The Pitch: When last we left our merry band of misfit vampires making do in Staten Island, long-suffering Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), fed up with years of mistreatment by Nandor (Kayvan Novak) and his ever-elusive promise to make him a vampire, decided to seek the bloody ritual from his newly-transformed buddy Derek (Chris Sandiford) instead. Now, his greatest wish has come true — well, kinda. For reasons related somewhat to Derek’s squeamishness around blood, Gizmo’s transformation is proceeding at a snail’s pace.
As for the nocturnal animals around him, they’re still up to their old antics, albeit in somewhat new contexts. Nandor throws himself into wellness books and obsesses over a nebbishy new friend (he’s Jewish!) he’s made at the gym. Meanwhile, Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) becomes preoccupied with giving her sentient doll-self (also Demetriou) the same life experiences she had, including the sensation of making love in a human body.
Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) seeks out new ways to drain the energy from the good folks of Staten Island, from being an irritating waiter at a fast-casual restaurant to running for public office. Laszlo (Matt Berry) tests the limits of his irrepressible charm when a night out with the neighbors goes awry. Also, The Guide (Kristen Schaal) has joined the house as a new roommate, even though the rest of the house barely seems to notice. The more fangs change, the more they stay the same.
I’m OK, You’re OK: While What We Do in the Shadows Seasons 3 and 4 threw major wrenches in the trajectories of our characters to see how it affected them (The Vampiric Council, Colin’s death and rebirth as a creepy man-faced baby), the four episodes of Season 5 shown to critics feel like a return to the isolated antics of the first couple of seasons. The stakes (heh) are smaller and more episodic: The vampires take in the thrill of the mall for the first time and run from the cops, or help their neighbor Sean (Anthony Atamanuik) run for comptroller by throwing the kind of pride parade straight people throw when they’ve never been within a yard of a queer person in their lives (“My bisexual cousin’s gonna come and lip sync to some sweet tunes”).
Gone are the higher aspirations of the crew to make their mark on the Vampiric Council or start a fun vampiric nightclub. This time, they’re just getting by and helping out their neighbors. Centuries in, they’re finally settling into their status quo, and finding some happiness there.
Valley of the Dolls: Thankfully, this kind of stagnation doesn’t bleed over into the show itself… mostly. Some subplots fall flat (Sean’s increased screen time is making the character wear thin), and the show seems so excited to lock down Schaal as a regular that they haven’t thought of anything interesting for her to do yet. But even these wrinkles are buoyed by the cast’s incredible chemistry and comic timing: Novak, Berry, and Demetriou are in fine form, slipping into these characters like comfy slippers.
What We Do in the Shadows Season 5 (FX)