Alastor and his platonic ship: part 4 (Rosie)
Rosie and Alastor: two characters who have always been presented as a pretty tight-knit duo.
I couldn't skip doing an analysis on them too, because despite the mystery surrounding them, there’s actually a lot to unpack.
So here I am, ready to take another ride with crazy analysis and theories!
This rose isn't what it seems! An unexpected transformation.
Rosie was introduced as one of the Overlords, the undisputed leader of a rather peculiar territory in the Pentagram: Cannibal Town.
The cannibal colony has been presented as a unique group of sinners with a uniform style of behavior and clothing, acting as if they were part of one giant hive mind. In fact, as confirmed in the show, they share a collective mind and make decisions together. It’s basically a "wherever you go, I'll go too" situation, where even a single stubborn element (Susan) can hold up the entire colony.
Rosie was in charge of all this.
But who was this woman, really?
If you dig into past lore, there’s a small piece of information that becomes quite interesting: Rosie never died.
At the time, this info led many people to believe that cannibals with that specific appearance were Hellborn, distinct from other cannibals like the ones seen in Helluva Boss and Alastor. This also explained the presence of children in the colony.
But then came another piece of information: the cannibal colony supposedly died all together in 1910. (Which explains their hive mind and the children... it’s basically an entire town that practiced cannibalism and ended up in Hell together).
So, as the leader of this colony, Rosie must have died in 1910 too, right?
Faustisse's info got retconned, right?
Rosie doesn’t think like them, maybe Rosie doesn’t even eat like them.
Rosie leads them and holds the reins of a group with murderous impulses that she casually dismisses as "just their thing."
Rosie is more connected to Charlie than would be normal for someone who just died in 1910 and Charlie doesn't even remember her. Something doesn't add up...
Rosie isn't just an Overlord ally to Alastor... she is much, much more.
An analysis of the first encounter: A rather peculiar aunt figure...
We first meet Rosie in "Hello, Rosie!" (S1E7). Many of us didn't suspect anything at the time, but the truth is, this woman was suspicious from the start!
Think about it... only eight episodes in total, and yet she got an entire episode title dedicated to her.
A friend of Alastor, huh? Highly unusual...
We first hear Rosie speaking at her Emporium, talking to a fellow cannibal about... her first husband, who was definitely a "piece of shit." Right now, though, she doesn't have a husband, nor has she expressed any desire for another... she didn't mention her last husband who met a bad end, nor poor Franklin, whose name was erased from the Emporium sign during a curious scene in the pilot.
With Franklin on the ground...
who actually seems to be a woman (????)
Forgive me... but I'm getting more and more confused!
And the mysteries don't end there!
Despite being introduced as a cannibal, she doesn't have a single scene confirming her culinary preferences, limiting herself to offering legs and fingers to Charlie without ever touching anything herself.
Charlie, of course, refuses.
Is she surprised by the rejection, tasting a pinky finger to demonstrate her cannibalism to the audience and turning the poor girl's stomach? Nope!
She... compliments Charlie!
Good job, Charlie! Look at you, not being a cannibal like that meat-stripping scavanger you brought along!
The two sit down, while Alastor... remains standing...
Rosie tells Alastor to make a deal on her behalf. Rosie accepts Alastor's proposal without hesitation.
Rosie leads Charlie to the big test, standing before all the cannibals who need convincing and guiding them through song, a test Charlie passes with flying colors after an unusual heart-to-heart between the two (complete with a picture frame turned down on the vanity table to hide truths that will hopefully be revealed later).
Rosie schemes and dances with Alastor, who schemes and dances right back (proving once again that he has already tasted angelic blood in the past)... the two clash and ally in a cheerful dance, talking about mysterious "potential."
Rosie is just a friend... right? Yeah, sure!
Of course, back then these details could be interpreted in many different ways (and to some extent, they still can). It's easier to talk and speculate now, especially after what happened in Season 2...
The contract... a push-and-pull relationship and a favor nobody knows about.
In Season 2, we finally learn the truth about Alastor and Rosie's relationship. Many of us had already seen it through leaks, though obviously we didn't know how to properly interpret what we were looking at.
Personally, I had seen a few bits, but I refused to truly analyze them, preferring to wait for the official release to understand the full context. I think taking a scene completely detached from the rest of the story and trying to interpret it on its own makes very little sense (and this applies to future leaks as well).
You can certainly make guesses, but the exact same scene can take on opposite meanings depending on the context.
Either way, I had seen "Don't you forget."
Rosie was Alastor's master.
One thing I definitely hadn't seen from the leaks, however, was the actual nature of this power. That gold.
I was watching the show with my sister and, at one point, we practically screamed in unison: "Oh no, it's Lilith!"
Then, of course, we told ourselves: "It might not be her."
Still, it naturally makes you wonder: who could possess that kind of power? A power that seems almost angelic, with an energy so golden, so bright, so seemingly pure?
Someone who didn't eat the apple...
There are still plenty of possibilities, though.
We don't even know if Rosie's energy is genuinely pure or if it was simply depicted that way visually.
But it undeniably raises suspicions.
Meanwhile, we are told, albeit vaguely, a bit about Alastor's past...
He was a pretty young boy with glasses. Maybe they just wanted to emphasize his young age, but this lil pretty boy was a serial killer, ready to wipe out a guy who laughed in his face while pouring wine all over him.
Setting aside those who stubbornly deny any narrative logic to the scene, the most common reading was that Alastor had suffered abuse from someone who was openly racist toward him. And Alastor simply decided to use him for his dark ritual, throw in a few random French phrases, and call it a day.
Rosie manifests, and upon hearing his request to "be powerful in Hell," she calls him an odd fellow. She tells him something along the lines of "Wow, that's a new one" regarding his request and points out that he has quite a peculiar soul.
Again, we don't know exactly what that means.
Alastor simply asks for power, and Rosie offers to make him the most powerful sinner, drafting a contract that he accepts with eager enthusiasm.
And here arises the first doubt... why do such a thing?
I rule out "for fun." On its own, that means nothing. (Not the "just for fun" excuse again!)
I'm also really not convinced by this "power hungry" interpretation. Mainly because gaining power once doesn't mean blindly chasing.
Even with Vox, this blind power-chasing interpretation doesn't fully convince me. Still, building a character who wants to reach the top of television fame, get bigger, and win over the public makes sense.
That's an objective. Wanting to be adored by the masses can be an unattainable dream that someone obsessively pursues.
Seeking power in Hell, after death, in a place he had never even seen, just for the sake of having it?
Whether it was simply to be respected after a life of being mocked and to instill fear, we don't know, but those are certainly the most plausible theories right now.
The other question is... Why call ROSIE specifically?!
What is she, the receptionist for Hell's customer service?
Why not call Sir. Pentious?
-"Make me the strongest sinner, so I can continue my fun!"
-"... Do you want a raygun?"
Did she answer instead of Lucifer or Lilith?
If someone performs a satanic ritual because they want to become the most powerful sinner in Hell, or at least get enough power to do whatever they want, I assume they'd call someone powerful.
Why call someone who might just be the royal nanny?
Yes, I know that technically Rosie's design stems from the old design for Damian's nanny from the old Zoophobia lore... but this whole thing strikes me as really odd! And it's not just the fact that she has access to the power required to turn a sinner into the most powerful being in Hell, but the fact that Alastor was the one who called her specifically, trusting that he would receive what he asked for.
And there's another thing I can't stop thinking about: Rosie turned Cannibal Town into a polished, charming little community.
This woman managed to build an extremely civilized, organized society with a working social structure.
Wow... she has excellent governing skills! At this point, let's just make Rosie queen and have Lucifer and Lilith abdicate, since she's off somewhere in Heaven ghosting everyone anyway.
Two mother-in-laws dressed as demons: Surface-level politeness.
What made me laugh the most, but also left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth, was watching Alastor and Rosie's relationship turn toxic, just like so many other relationships in Hazbin Hotel. (Not too different from his dynamic with Mimzy, which now looks like pure friendship by comparison.)
Their apparent mutual trust seems to make way for a dynamic reminiscent of two passive-aggressive mothers-in-law.
And it's crafted with wonderfully funny details: Alastor even shows up in his little pink suit, trying to look cute, almost playing the part of a sweet little dragée. And to top it off, he brings Rosie roses... plucked straight from her own garden. As an added gift, he brings fingers...
...which she doesn't touch...
While he, "very politely," decides to eat them right in front of her.
Rosie, for her part, decides to brew him tea. And here's a detail not everyone might know: Alastor hates tea.
So we basically have two people sitting at the same table, bringing each other things the other literally despises.
Underneath that mask of laughably fake courtesy, they start trading subtle jabs and showcasing hilariously petty behavior...
In Alastor's case, fans notice and highlight his attitude immediately: his huffs, his slouched posture, all signs of an irreverent, deliberately argumentative attitude.
In Rosie's case, who is just as petty, her behavior gets noticed less, but it's no less present: we see her grab a bottle of gin and chug it straight from the bottle.
Yup, I know the bottle says “man eater,” but we know it could mean something else...
Rosie drops all elegance, laughing in an utterly crude manner without actually sharing a thing, acting like a terrible host. Man, who knows how long this little theater production has been going on!
Mockery, sharp jabs, stained clothes, coffee rings on the white table, unwanted gifts, annoying requests ("Alastor, walk the poodle!"), and so on... 90 years of petty, childish nonsense, accompanied by the mysterious disappearance of Overlords at Alastor's hands, then another mysterious situation before the queen vanished, and finally that Season 2 scene where Rosie mocks him, denies him help, and tells him: "Figure it out yourself, pumpkin."
Well... the "pumpkin" didn't take that very well...
"Why don't you help them?!" A burst of frustration ending in a sly smile.
And here we arrive at the breaking of the contract. One thing I found particularly interesting was that frustrated...
It's as if a frustrated Rosie expected him to keep helping even after the contract was broken, instead of immediately assuming he'd cover her in hatred and vengeance.
The fear only kicks in when Alastor flat-out refuses.
"Snake, Demon, Pet," she calls him, until said demon asks for nothing more than simple assistance, at which point she smiles, finally relaxed.
Why did I break down this scene?
To highlight the fact that "Mr. Exploitative Power-Hungry User" could have taken full advantage of his clear upper hand.
And in my opinion, the same principle applies to his deal with Charlie. People often accuse Alastor of taking advantage of her, but Charlie needed the information and help he could provide. Alastor simply asked for a favor in return and honored the terms of the deal. In fact, considering everything that happened, you could even argue that Alastor gave Charlie far more than he ever received from her.
This also ties back to Autumn, a character from Viv's older works. Autumn was, in a way, the rival to the old version of Alastor. Autumn was constantly doing favors for others and ended up being used, whereas the old Alastor demanded a price for his help.
The current Alastor almost feels like a fusion of those two ideas: he's willing to help others, but he has learned never to let his help become an opportunity for others to exploit him, so he takes the chance to secure himself a "favor."
That's why there's nothing inherently evil about him asking for something in return, and considering his background, it's completely understandable that he wants guarantees.
In my view, Rosie's smile represents the potential for a new alliance between them.
A friendship beyond words.
This doesn't mean that a free and clever Alastor won't stir up trouble now... quite the opposite! But despite his sharp words, when it comes time to act, Alastor rarely disappoints.
I don't think his deeper plans will be "good," but that will all stem from the storyline involving Lilith, the apple, and Charlie.
However, I think Rosie knows full well, as she told us herself, that actions speak louder than words.
How do I picture their future as a duo?
They'll sing together again. I can also see Rosie being the one to help him embrace his "ace in the hole" nature, maybe through a funny, comedic song about intimacy.
I imagine she'll try to talk some sense into him, warning him not to do anything foolish (showing disappointment or concern depending on what kind of foolishness we're talking about), and pushing him to fulfill that famous favor she asked of him.
I just hope Rosie won't be too pushy and Alastor won't be too stubborn, but I really believe that, one way or another, through all the push-and-pull and petty squabbles, the two will remain allies at the end of the day.
