TV Review: ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ Season 6, Episode 1
by Frank Martin
Shows like What We Do in the Shadows run the risk of becoming stale after several seasons. It’s built upon a solitary premise: ancient vampires get into shenanigans in New York’s Staten Island. There is only so much that can happen with this premise before it becomes tired. Fortunately, the series has been very clever getting around this and comes up with bizarre story lines to keep audiences engaged. In terms of this season, that means having Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) trying to become a vampire without the help of his master.
The debut episode starts with the group immediately noticing that something is wrong with Guillermo. His master, Nandor (Kayvan Novak), believes it’s because they forgot his birthday, something that Laszlo (Matt Berry) finds ridiculous. In reality, Guillermo is acting weird because he paid his friend to make him a vampire. After a very ridiculous transformation ritual, Guillermo succeeds in completing the process. But he doesn’t become vampire. Instead, he’s some sort of halfling that has some vampire abilities but isn’t fully transformed.
Guillermo has been one of the most interesting characters from a story arc perspective. The other vampires are hundreds of years old, and they aren’t necessarily going to change. They will always be their ridiculous selves. But Guillermo endured a lot of ups and downs throughout the series, mainly because he comes from a family of vampire hunters. This legacy might have something to do with why Guillermo is not changing completely. There is still a long way to go into finding out what lies at the heart of this mystery. But it’s hilarious, very entertaining, and a way for the show to explore new territory that keeps it from getting stale all these seasons later.
What We Do in the Shadows streams Fridays on Hulu.