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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Life as a vampire doesn’t quite work out for everybody.
What We Do in the Shadows‘s seventh episode of its second season is titled “The Return;” it is written and directed by series creator Jemaine Clement.
Some spoilers ahead for those of you who are not caught up with the episode or the series. If you haven’t done either, you should get to that now, then return to this article!
Clement delivers a well-written episode this week. The plot is divided into three subsections: in one part, the Staten Island vampires invite Simon the Devious (Nick Kroll) and a couple of his vampire friends into their home; in another subplot, Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak) discovers his familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) can kill vampires; and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) picks a fight with an online troll.
The jokes are so corny, but they seem to work their magic. The writing in this episode lures the vampires deep down into the sewers of New York and through the “shit pipe” that they come out relieved toward the end. The return of the Devious and his feud with Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry) over an unlucky hat resumes a hilarious plotline from last season, adding new dialogue and new background characters into the mix. The episode calls for a vampire version of Elvis Presley, three vampires by the names of “Neil, Patrick, and Harris,” and other vampire figures. At one point, Cravensworth even tries to protect his wife in the sewers by “pushing [herself] in front of [him],” which is absolutely outrageous writing to laugh at.
On Nandor and Guillermo’s side of the story, their dialogue over a slain vampire is just as laughable. Begin with the former’s line about “dust on the floor in the shape of a body,” Nandor continues to make obvious that there is a vampire that Guillermo killed and make ridiculous attempts at keeping this fact a secret from the others.
Lastly, Colin Robinson’s subplot continues his current season story arc about draining energy from others. In previous (fifth and sixth) episodes, he has tried to take the life forces of his colleagues and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou). His efforts become all the more challenging when he tries to drain through social media on the Internet. Robinson is successfully written as the most absurd Internet troll — such as his joke about living in an actual basement or his misspelling of the digital acronym “LMFAO” as “LMFO” instead — and Proksch’s performance in this episode extends to when he meets a troll in person.
The main cast of What We Do in the Shadows and their special guest star Nick Kroll all display performances of merit in “The Return,” but most especially characters Simon the Devious, Nandor the Relentless, and Colin Robinson stand out. Laszlo, Nandor, Guillermo, and Robinson develop further, with Berry’s Cravensworth letting go of an accursed hat, Novak’s Nandor soon discovering his familiar’s Van Helsing heritage (and Guillén’s Guillermo finally caught in the act), and Proksch’s character finding other means of draining power from others. Jemaine Clement ends the episode with Ofege’s song “It’s Not Easy,” tying everything about bonding and secrecy together.
This week’s episode shows us the paths we take may be perceived as typical but there’s always a different angle at looking at them.
10/10
Watch out Freddie Mercury, there’s a new champion in town. #ShadowsFX @m_proksch pic.twitter.com/0G25QaJ9iH
— What We Do In The Shadows (@theshadowsfx) May 21, 2020
What do you think? Have you seen this series? If not, do you plan to binge it sometime in the near future? Let us know! For more What We Do in the Shadows, FX, horror, and comedy-related news and reviews, follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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