What We Do in the Shadows is back on FX with its fourth season, and its immersively silly, strangely big-hearted vibe is exactly what the world needs right now. From the very first twang of Norma Tanega’s guitar in the theme song “You’re Dead,” your existential terror will be temporarily relieved by the over-the-top costumes and fang-bangin’ adventures of our beloved international vampires and an increasingly baroque cast of characters. Mine sure was, and that’s not something to take for granted these days.
As someone who once counted the 2014 mockumentary of the same name alongside the Great British Bake Off as 4 a.m. comfort food during a very dark time, I was surprised to find I liked the television show even more when it premiered in 2019. This little goofy TV spinoff offered plenty of opportunities for growth to its characters on top of the terrific writing. While What We Do in the Shadows isn’t quite on the level of, say, Amy Sherman-Palladino and her wise-cracking Gilmore Girls in terms of the sheer speed and volume of pop culture references, I have found that subtitles are necessary to catch every brilliantly tossed-off phrase. (“So, the Night Market kind of goes on forever. It’s sort of infinite, and it has dark, dirty asides — a bit like me!” Nadja quips.) And while I was concerned the show writers had painted themselves into a corner with the end of last season and its international cliffhanger, the first four episodes of Season 4 have me convinced this show is even smarter than I’d given it credit for.
Season 3 of What We Do in the Shadows ended with the death of Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), inadvertently triggering a group exodus from their cozy Staten Island abode. That season finale felt like the end of high school, with everyone scattering in different directions and promising to keep in touch and “stay cool!” — when no one really keeps in touch and, frankly, none of us were that cool to begin with.
Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) was off to realize her Working Girl dreams sans shoulder pads in the UK with a new gig at the Vampiric Council, while her louche hubby Laszlo (Matt Berry) would continue enjoying the hedonism he’d grown accustomed to over the centuries by her side. Meanwhile, Nandor (Kayvan Novak) was off to “eat-prey-love” with his familiar-turned-bodyguard Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), whom Nandor had promised to finally turn into a vampire once they reached Nandor’s mythical homeland of Al Qolnidar.
At the last minute, and with no small amount of trickery, Laszlo stayed behind, sending an unwilling Guillermo in his place to take care of Nadja in his stead. Meanwhile, Nandor waited sadly on a train platform all alone. When the mockumentary crew uncovers what Laszlo has found to make him take such radical actions, well, it’s the sort of revelation that would make Jackie Daytona swallow his own toothpick: a tiny baby with Mark Proksch’s face, clutching Colin’s atrociously ugly glasses and covered in goo, has apparently crawled out of the remains of their supremely annoying housemate.
Colin’s whole energy vampire deal is mysterious, even to the other vampires. All we know is he “came with the house.” And weirdly enough, Laszlo’s first impulse when he sees this extremely creepy baby is to give up his debaucherous plans of traveling to Europe with his wife to take care of it. With the premiere of Season 4, we learn that he doesn’t do a great job of parenting. When the roomies return, the house is a disaster — but, hey, the kid is still alive, or undead, or whatever he is.
Laszlo, it seems, has decided to become a different sort of daddy. While it’s clear that in the past, Laszlo, his wife Nadja, and Nandor have enjoyed each other’s company in a sensual manner, as Matt Berry might say as his alter ego in Toast of London, this is the first inkling we have of anything familial.
By the time the fourth season kicks off, this weird baby has grown up to be a toddler of doom. Over the first four episodes given to critics, he continues to grow exponentially, with a whole host of his own weird ideas and interests, such as musical theater and Legos, much to his guardian’s displeasure. You’d think this knowingly annoying kid stuff would grow grating to the audience, but somehow energy vampire Colin as a child just feels right. Maybe because children sort of already are energy vampires? Plus, it gives the writers an opportunity to go even deeper with Laszlo, who in Berry’s hands has become sort of a heartfelt Falstaff of the series.
Guillermo is none too pleased with his erstwhile entombment to and from London, but he also seems to have a love interest, teasing new character growth. As for Nadja and Nandor, they seem to brush off the events of the last season pretty easily and the arc of the season picks up. Oddly enough, Nadja doesn’t seem to be jealous of all the time Laszlo is spending with the kiddo. Instead, she decides to launch a nightclub for vampires with the help of the Guide (Kristen Schaal) and her rascally wraiths. Meanwhile, Nandor is busy trying to find the love of his life by reincarnating his ex-wives with the help of a Djinn (Anoop Desai).
“Some of my wives were girl-wives, some of my wives were guy-wives,” Nandor explains ahead of a delightful montage of courtship rituals, including one all-too-brief scene of Nandor wrestling in a leather chest harness with one of his muscular male exes. In a world where queer-baiting is de rigeur even in Disney movies — Thor: Love and Thunder is “so gay”(opens in a new tab)? Really? — but LGBTQ+ rights are under attack, it’s refreshing to see some unflinching queerness without fanfare or apology. Short bisexual king Laszlo also invites Nandor to join his raucous reunion with Nadja at the beginning of the first episode. Although Nandor has other things on his mind and takes a rain check, that isn’t the first time the show has alluded to the male leads’ bisexuality, not that I’m keeping track or anything. Plus, let’s be frank, Novak is built like a brick shithouse; he should not be allowed to wear shirts ever.
At the risk of getting touchy-feely on main, 'What We Do in the Shadows' Season 4 is what I want from my entertainment and in my life: wildly creative people from around the world doing their own thing and finding happiness and meaning along the way — whatever that looks like.
The world of What We Do in the Shadows unfurls as the vampires leave their home in Staten Island and explore other fanciful locations. They even encounter other magical beings, like uncanny Valkyries and foul-mouthed fae. The writers’ room has clearly been hard at work building out the rules of this universe, along with the fabulous production design. Nadja’s full ‘90s goth fantasy would fit right in at Wave-Gotik-Treffen(opens in a new tab), and don’t think I didn’t notice that Laszlo’s hair is streaked red to match her highlights.
At the risk of getting touchy-feely on main, What We Do in the Shadows Season 4 is what I want from my entertainment and in my life: wildly creative people from around the world doing their own thing and finding happiness and meaning along the way — whatever that looks like. Maybe it’s running your own successful vampire nightclub styled after the rave scene in Blade. Maybe it’s figuring out how to be a better, more accepting parent and breaking the bonds of generational trauma. Maybe it’s using up all of your Djinn wishes on things like embiggening your undead weiner and bringing your exes back from the grave, only to find your soulmate is right under your nose, protecting you with his life despite his vampire-killing heritage and a budding romance of his own. I’m just guessing on that last part, by the way. After all, a major part of the fun of What We Do in the Shadows is that this bizarro journey of these lovable rogues is just as unpredictable as they are.
What We Do in the Shadows(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Hulu.(opens in a new tab)
