What We Do In The Shadows has concluded its freshman run on FX in a subtle and satisfyingly cryptic season -finale. When Kiwi cult movies are reworked for adaptations, whether on the big screen or the small screen, they can go either way. Although, most of the time, tragic implementation shoots them on the wrong side. FX’s cult comedy, What We Do In The Shadows, was; however, quite thankfully different. It truly didn’t suck.
5 years ago, Jemaine Clement and indie film director Taika Waititi unleashed their vampire mockumentary farce What We Do in the Shadows on the world. It was mostly a one-and-done deal. After all, processing Vampiric folklore and legend regularly in the mill has only given us notoriously long romantic tragedies, or revenge tales. But who could’ve thought that jumpy nocturnal beasts can inspire such cheery, good omen? When Waititi and Clement bit on their gaping comedy again, the results were big, rewarding, and satirically hilarious.
After some calm reflection, we have catalogued this comprehensive and highly objective ranking of each episode.
#10 What We Do In The Shadows Episode 9, The Orgy.
There has to be a loser. What We Do In The Shadows on FX didn’t necessarily have to be unsparingly desperate. The bacchanal was unceasing, and unfortunately, unpleasing too. What We Do In The Shadows has always devoted a portion of its 20-minute footage to erotic impulses. Hence, when it gave away an entire 20-minute-episode to an anaemic, debauched story, one could not help but feel the show being aimlessly carnal. For an episode that sits between a chapter shedding light on America’s gun control problem and the show’s finale, The Orgy was unpleasantly tasteless and unpardonably un-directed.
#9 Episode 2, City Council
While the episode generates a lot of chuckles as it alternates between ambling and flying, it clearly depicts some flaws that fail to evade the eye (and conscience). The surreal humor does not come clean of bare-bone preconceptions. Yet again a demonic tribe is subject to an unholy patriarch, who is both intimidating and scandalous.
Thankfully enough; however, Baron Afanas has a befitting punch line for every occasion, which instills sufficient wit into the ambience. Nadja’s ability to brave behind-the-back banters about the Baron also carefully places her makes her the center of the episode and the entire series. Nandor’s casual disregard of Guillermo is also ticklish. The dialect conflict; however, fails to aptly satirize the script, allowing for confusion to set in.
As the squad appears before the Staten Island Borough Council, they invoke political hope. But an absence of an effective culmination mires all diplomacy into a quicksand of futility. Laszlo and Nandor make individual attempts to get their way through at the City Council. The execution is hilarious, but the procedure questions morality. Racoon infestation is a regular crisis. But if they don’t go away with negotiations, is slaughtering them and piling up their carcasses the only solution? The episode offers a lot of problems to think about. But it really doesn’t solve enough of them.
#8 Episode 2, Werewolf Feud
While that show was still as silly and weird as it was meant to be, it wasn’t, nevertheless, able to draw a line between the appropriate and the inappropriate. Laszlo; of course, enjoys making topiary sculptures of vulvas. But the entire gag isn’t exactly as laughable the narrative reveals that his sculptures, in turn, represent his mother and sister’s anatomy. Then later, during the werewolf feud, the show brings forth some prejudices in alignment with its folklore and legend. “You think a werewolf has to be Indian right?” The show challenges a stereotype. But doesn’t manage to reach the crux without wavering from logic.
The show still manages to induce quite a few chuckles. Colin Robinson finds romance with a new co-worker Evie Russell (Vanessa Bayer), the emotional vampire. There match, which was made probably somewhere south of heaven is perfect in its own nipping, irritable way. The lethargy vs despondency duel makes for a great sequence. in the middle of the office, which ultimately allows for their chemistry to shine. brightly, regardless of how desperately they both strive to avoid attention.
#7 What We Do In The Shadows Episode 5, Animal Control
The subject meticulously allowed the show to lampoon a contemporary world- and its wildlife issues. Where it failed; however, it lost an auspicious opportunity to satirize the issue in intelligent lambency. There was a lot to exploit, but most of the content went untapped. Animal Control, was; however, clearly not bad. When Laszlo, embodied by the bat, is held hostage at an animal shelter, his Vampire roommates must do all it takes to set him free. Since his wife Nadja is remains occupied reconnecting with her reincarnated lover Gregor..(played deliciously by the Murphy Brown alum Jake McDorman), it’s up to Nandor, Guillermo, and. the vexatious, blood-sucking Colin Robinson to save the day.
As one would expect, their hilarious goof-up causes Nandor to get captured instead of setting Laszlo free. The clunky attempts to free Laszlo are genuinely funny and entertaining, but the show’s returning insistence on using Nadja as a sex fiend dilutes its uproarious capacity. The frequent fantastically drab commentary and the well-divided (and well-assigned) classic one-liners set a chance for the plot and the characters to shine. Eventually, dismissing the arc-incinerated loop-holes that would have otherwise caused a few scenes to look forced.
#6 What We Do In The Shadows Episode 1, Pilot
Putting the pilot so down in the list actually remarks on how brilliant of a show is What We Do In The Shadows. The FX mockumentary premiered to immense critical acclaim and since its debut, it has only lifted up its stakes, except for a few exceptions. In its bloody-brilliant premiere, Shadows turns the lazy-documentary lens towards the lethargic, bored and hilariously drab vampires of the Staten Island.
The premiere involves a lot of themes, but not a whole lot of plot. Which is, for a pilot, a digestibly good thing. While the plot is much similar to Clement and Waititi’s film, the televised version of. What We Do In The Shadow is in many ways funnier and more insightful than its movie-counterpart. The pilot demonstrates commendable comic timing and quickly establishes that the show. isn’t here to actually stay in the shadows. Much like Baron Afanas, it’s here to let it all hang out. The series’ introduction is a fun pastiche of the vampire mythos and the true-crime in real-time culture.
#5 Episode 6, Baron’s Night Out
If you are not watching What We Do In The Shadows. to see a disfigured, genital deprived bat-mummy being propelled over. by its own vomit, what are you even watching the show for? While Shadow’s show-runners insist that they had only intended for their show to be a silly. satire, through its sixth episode it is more than clear that the show has become more than that. With Nadja’s lover Gregor (Or Jeff) and the quest for an all-world dominion now set aside, the vampires indulge in blood, drugs, and pizza-pie on a party-hearty Shadows.
While the episode lacked a central absurd detail like a cursed witch hat, the episode’s reliance on narrative humour and joke-a-minute scenario pumped in fresh life into a premise that was willfully fooling around. When the Baron went up in flames, it induced a sense of ambiguity as to what the show was trying to do. But as the episode wrapped up, it sent a string directly down to the finale that made it. clear that Shadows was aiming for a much larger conflict than what it had suggested during its premiere. The medieval karaoke, Colin’s New Jersey Devil hat, the sucking. of blood off drunk people, all were fairly entertaining gigs, although the episode had tried to keep its script. at margins to allow for a greater visual humour.
#4 What We Do In The Shadows Episode 4, Manhattan Night Club
As the Vampires of Staten Island ventured into Manhattan to make an alliance with a devious friend. (Simon The Devious), who was now the leader of Manhattan’s vampire, the episode penetrated tons of laughable gags. In its 4th episode, Shadows leaned hard into the much non-traditional vampire tropes. And at the same time, it brought in secondary characters like Guillermo and Jenna into focus. It was the first for the first time in this episode that Shadows depicted its ability to balance its act in being a sitcom and a hard-core dark mockumentary. And even if things go awry on the show due to complacent and lazy overtones, it can always summon. the likes of Nick Kroll, Veronika Slowikowska, and Byron Abalos to put a quick fresh spin to well-established tropes.
The misadventures around Laszlo’s cursed hats and. the central trio’s utter foolishness make for standout laugh-out-loud moments on the episode. While parallel arcs like the transition of Jenna into a vampire dissects. the mundanity of human existence, convincingly establishing the reason the show is here for.
#3 What We Do In The Shadows Episode 10, Ancestry
What We Do In The Shadows wrapped up its freshman run on a satisfying, almost-cliffhanger-y note. In what was precisely one of the show’s best episode, Shadows dealt conclusively with several. of its unnecessary elements including the Gregor-Nadja track, and brought into focus more. ambitious storyline all the way down from its folkloric backstories. The jokes, which are fast, low, intelligent, and sneaky, build up an exclusive style for the FX mockumentary. that is both extremely entertaining and highly riveting.
The Shadow’s finale brought the Staten vampires to church, unveiled crazy revelations about Guillermo’s bloodline and Laszlo’s knowledge of Nadja’s affair. But what made the episode so entertaining was the show’s ability to imbue humour even amid the most serious, dramatic manifestations. A running gag involving the vampires’ paranoia of the witches characterized the episode, every time making us laugh-out-loud. Towards the end, there was obviously the throw of a curveball. that will turn the tables for the central squad, as well as for the Vampire-familiar relationship.
#2 What We Do In The Shadows Episode 7, The Trial
The Vampires of Staten Island have transgressed their boundaries by dispensing off a vampiric royalty. What follows is a star-studded, riotous trial that at times takes the form of a musical, while at other times makes us laugh very hard. In an emotion-evoking journey of an episode, something that is very rare for a show involving dead smug people. wanting to give no *****, What We Do In The Shadows rallies up talent from all parts of the. industry, including from the show’s silver-screen counterpart to form a tribunal to assess an alleged crime.
Tilda Swinton leads the council. Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav, from the original WWDITS documentary, are present. There’s Evan Rachel Wood – the immortal princess of the undead, Danny Trejo (with his shirt off), and Paul Reubens (who actually doesn’t appear to have aged since the Buffy movie). Calling in via a glitchy Skype is half-vampire/vampire killer Wesley Snipes. While the episode successfully gets to mock justice, it sends a final damning message, along with several easter eggs. The message and eggs eventually lay the foundation for a new. premise, something, Shadows will only truly discover in its second season.
#1 What We Do In The Shadows Episode 8, Citizenship
For its uncanny awareness of a not-so-great-America, its pressing, contemporary socio-political issues, and ultimate resolution of a front-and-centre issue, this episode deserves to sit atop our list. In its strongest episode, Shadows boldly braved America’s immigration woes and debateable gun laws. You may argue that Vampires would obviously not care about any of these problems. And to be honest, they really didn’t. They just appealed to the commonest form of common-sense to deliver the message they had aimed to.
Even when the episode takes a break from the hilarious Nandor quips, it draws explicit parallels. between vampirism and puberty, which are at no point over-bearing. In her new role as a doting, responsible mother, Natasia Demetriou. finally gains momentum for her Nadja. Her new-found camaraderie is then, just cherry on top. Guillermo too has a very interesting arc in this episode. He is obviously hurt over learning that Jenna has been made into a vampire, a random thing that bugs him no end. Citizenship is both fun and inspired, and in between, it is only very responsible.
