Being a fan of What We Do in the Shadows has often made me feel like a vampire myself. I feel like we’re all part of a secret society of fans who love the mockumentary—following the story of Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav—but clearly, with the introduction of the television version of the cult-like classic, I’m not alone in the darkness.
From Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, the show has the exact same feel that we came to know and love from the movie, but with a whole host of new characters! Set in Staten Island, Nadja, Laszlo, and Nandor live in a home together, having fled Europe in fear for their lives as vampires. Here, they found their human counterpart, Guillermo, who will do anything for Nandor in hopes that he will become a vampire on the anniversary of his 10th year of employment.
To be honest, the show just feels like a fun continuation of the film, which is a good thing: the same outrageous stories of their pasts, going out in public openly dressed as vampires, and not hiding their true selves from the world. Tonally, they flow together flawlessly, which is probably due to the fact that the show is directed by Taika Waititi himself (who co-directed the film with Jemaine Clement) and was created for television by Clement, as well.
Their hands are all over it, and we wouldn’t have it any other way—unless they want to include Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav into the show, as well. That’d be a welcome change.
The first episode of the series serves to introduce us to our new vampires, brings the Baron to their home (to yell at them), and gives us a look at how the show is going to stand apart from the film while also giving us the same feel we love from the mockumentary before it.
One of the major differences, though, comes in the form of a new kind of vampire … an energy vampire.
Nicedir yolunu gözlediğim “What We Do in the Shadows” başladı. Yarım saatlik ölümcül mizahını test ettim ve müjdemi isterim; filmi sevenler kesinlikle hayal kırıklığına uğramayacak. Enerji vampiri Colin Robinson, sen nasıl bir kralsın? pic.twitter.com/2OpPOIyQKR
— Kaan Karsan (@kkarsan) March 28, 2019
Colin Robinson is probably the best new character in the series, just draining everyone he talks to of their energy and their willpower, being the “Toby” to the rest of his housemates. Maybe I love Colin most of all? We’ll have to wait and see how his character pans out in the show, but for a pilot, What We Do in the Shadows did a great job of giving us a healthy balance of what we’d expect out of a series followup to the film and giving us new characters and storylines to invest ourselves in.
What We Do in the Shadows airs Wednesdays on FX. If you’re a fan of the movie, this is a perfect continuation of this format, these outrageous vampires, and their fun connections to the humans (and hopefully werewolves) that exist in their world!
(image: FX)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
