A for Absolutely Fabulous!

MEDIAS AND FRIENDS

Medias

Charlie goes on live TV to do some damage control on the Hazbin Hotel's reputation:

Charlie: I'm just trying to clear up the misinformation about the hotel. Vaggie: There is no point. Those fuckers work for Vox. Katie Killjoy is just gonna do the same thing the Vees did. Don't feed into this crap. Just stay with me today. And the guests, also the guests. Charlie: I knooow, but I feel like if I explain myself on live television, then they won't be able to edit it like that video! You know I did not strike Velvette with an open fist.

However, she is easily manipulated by Katie Killjoy and ends up making things worse:

Charlie: Well, sure, but, see, he made it look that way. If you take something out of context, you can make someone say anything! It feels like he was just waiting for me to say something awful, like that (in a lower, somewhat silly voice) "I think Sinners deserved the Extermination because they're bad people." (laughs) But I would never actually say that! Katie: Oh! Did you get that?! Breaking news. Charlie Morningstar claims that Sinners deserved to be exterminated in shocking new statement. Charlie: No! No. That is not-- Like-- What?! Stop. That is not what I said, it was just an example. Not like I meant it, you know! Please stop quoting everything I'm saying, it is distracting me! 

Vox instead uses his powers as the Media Overlord to spread the "good news" about Alastor's defeat:

He has a parade

He organizes an interview

He has his newspapers and TV Channel report the news over and over again

Friends

Charlie has Niffty come with her and eventually lets her friend take the stage and speak in her place in Clean It Up!:

Vox has Val and Velvette take part in his communication strategy, but he keeps monopolizing the screen-time and singing solo parts, which becomes obvious in Bad With Us:

Let's go deeper by analyzing both Clean It Up! and Bad With Us.

CLEAN IT UP!

Niffty = Charlie's Inner Child

Charlie has Niffty come with her to the TV Station, so that she can stay grounded:

The fact Charlie chooses Niffty instead of Vaggi or anyone else speaks of her psychological state. She is acting incredibly childish, so she has herself supported by her inner child, that Niffty symbolizes. This is why Clean It Up! has some similarities with Inside Of Every Demon Is a Rainbow aka Charlie's pilot song.

Clean It Up! and Inside of Every Demon Is a Rainbow

Clean It Up! and Inside of Every Demon Is a Rainbow are sung as a last resort during disastrous interviews with Katie Killjoy and convey similar messages.

Charlie and Niffty strongly believe in the dream to help Sinners:

Charlie: Look, every single one of you has something good, deep down inside. I know you do! ...Maybe I'm not getting through to you.

Niffty: でも私はまだ夢を信じています！(Demo watashi wa mada yume wo shinjite imasu! ) (But I still believe in the dream!) 私は clean it up! (Watashi wa clean it up! ) (I clean it up!) YESSSSS!

However, their feelings don't come across:

Charlie is too self-focused in her song:

Charlie: I have a dream, I'm here to tell About a wonderful, fantastic new hotel

Niffty sings the most positive part in Japanese, so nobody understands her:

Niffty: チャーリーはとても優しい上司です。(Chārī wa totemo yasashī jōshidesu) (Charlie is a very kind boss) 彼女は成功すると信じています。 (Kanojo wa seikō suru to shinjite imasu) (I believe she will succeed) Charlie: Can anyone understand this? Niffty: とっても大好きです、いつも！(Totemo daisukidesu itsumo!) (I love it so much, always!) Charlie: Why?

What people get from their performances is that Charlie and Niffty see Sinners as assholes and that the Hazbin Hotel sucks:

Charlie: So, all you junkies, freaks, and weirdos, Creepers, fuck-ups, crooks, and zeroes, And downfallen superheroes, hope is here! All of you cretins, sluts, and losers, Sexual deviants and boozers And prescription drug abusers Need not fear!

Niffty: 犯罪者は TRASH (Hanzai-sha wa TRASH) (Sinners are TRASH) そして彼らは ASSHOLES (Soshite karera wa ASSHOLES) (And they are ASSHOLES) Charlie: Oh no...

So, Clean It Up! marks Charlie's regression in season 2. In season 1, the Princess of Hell is able to get through a crowd of cannibals with a wonderful song. In season 2, she has regressed so much she is unsure of her own voice. She lets her inner child sing, which brings her back to square zero.

Let's now see what this demonic inner child has to say!

Niffty - The Japanese Idol

Clean It Up! is similar to j-rock/j-pop songs, which are referenced also by Niffty imitating Japanese idols:

In the frame above, Cherri, Angel and Vaggi are dressed as fans cheering Idol Niffty on with light sticks.

The Japanese inspiration is key both musically and visually.

Musically, Niffty starts singing in Japanese mid-way.

Niffty's Japanese singing represents Niffty's "true voice". As she sings in this language, she expresses her deepest feelings in the clearest way:

Niffty:The hotel is really nice Charlie is a very kind boss I believe she will succeed I love it so much, always! Sinners are TRASH And they are ASSHOLES But I still believe in the dream

There is only a little problem: nobody understands her!

Niffty's joke song conveys people's inability to communicate, which is why everything is spiralling out of control. In a sense, Clean It Up! is the song associated to the idea of mis-communication.

On the one hand Charlie is unable to understand Niffty:

Charlie: Niffty, what are you doing? Niffty: Helping! Charlie: Can you help differently? Niffty: Okay! (...) Charlie: Can anyone understand this?

Niffty loves that the Hazbin Hotel is dirty because she likes cleaning it up. Charlie misses this and insists that Niffty changes her way of "helping". Hilariously this leads to Niffty switching languages, which just makes things worse and leaves Charlie even more confused.

On the other hand the Sinners do not understand Charlie:

The comments on the TV screen say: "Charlie strikes people when they talk shit, so I get why this little bitch ain't saying shit."/"Try all you want bitch you can't manipulate her anymore. She's not afraid of you anymore".

Visually, Niffty gets animated in a way that pays homage to:

Magical girls anime, which comment her character

Studio Ghibli movies, which tie into the themes

1- The Character

A-Puella Magi Niffty Magica

Niffty is compared to traditional magical girls. An example that comes to mind is Ojamajo Doremi:

Ojamajo Doremi is the story of a group of girls that train to become witches. Their magic is linked every season to a different art: music, flowers, confectionery, etc. There is obviously no direct reference, but I think the overall idea fits Niffty, who is an Overlord linked to some form of art. It isn't sure what art Niffty represents, but I would not be surprised if her motif is simply "feminine arts":

Niffty's weapon of choice is a giant needle and her powers look like stylized sewing stitches. This links her to "sewing", but considering Niffty's overall house-keeper motif I think that considering her a master of the "housekeeping art" would fit.

Whatever the case, Niffty's "magical girl vision" turns the Hazbin Hotel into a happy place full of pastel colors, rather than the usual hellish shades of red and black:

This is very fun since for a moment we get to see the world through the "Niffty-filter"! Our girl truly experiences things her own way:

Niffty: I've named all the stains on the carpet. That one's Fred.

An example of Niffty's unique perspective? She has a poodle-stain on her skirt. Considering she names stains, I wonder if she truly considers the poodle as her true pet.

In her mind Niffty is probably the wonderful protagonist of a majokko!

B- Magical Helpers

Niffty's world is full of "magical helpers":

This brings to mind a pretty obvious reference:

The movie Enchanted has Giselle clean the house together with mice, cockroaches and pigeons.

What's interesting is that the idea of Niffty cleaning the hotel up together with "little helpers" strengthens her association with Charlie. After all, our Princess of Hell is a twist of the classical Disney Princess, just like Giselle is. Charlie is a Belle that sings in Hell and Niffty is a magical girl, who likes rats and roaches. Thematically this link makes the metaphor of Niffty as Charlie's inner child more meaningful.

Niffty: And our rats have grown immune to being sprayed by mace So I gotta take my knife and stab 'em all in the face And now they treat me like their queen Because I'm covered in rat blood (Charlie: Niffty, no!)

Katie: It seems Morningstar has no desire to build an army for demons who want to fight back, and instead, wants to create a hostile environment where she forces sinners to change and fit into her restrictive puritanical mold.

Ironically, Niffty as the Rat Queen resembles the caricature of Charlie as the Evil Woke Queen :P. Obviously Charlie isn't a dictator, but she can be so single-minded that she becomes controlling of others, like Speedrun To Redemption shows. In other words, a small and childish part of Charlie really wants to control people like Niffty controls cockroaches. However, this is impossible because people are complex and can't be "trained to redeem themselves".

2- The Theme

As @misstrashchan explains in her beautiful meta, Niffty alludes to several characters in Ghibli movies. For Clean It Up! the important allusion is that of Kiki Delivery Service:

Kiki is a little witch that in order to grow up has to spend one year working alone away from home. Kiki's only power is flight, so she decides to start a delivery service together with her familiar, Jiji the talking cat. Doesn't she remind you of anyone?

Charlie starts her own business while isolated from her family. The only reminder of "home" is her pet-key Kee-Kee that looks like a cat and represents the Hazbin Hotel.

At one point in the movie, Kiki loses her ability to fly (her drive and sense of self) and to talk with Jiji (her inner child). Once again, this is exactly what happens to Charlie in Clean It Up! In this song, Charlie not understanding Niffty is not just her "not listening to her loved ones", but it has a deeper implication. Charlie at the same time regresses into her immature self and is disconnected from the most genuine part of her inner child. Symbolically, Charlie can't understand Niffty as the little Overlord describes the Princess's own dream. At the same time, Charlie misses another important meaning of Niffty's song, which again @misstrashchan pointed out in another banger of a meta:

Charlie: There's a warm, fuzzy feeling That wafts through the air Every street so revealing It's hard not to stare! It's a realm so appealing it beats anywhеre If you don't mind the smell... It's a happy day in Hell!

Niffty: A magical land Hotel of my dreams Disgusting-est, ugliest building that I've ever seen! And I get to clean it up!

Charlie is so obsessed with "fixing" everything that she has lost sight of the ideals that prompted her to create the Hazbin Hotel in the first place. The point isn't to have a perfectly neat hotel, but to give Sinners a place where they can "clean themselves up". It is not easy nor neat, no matter how much Charlie tells herself it will be. It's going to be dirty and ugly 'cause people are complex. However, the important thing is not to lose hope in yourself and others. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder:

Charlie: I can hear all their stories The lost and displaced And I know that they're more of an acquired taste But if I open the door and I give them a place At my Hazbin Hotel It'll be a happy day in Hell!

In the frame above, Niffty sees the camera as a giant cockroach which gives her the chance to sing on live TV. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder indeed! Speaking of which, despite Charlie's other failures I love that even as she messes up she still helps Niffty find her inner voice, so that the little demon can finally perform in front of a camera :P

Identity Crisis and Miscommunication

Clean It Up! represents Charlie's identity crisis and inability to communicate. She goes on TV to "clean herself up" :P. She does it not because it is really necessary, but because in her mind she needs to be a great leader without any dirt on her reputation. Just like Lilith:

Charlie: Mom would know what to do. She was always so good at this. Staying calm, being the voice of the people. Being the center of attention with everyone looking to her, to follow her.

Charlie: Alright, Niffty, we've got this, right? I mean, all I gotta do is talk from the heart, for the people. Set the record straight.

However, she is not ready to handle the pressure:

Angel Dust: Aw man, Charlie ain't looking too good under pressure.

She basically has a little break-down and lets her most childish part speak. Still, she is so lost she can't even make sense of her inner child's words. Not only that, but the fact Charlie chooses not to sing shows how much she is struggling. We are talking about Miss Musical Theatre Princess... not singing? That same Charlie who ALWAYS pitches her hotel with a song? Yep, she is definitely spiraling badly :P

Season 2 has Charlie lose her voice as she becomes confused about what she wants to say:

She starts with Hazbin Guarantee, which is not as good as Ready For This, but is still a solid pitching song

She loses it in Speedrun To Redemption, where she sings over Angel and hurts him; here she starts spiraling and losing faith in herself

She chooses not to sing in episode 4 and lets Niffty perform Clean It Up! instead; after this she looks for other voices that can speak for her (the Angels), while refusing to listen to her loved ones

Finally, Charlie escapes her spiral in Easy, where she listens to Vaggi and finds her beautiful singing voice again:

Vaggie: Shut up, you know that I love you But you're forgettin' who we are In a pit that doesn't let sun through Somehow we managed to see stars Charlie and Vaggie: Your heart, my heart, when I am with you Two souls, one goal, we'll never lose (Charlie:Woah-oh)

After this, Charlie sings along in Hear My Hope, not as the main vocalist, but as a voice in the choir. Charlie is slowly re-discovering both her voice and how to inspire others to sing.

BAD WITH US

The Power Of Friendship

Bad With Us is a recruitment song, which celebrates the "power of friendship", both when it comes to the macrocosm and to the microcosm.

Macrocosm - Vox sings about how stupid it is to fight among Overlords and how they should all strive for peace:

Vox: What better time to reinforce our crew? Grab an olive branch, go knock on some door-els Why should we keep crossing swords? After all, we're all overlords

Microcosm - The Vees act as best friends forever:

Vox dances together with both Velvette and Valentino and then they form a ring-around-the-rosie. All of this while they sing about how good it is to work together, as they invite other Overlords to join them.

The irony of this is that it is obviously a lie.

Vox doesn't want peace, but war:

Vox: You know you wanna be bad with us (Valentino and Velvette: Bad with us) Come and make angels mad with us (Valentino and Velvette: So mad with us)

Still, he uses a reassuring tone and peaceful imagery (olive branches) not to scare the Overlords. Moreover, he sells the experience of working together with him as the best thing ever:

Velvette records Vox and Val's dance to show how wonderful the Vees are. Aren't they the greatest team? Look at how much in harmony they all are, especially compared to Charlie and the misfit-team she put together by ABUSING THEM ALL! As a note, I love Velvette has a heart in her hair to fit the power of love theme of the Vees' propaganda song.

Except that the tension is starting to rise among the Vees:

As @hoepunkausta taught me to notice Valentino and Velvette match. They both wear red clothes, have a heart symbol in their hair and on their belts. Finally, both have black and white details in the lower parts of their outfits. Vox is instead an outlier, which marks a difference in hierarchy between him and the other two Vees.

Vox sings of himself with fake humility, as if he is just "one of the people":

Vox: So I've had a stroke of luck, it's true But I'm not one to rest on my laurels

However, he takes central stage. Specifically Bad With Us has him have all the spoken lyrics. This marks an important difference with both Trust Us:

Velvette: Come on down to V Tower Where we help talent flower Valentino: No tellin' how hot you could get Once you're backed by our power Velvette: Let's start with a killer fit Let's get filler in those lips Valentino: Wax that gooch and pull that strip Valentino and Velvette: Snip, snip, snip Ooh-ooh-ooh

And Once We Get Up There:

Vox: Yes! A heavenly host that bows to none but us! Valentino: I can have hot new angel sluts! Velvette: Tear off their wings and make 'em dresses! Vox and Valentino: And what's best is... Velvette: That dumb princess showed us the way Valentino: To make those haloed cabrónas pay!

In Bad With Us Vox steals Val and Velvette's screen-time to the point their contribution is just to do some harmonies and the counter-melody during the refrain:

Vox: You know you wanna be bad with us (Valentino and Velvette: Bad with us) Come and make angels mad with us (Valentino and Velvette: So mad with us)

This building tension even comes up briefly at the very end:

Vox: Cha-cha-cha Velvette and Valentino: No!/Stop it!

A song about team-play and harmony ironically ends with Valentino and Velvette exploding at Vox's racist ass :P

The Rumor Mill

Bad With Us is a lie, so it fittingly draws its power from rumors and promises.

The Overlords open the song by gossiping about Vox and Alastor's fight:

Zeezi: Holy shit, is this true? Alastor's been defeated? Man Meat: By Lucifer? Zeezi: No! Man Meat: Then who? Zeezi: That self-absorbed TV head

They all report exaggerated rumors of how things went down:

Maestro: Word is, he gut him fair and square Zeezi: I heard Vox fucked him with a chair Zeezi, Maestro, and Man Meat: Either way It's seemin' the Radio Demon's off the air

Let's highlight:

Vox does not gut Alastor, but simply re-opens the wound Adam gave him

Vox forces Alastor to stay tied to a chair, but people notice Vox's thirst over Alastor and make voices up

Everyone focuses on Vox and conveniently forgets that Vox, Valentino and Velvette all fought against a weakened Alastor together

Vox answers the Overlords with baseless promises that are often contradictory.

According to Vox, Heaven is both a place perfect for a juvenile club:

Vox: And Zeezi? I hear that Heaven has some pretty sick venues Open a club up Make a hubbub Drop a beat to amen to

And for spending one's retirement:

Vox: Hey, Zestial There's old, boring shit up there Books, tea, elder care

It is a chill realm where to rest:

Vox: Oh, Maestro I know a tranquil realm where you can rest

And a kingdom to fill with violence and rage:

Vox: Hey, Prick and Hatchet Best believe your gang fights are gonna be batshit With exorcist blades You can fill Heaven with rage

In short, Vox picks the Overlords' interest by promising them what they want without having any idea if Heaven will even fulfill these desires. Moreover he makes sure to sing in their styles, so that he can get through to them:

Club music for Zeezi

Western for Prick and Hatchet

Opera for Maestro

Latina music for Carmilla

In other words, Vox uses each person's language to speak to them.

Empty Words and Empty Self

Vox is a great communicator, but he is deep down empty. He has no ideas, but only slogans ("Trust us", "Bad with us", "Vox populi").

Two thoughts come to mind.

1-The Overlords themselves are conscious of Vox's flaws on some extent:

Prick: I can't remember ever seein' power shift this fast Prick and Hatchet: With all his smarmy talk I thought Vox was just gassed up

Still, they are are all tricked by Vox's sweet words and end up repeating Vox's slogan by the end of the song:

Zeezi: It's so much fun to be— Demons and Overlords: Bad with us So bad (Demon: So fuckin' bad) With us!

Even Carmilla, who resists Vox here will repeat Vox's exact words just one episode later:

Vox: It's the dawn of a new regime Come on, join the winning team!

Carmilla: What matters is, war is coming and I am choosing the winning side.

2- Vox's performance is basically a parody of Charlie:

Vox: Why should we keep crossing swords? After all, we're all overlords

Charlie: I just know you're gonna love it here! Charlie and Vaggie: We can live in harmony Husk: No, I can't make a fucking Mai Tai Charlie and Vaggie: That's the Hazbin guarantee!

Charlie has been striving since the beginning of the season to unify Hell and to have peace and harmony between Hell and Heaven. Here Vox is using similar cheesy lines about the "power of friendship" to create his own group. This is not an isolated case, as Vox keeps parodying and twisting Charlie's ideals even in VOX POPULI:

Sinners: Every sinner can be a winner Let's take our fates To the pearly gates We can have the keys If we trust the Vees Give applause, Hell has cause to rejoice!

Charlie: Come on in, here's your key Let me take your bag, wait 'til ya see The hotel, 'cause it's great!

The finale of VOX POPULI calls back to many ideas associated with Charlie. The Sinners sing "happy days are nigh with Vox" ("And then tomorrow it will be a fuckin' happy day in Hell!" from the Finale) and say they can all "save their souls" ("You've made a great choice to save your soul!" from Hazbin Guarantee). Finally they mention the keys to Heaven in juxtaposition with Charlie offering them room-keys.

This happens because of two reasons:

A- Charlie is the one that enables Vox and lets him gain more power. If Charlie had followed Vaggi's advice to ignore Vox's campaign to begin with, things would not have spiraled out of control. After all, Vox has been trying to gain power in Hell with a similar rhetoric since season 1. However, he has failed to make any significant progress. It is only by exploiting Charlie's success and ideas together with the Princess's insecurities and inexperience that he is able to climb up enough. (Yes, of course Lucifer, Alastor, Sera and Carmilla all eventually contribute; still, my point here is that it all starts with Charlie). Because of this, Vox keeps stealing Charlie's ideas, rhetoric and beliefs and twists them for his own goals.

B- Charlie and Vox can be similarly shallow. Sure, Charlie has strong beliefs and original ideas, differently from Vox. However, her approach to things can be very simplistic. For example, Charlie too promises Demons Heaven will fix all their problems, even if she herself has no idea of how Heaven works.

CONCLUSION

Niffty and Vox's joke songs comment on the themes of:

Communication

Identity

Let's wrap things up and synthesize the main points.

Communication - Two Towers of Babel

Season 2 makes use of biblical myths to convey its themes. One of them is The Tower of Babel, which comments on the idea of "communication". The Tower of Babel is the story of how a united humanity decides to build a city with a tower that will reach the sky. God realizes that humans' power comes from unity, so he divides them by creating different languages.

Niffty and Vox loosely tackle this motif in their songs, but in opposite ways.

Niffty sings in Japanese aka her language that nobody understands. She expresses something true and genuine, but her message can't reach others.

Vox sings in all the Overlords' styles, so that he can communicate with them. Still, he does not use his own voice and has no true message to convey.

Niffty is substance without form, while Vox is form without substance. In order to properly communicate one needs both.

Identity - Camera Ready

Niffty and Vox are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to identity, which is shown by the motif of "acting".

Niffty freezes in front of the camera:

Vox is a human TV screen, who is ready to go live by default:

In short, Niffty can't act, while Vox always acts:

Niffty does not play a part, but is simply herself with zero filters, which often makes her misunderstood

Vox plays many different parts, so that he can charm people; he is able to do so because his ego is very frail

Guess who is forcing herself to act without being camera ready in season 2?

In 2x4 Charlie is not "camera ready" and gets blinded by the lights, which confuse her. Her expression here is very similar to Niffty's whenever the little demon steps in front of the camera to emphasize how Charlie is out of her element and forcing herself to play a part that doesn't fit her. She is trying to play Lilith, but she isn't her mom. She is the worst of both Niffty (can't communicate) and Vox (can't be herself).

Charlie In the Middle

Charlie has to both develop her own identity and to learn how to communicate with people. So, she must find a happy medium between Niffty and Vox. Like Niffty, she has to be true to herself. Like Vox, she needs to read others and to understand the best way to get through to them. Is there a way to reconcile these two apparent opposite behaviors? Yes and Charlie has already started doing so in Ready For This.

In this song Charlie puts up a performance, while being conscious that she is indeed acting. And yet, she does not lie nor trick others:

Charlie: For the first time in my life I might have to be ready for this Ready to be the one who's leading from the front Charlie: And although I kinda feel unsteady Now I need to be ready for this Charlie: For the first time in my life Maybe I can be ready for this I can be the marshal leading the parade Charlie: When Adam brings the battle here I must appear like I'm ready for this Charlie: I really hope that I'm ready for this...

Usually Charlie acts as if she has everything understood and under control, when she clearly doesn't. However in Ready For This she does not say once that she is ready, 'cause she isn't. And yet, this the only song so far where she truly gets through to the people.

Rather she finds the best way to make them understand her goal:

Charlie: Have you ever wanted something That was so clear in your mind that you could taste it? Susan: You mean like human flesh? Charlie: Uhh, sort of.. It's a feeling like a rumbling in your gut That you could finally be faced with A billion needy faces, I guess what I mean to say is For the first time in my life I might have to be ready for this Ready to be the one who's leading from the front Gotta come into my own Gotta come into my throne Gotta take charge and defend my only home

Charlie uses rhetorical questions to involve the crowd into her performance and uses metaphors linked to the sense of taste, which is dear to the cannibals.