"The Circus" is the first episode of the second season of the
adult animated
An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a "minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of majori ...
web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...
''
Helluva Boss
''Helluva Boss'' is an American adult animation, adult animated web series created by Vivienne Medrano, Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. It revolves around the misadventures of the employees of I.M.P., an assassination company in Hell. The pilot wa ...
'', exploring the story of
Stolas' life. The episode premiered on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
on July 30, 2022.
It was written by series creators
Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano, and directed by Medrano and
Rick Zieff
Richard Evan Zieff (born November 1, 1961), also known as Danny Katiana, is an American actor and voice-over coach.
Career
His career in voice-overs dates back to the mid-1980s. He has also appeared in such films as ''Mississippi Burning'', '' ...
.
Receiving a universally positive critical reception, "The Circus" was also nominated for the 2022
Ursa Major Award for Best Dramatic Series.
It premiered before the release of the last episode of season 1 due to copyright issues with said episode.
Plot
On his birthday, a young Prince
Stolas excitedly receives his
grimoire
A grimoire ( ) (also known as a "book of spells" or a "spellbook") is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and ...
from his neglectful father,
Paimon
Paimon is a spirit named in early grimoires. These include ''The Lesser Key of Solomon'' (in the ''Ars Goetia''), Johann Weyer's ''Pseudomonarchia Daemonum'', Collin de Plancy's ''Dictionnaire Infernal'', the ''Livre des Esperitz'' (as "''Poym ...
. However, when Paimon tells Stolas of his arranged marriage to Princess
Stella
Stella or STELLA may refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Comedy
*Stella (comedy group), a comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain
Characters
*Stella (given name), including a list of characters with th ...
, Stolas becomes distraught. To cheer him up, Paimon has a servant bring Stolas to an
imp
IMP or imp may refer to:
* Imp, a fantasy creature
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Imp (She-Ra), a character in ''She-Ra: Princess of Power''
* Imp a character in '' Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony''
* Imp, a character in the '' Clan ...
-run travelling
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...
. Stolas' attention is piqued by the young
Blitzo, who performs in the circus alongside his friend,
Fizzarolli.
After the circus, Paimon asks
Cash Buckzo, Blitzo's father and the head of the circus, if he can "buy" Blitzo for a day to serve as a playmate for Stolas. Cash Buckzo agrees, but secretly instructs Blitzo to steal as much as he can from the palace. Under the guise of a game, Blitzo enlists Stolas' help in gathering the palace's valuables, which he tosses from a balcony to a waiting Cash Buckzo while Stolas is not looking. Later, the two boys continue talking, and Blitzo shares with Stolas his dream to one day run a circus of his own.
Twenty-five years later, Stolas is unhappily married to the verbally abusive Stella. At a party celebrating their wedding anniversary, Stolas is approached by several guards after they catch Blitzo attempting to break into the palace. Stolas, incorrectly assuming Blitzo is seeking a sexual encounter, brings Blitzo to his chambers and propositions him. Blitzo, whose real aim is to steal the grimoire, plays along, and the two are implied to have sex. The next morning, Stolas awakes to the sound of a half-naked Blitzo, grimoire in hand, falling off the balcony and into Stella's garden party, informing her that he has had sex with Stolas. Stella, enraged, demands answers from Stolas, who responds that he wants a divorce.
In the present day, the morning after his disastrous date with Blitzo in "
Ozzie's," Stolas awakens and reflects on his and Blitzo's relationship ("Stolas Sings"). Stella interrupts Stolas and accuses him of betraying her. Stolas contends that their marriage was never based on real love. Stella vows revenge against Stolas for leaving her.
Production and release
The episode stars
Brandon Rogers as
Blitzo and
Bryce Pinkham
Bryce Allen Pinkham (born October 19, 1982) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in the PBS period drama ''Mercy Street''. On Broadway, he played Monty Navarro in '' A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder''. For the latter role, he rec ...
as
Stolas, with Mason Blomberg voicing a young Blitzo and Leander Lewis voicing a young Stolas. Remy Edgerly voices a young
Fizzarolli, while Georgina Leahy reprises her role as
Stella
Stella or STELLA may refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Comedy
*Stella (comedy group), a comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain
Characters
*Stella (given name), including a list of characters with th ...
, and
special guest star
In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...
Jonathan Freeman voices both Stolas' father
Paimon
Paimon is a spirit named in early grimoires. These include ''The Lesser Key of Solomon'' (in the ''Ars Goetia''), Johann Weyer's ''Pseudomonarchia Daemonum'', Collin de Plancy's ''Dictionnaire Infernal'', the ''Livre des Esperitz'' (as "''Poym ...
, and Blitzo's father
Cash Buckzo.
The animation was produced by SpindleHorse Toons. The storyboarding was done by Samantha Ambritz, Zach Giering, and Lidia Liu.
Horseless Cowboy
Timothy Cubbison is an American producer, director, writer and casting director, best known for the video games ''Fallout 4'', '' Life Is Strange'' and ''Rise of the Tomb Raider''. He is credited on over 50 titles including four BAFTA winners, ...
voice directed the episode, with the episode premiering on July 30, 2022.
It attained an excess of 4 million views within the first 15 hours of its release.
Reception
Critical reception
In a retrospect of the series, Hope Mullinax of ''The Geeky Waffle'' marked Blitzo's and Stolas' romance in "The Circus" as "everything to me! To get personal for a second, it’s many of my favorite romantic tropes rolled up into one series: different class backgrounds, power dynamics, two single dorky dads trying to raise their daughters, insecurities abound, a childhood background together, and miscommunications."
Zoe Dumas of ''
MovieWeb
MovieWeb is an entertainment news website and video brand.
Overview
MovieWeb reports on entertainment news through their long-running website and related social media and video platforms. The site also maintains a searchable database of films.
H ...
'' noted that "
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
fans will recognize Stolas’ father Paimon as Jonathan Freeman, the long-time voice of
Jafar."
In popular culture
Reporting on a shot of Stolas from "The Circus" having become an
internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
, Jessica Nicole of ''Inside the Magic'' complimented Stolas' "fairly dramatic and theatrical character" in the episode, stating "the
Disney princess
''Disney Princess'', also called the ''Princess Line'', is a media franchise and toy line owned by the Walt Disney Company. Created by Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney, the franchise features a lineup of female protagonists who ha ...
sob is pretty in-character for him."
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
*
"The Circus"on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Circus, The
2022 American television episodes
Television episodes about adultery
Demons in television
Fiction about the afterlife
Hell in popular culture
LGBT-related animated television episodes