Five seasons in and What We Do in the Shadows is still going strong. The vampire mockumentary continues to reinvent the narrative, thrusting our beloved characters into crazy new scenarios that provide ample laughs. Containing one of the best episodes in the entire series, this season is a joyous watch from beginning to end.
One of the big draws of the series is its dedication to ensuring every episode is made up of a non-stop run of comedy. Between the silly slapstick humour, snappy one-liners and recurring jokes, there’s barely a moment to breathe between the dishing out of quality laughs. Everywhere you look, no matter the setting or character pairing, there’s always a recipe for big laughs, and the series doesn’t fail to deliver. Some episodes execute jokes better than others, but it’s hard to fault it for the moments that don’t hit when you know there’s another funny gag waiting around the corner. There are so many hilarious quotes and iconic moments throughout the season that it’s damn near impossible to keep track of them all, which says a lot about the quality of the series.
The writing of the comedy is one thing, but it’s the narrative that really takes the engagement to the next level. Every character in this season is sent on a new path with new obstacles to overcome. There’s no retreading of old ground, which is a testament to the creativity of the writers. It’s incredible to see how the much the characters have grown over the length of the series, all due to the inventive writing. Within this season, there’s a central arc that paves the way for all sorts of shenanigans, but there’s also countless character-specific subplots that bleed from that and fill out the episodes. It’s a structure the series has adopted in seasons passed, and it proves to be a successful approach to storytelling. The solid writing gets you invested in every character’s respective arc, which allows the comedy to have a greater effect. My main gripe with the season is the execution of the finale, but not for being a bad episode. It’s actually a great episode with heaps of fun narrative callbacks, but it’s not nearly as memorable as the finales of previous seasons. It also doesn’t tease any narrative changes for the next season. It’s a strange way to end the season, but I have full faith in the writers.
The best episodes of the series are ones where the comedy and writing are so intertwined that things are taken to the next level. We saw it in season four with the Go Flip Yourself episode, in which the entire episode was orchestrated to emulate the cliches of a home renovation series. We see it here again with the fifth episode, one which is a masterpiece of comedy. When all the writers, director and actors seem to be on the same page, that’s when things are taken to the next level, producing comedy gold.
When you have the talents of Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry and Natasia Demetriou in the same room, the fact that they’re able to get through a take without bursting into laughter is a great feat. They each have such a lock on their respective characters that it’s honestly impossible to pick the best performance. Their chemistry is off the charts, facilitating their ability to improvise some comedic gold. It’s clear that the narratives are set in writing, as well as some clear jokes, but the fact that so many moments are cleverly improvised adds to the naturally hilarious nature of the show. While he’s not mentioned in that trio, Mark Proksch produces some of the season’s funniest moments, especially going into the latter half. His whole vibe being on a different level to the rest of the vampire crew makes his contributions to every conversation all the more special.
This season sees Guillermo more at the forefront of the narrative than he’s ever been, and Harvey Guillén doesn’t let us down. He’s the character who always has the most interaction with the documentary crew, breaking the fourth wall and producing comedic beats that only he can deliver. His chemistry with Matt Berry’s Laszlo is especially strong in this season – they end up on a few different side adventures and every single one hits. Back to Matt Berry for a moment, his perfect portrayal of Laszlo makes him the best on-screen vampire. The way he uniquely annunciates certain words and phrases is a minor creative choice, but it adds to the hilariousness of every scene. His value to the series is irreplaceable, much like the rest of our core crew.
In the end, to no one’s surprise, What We Do in the Shadows is still one of the best comedies on TV, even five seasons in. The mockumentary style continues to produce the goods, backed by the exceptional comedic performances of our lead cast. The narratives in this season are noticeably not as strong as those in the last couple of seasons, but they’re still thoroughly enjoyable and distinctly original. For starters, there’s nothing as wild as the baby Colin arc, but there are some incredible laughs to be had. With at least one more season to come, the anticipation for what they come up with next is through the roof.
8.8/10
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