The Pitch: When last we left our merry band of misfit vampires making do in Staten Island, long-suffering Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), fed up with years of mistreatment by Nandor (Kayvan Novak) and his ever-elusive promise to make him a vampire, decided to seek the bloody ritual from his newly-transformed buddy Derek (Chris Sandiford) instead. Now, his greatest wish has come true — well, kinda. For reasons related somewhat to Derek’s squeamishness around blood, Gizmo’s transformation is proceeding at a snail’s pace.
As for the nocturnal animals around him, they’re still up to their old antics, albeit in somewhat new contexts. Nandor throws himself into wellness books and obsesses over a nebbishy new friend (he’s Jewish!) he’s made at the gym. Meanwhile, Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) becomes preoccupied with giving her sentient doll-self (also Demetriou) the same life experiences she had, including the sensation of making love in a human body.
Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) seeks out new ways to drain the energy from the good folks of Staten Island, from being an irritating waiter at a fast-casual restaurant to running for public office. Laszlo (Matt Berry) tests the limits of his irrepressible charm when a night out with the neighbors goes awry. Also, The Guide (Kristen Schaal) has joined the house as a new roommate, even though the rest of the house barely seems to notice. The more fangs change, the more they stay the same.
I’m OK, You’re OK: While What We Do in the Shadows Seasons 3 and 4 threw major wrenches in the trajectories of our characters to see how it affected them (The Vampiric Council, Colin’s death and rebirth as a creepy man-faced baby), the four episodes of Season 5 shown to critics feel like a return to the isolated antics of the first couple of seasons. The stakes (heh) are smaller and more episodic: The vampires take in the thrill of the mall for the first time and run from the cops, or help their neighbor Sean (Anthony Atamanuik) run for comptroller by throwing the kind of pride parade straight people throw when they’ve never been within a yard of a queer person in their lives (“My bisexual cousin’s gonna come and lip sync to some sweet tunes”).
Gone are the higher aspirations of the crew to make their mark on the Vampiric Council or start a fun vampiric nightclub. This time, they’re just getting by and helping out their neighbors. Centuries in, they’re finally settling into their status quo, and finding some happiness there.
Valley of the Dolls: Thankfully, this kind of stagnation doesn’t bleed over into the show itself… mostly. Some subplots fall flat (Sean’s increased screen time is making the character wear thin), and the show seems so excited to lock down Schaal as a regular that they haven’t thought of anything interesting for her to do yet. But even these wrinkles are buoyed by the cast’s incredible chemistry and comic timing: Novak, Berry, and Demetriou are in fine form, slipping into these characters like comfy slippers.
What We Do in the Shadows Season 5 (FX)
Guillén and Proksch get the most to do in these first episodes, and the increased focus makes for some compelling hijinks. Guillermo wears his newfound vampiredom with a mixture of elation and frustration, aggravated that he doesn’t feel like a vampire yet.
What’s more, he can’t bring himself to reveal his impulsive transformation to Nandor, whom he knows would be hurt (especially since he finally seems to be coming around to the idea). The trouble is, as the season establishes early on, trying to vampirize someone who’s already gotten the bite leads to some…. explosive consequences.
But Episode 4, “The Campaign,” is the season highlight so far, a Colin-centric episode that sees him leveraging his perfectly-calibrated dullness to his most appropriate venue yet: local politics. Moreover, he’s thrust back into the orbit of “emotional vampire” Evie (returning guest star Vanessa Bayer), whose ability to wring sympathy from many hosts makes her a formidable partner. (We even get a tease of the energy vampire’s equivalent of the Council, and it’s just as hilariously star-studded as the OG Council in Season 1.)
The Verdict: Five seasons in, it’s remarkable how much What We Do in the Shadows has maintained its breathless comic energy, even as the machinations of its plot keep its characters in somewhat of a static loop. But that same stagnation keeps our lovable band of vamps striving for new experiences — Nandor’s wellness kick, Guillermo’s slow-motion vampirization, Colin Robinson’s political aspirations. The gags (and Berry’s ever-delicious line deliveries) continue to come fast and furious but are underpinned, as always, by the intricacies and deceptive pathos of our characters’ relationships.
It feels almost inevitable that the series will finally meet its Van Helsing, the wooden stake or garland of garlic that will send it shrinking back into the abyss. But it is not this day, and our TV screens are all the better for it.
Where’s It Playing? What We Do In The Shadows teaches you how to vamp on FX starting July 13th.
Trailer:
