YMMV / Helluva Boss S2E3 "Exes and Oohs"

• Alternative Character Interpretation
  • Was Chaz's attempt to scam Crimson into forcing Moxxie to marry him just an attempt to profit off the mafia? Or was it an actual attempt at reviving his relationship with Moxxie? Several scenes during the Good-Times Montage hint that Chaz did legitimately care for him, but knowing that he badly burned Moxxie, he knew that there was no way he could get the imp to stay near him long enough for him to properly apologize.
  • Crimson filling the house with dildoes is full of this, since it probably took a good deal of time and effort to set up.
    • Was he sincerely trying to show Moxxie support, in a really twisted and misguided way? Or did he know his son would be uncomfortable, and was just trolling with the whole "I thought you'd like it" bit?
    • Does Crimson believe Moxxie is gay and hiding behind Millie like he says, or does he know M&M is the real deal and is trying to sway Moxxie more towards the idea of marrying another man?
    • It's possible Crimson knew Moxxie would hate the "decorations", but Chaz—whose supposed money Crimson needed desperately—would love them. It's possible when Crimson said they would make "your kind" feel more welcome, he had Chaz in mind instead of Moxxie (notably, he's right when it comes to Chaz on that).
  • Did Crimson feel even a shred of affection for his wife while they were married? The way he reaches out to touch her foot at the dinner table seems fairly tender, but then again with his personality it could be more a question of exercising control.
    • Branching from the above, was Crim angry at her for (in his eyes) softening Moxxie or was he jealous that his own son was receiving more care and tenderness from her? Killing his wife but not his son seems to suggest the former.
  • Did Moxxie's mother oppose all of Crimson's criminal activities? Or would she be perfectly okay with Moxxie joining the family business if he weren't so damn young? The fact that she was showing him how to shoot implies the latter.
  • Is Chaz really as bad in bed as Blitzo says? Or are Blitzo's kinks just wildly different from what M&M would find arousing? Our only clue is Blitzo shouting "Chill the fuck out", which might suggest that Chaz is either or both of too fast or too rough, even by Blitzo's standards.
  • During Millie's slaughter of his men, Crimson looks just as terrified as Chaz. Was he afraid of Millie going for him next or was he just afraid because he knew that his plans to get Chaz's (supposed) money were about to go down the drain? Or both?
  • Was Crimson pissed that Chaz tried to scam him in the first place? Or was he pissed that he fell for it, in spite of how easy it would have been to discover the truth?
  • Did Crimson actually believe that Millie was simply Moxxie's beard or was he only acting that way in hopes of convincing Moxxie that his actual marriage was meaningless?
  • Why did Millie spare Crimson's life? Some viewers think it was because she thought killing her father-in-law would put strain on her marriage, even if there was obviously no love lost between Crimson and Moxxie. Others think it was an act of Cruel Mercy, forcing Crimson to live with his failure and the fact that he got suckered by Chaz's harebrained scam.
• Common Knowledge: The imp Crimson forced Moxxie to drown as a kid is Moxxie's mother, right? Well… no. Though most of the horns are removed, we see from what's left of them that they were a different shape and have a thick white stripe which usually denotes the imp as male. Additionally, the tail has a different pattern from Moxxie's mother's tail. A big factor in this misconception was due to the mother's shoe in question floating upwards rather than just floating in the water, giving the impression that she was drowned recently (which is right) and therefore, by Moxxie (which is wrong).
• Crosses the Line Twice: Crimson being a homophobic piece of shit? Not funny. Crimson thinking that making the house more fitting for Moxxie's "kind" is installing hundreds of dildos everywhere that are constantly flopping around to the point Moxxie is baffled Crimson would think anyone is into that? Actually Pretty Funny. Moxxie being Instantly Proven Wrong when Blitzo proves to find the dildos hilarious? The icing on the cake.
• Fanfic Fuel:
  • Moxxie's life as a mafioso.
  • What did Blitzo do to end up in prison? Who could possibly be Loona's babysitter?
  • Did Moxxie's mom truly die? Could she resurface one day to save her son and his coworkers from Crimson’s wrath?
  • What was Millie's relationship with Chaz like and how did they break up?
• Fan Nickname: The goon referred to as "Depressed Boyfriend" in the character sheets, was given the fan name Quint Corleone.
• He Really Can Act: While Crimson isn't Richard Steven Horvitz's first villainous role, he's a departure from the man's usual repertoire, being a truly malevolent and dangerous bad guy played almost entirely straight. And Horvitz nails it, with his performance helping make Crimson a chilling, loathsome and memorable antagonist.
• He's Just Hiding:
  • Despite having two confirmations to his death, some fans theorize that Chaz wasn't killed but was merely given A Fate Worse Than Death by Crimson. Helps that he was Killed Offscreen and the only thing that was seemingly left of him are his teeth, which sharks can easily grow back.
  • A smaller section of the fandom insists there is a way Moxxie's mother survived as well, as all the onscreen confirmation we get is her shoe floating on the water. Some even go as far as to theorize the bag Crimson pushes into the water after Moxxie's victim was just all of her stuff he was getting rid of. Perhaps he simply threatened to kill Moxxie to force her away?
• Informed Wrongness: Chaz is supposed to be portrayed as a bad boyfriend for leaving Moxxie behind to get arrested. However, Moxxie's leg is pinned by security-grade bank gates. Leaving him behind was the only option he could've done with the police arriving. It is noted that Moxxie seems to be more hurt by the fact that Chaz didn't even try to save him over the abandonment itself.
• Karmic Overkill: Chaz may have been a scummy, overly lusting con man who was totally fine in breaking up Moxxie and Millie to get rich, but some feel him being murdered at the end was a little much, especially since it has been heavily implied that he still cares for at least Moxxie deep down and Crimson, who was infinitely worse, walked away with a slap on the wrist.
• Love to Hate: Chaz is a lecherous narcissist who abandoned Moxxie during a heist, but his over-the-top Casanova Wannabe personality combined with Eric Schwartz's charismatic performance make him highly entertaining to watch.
• Narm Charm: Crimson's voice can be a little silly, sounding like Moxxie affecting a stereotypical "mob boss"—which makes sense, given the two characters share a voice actor—but most agree that Richard Steven Horvitz does a great job in making him intimidating regardless.
• No Yay: The insinuation here that Moxxie actually sees Blitzo as a father figure quickly caused this reaction in those that once had Blitzo, Moxxie, and Millie as a One True Threesome, sharing Moxxie's discomfort in Blitzo's trying to get in their pants now.
• Realism-Induced Horror: Part of what makes Crimson all the more loathsome is that unlike the other villains on the show, he isn't hammy nor are his actions Played for Laughs. He's just a homophobic and abusive parent who has abused Moxxie since his childhood with the nasty implication that he might've actually forced the latter to kill his own mother. The fact that people like Crimson do exist in Real Life makes his behavior in the episode all the more deplorable.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • Millie's past with Chaz was never revealed in any form, nor do they interact much outside of Millie threatening to kill him. It would've been a nice parallel to Moxxie's flashback and some much needed characterization beyond Moxxie's wife, but the fact that she is also Chaz's ex is barely even touched on let alone given any significance to the story. Word of God reveals that there was a flashback in the works but it was cut for time and it felt out of place in the episode.
  • Moxxie finally standing up for himself, going as far as to give a death threat to his abusive father no less. So do we get to see him in action afterwards? Nope. He immediately gets tasered into distress and needs to be saved by his wife again like previous episodes.

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