You’d think after 700 years or so, vampires would have been everywhere. Not the fangs-ful crowd in “What We Do in the Shadows.”
In the first episode of the fifth season, Nandor, Nadja and Laszlo visit a mall for the first time. They’re there to celebrate Guillermo's birthday but they could just as well be checking up on Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), who’s now a surly waiter at the Red Rock Steakhouse.
Naturally, he does everything to displease the guests (he’s an energy vampire, after all) and prompt Nandor (Kayvan Novak) to show contempt for his familiar. “We’re not laughing with you, we’re laughing at you,” he says.
Guillermo, though, has a few passive-aggressive moves of his own and goes outside the house to seek friendship. If your master won’t turn you into a vampire, who will?
"What We Do in the Shadows"
That concept cracks a coffin of possibilities and puts Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) in a host of very funny situations.
While Nandor goes back to the gym to find a lasting relationship, Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) deals with family and finds folks from the old country.
Along for the ride: The Guide (Kristen Schaal) who offers plenty of advice to anyone not seeking it. Laszlo (Matt Berry), meanwhile, becomes friendly with neighbors and, soon, there’s an election, a most unlikely candidate and a scandal.
That loopy quality is what makes “WWDITS” so fun. Just when you think it’s headed down a familiar path, it pivots and finds a new vein.
Last season, Colin Robinson went through a fast growth spurt (he was reborn and experienced life as a baby, child and teen) before returning to his old boring self. That offered variety but what made the character so endearing is his ability to capture what you hate most about people. Now, at the restaurant (and points beyond), he’s back to draining the life out of a room.
Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) tries his hand at waiting tables in the fifth season of "What We Do in the Shadows."
In the first four episodes, the characters cover a realm of story ideas. Few settle down into a thread (like Nadja’s night club last season). Guillermo’s independence, however, could be the ticket. He doubles down on his dreams and even tells the faux documentarians he’ll pause so they can insert footage in their film.
Like “The Office,” “WWDITS” doesn’t toy much with the folks who are chronicling the Staten Island vampires’ lives. They’re simply a story-telling device that prompts good one-liners. When Laszlo checks out the mall, he shows great contempt for the businesses. “Bikini Warehouse?” he says as he passes by. “It’s a front for a brothel.”
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Because they had great success with far-flung journeys in the past, the producers are more willing to crack the door to other places that go bump in the night. As the casino episode proved, there’s gold just waiting to be mined from destinations that were once off-limits.
“What We Do in the Shadows” is just too good to close the lid on its talents. This season, home isn’t where the art is. It's anywhere a vampire can find it.
Season five premieres July 13 on FX.
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