fully believes Adam's philosophy is "good". She thinks she is MORALLY in the right. At the same time, she won't directly disobey an order (at least for now) because going against orders is WRONG. It is the reason why bad angels like Vaggi and Lucifer become FALLEN. Lute herself is not a BAD angel, but a GOOD one. Lute's own sense of self is tied to Heaven's hierarchy, which is why the moment the hierarchy is put under discussion (maybe Sera and Adam were wrong, maybe Sinners can ascend etc.) she herself has an existential crisis.

So, I don't see Lute just going off being a mastermind with a big masterplan on her own because she won't actively disobey orders. What could happen is that sooner or later Sera or someone else will give her a chance to channel her violence. Or I think she may use a future conflict between Heaven and Hell to exercise her revenge. Or she may become so consumed by her feelings she will accept to work with someone she should not. Whatever the case, I am sure Lute at one point will fuck up BADLY and will end up hurting both others and herself. That is because that is what Lute ALWAYS does:

More importantly, though, I think she will keep foiling Vaggi up until the very end (where she will probably find a redemption of sorts). She could actually be a part of a larger foiling.

LUTE AND ALASTOR: HEAVEN AND HELL'S SHADOWS

Lute and Alastor might loosely be foils. Or at least tie in the main foiling of Vaggi and Lucifer. As a matter of fact:

Lute is Vaggi's shadow and dark foil

Alastor is Lucifer's shadow and dark foil

Season 2 also establishes that Lute is gonna target Vaggi, while Alastor is gonna target Lucifer. Moreover, both Lute and Alastor are linked to the archetype of the Jungian Shadow when it comes to Heaven and Hell.

Lute is basically everything wrong with Heaven. She has been created by Heaven's white and black thinking and violence and now that Heaven has luckily decided to move past that, they are simply ignoring her pain (and Lute's pain is ALSO and MOSTLY Heaven's fault btw). They are failing to notice her issues, are not treating her fairly nor giving her some kind of support system. They are ignoring her, which is the worst thing you can do with the shadow.

Alastor is strongly associated with the shadows through his powers. Moreover, this season makes clear him and Rosie have ulterior motives when it comes to the Hazbin Hotel. Still, nobody in the hotel truly considers Al dangerous, mostly because they see him as an ally. I wonder if his main goal could end up instead putting everyone in danger.

I will add that we know:

Season 3's main colors are purple and green, so Al's colors. I wonder if it is because Al is gonna become more antagonistic as he pursues his goal.

Season 4 's main color is gold, which might hint something is gonna happen in Heaven. I think we might discover more of how this Kingdom works, but who knows? It might also be when Lute does something that puts both herself and others in danger.

So, Lute and Al might be the shadow of major characters (and yeah Al also IS a major character) in how they foil respectively Vaggi and Lucifer. Moreover, their actions might contribute to make a mess, which might result in Roo (aka the final villain probably) to take over.