The Circus (Helluva Boss)

"The Circus" is the first episode of the second season of the adult animated web series Helluva Boss, exploring the story of Stolas' life. The episode premiered on YouTube on July 30, 2022. It was written by series creator Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano, and directed by Medrano and Rick Zieff.

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 from his neglectful father, Paimon. However, when Paimon tells Stolas of his arranged marriage to Princess Stella, Stolas becomes distraught. To cheer him up, Paimon has a servant bring Stolas to an imp-run travelling circus. 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 day, 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 as Stolas, with Mason Blomberg and Leander Lewis voicing a young Blitzo and Stolas, respectively. Remy Edgerly voices a young Fizzarolli, while Georgina Leahy reprises her role as Stella, and Jonathan Freeman voices both Stolas' father Paimon, 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 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.

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 noted that "Disney 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, Jessica Nicole of Inside the Magic complimented Stolas' "fairly dramatic and theatrical character" in the episode, stating "the Disney princess sob is pretty in-character for him".