TV Obsessive
What We Do In the Shadows “Collaboration”
Jill: What We Do In the Shadows continually surprises viewers as one of the wittiest, best-written, best-acted shows on television. My favorite troupe of vampires and familiars returned this week, and along with belly laughs, this week they showed up with songs, old friends with demands and a surprise about a pillow, and sad attempts and hook-ups between familiars.
Each of these vampires carries him or herself with all of the confidence of a centuries’-old alpha predator. It isn’t only confidence. These vampires really like themselves. Part of what makes them so delightful to me is the difference between their self-images and how the rest of the world perceives them.
A possible exception is Colin Robinson, who doesn’t seem to care about how much power he acquires through energy sucking. His thrills come from the process, and his gleeful pursuit of the perfect emotional torture is a huge part of what ties this show together so well.
Plotwise, not a lot went down this week, but that suits me just fine. I’m more interested in character development, and this episode packed loads of character exposition between the 30 minutes goalposts.
It turns out our Laszlo is a victim of song theft. Sure, he wrote a few duds that had questionable rhymes like “hoop skirt/poop skirt” and “cream/cream,” but he also wrote a few hits! Such big hits they were stolen and reshaped into songs like “Come On, Eileen,” and “Wannabe.” Nadja, of course, headlined as his warble-throated lyricist and singer.
That led naturally to Colin Robinson’s latest attempt at a feast on people’s anger and boredom: a local open mic night featuring Nadja and Laszlo (Brilliant! What could be worse, really?). At first, the audience booed, but then they rallied by rousing the audience into a sing-along with “Kokomo,” much to Colin Robinson’s despair.
The on-stage performance of the “human musical group” is not to be missed.
On the Nandor-Guillermo front, Guillermo finally managed to extract a promise from Nandor to make him a vampire. He narrowly missed an opportunity for a new pillow.
Notably missing from this episode was the Nadja doll, which quickly became a fan favorite after introduction this season. I’m sure she’ll be back. She’d be a great addition to the band.
Those are our recommendations this week! What are yours? Let us know in the comments!
