What We Do in the Shadows Gets Ready to Say Goodbye

There’s no reality in which I’ll ever be ok with not checking in on the latest stupid misadventures of Staten Island’s most ineffectual vampires in FX’s What We Do in the Shadows. For six seasons, this mockumentary series spin-off of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s 2014 cinematic comedy of the same name has consistently earned its place as the go-to comedy antidote from everything serious that plagues us whiney humans. It remains impossible to not laugh at Laszlo’s (Matt Berry) outlandish undulating elocution; Nadja’s (Natasia Demetriou) perpetual exasperation with her roomies; Nandor’s (Kayvan Novak) eternal fussiness; and Colin Robinson’s (Mark Proksch) gleefully beige existence.

However, I also can’t fault showrunner Paul Simms and the show’s incredibly talented cast for wanting to go out on top. Based on the three episodes provided for review, this sixth and final season seems to be structured as an opportunity for the vamps to address their lack of forward momentum at conquering the New World, while also helping their former Familiar/current human pal Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) with his next steps in life.

One of the delights of Shadows has always been the chaotic whims that sweep in to preoccupy the attentions of each vampire every season. While Guillermo has maintained his laser focus on being turned into a vampire every season up until this one, the vamps have never had that kind of single-minded dedication to anything for very long. But the season premiere awakening of their long-lost fifth roommate, Jerry (Mike O’Brien), and his dismay at their lack of progress in crushing humanity while he napped for 50 years reminds them they did have a to-do list they’re very tardy in accomplishing.

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The ushering out of their proverbial mind cobwebs also spurs Laszlo to return to a previously failed pursuit with the help of a very needy Colin Robinson that will keep the pair occupied at what becomes dual purposes. With spoilers verboten by FX, it is safe to say that it’s been a joy to witness the oil and water pairings of Laszlo and Colin since they started going on side adventures together in Season 3. There’s also some surprising sympathy elicited for Colin that Proksch runs with in unexpected ways.

Meanwhile, in the second episode of the season, “Headhunting,” Nadja and Nandor get nervous that now normie Guillermo might rat them out to human society, so they take it upon themselves to shadow him at his new day job in the mailroom at Cannon Capital. Doing their best/worst human impressions, Nadja busts out her most ridiculous Working Girl shoulder pads, while Nandor utterly wrecks the place as a clueless janitor, helping Guillermo climb up the corporate ladder in the most dire ways possible. A showcase for the physical comedy perfection of all three, watching the vampires fail so miserably at not being weird never gets old.

Of course, the writers continue to throw quality jokes at the audience at a breakneck speed, with plenty being situational. But even more of the comedy now comes from our learned history of these vampires with their quirks and triggers fully established and exploitable by new characters and the show’s expanded ensemble of recurring characters. Plus, Matt Berry remains a national treasure for how he continues to wring maximum sexual innuendo and comedic flare from even the most mundane word pairings. Jack Shack, anyone?

If anything feels a little unfocused it’s ultimately where Guillermo goes now that he’s rejected living a vampire existence. The outside job episode is a hoot because his clinging friends have issues letting him go, but how he remains as vital in their orbit remains to be seen. Lazlo and Colin’s arc, the return of a very funny Jerry and the tipping up of other full circle moments starts this last hurrah on a high note. That it also feels like more of the ridiculous same is comforting as well because I don’t think I could take it if the show imposed any kind of true finality on these characters.

What We Do in the Shadows premieres with three episodes on Monday, October 21 at 10pm ET/PT on FX, streaming the next day on Hulu.

Tara Bennett is a Los Angeles-based writer covering film, television and pop culture for publications such as SFX Magazine, NBC Insider, IGN and more. She’s also written official books on Sons of Anarchy, Outlander, Fringe, The Story of Marvel Studios, Avatar: The Way of Water and the latest, The Art of Ryan Meinerding. You can follow her on Twitter @TaraDBennett or Instagram @TaraDBen

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