What We Do in the Shadows (2019) s03e05 – The Chamber of Judgement

It’s a very situational comedy type of episode, with the cast pairing off again for side adventures before coming together at the end. The main plot is Kayvan Novak and Natasia Demetriou’s first time meting out justice at the Vampiric Council. Right after they decide who gets to sit on the throne. It’s a series of good bits, starting with Kristen Schaal teasing Harvey Guillén, then the throne bickering (the show nods at “Game of Thrones” without ever bringing it up), and then the actual cases before Novak and Demetriou. One of those cases—involving a return guest star (Chris Sandiford)—ends up being the crucial one the rest of the episode tracks. Any others mentioned are just gags.

At the same time, new duo Matt Berry and Mark Proksch are going over to neighbor Anthony Atamanuik’s for a guys’ night. Atamanuik and his human friends want to watch sports; Proksch has brought an Agatha Christie role-playing game. Presumably, it’s going to be a very dull evening. Then Atamanuik reveals he’s got another reason for inviting everyone over, and the subplot charges course. A little bit down the line in the subplot, we get an absolutely hilarious but complete throwaway scene with Berry playing lawyer, just so it can all tie together for the finale.

And then it ends up being something of a bridging episode; its only point is to bring Sandiford into the show as semi-regular.

The episode’s funny. The performances are all good. The script—credited to William Meny—misses quite a few apparent tangents and details. At least two of them seem like they would’ve provided better material than what they’ve got. For example, Atamanuik gets tiresome fast, and there’d be more of a joke to the situation with more thoughtful details. It’s situational comedy without fully realized situations. There are also too many throwaway gags; they run through the jokes this episode. None of them build. It only works because of the cast and Kyle Newacheck’s direction. They’re able to make the one-note jokes funny, time and again. Especially with Sandiford, part of his character is being a one-note joke, and it gets thinner as the episode progresses. The script doesn’t even have a real punchline for it. Just a series of gags and then an epilogue gag.

Also, the episode wastes Proksch, who keeps introducing potentially lively elements, and then the episode goes somewhere else without him. It’s an inglorious use of Proksch for sure. And maybe having seven-ish regulars is too many.

But most of the laughs are good. Most of the jokes land. They’d better too; they’re such easy ones.

What We Do in the Shadows (2019) s03e04 – The Casino

One of the things about “What We Do in the Shadows,” back in the first season, was the high number of standout episodes. Thanks to the lack of overarching narrative, week after week, the show could deliver these great done-in-ones. This episode is the first (and hopefully not only) great done-in-one for Season Three. It’s the first episode credited to Sarah Naftalis, whose been in the room since Season Two; Yana Gorskaya directs; she’s done a bunch of great episodes.

If the title weren’t a giveaway, the episode very quickly sets it up. The vampires are going with their human neighbors to Atlantic City. There are a few vampire details—the vampires have to bring their dirt with them from their coffins; otherwise, they won’t be able to sleep and will lose their magic and become irritable—and a quick moment with Kristen Schaal (who doesn’t need to be in it but it’s like she’s a regular, yay), then it’s off to AC. In a party bus. With a bunch of drunk humans.

The neighbors, Anthony Atamanuik and Marissa Jaret Winokur are renewing their vows. They were on a standout episode from last season, where they got a lot more to do. I’d forgotten Atamanuik being a big fan of the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy, which turns out to be a plot point and part of the third act gag. It’s excellent stuff and possibly even funnier not remembering the mega-fanning has already been introduced. It’s such a strange franchise to obsess about. The episode will introduce another one when Kayvan Novak becomes obsessed with “The Big Bang Theory” thanks to a slot machine.

“The Big Bang Theory” detail jokes themselves are, of course, limited because how funny could you really make them, but it figures into the plot twice in unexpected ways, and they’re both doozies. Everything in the episode, except maybe the surprise resolve in the finish, Harvey Guillén’s side adventure (there’s not enough room for all four vampires and Guillén), and the truncated vampires bonding with Guillén material, everything’s a doozy. And of those three lesser bits, only Guillén’s side adventure isn’t really funny. Thanks to Guillén’s performance, the absurdity of the adventure, and the direction, it’s amusing and cute, but it’s not a comedy gag. The surprise resolve is just over in a few seconds because of narrative efficiency, and the truncated bonding seems to be promising something more going forward. I mean, they better get back to Matt Berry interrogating Guillén about his parents’ sex life. Sex is the only thing Berry ever wants to talk about, and they’re trying to include Guillén more since he’s now officially their bodyguard.

The rest of the jokes are all hilarious. Everyone gets a bit of an arc, with Natasia Demetriou’s night out with Winokur and the girls getting interrupted when she sees old friends. Novak and Mark Proksch have an arc together, while Berry’s got one with Atamanuik. It’s all spectacularly paced, phenomenal comedy. Great work from the cast, great work from the crew. The script’s truly superb.

What We Do in the Shadows (2019) s02e03 – Brain Scramblies

This episode leaves me with grave concerns—no pun—over Harvey Guillén’s continuing vampire hunter storyline. Vampire familiar Guillén has not only learned he’s a Van Helsing, he’s also proven himself a master vampire hunter already—killing off the Nosferatu sent after his familiar and his housemates. This episode has him meeting a team of would be vampire hunters (led by Craig Robinson, who it is nice to see but it feels like assurance stunt casting) and bonding with them. Including returning Veronika Slowikowska, who was a bit player last season as Beanie Feldstein’s friend; Slowikowska saw Feldstein slowly turn into a vampire… and this season Feldstein’s way too busy to guest on “What We Do” so Slowikowska.

Given the rest of the episode is consistently laugh out loud and need to catch your breath funny, I “trust” the show not to be messing up with the vampire hunters thing… but I’m still concerned. I don’t see how they can pull it off.

The rest of the episode is Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, and Mark Proksch going over to the neighbors’ Super Bowl party. Except the vampires (not energy vampire Proksch) think it’s a Superb Owl party. They’re big fans of owls. It’s already hilarious before they get to the neighbors’ and then it just gets funnier and funnier.

While Demetriou hangs out in the kitchen with the wives, astounded how “strong, beautiful, vicious, vibrant” mortal women end up married to such “boiled potatoes.” In particular she’s talking about hosts Anthony Atamanuik and Marissa Jaret Winokur. The arc with Winokur soon includes Atamanuik’s elderly mother, Sondra James, who Demetriou played with when James was a child, and it’s absolutely hilarious, giving Demetriou a full range to play. It’s her episode.

Meanwhile, Berry and Novak manage to scramble Atamanuik’s brains with over-hypnosis and need to fix him. Their arc’s funny too, with some breath-stoppers, but nothing compared to Demetriou’s.

Plus Proksch feeding off sports bros.

It’s a fantastic episode. If the Guillén stuff weren’t eh, it’d probably be the series best.