By MTN Reporter Will Chappell
What We Do in the Shadows continues to deliver hilarious antics in its third
season, as it places its protagonists into a new power dynamic leading to evolution in
their relationships. The mockumentary (FX Thursdays 10ET) follows four vampire
roommates, Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), her
husband, Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), and Collin Robinson (Mark Proksch), and
their human familiar (vampire’s assistant), Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillen),
through their adventures living on Staten Island.
During the first two seasons, the group’s dynamic mostly centered around the
ignorant and entitled vampires mistreating their devoted, retiring servant, Guillermo. But
in the second season, Guillermo discovered he was descended from Van Helsing, the
vampire slayer, and became more confident as he transformed into a hardened vampire
killer while remaining committed to his “master,” Nandor. Guillermo’s evolution
culminated in the finale of season 2 when Guillermo saved the vampires from the wrath
of the vampiric council by killing dozens of vampires.
Following these monumental events, the show has taken the opportunity to
develop its characters and explore their changed relationship in the third season with
outstanding results. The most notable changes are in Guillermo, who is now confident
and demands respect from the vampires. This sees his title changed from ‘familiar’ to
‘bodyguard,’ but there is still ample tension as he struggles to command the respect he
deserves. Guillen has always been the emotional backbone of the show, delivering
consistently powerful performances. He masterfully depicts Guillermo’s driving desire to
become a vampire and gnawing fear that his dreams will never come true after nearly a
decade of service to Nandor. His evolution into an actual force to be reckoned with has
added a welcome new element to the show’s fabric.
Nandor has also undergone emotional evolution this season. After being a cold
and dismissive master to Guillermo for the first two seasons, Nandor has begun to
appreciate his erstwhile familiar. In the season premier, he protected Guillermo’s life
when his roommates wanted to execute him and a sense of genuine friendship has
begun to develop between the two, largely owing to Nandor’s respect for Guillermo’s
martial abilities. Nandor has also begun looking for romantic connection this season,
with hilarious results. In the second episode, Novak delivered rollicking impressions of
all the other main cast members as they each used a magical cloak to assume his form
to try to pick up a woman he had a crush on.
In addition to the personal and relational developments amongst the
housemates, the crew is now in charge of the vampiric council, following the last
edition’s massacre by Guillermo. This has given the writers ample opportunity to create
hysterical, mythical totems and historical texts, which has always been a strong point for
the show. From the aforementioned cloak of duplication to The Shroud of Urine (no, not
Turin) to Laszlo’s long-confiscated jalopy, the council’s headquarters have proven a
treasure trove of hilarious gags and mythical worldbuilding opportunities. The new
authority conferred by being on the council has also given Nadja a chance to shine as
well. Often on uneven footing as the only woman in a houseful of men, Nadja is a
powerful force to be reckoned with as the leader of the council. Demetriou’s strong, cutting performance continues to delight as she is given more room to work with.
After a hilarious first season largely relying on the inherent comedy of centuries-
old vampires living in the modern world, What We Do in the Shadows lost some
momentum during its second season as it sought to define the relationship of its
protagonists and find a framework for consistent storytelling. But in the third season the
show has hit on a strong formula to allow its talented and hilarious cast to shine. There
are a plethora of new possible storylines thanks to the group’s new job as vampiric
council and Guillermo’s emergence as a respected member of the group gives him
reason to stay even while his quest to become a vampire helps maintain a level of
tension.
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