#always let Nadja and Nandor have episodes about the two of them

[thetorturedlovergirl]

Laszlo’s storyline: DADDY ISSUES. PAIN. TRAUMA. ACCEPTANCE. BETRAYAL.

Nandor and Nadja’s storyline: hehehehehehehe let’s fucking destroy the house next to us and kill those “shapeshifters” heheheheheheh

[lassofthemoon]

My thoughts on the finale.

I finally watched the finale.

I definitely enjoyed it more than I expected, however I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. 

The writers spent the entire episode beating it into our brains that the vampires are inherently stagnant and unchanging. Guillermo and the audience are troubled by this fact because we are human. In the short time we have here on this Earth, we strive for change, transformation and evolution to assign meaning to our existence. The tragedy of being a vampire is that everything becomes meaningless when you live for eternity.

The documentary ending is just another day in the eternal life of the vampires. An emotional send off would feel disingenuous and we’re left with the knowledge that the vampires will continue doing the same thing every single day they’ve always done over and over again. I suppose the fact that they will remain together as a chosen family is the only comfort we can take away from our final moments with Nadja, Laszlo, Colin and The Guide. I think this is a fitting end for these characters. Maybe it's not satisfying for us but if they're happy, then who are the audience of mere, weak, feeble minded humans to judge?

Nandor and Guillermo, on the other hand, are embarking on a new adventure together as equals, something of which is new in their relationship and new for Nandor in general.

Of all the vampires, Nandor is the only one who views vampirism as a curse and craves for a purpose, a deeper meaning to give his eternal life, a new path to explore, a victory to conquer and a partner to share his heart with. 

In the final moments of the series we are given a glimmer of hope that Nandor will not fall victim to the endless cycle of stagnancy as the other vampires happily will because he has changed, he is changing and will continue to change. 

Nandor built a secret lair underneath the house only accessible by coffin elevator in the span of two weeks. I'd say that's character growth right there. 

Guillermo being a human has undergone so many changes throughout the series and despite everything, he continues to choose Nandor. I'd say that's still a win for the Nandermo shippers.

No, it's not a kiss or a hug or a declaration of romantic love and everyone who is upset that our ship was not made exclusively canon have every right to be. However, I might be in the minority here but I'm at peace with what was implied if you read between the lines. 

Nandor has always dropped hints of his true thoughts and feelings and then backtracks with sarcasm or backhanded compliments to save face on camera. That’s always been his style.

Let’s be real here. The main reason that Nandor thinks it’s good that the documentary is ending is because he can express himself more freely and openly with Guillermo now.

I was anticipating an ambiguous ending for Nandor and Guillermo anyway. 

Therefore I’m satisfied with the last moment I will ever lay eyes on them.

Nandor broke the cycle and Guillermo stayed, so anything can happen for them now.

All Nandor ever wanted was hope and true love to which he found in Guillermo. 

All Guillermo ever wanted was to be treated as an equal and seen, heard and understood by Nandor.

In one of my last posts I said that the s5 finale was the real finale and that the series finale was being treated as a joke. Now that I have had some time to think and digest the ending, I am actually quite pleased.

In the context of a show about tragic stagnation, I'd say being left with a spark of hope, the first steps made towards change for a new beginning and an ambiguous ending where the possibilities are infinite for Nandor and Guillermo, I'd say we won. 

[emmabirb8]

Ok ok, but have you thought about the fact that throughout the series, Nandor has saved or protected Guillermo's life just as much as Guillermo has saved and protected Nandor's? Because I have, and I am feeling Ways about it.

Obviously, Guillermo has always gone  above and beyond for Nandor as far as familiar duties go, and he has slain countless vamps to protect not only Nandor but also the rest of the household. It's a given and it's been a given from the start that Guillermo would do anything to keep Nandor (and his other housemates by extension) safe. He has outright said they are his found family, and it definitely shows. 

Well, in a slightly subtler way, the case is the same for Nandor. God, the things that Nandor has done for Guillermo - the risks he's taken, the knee-jerk reactions, the choices he's made? It is profound.

Consider that Nandor a. as a vamp is not expected to care about his familiar beyond using him as a tool to get things done, b. believes acting "aloof," aka unbothered and unconcerned, is key, and most importantly c. struggles heavily with identifying, working through, and expressing his emotions. AND YET, without even stopping to think about it, he:

Stepped in to stop that hungry vamp at Simon's club (Manhattan Night Club)

Refused to let Guillermo be eaten by the Vampiric Council (The Trial)

Stopped Topher from drowning him (Resurrection)

Kept Guillermo's slaying a secret after discovering that he had dusted Carol (The Return)

Told Celeste to "be kind to Guillermo" when he thought she was gonna be his new vampire mistress (arguably, this counts bc he was making an effort to ensure Guillermo would be treated well and kept alive under Celeste's watch) (Collaboration)

Defended him against the wrath of Nadja and Laszlo (the housemates Nandor has known, lived with, and loved for far longer than he's known Guillermo) who were 100% prepared to kill him every single night for a month while he was imprisoned in the basement (The Prisoner)

"Yanked" Guillermo away from the line of fire when he was acting as bait for The Sire and attempted to fix the situation himself (The Escape)

Immediately dove into the sewage hole in the floor to rescue Guillermo when he fell in (Reunited)

Volunteered to battle him in place of a more dangerous vampire at the Night Market (The Night Market)

Made sure he was okay at the end of the fight after pretending to snap his neck (The Night Market)

Nandor is the KING of repression, but actions speak louder than words, babes. This is not even counting the times he has shown outward kindness, affection for, and attachment to Guillermo to the point where it's entirely too conspicuous for anyone to believe he's not in love with him. (Tho he's apparently managed to fool himself well enough, hasn't he? lmao) 

Hell, I'm in a listing mood - let's recount those moments too, shall we?

Just off the top of my head, Nandor has canonically also:

Made Guillermo a glitter portrait depicting the two of them together as vampires as a gift to celebrate his anniversary of becoming his familiar (that he was clearly proud of and excited about and that clearly took a lot of effort and planning ❤) in the very first episode 

Held him up above his head to help him reach higher places when dusting and held him up in front of a mirror so he could experience the sensation of flying (like what vampire does that fr???? he was down bad even in the earliest eps) 

Become a blubbering mess worrying where Guillermo was while high on drug blood 

On multiple occasions actually took him flying by wrapping his arms tenderly around him ���, then admitted he was his friend out loud in front of Nadja and the camera crew as early as ep 4 after feeling guilty about accidentally dropping him during a flight

Played chess with him (and it's implied this is a regular thing for them 🥹)

Been visibly upset each time Guillermo has left - it's heavily implied he missed even the smallest gestures like the hand holding, and he outright verbally expressed his hurt feelings in front of the entire Theatre des Vampires

Been distraught enough after the Celeste situation that he attempted to "win" Guillermo back first by talking to him and then by giving him another gift with the "beating off" pillow, and then actually complied with Guillermo's requests to be more respected and given breaks after that

Taken the time to go down and keep Guillermo company while he was imprisoned in the basement and made a genuine attempt to give him better quality food

Urged Nadja and Laszlo to treat Guillermo with more respect and to try to take an interest in his life at the casino

Reacted in a way that wasn't even the slightest bit angry (and in fact, he appeared grateful for it besides becoming excessively horny on main) about The Slap

Said he has "grown to have some affection for" Guillermo out loud to his face (which, for someone as repressed as Nandor, is huge)

Offered a very blatantly romantic turning scenario in which he expressed a desire to share soil with Guillermo, which, again, is huge 

Become markedly upset that Guillermo never showed up at the train station to accompany him on his trip

Started making steps in the direction of reversing their dynamic in s4 by doing things like helping Guillermo dry off and getting him a glass of water after he fell into the hole, paying more genuine attention to him and his life, expressing a desire for Nadja and Laszlo to be more serious and respectful of him, valuing his input (esp for the dick wish), and being appreciative of all the work he has constantly put in for him (whenever using his new penis 😏) 

Offered Guillermo the position of best man at his wedding which was clearly of utmost importance to Nandor, even more so than finding someone to marry in the first place 

Actually remembered the exact amount of years Guillermo has been his familiar/bodyguard and called him his "closest companion" in front of lots of other (arguably dangerous) vampires 

Been so excited and proud of Guillermo's moves when he was battling other familiars at the Night Market to the point of exclaiming "that's my fucking guy!"

Called Guillermo his friend out loud again when he got visibly worried he may have killed him

Admitted to Guillermo that he was afraid right before his wedding (!!!!), looked at Guillermo longingly/lovingly, accidentally revealed his desire to literally hug Guillermo close and kiss his face through his wish about Marwa (!!!!!!), and took a moment to whisper sweet nothings to Guillermo and cover him up when he discovered he'd fallen asleep (!!!!!!!!!)

Dorkily but sweetly prevented Guillermo from falling in the bg shot of Go Flip Yourself (like, truly, why would he care omfgggg he's so in love it's making him look stupid)

Actually made a very misguided but solid follow-through attempt to fix the Freddie situation as soon as he realized how upset Guillermo was about it

IT'S JUST SOOOO MUCH!!! I've been going through the series highlighting Nandermo moments for creative idea purposes in these last few weeks, and I can honestly say that I believe there are possibly more instances where Nandor has hinted at or displayed his feelings toward Guillermo than there are of Guillermo hinting at or displaying his feelings for Nandor. It's fucking insane you guys. 💖

[ineffably-human]

Hey there, vampire family, let's talk about sex. (Again. Because I think I've written some of the broad strokes here once before.)

I see a lot of people saying Nandermo is on its way because Nandor realizes how he feels now. And I am not trying to kill the party vibe, seriously I'm not. But I think he's still got a lot of dots to connect. Nandor knows 'Guillermo matters to me' and 'I am doing this thing to impress Guillermo' and 'I am mad Guillermo finds this other person more interesting', all of which says Guillermo is a very important friend who can make him do stupid shit - but certainly isn't someone he loves or would consider a romantic partner.

On the flip side, and this may be contributing to Guillermo's status as a vampire: I think Guillermo's sexuality is blossoming, but he's still holding back. Guillermo has always framed sex as something he doesn't want to talk about, because that's an inhibition he was raised with (and he was closeted to boot). He has heart-eyes aplenty for Nandor, he's been jealous of Nandor's relationships, but it's never clear he's yearning for anything more physical than a hug.

I still don't think he knows that's something he wants from the relationship. In fact, he wants to close his eyes and walk away from most sex he sees - even though he's been surrounded by the weirdest, kinkiest, most casual sex for well over a decade, as part of the very lifestyle he wants. (And Nadja's now confirmed, the vampires fuck each other all the time.)

That doesn't even change with Freddie, by the way, where they awkward-hug hello and walk arm in arm. Then we cut to him walking in on Freddie and Nandor snuggling naked in furs. He doesn't ever kiss Freddie, but Freddie's clone does. The contrast could not be more clear.

Guillermo's said that he doesn't feel any sexier, like he expects being a vampire to change that for him. But does that mean it would make him more desirable or more open to desire?

(And if Guillermo is some form of ace that's totally fine too, of course, it'd be so cool to have an ace vampire of all things. But I don't know if the show's going there. And it'd be weird if Guillermo's dream this whole time was actually some kind of forced self-conversion therapy.)

But he's making inroads. Last year he came out and had a boyfriend, however chaste that was. Whether Guillermo is a virgin or not, his bungled turning is treated like a horrible first sexual experience - we've all talked about that by now. And if you contrast that with Guillermo's Pride experience...

Even in the scene before the space thing, his conversation with Nandor hits different. Guillermo's vibe with Nandor is different than everyone else in the house, and his reaction to Nandor going to space feels downright flirty. And I am fascinated with how the show frames Nandor's descent: Guillermo reacting to Nandor crashing with 'oh my God' (and the vampiric reaction that gives him, a sudden puff of smoke, aka heat!). Nandor looming over Guillermo naked to gloat, before he ever approaches the crowd. For a moment, the joke isn't that Nandor's a bare-assed flaming disaster in front of everyone. It's something that's completely between the two of them.

And then they're walking side by side, a true duo again for the first time in a while, when they come across the rest of the household - and Guillermo immediately nopes out. Which, well, is understandable. There's a lot of reasons he doesn't want to touch that, literally.

But Nandor asks, "are you sure?" Because in his head he just got his friend back, and sex to Nandor is as casual as breathing.

Sex as a vampire is just something you do, and any deep emotion is secondary and special. I think it's a mental hurdle Guillermo has to navigate, either by some sort of supernatural change or (I suspect) just understanding what that means to him. And I think they're going to sleep together in a casual way - maybe as part of that sexy-gross episode Paul Simm has been teasing, which certainly sounds like a vampire orgy to me - before Nandor realizes he's feeling anything like love.

But it's going to feel different than anything else in the room. And that's going to uncork some things for both of them - very different things, but both coming to the same conclusion.

[myckicade]

Thoughts on the Finale Double-Header

Because I have so many, I want to corral them into one post, instead of the fifty or sixty I could make.

I'm genuinely surprised by all of the posts concerning dislike - and even hatred - for the finale. Not calling anyone out! Everyone gets their own opinion, and I stick by that, 100%! While I feel that it could have benefitted from another episode or two, or even another week for the final episode (which was surely impossible due to the Season Opener of the NFL next Thursday night), I loved this season. I think it contains some of their best stuff yet. The inter-character growth has felt fantastic, everyone getting closer, even without openly admitting it in audible words. Every episode made me feel something positive, which was nice. (See my notes on Mayans M.C. for how I react to negative feelings... Heh...).

I'll dive into the Nandermo first, because why not? This entire season has been about hiding betrayal, which has been just delicious. Like a group of friends who uncover infidelity amongst a long-married couple, unsure of what to do, but not wanting either party to get hurt. (They knew the guilty one had it coming, but they still tried to keep things hush-hush). I loved that Nandor knew not only what would draw Guillermo out of hiding, but he knew where to find Mama de la Cruz. (Because, let's face it, he was never going to hurt the woman. Fucker nearly got staked because he was so distracted). The intensity of Nandor's forgiveness, for lack of a better term, the whole time they had that stake between them? MM. It was better than makeup sex, because it was heartfelt, and genuine, if a little raw and drowning in hurt. Nandor getting everyone together for his turning-back ceremony? Happily staking the fucking guy who turned his familiar? Knowing Guillermo wasn't ready. The glasses. The effort. The love. That is the kind of Nandermo I enjoy seeing. Would I be upset if they (eventually) got to something romantic? Of course not. But now is just... not the right time. There is so much healing to be done now. Regaining of trust. Rebuilding of bonds. A romantic relationship right now would be the equivalent of a divided couple having a baby to save their union. It wouldn't look good, and it would be a set up for utter failure.

Speaking of that damned ceremony. The fact that everyone came together to save that boy's bacon? Come on. Come on. That even Baron Afanas and Goëjlrm turned up? Even if that part was just for sake of realism, they could have easily said no. They all give a damn about Guillermo, and that was wonderful to finally see. Words are a dime a dozen. Actions are where the proof hides.

FURTHERMORE, everyone checking in on Guillermo made me so happy. The kids coming to see him. Nadja scolding him for speaking to Derek in a manner ill-befitting his station. Even if they were mostly shit at it, aside from the Guide and the Kids, they kept a close eye on him, and that warmed my heart.

"We have a babysitter at home." That made me simultaneously AWWW!!!!, and wonder whether the poor sitter was going to be alive by the time they returned. Y'all know I'm all for their domesticity, so that little snippet was just perfect for me.

While Derek got the short end of the stake, he now has what he has always wanted. Friends. Community. Somewhere to belong. It's just a terrible, ugly way to have to get it.

I want so much more for the Guide. I do. I do agree that they all collectively suck nut at being good to anyone, more than 90% of the time, but that chick was well within her mind to pull her stunts at the Manor. I really do wish we could have had a twelve-episode season, at the very least. Both of last night's episodes deserved to be two-parters. Mm.

Good on Nadja, too, turning the noisy neighbors into an opportunity. She's an enterprising, resourceful broad, that one. Just love her. <3.

I'm still fucking floored, by the way. If someone had asked Nandor from the fucking beginning, this whole season could have been avoided. Granted, yes, that was the point, but it deserves the spotlight for a moment or two. He's such a dumbass, but he knows his vampiric shit. And really, so much good came out of everyone else being dopey as shit for a change. Guillermo learned a valuable lesson. New little lives were created. (R.I.P. to the one those that were ended). The secret surely broke up the monotony for the household for a little while. And, of course, my personal favourite... There are new parents in New Jersey! I'm so giddy for that one!

Liked it or hated it, one thing is for sure. Season Six is going to bring so much inner conflict for Guillermo, and a change of dynamic amongst the household, that I just can't wait!

[thewitchofstjohns]

Yep.

No we didn't get a big love confession scene, kiss on the lips, or sex (sex and love being two different things). The construction of the finale episodes could have been done better. No resolution with Colin remembering Laszlo raised him. The two of them will build a Bride for the Monster, The Guide will keep slaving away for the Council, Nadja will find herself a new job, and Nandor and Guillermo will figure out a way to serve humanity. Guillermo will slay bad vampires, Nandor will eat bad humans. Maybe Guillermo accepts ethical vampirism and lets Nandor turn him in their underground lair. Who knows?

Nothing ever changes, except when it does. Nandermo is canon. It always has been. 💕🦇💕

I also am not interested in arguing with anyone about this.

Okay quick rundown:

Nandor considers Guillermo his closest companion.

Nandor will straight murder a man for talking poorly to Guillermo...unless Guillermo tells him not to.

Nandor asked Guillermo to stay with him, and Guillermo said yes and took his offered hand.

Nandor listens to everything Guillermo says even when it seems like he isn't.

Nandor and Guillermo are back to their nightly hairbrush ritual.

Nandor picked out a slutty lil outfit for Guillermo and Guillermo wore it for him.

Nandor liked how Guillermo looked in the slutty little outfit.

Everyone in that goddamn house knows those two are down bad, but especially Nadja who is going to kill them both if they don't fuck soon.

Guillermo thinks of the mansion as his home, because that's where his vampires are.

Nandor asked Guillermo to climb into bed with him.

Nandor is glad the cameras will be gone and kept giving Guillermo and the cameras significant, furtive looks.

Nandor built a massive underground lair safe from the prying eyes of the camera crew before he knew they were leaving.

Nandor heard Guillermo’s doubts and concerns and did it all himself.

Guillermo prefers to call Nandor "Master."

They're going to stay together. Keep having adventures together. Keep orbiting each other like twin stars. Grow in small increments. Maybe never accomplish anything great, but who cares? They've already accomplished what matters: they have each other.

It's a great ending. It's a decisively Nandermo endgame. It's what they promised to deliver, and it makes me feel seen and represented and treated with care as a queer person. I'm not interested in arguing with anyone about this.

[mischievousgodess]

What if the camera crew was the reason Nandor was so awful to Guillermo in season 1?

Let me explain.

I've been rewatching wwdits with my family and it made me realize how much Nandor is affected by his fear of being judged. There's a lot of examples throughout s1 of Nandor being unnecessarily mean to Guillermo when they're with others vampires :

In the first episode : Nandor spends his time speaking very badly of Guillermo, right in front of him. Why ? Because it's what vampire are supposed to do, they're not supposed to care about their assistants.

In the club episode : Nandor kinda autorise the vampire to eat Guillermo, because he doesn't want to look bad for defending him to much.

Same episode : Nandor tells Guillermo he's his friend. Nadia hisses in disgust. Nandor immediately wipes Guillermo's memory and loudly declare he doesn't know why he said such a thing.

In the orgy episode : Guillermo leaves the room angrily and slams the door. Nadia signals to Nandor he's not supposed to let his assistant talk to him like that and, only then, he admonishes him (very weakly).

To me it's clear that Nandor is always the harshest when there's people around to judge him. He knows how vampires are supposed to act with their familiar, and he also knows he's not really doing that with Guillermo but he can't have his roommate realize that so he pretends he doesn't care at all for Guillermo and says all sorts of awful stuff.

Yet, even at the beginning of the show, he obviously already cared. In the fist episode we didn't even knew Nadja and Lazlo had an assistant before she was killed by the baron, and it's barely mentioned by them afterwards ; on the other hand, Nandor keeps talking about Guillermo even if it's to complain.

Nandor is also showing a very different behavior when they're alone : playing chess with Guillermo, ordering (or making) a custom glitter portrait for his anniversary, making him fly several times, going to the store with him... None of this is typical vampire behavior toward an assistant.

And most of the important s1 & 2 Nandermo's moments happens when they're alone (apologizing for what he said in the club, asking him to stay until he's asleep, asking him to come back at the house...), because Nandor only accepts to be vulnerable with Guillermo if there's nobody around to notice it.

So, what if the camera crew were part of the reason why Nandor was awful to Guillermo most of the time in s1 ?

With the documentary crew following them everywhere they were never truly alone anymore, so Nandor was feeling judged and acted meaner toward Guillermo because he wanted to be depicted as a big scary vampire. I mean, Nandor even asks the camera not to follow him when he goes to apologizes to Guillermo after the club, and I don't think it's because he cares about Guillermo's privacy, it's because he doesn't want to be filmed apologizing to his assistant.

In s2 there's a slight shift in their dynamic that's not explain by the plot and I like to think it's because by s2 Nandor got used to the cameras and basically forgot they were around, so we see him being nicer to Guillermo when it's the two of them.

[nellie-elizabeth]

What We Do in the Shadows: Pine Barrens (4x07)

Amazing, flawless, no notes.

Cons:

No, seriously, no notes.

Pros:

This episode gave me everything I never knew to ask for. Let's take the two main stories in turn.

First, you've got Nandor, Lazlo, Young Colin, and Sean going out to a cabin in the Pine Barrens on a hunting trip. The emotional core of this story is that Nandor is jealous and resentful of Lazlo's friendship with Sean, and just feels in general that they've been spending less guy time together. Lazlo is insulting towards Nandor to start, and both of them fight back and forth, until the presence of the Jersey Devil (a creature they previously stated to be entirely made up), forces them to work together to defeat the evil in their midst.

As always, I'd like to avoid just listing out a million jokes that I thought were funny, but Young Colin playing "New Jersey music" from his phone in order to distract the Jersey Devil was pretty great, as was the gun battle ending in Lazlo accidentally shooting Nandor in the hand. I also just particularly loved Sean in this episode, he's just such a bro, such a guy, you know? His encouragement to Young Colin that he's not boring was really funny, as was his completely measured response to Colin's casual mention of his more violent tendencies. This was the funniest I've found Young Colin Robinson since the first episode of the season, so that's encouraging to see.

Predictably, given that Guillermo is my absolute favorite part of this show, I loved the other plot line even more.

Nadja and Guillermo, both inaccurately believing themselves to be alone in the house, celebrate in their own ways. Nadja has a girl's night with Marwa, the Doll Nadja, and the Guide, where they watch Mamma Mia! I just loved Nadja celebrating and enjoying her time with the girls, and the fascination and seriousness with which they all took the film was really charming.

Meanwhile, Guillermo decides to invite his family over to see the house. He's telling them all sorts of lies, about working for the railroad, and living in this house alone because he's rich, but then Nadja comes upstairs and catches the de la Cruz family at dinner, and Guillermo ropes her into pretending to be his girlfriend-slash-maid.

I don't know, something about the fact that Nadja continues to state her disdain for Guillermo while still playing along with this ruse is so charming to me. She gets into the role and seems to be having a good time, but Guillermo's family reveals something to him: his girlfriend is an evil vampire! How do they know? Well, they too are of course descended from a long line of famed vampire hunters, and they've now set Nadja in their sights as their prey!

The hunt is on, with Guillermo trying to keep his family from hurting Nadja. I was actually enormously touched by how hard he worked to defend her from them. And then there's his outburst, where he admits she's a vampire, that he lives with a family of vampires and hopes to someday become one, and also that Nadja isn't actually his girlfriend, because he's gay! I was so happy to hear this said out loud. Not that it's actually news or anything, but still. What a lovely moment of catharsis for Guillermo!

And also of course the comedy in all of these scenes, with Nadja playing the girlfriend, and Guillermo's family getting more and more aggro in the presence of a vampire, their horrified reaction to Guillermo's vampire-ish desires, and their total loving acceptance of his queerness, the mad chase through the house, the hypnotized family walking away and Guillermo just blissfully happy to have finally come out... all of it was golden, as the comedy in this show almost invariably is! (Best joke goes to Nadja saying she doesn't want Guillermo to call her "Mami", and sites his relationship with Nandor as the type of thing she's looking to avoid.)

And that's that! Another solid installment. I can't believe we only have three episodes left before the season is over, I feel like it just started!

9.5/10

[resident-sean-expert]

I'm sorry if you're receiving this late/early in the morning. Reply whenever you please. Take your time!

Now I don't know if I sound crazy but I don't think Laszlo and Nandor's relationship is doing well. I really feel like Nandor and Laszlo used to be significantly closer with each other. I think now that Nandor is stressed over his legacy and lack of happy romance in his life, could Laszlo feel a little forgotten? Do you you think it's possible that Nandor is taking him for granted and making Laszlo feel like their friendship and everything it included meant nothing Nandor. Maybe Laszlo feels like Nandor just saw him as some person to give him attention. Nandor never has time for him. Laszlo barely gave Nandor any affection or support in his marriage. He only cared about Sean and the Baron. It was almost like he wouldn't want to be there if Sean or the Baron wasn't there. [Nadja would have forced him to go anyways though].

What I'm saying is I honestly think these two have relationship issues and I am excited for the potential drama in ep 7 😁

Oh I never thought of that

I had always imagined that even though the two of them like each other very much, they can't stand each other's presence because they are emotional constipated (used to running away)

I consider that both have similarities in their personalities and that they see the worst in each other (Nandor becomes aggressive and Laszlo escapes from a situation by shouting bat)

So yes Laszlo expresses his feelings a lot more but I think it's because of his relationship with Nadja which is beneficial

While Nandor has nobody on his side

And let's imagine that the taboo theory between a vampire/human relationship is true

Maybe when Nandor has so much trouble expressing his feelings to Guillermo

Laszlo is uncomfortable

Because if Guillermo refuses, then chances are Sean will refuse too

And I think both of these vampires have a very strong sense of honour and humiliation

Maybe what I wrote doesn't make sense 😂😭

Anyways, EPISODE SEVEN BABY

[nonunsnonunsnone]

asks!! 🖤🖤

what is a plot line you would write into season 4 of wwdits?

Would you rather get “betrayed” and “abandoned” by your not-boyfriend human familiar/bodyguard after you basically proposed to him or BETRAYED and ABANDONED by your centuries-long husband who chose a adult baby man over you?

what advice would you give your younger self? :)

Hey thanks a bunch babe!!

- hmm a specific plot line that would fit s4: A few episodes into her job, Nadja has some struggles, because of how high up this position is and how she rly wants to succeed and she’s getting into her head and Guillermo tries to calm her down in typical fashion (some yoga!!! Meditation!!! Oooo what if we get a massaaaaggeeee let’s get a meni pedi 🥰) and it all ends up not helping Nadja at all and it ends with Nadja finding her inner peace by just burning something down or killing a shit ton of people. Like that’s her happy place. Guillermo has not feared any of the vampires in the house for a while now but!! There’s definitely one he should always be terrified of- my fucking wife 🥺

Also, Colin Robinson in daycare. Yes.

- OOOOO OK OK AM I NANDOR OR NADJA HERE OKKKK OMMMM

this is hard because there are two different types of trust being broken here and I feel like this in itself is becoming a meta post but:

Nadja’s trust in Laszlo is one that has been built over the years, it’s steady and it has been running strong for centuries. CENTURIES. he always does what he deems to be best for Nadja and usually it’s to be by her side. This is the first time he puts someone else over Nadja not because he loves her less but because he trusts that she will be fine and knows that Colin won’t be. From Nadja’s pov though, this is something she could have never seen coming.

Laszlo in many ways is her rock, truly. When you trust someone again and again and without fail they are always there for you even in ways you don’t clock at first (jesk) you can never imagine them not being there for you. And it sort of becomes the one thing you can’t be without. Their support becomes a part of you. Well, Nadja is now going through losing that - experiencing the pain of disappointment and rage over Laszlo not being there for her. And humans might have that sort of bond with someone for a few years to a few decades and if it breaks it hurts like hell. I can’t imagine having that trust broken after centuries. I really do feel for her.

On the other hand, literally the opposite is happening to Nandor. He is being left behind by someone who has left him before, but this time it feels different because he has hope. It’s the type of pain where someone who disappointed you in the past does it again, but with all your heart you thought they changed and you’re safe now, which in itself is oh s o painful because you’re tired of it. You berate yourself for believing they could have changed. You blame yourself for ever believing that things will go the way you want them to. He gave Guillermo everything he thought he wanted and still he was left behind.

To answer the question, I would rather be Nandor here, because goddamnit writing this I just Realised how much this is going to affect Nadja and her marriage.

- what advice hm - USE THE TIME YOU HAVE FOR WHAT YOU LOVE!!!! BUILD GOOD HABITS LIKE CLEANING THE DISHES OH MY GOD MY SINK IS FILTHY!!!! WHEN IN BARTERING SITUATIONS YOU DONT HAVE TO SAY YES TO EVERYTHING AND THERE ARE SITUATIONS (not relating to consent and s3x im talking about bargaining about changes or salaries or work load etc.) WHERE NO IS NOT COMPLETELY NO!!!! PEOPLE ARE MENDABLE AND THERE CAN BE AN EVEN GROUND

Thank u for these mwah ly

[h3rmitsunited]

I can't believe I thought it was a good idea to watch the finale right before I had to leave for work. How am I supposed to function right now without thinking about everything that happened? That ENDING? GOOOOOODDDDDD.

Just processing my thoughts under the read more... ignore me... also lots of spoilers, like all the spoilers.

I'm just like... what am I supposed to do now? How am I supposed to deal with no new episode next Friday and for months and months and months. Agony. It's agony in my soul.

I love how we all were just like immediately like Colin's gonna like regenerate or whatever, like there was no way that he was just outta there for good. It broke my heart seeing all his pictures just torn and crossed out in the intro, just like their thing with immediately getting new portraits done when someone dies and completely forgetting them, so they did the same thing with the intro photos. Which makes me wonder if they had other vampires in the house that they just vanished from their lives and never talked about again. Like if this is a normal regular thing for them to get these new portraits done, then they would have had to go through that before, unless it's supposed to be like a vampire thing, like culturally all vampires have done this and they just stick with the tradition of being like emotionally constipated and not dealing with death, which like... I mean like they are kind of traditionalists in terms of being sort of disconnected from the larger vampire society sometimes, since like the vampire council had the whole like in memoriam thing at the play murder trap thing. I don't know, would be interesting to find out there were like other secret members of the house that just died and they never talked about them again.

Gosh and just like Lazslo being all broken about Colin dying, and like then they were going to go be vampire royalty in England and he was going to go with his darling lady wife Nadja and then found baby Colin and like made a plan to not go with her. Like he had the time to write a letter and buy supplies for Guillermo not to die on the trip, like actual human food/nutrition stuff, and not raw chicken, and then got all the way there without reconsidering, like it wasn't some split second decision, I mean it was but it also wasn't and that he like is "entrusting" Nadja's protection to Guillermo, even though Nadja is also a ferocious murder machine who could definitely hold her own against Guillermo, and I'm like excited to see what that duo is doing next season. She is gonna be pissed. Gosh but she and Lazslo had been so sweet, and his like speech to her about leaving England because of what the club said about her, and they just have always been together and she left for two weeks and he didn't eat and was writing poetry and like what the heck is single dad Lazlso and weird nasty baby Colin going to be up to next season. Like honestly though a baby as an energy vampire is like the ultimate energy drain though, so that works, but also he probably is going to age nastily fast, so that will be interesting.

It was also fun that they brought the Baron and the Sire and the dog and the guide into the portrait too and they were part of the little family, and so cute.

And the guide bringing the farewell card to nandor that the wraiths had all signed. They don't know how to write so I dipped their claws in ink and just let them go to town on it. Like she obviously went all the way back to the council amidst all this to deliberately get this card signed for Nandor which I think was pretty cute, even though she's probably also more excited just to have this mess kind of moving on from dealing with their chaos, but it shows she also like kind of cares about them too.

And Guillermo. And Nandor. Oh. My. God.I mean not even talking about the ending, just like. I am processing. Like.... what am I supposed to do with myself after that.

Guillermo running after Nandor when he like runs off upset when Nadja argues with him, trying to get him to talk about Colin's death, and then trying to girlboss Nandor to stay talking with Lazslo and Nadja and Nandor is just like nope, I'm going and you're not coming with me. I'm leaving to leave you too. You're a problem. And Guillermo is just like full panic mode like wtf am I supposed to do with myself if you leave me. I devoted twelve years to you. And then Nandor going after Guillermo when he

runs into his room all pissed, and like Guillermo going into Nandor's room for this confrontation too. And the fight! Agh! It was just like... I mean you could see they were both holding back, trying to get their point across and like I liked that it didn't feel like either of them were really like hurt by being launched across the room. Like they could just have a little fun wrassling to get some energy out and Nandor was like this is what I've been missing, someone that fights for me, that gets me feeling this passion and energy and fight and like Guillermo giving it back. Honestly I got a little worried when Guillermo was holding the crucifix and Nandor said like, this is what I wanted or whatever he said there because for a second I thought he was saying like he wanted Guillermo to kill him and I was like uhhh hang on but then he kept going and it was like oh... alright okay.

And like Nandor basically just fucking proposing to his little rascal boy and on your knees on the banks of the tigress river, I'll turn you into a vampire like fuck are you kidding me? Like goddamn. And then Guillermo's just like alright see ya bitches I'm out with my Nandor... and ahhhhhhhh. I'm going crazy. There'll be plenty of time for hugs later. What Why What

And Guillermo being a little pouty puppy when Nandor didn't want to take the luggage and Nandor just like just kidding of course I'll take it. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME

I am not even like processing the ending and the ramification of alllll that. Like Nandor waiting and calling out for Guillermo before getting on the train alone and just like feeling abandoned again leaving Guillermo's luggage there like Guillermo didn't really want to come with him, he like put himself out there and thought he was going to give Guillermo what he wanted, promising him they'd have the world together and he didn't show up, and Nandor just taking that as a rejection and leaving. And Guillermo all trapped and desperate and panicked just wanting to get back to Nandor because he knows what this will do to Nandor, knows how fragile the truce they'd made was and that the progress he'd been clawing for was slipping out of his grasp.

I am like.... I don't even know right now. Where is season 4. Where. Why did this season make me so insane. I've been watching this show since the end of season one and it laid a big fat colin egg in my stomach that finally emerged this season to absolutely smash me through my mushy skull.

[iximaz]

Something that’s always eaten me about WWDITS

You know, I’ve never been able to get out of my mind the questions of who the fuck are the crew mental enough to risk life and limb filming a bunch of murderous vampires? Who has the lack of moral decency to film their subjects murdering innocent people?

Also, for that matter, are these guys getting paid? If so, by who? Which of the vampires’ idea was it to have a documentary made of them? And to what purpose? 

At least in the movie, as a sort of one-off, you could probably figure it’s Viago who wanted a film for him and his friends and paid the crew, who could have easily been a bunch of degenerates and didn’t mind filming people getting eaten, but come on, the vampire gang in the show don’t seem to have any clue about the modern day. 

So that leaves us with two options: Colin Robinson, or Guillermo. I can’t see Guillermo suggesting the documentary to begin with, that’s just not the kind of guy he is at the start of season one.

Which leads me to think it was Colin Robinson. We know his office job pays for the house, which cannot have been cheap, and it seems like Guillermo’s only job is working for Nandor (and Nadja and Lazlo) but he pays rent... so does that mean Nandor “pays” him out of Colin Robinson’s account, and Guillermo in turn pays the rent to Colin Robinson? Ah, tangent. 

My point is, it seems that by having the documentary crew around, the Staten Island gang keeps stirring up scenarios that feed Colin Robinson like no tomorrow. It also really wouldn’t surprise me if a part of their job “behind the scenes” was letting him feed off of them, which of course wouldn’t have been filmed or edited in because 1) no energy to do so and 2) well, who would want to show that? Totally unprofessional. 

So what does this crew, some of whom have been eaten already, or left at the bottom of a well, get out of filming the vampires?

1) There’s got to be a fat paycheque involved, to say the least, especially after the events of episode one; any sane person would have run afterwards.

2) Very possibly, they’re also hoping to be turned into vampires, but because the documentary is about the Staten Island group and not them, it’s never mentioned.

3) They actually work for a group of slayers and are using the documentary as a guise for learning more about vampires while their colleagues hunt elsewhere. (After the season 2 finale, however, this seems highly unlikely, even if a very funny possibility.)

Honestly this is just a bunch of tired 3am ramblings, but as a camera operator/photographer myself, sometimes the mockumentary nature of the show brings up a lot of questions about the people creating it in-universe. 

We’re probably never going to find out, but hey, that’s what fanfics are for.

[aion-rsa]

What We Do in the Shadows Season 3: What is an Energy Vampire Anyway?

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains spoilers for What We Do in the Shadows season 3’s first two episodes.

Boredom, tedious, tiresome, flat. These are not the first words which jump to mind when thinking of vampires or comedy, but What We Do in the Shadows wields them like secret weapons without sacrificing a single laugh or scare. The FX horror farce, which is a series adaptation of the 2014 feature film created by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, follows four vampires. They have been roommates since, well, forever, but one is different from the rest.

Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), Nadja of Antipaxos, (Natasia Demetriou), and Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), are traditional vampires. They drink blood, a virgin’s if possible. This is usually supplied by their familiar-turned-bodyguard Guillermo (Harvey Guillén). A probable virgin himself, but off limits. Even vampires know not to feed on their own supplier, especially one who has taken down the entire local vampire hierarchy. The fourth vampire does not drink blood. He subsists on the lifeforce of others. He is an energy vampire, and no one is safe from his appetites. Familiars are fair game, and so are the other vampires.

Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) looks like an office drone, talks like an automated menu, and has the presence of an interdepartmental meeting memo. A simple watercooler chat can drain a listener of the very will to live. It’s tasty. The Staten Island vampires have been named head of the entire Tri-State vampire community and Colin, who will be celebrating a major milestone this season, is undergoing a search for self.

You don’t have to look far from Colin to find Mark Proksch, the actor who plays him. In Better Call Saul, he played Daniel “Pryce” Wormald, the ineptly arrogant pharmaceutical connection who was very particular about his baseball cards. On The Office, he played Nate, a proven entity, but not without handicaps, like hearing, vision and cognition. With offbeat roles on This Is Us, Modern Family, Portlandia, Drunk History, Bob’s Burgers, and Adventure Time, Proksch has spent his career playing yo-yos, his first appearance was as a self-proclaimed master.

Proksch spoke with Den of Geek about vampire centennials, television perennials, and freezing his genitals playing kickball in the snow.

Den of Geek: Hello and thanks for doing this, and I wanted to wish Colin Robinson a happy birthday.

Mark Proksch: Well, it’s a little premature, but thank you.

I know the season is building to it, but will you be throwing a big celebration?

Yes. There will be some festivities, Colin Robinson style.

Do you know his sign?

I don’t know his sign. Gosh, that’s a good question. I don’t think he knows it, even.

Is there anything he wants for his birthday?

I think what he wants most is to know where he came from, and where he’s going. He’s in a bit of an existential funk right now. And he’s doing a lot of research about energy vampires. The problem is there’s not much out there on energy vampires because no one likes them. So, there aren’t many books about them. When he goes into the big Vampiric Council library, he can’t find a single word about energy vampires. And that’s probably because they’re so reviled within that community, that they don’t respect the energy vampires, or have any of their books.

You’ve been doing a lot of research on the history, and the nature, of energy vampires, as you said. What do you think, or, what do you call what he is feeding from? Is it Prana? Chi? Neurotransmissions?

Oh, yeah. We haven’t learned. He still doesn’t know. I think he’s feeding on the exhaustion of others. The everyday life exhaustion of others, I think, is what he feeds on.

Does Colin ever contemplate the carbon footprint of the energy vampire?

No, I think Colin’s in for it just for himself.

How come Colin can stand fire, he laughs it off, but he can’t deal with a cattle prod?

Yeah. Tony, you’re poking holes here. I don’t know. That’s, again, a very good question. Why doesn’t fire hurt him, but a cattle prod shocks him? Maybe, because one is energy? I mean, electrical energy, I should say. I guess heat is its own energy.

In the Cloak-of-Many-Nandors episode, how did it feel to hear Kayvan Novak do you? And did you give him pointers? Did he drain you in the process?

Yeah. Well, Kayvan has been doing all of us, since day one of shooting. So, it wasn’t a revelation to hear him do my voice. That said, we all sent recordings to him so he could perfect it. I haven’t seen the episode yet. The night we were filming my scene, it was about 4:00 a.m., it was one of the coldest nights in Toronto. So, I didn’t stick around to hear him do my voice. But I’m sure it’s as good as he was doing it on day one.

There’s a lot more location and exterior shooting this season. Is that more fun? Or is it just another day in a different cubicle?

I love our set. Kate Bunch, who is our set designer, is an absolute genius. And we film in the cold months, in Canada. So anytime we get to be on set, near the fireplace that actually works, is a plus. Filming on location has its limitations. We can’t film during the daytime, because the vampires will be burned up. So, we always film at night, when on location. And it looks like it’s 11:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., when in fact, it’s usually 3:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m. And so, when we go on location, we’re usually shooting pretty unpleasant evenings. So, I’d much rather film on set. Filming on location can be fun though, because you have a lot more interaction with real people. And I think that’s one thing that makes the show really funny, is seeing these idiot vampires dealing in the real world. So, it’s kind of fifty-fifty for me.

Did you have fun in the snowball fights?

Yes. There are a lot of snowball fights, yes.

The last time I spoke with you, Colin had just gotten a promotion and it kind of went to his head. How is it for Colin now, to be in power at the Vampiric Council?

I think, as much as Colin loved having some power, I think his M.O. is really, just fading into the background. That way, he can prey a lot easier. Just trying to mix into the group. Be a spider with his web, in the background. I think that’s how he prefers to prey. And so, even when he becomes part of the Vampiric Council, he still allows others to exceed him in power. And so, this season, when Nandor and Nadja are the heads of the Vampiric Council, he’s more than happy to be the secretary. The most boring job you can have in a council setting, taking the notes.

Who do you think Colin would prefer on the throne, Nadja or Nandor?

That’s a great question. I think he would probably prefer Nandor, because Nandor is so stupid. Nandor is very, very dumb. And so, he, Colin, can get Nandor to do pretty much anything he wants. Whereas Nadja, I think Colin likes Nadja. And I also think that Nadja’s too smart to fall into Colin’s traps.

Does he get a jolt out of things like the heart ripping?

Yeah, I think so. I think he does enjoy that type of stuff. Yeah.

Can you feed off Nadja’s ghost in the Nadja doll?

I can’t. And I think I’ve tried to several times. I don’t remember what made it on air. But there’s been several times where I’ve tried to feed off of the doll, and it doesn’t go anywhere.

Will Colin’s research turn up any famous energy vampires? And have you come up with your own?

I’ll drop in names for energy vampires, every once in a while. I don’t think any of them have made it so far. I mean, I’ve done Andy Warhol, who seems, to me, to have been an energy vampire. Truman Capote. I would love to have Bob Newhart on as an energy vampire, because I think he’s brilliant, and he would absolutely kill it. Yeah, I’ve thrown in some of those names. David Crosby, I’ve thrown in. I mean, the more left field, the better. But I don’t think any of those have gotten in. I don’t think they want to insult people.

When you look back on your character’s past, do you find any trace of Les Nessman DNA?

Only in my acting. I loved WKRP, and Les Nessman was definitely a good energy vampire. Just a great character, and acted brilliantly. Yeah, I’m sure I stole from him. You know, it’s interesting, I mostly watch classic television. And I’ll see something, and I’ll be like, “Oh, that’s where I got that. That’s where I took that from.” I haven’t seen him since childhood, but it made an impression on me that, “Oh, okay. That’s why I do that.” And that becomes very eerie to me, when I realize I’m just a culmination of things I’ve been watching my whole life.

I’ve recently been watching it and was amazed by the physical comedy. Arthur Carlson was a genius. So, tell me about the physical comedy in What We Do in the Shadows. Because you’re using not just you, the actors, but you have the effects, and there’s a lot going on, especially, in the backgrounds.

Yeah. I personally love being able to do physical comedy. And Colin Robinson is so great for that, because he’s so at two with his body. He’s not a physical human being. He’s not athletic, to say the least. And I think it adds an extra layer to the character, when you actually see him physically emote, really. Whether it’s dancing, or playing kickball, he’s very unsettling in his movements. Then when you add in the ability to fly, once in a while, or throw people against a wall, it really becomes a playground that not a lot of shows let you get to do. Explore those extremes of physical comedy. And so, I love it for that reason.

You mentioned being free to emote. In the opening episode, you actually are peeved when you can’t feed off of Nadja and Laszlo, and when they shut you down. Does Colin get drained when the feedees don’t give with the Prana?

Yeah, I think he gets really frustrated. It’s almost like a dog that’s always promised a treat, but never is actually given the treat. I think he becomes furious. And he thinks it’s unfair, I would expect, and thinks that they’re not playing by the rules. His bizarre social rules, in which he should be allowed to feed on whenever he wants. Because he gets to do it all day long at work. Anytime he’s out of the house, he gets to do it. But when he’s in the mansion, they know what he’s up to, and they can shut him down pretty quickly. I think he gets frustrated.

Also, still with the first episode, your toilet duties. They only seemed designed to annoy you. So, when you’re actually annoying yourself, isn’t that like cannibalism?

I don’t know if he’s annoying himself. I think he’s really into what’s going on in those toilet buckets. That’s all. I think he’s curious.

You meet a big fan in the rogue vampire house, in Queens. Does Colin’s reputation precede him? And will we see a growth in his vampire community renown?

That’s a great question. I think his reputation does precede him. That said, I don’t know what the writers have in store in that story. I mean, it would be interesting to see him rise to a level of energy vampire stardom, and how he would handle that. But I don’t know.

Is that a little counterproductive?

It would be in his mind, absolutely. Again, it goes back to him being the spider with the spider web, and just, kind of, hanging out in the background.

Do you think the connection you make with energy vampires is different from the connection traditional vampires make? And might we be seeing something of an underground, within the underground?

I think with the traditional, bloodsucking vampires, I think it’s mostly sexual. For them, they just want to get their rocks off. I think with energy vampires, it’s much more subtle, and a little more complicated. And I don’t know if those relationships could last, the energy vampire relationships. What we saw with Vanessa Bayer’s character, Evie, I think that ran its natural course, as far as romantic liaisons with energy vampires.

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What We Do in the Shadows season 3 airs Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. on FX.

The post What We Do in the Shadows Season 3: What is an Energy Vampire Anyway? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3h0ZUX8

[marvelousmatt]

Matt Berry on Why Making What We Do in the ShadowsWas ‘Terrifying’

By Elisabeth Donnelly

Since the debut of the definitive mockumentary on the secret life of centuries-old vampires, the 2014 horror-comedy What We Do in the Shadows, New Zealand comedy treasures Taika Waititiand Jemaine Clement have shown admirable commitment to expanding their bone-dry world of silly vampire jokes into a mini empire. Coming on the heels of the first spinoff, last year’s New Zealand television show Wellington Paranormal, and the persistent rumors of a sequel called We’re Wolves, their TV adaptation of What We Do in the Shadowspremieres on FX March 27.

With the same creative team behind the movie (many of the episodes are directed or written by Waititi and Clement, and some are directed by former Shadows familiar Jackie Van Beek), the show sets up a similar world with a different cast of vampires, preening and arguing for the presumably exhausted documentary team filming their hijinks. This time the vamps are living in an elegantly crumbling Staten Island manse, and their coven includes foppish dandy Lazlo and the tempting Nadja, who are in a long-term open relationship; Nandor the Relentless and his officious human familiar Guillermo; and the inspired creation of an “energy” vampire, khaki-clad day-walker Colin Robinson. While the main cast is a murderer’s row of comic actors who mostly cut their teeth on English television — plus the ascendant Beanie Feldstein, of Lady Bird and Booksmart — the most recognizable face for a particular strain of U.K.-besotted comedy nerd is that of Matt Berry, who plays Lazlo.

For the past decade and a half, Berry has been stealing scenes in shows like Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace and The IT Crowd, appearing in his own sketch show called Snuff Box, and writing and acting in his creation about a middle-aged actor, Toast of London, which netted him a BAFTA for best male comedy actor in 2015. If anything can be considered a comic trademark, it’s Berry’s voice — plummy and unforgettable, a knighted foghorn that’s fallen on hard times and is trying to get you in the sack; much of his hilarity stems from the mismatch between his vocal elegance and his actual persona. Naturally, he’s found success as a voice-over artist, most recently appearing in Netflix’s Disenchantment, and he’s also a talented musician, making legitimately good psychedelic rock (not to mention all of the music for Snuff Box and Toast of London).

Vulture recently spoke to Berry — who’s deep in the process of working on Channel 4/IFC’s Victorian detective-comedy series Year of the Rabbit — to find out how What We Do in the Shadows tapped into his deepest fears, and how Netflix has changed the trajectory of the once-cult comedian.

How did you get involved in Shadows?

I did a film with Jemaine [Clement] two or three years ago [An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn], and when we were working on that he said, “I’m thinking of doing a vampire series based on the vampire film I did. Do you want to be in it?” That’s literally it. It was as quick and simple as that, and we made the pilot in Los Angeles and filmed the rest in Toronto [as a stand-in for Staten Island].

What kind of freedom did you have to create your character?

I started from the beginning and tried not to pay any attention to the film. I treated this as a completely new job with a new set of characters in a new scenario. It was exciting for all of us that it was different.

How did you and the other actors keep a straight face? Did you end up doing a lot of takes?

There’s a lot of takes. We shot all the time, it was quite an intense shoot, so that helped for the lack of breaking. You just didn’t know your ass from your elbow. You already have jet lag and it’s four in the morning.

So you were shooting vampire hours, in this case?

We started scenes at four in the morning, or even later than that — or earlier than that — which was something to get used to, but you get on with it. The hours are a lot different in the U.K. There, you shoot from seven in the morning until seven at night and then everyone goes home.

What’s it like to do the wirework that makes you fly as a vampire?

Wirework is terrifying. It’s terrifying because I’m afraid of heights, and you have to look like you’re not, when you’re a vampire. There’s no reason why a vampire would be afraid of heights, much like a bird wouldn’t be afraid of heights. So that’s the veil of acting, because one minute you’re standing on the floor and then, within two or three seconds, you’re 50 feet in the air.  In one case, we were next to a building, so you can really feel how high up you are, and then you have to do your lines and look as if everything is completely normal. That was hard for me.

How did Lazlo’s costumes help with the role?

Well, they were kind of heavy. But very useful when it’s outside and it’s cold. Big capes and cloaks. They really come into their own when it’s snowing and minus-four degrees.

What was it like developing a comedic rhythm with the other vampire cast members?

I hadn’t worked with Kayvan [Novak] before, that’s the weird thing. We’d been in comedy in the U.K. but our paths had never crossed. At last they did, and it was a real joy, because it took going to the other side of the world to work with him. It’s an odd thing, what causes you to work with people. It’s the same thing with Natasia [Demetriou] — she’s fantastic in what she does. But they’re two people I never worked with in the U.K.

What’s it like having such a distinctive voice?

I don’t hear it the same way as you do. It’s something that I’ve always had, and I would exaggerate it with friends when I was at college. It kind of went from there, and it’s basically taking the piss out of actors that I would’ve worked with or seen when I was much younger, especially stage actors who did TV work and over-projected. That’s where it came from, and now it’s turned out to be hilarious.

When did you know that you could make people laugh?

I don’t know. You do what makes you laugh. I draw from the most pompous people, who are the people that make me laugh the most. My father’s not pompous, but he says ridiculous things, and I base things on him and somebody who has no sense of humor whatsoever. They’re the people that have made me laugh. If somebody has no sense of humor, I think that’s a great place to start for British comedy, in terms of your character.

Tell me more about winning the BAFTA. The photos of you with the award are really joyful.

People always say this, but it’s true for me when I say that I absolutely did not expect to win. [Toast of London] had been described by most critics as “cult,” and as we all know, no one votes for the cult option, let alone the performer from the cult option. When my name was read out, I was in complete shock. I had prepared nothing and therefore walked onto a stage in front of a full theater — not to mention a live BBC broadcast — with nothing to say. I immediately went into some kind of automatic mode and gathered the necessary reserve power to thank most of the people I needed to. My only interest was to thank my family, which I did, so job done. It was an honor and I’m still incredibly thankful and feel incredibly lucky.

What’s your favorite vampire?

That would easily be Christopher Lee, with Nosferatu running a close second. I’ve always been a huge Hammer Horror fan, so Lee’s portrayal would’ve been the first and most potent I saw. I missed out completely on the recent teen-vampire genre, as I was probably either looking for my keys, working, or in the pub.

Now that shows like The IT Crowd and Toast are on Netflix, do you feel like less of a secret?

The only difference is that someone from somewhere that you never expected has seen you and wants to know if you’d like to be involved with something else. When Toast got on Netflix, I noticed a difference. It was something I thought that only myself and a few people would find funny, and suddenly it’s on a very large platform. Now it kind of belongs to everyone. The shows I do, you can see them everywhere now.

What are you working on next?

A show called Year of the Rabbit, which is a Victorian detectives thing that I’ve co-written for Channel 4. I did that a week after finishing Shadows. Now I’m in the edits for it. I’ve gone from being 700 years old to 200 years old.

I have to get this Rabbit thing done. It’s like when you work on something that isn’t quite finished, you can’t think of anything else. All I can think about is Victorian London until it’s finished, and then when it’s done, I’ll go on holiday and not think about it.

[shadowsterror]

Season 4 thoughts

I don't know if season 4 was actually that bad or if people watching it on release were disappointed with the leaks and spoilers, but watching it now it didn't seem that bad.

It definitely was worse, don't get me wrong, the Freddie episode was the worst one by a mile for me, but the others weren't as bad. The storyline with Laszlo and Baby Colin actually really enjoyable, and placed Laszlo up with Guillermo in terms of actual character development. It seems like there's a very small group of people Laszlo lets himself care about, but he cares very very deeply about them. This was clearest when he was Jackie Daytona, he was in a town for a week, ended up befriending everyone and sponsoring a local sports team. Acting human gave him permission to let himself care about them, and now his best friend is his human neighbour and he's raising a kid. Also letting him sing more in the show is always a plus.

Nadja's story and the nightclub didn't hit as well as it should have imo. I'm not sure how to put it into words but the nightclub felt less like a part of the story and more like a B plot setting whenever they needed one. She didn't get any proper personal growth at the end, really didn't seem to care that the nightclub would be gone after she burned it down, and then the reason for her opening and burning it in the first place was fixed when Colin Robinson became an adult again and had access to their bank account. Nadja didn't get any personal development except a couple of references to drinking a lot and possibly (probably) getting closer with the Guide. I do want to point out though that her going along with Guillermo's lie about being his girlfriend and helping him with Nandor's wedding planning isn't something she would have done a season or two ago.

I have to say I didn't like Nandor since the beginning, but season 4 made me hate him. His story arcs were always just boring to me, especially as I didn't care for his character, but season 4 just took it to the next level. It felt like the first three seasons were him being dumb and selfish with (very) occasional flashes of caring for others, and the season 4 he was actively destroying the lives of multiple people. Lots of things are played for laughs but time and again he's proven himself to be the most selfish person in the house. The Marwa storyline doesn't need rehashing, I think everyone has the same opinion of it actively having tainted the season, but it really just made me completely give up on him.

Guillermo and Nandor's relationship has always felt more like possessiveness than actual romantic attraction, and as Guillermo has started discovering himself more and more (and Nandor's showing progressively worse sides of himself), Guillermo's story has been more about him becoming his own person. I don't think the writers will let him become a vampire, either Nandor is somehow going to stop him, Derek's going to refuse to do it, or possibly something involving wishes. That being said though, I hope he does get something of his own that lasts for more than an episode or two (relationship, new job, vampirism, etc).

All in all, not a bad season but they just didn't do enough with the story and did way too much with everything else. Some of the characters got great development, some became massive assholes, and some got none. For a 10 episode season it felt like there were too many filler episodes, and then at the end none of it seems to have affected anything except for Laszlo and Guillermo. Time will tell I suppose, and probably I would have said something similar about season 3, but the end of season cliffhangers need to be addressed in a more meaningful way.