In only a week the eeriness of Halloween will be upon us. For the Life section, that means that media releases take a darker twist to fit the season, and this week several writers review the first episode of “What We Do in the Shadows,” returning for a highly anticipated Season 6. Does the show match the vibe? Does it hold up to previous standards? Let’s hear what the Life section has to say!
Noa Climor, Campus Correspondent (she/her/hers)
As an avid fan of “What We Do in the Shadows,” I was excited to see what they’d do to make this season memorable. Nowadays, it’s tough for a show to make it past its first season, so a sixth is practically unheard of. But “What We Do in the Shadows” proved that with a dazzling cast and hilarious dialogue, anything is possible.
In the first episode, “The Return of Jerry,” we get to meet, well, Jerry (played by Mike O’Brien)! He’s a “vampire with a plan-pire,” as Nadja, one of the vampires, describes. Whatever happened to Jerry, you might ask? Well … he went into a so-called “super slumber” (as described in the show: when a vampire goes to sleep for a very long time and can only be woken up by their fellow vampires), and they forgot to wake him up. Asleep since 1976, Jerry’s return reminded the vampires of their original plan to “conquer the new world.”
The first three episodes are charming, and I’m excited to see where this final season takes us. So far, there are many crazy moments, including a new plan to conquer the world featuring the vampires you likely know and love (and, well … Jerry).
Rating: 4.5 /5
Jenna Outcalt, Associate News Editor (she/her/hers)
When it comes to the vampire mockumentary “What We Do in the Shadows,” I don’t always agree with every choice the writers make, but I do always have faith that I’ll be able to relax and enjoy some lighthearted laughs. In that regard, the first three episodes of Season 6 did not disappoint.
This final season introduces the vampires’ forgotten roommate Jerry, who reminds them of their long-abandoned plan to conquer America. Although the new addition disrupted the group dynamic for me at first, the characters themselves were quick to realize this and found Jerry his own place to stay where he could plot his overthrow of America. This creates potential for an interesting antagonist later this season, especially for a show that does so well utilizing repeating characters outside of the main cast.
I’ll admit that these first three episodes were a little short on the laugh-out-loud moments I’ve come to expect from this show, but I had plenty of smaller laughs throughout. I’m happy to see they haven’t abandoned their classic gimmicks: The first over-the-top pronunciation from Laszlo (Matt Berry) came less than two minutes into the first episode. Despite a few jokes falling flat for me, the characters were endlessly enjoyable and the supernatural twists on classic sitcom situations kept me engaged and enjoying the watch. The show kept the campy and irreverent energy that made me love it in the first place, so I’m excited to see where the rest of this season goes.
Rating: 4/5
Michelle Pawlos, Campus Correspondent (she/her/hers)
“What We Do in the Shadows”: it’s witty, quirky, unique and everything you could need in a show. The first three episodes of Season 6 were released on Monday, Oct. 21, and before that, I had never watched the show before, so I was very excited to see what it would bring.
The first episode focuses on the return of Jerry, one of the vampires who had been asleep for five decades rather than the two decades he had requested his friends to wake him up after. The first thing I noticed was how similar its filming style looked to “Modern Family.” It includes “interview” sections with the characters and breaks the fourth wall, which I appreciate in a show as it often creates a deeper connection to the characters.
The characters were diverse, and my favorite was Nadja’s ghost doll (she was a pleasant surprise and — having never watched the show — an unexpected addition). It was effortlessly humorous, which I appreciate. Shows can make unnecessary jokes that either don’t fit or make you cringe, but from what I watched, there weren’t any problems with that.
My one issue is that I am a long-episode kind of girl; I like details and longer storylines, so I believe that was missing from the show. I can’t fully get attached to the show without that. I am, however, tempted to go back to the beginning and watch more. Overall, Season 6 looks like a success so far!
Rating: 4/5
Maleena Muzio, Campus Correspondent (she/her/hers)
A fan of classic comedy shows, I was ecstatic to watch “What We Do in the Shadows.” I had never seen the show before, so jumping into Season 6 was definitely interesting. Despite not having any context for the show, it was not extremely difficult to catch on. Based on what I have seen so far, I can confidently say that the show won me over, and I will be going back to Season 1 to begin watching the series from the start.
Episode 1, “The Return of Jerry” is probably my favorite of the three new episodes released this week. “The Return of Jerry” is ridiculously funny and is enough to make you feel like you have personal connections to the characters, almost becoming a part of their story arc. The latter two episodes, “Headhunting,” which is a play on a traditional Frankenstein tale, and “Sleep Hypnosis,” delving more into the household dynamic again — with a clever allusion to “Scary Movie” (which I really appreciated) — unfortunately fell short of the season’s premiere. However, they were still quite enjoyable and brought me more than a few laughs.
“What We Do in the Shadows” is “The Office” meets “Modern Family,” which meets “Dracula.” As odd as that paring may seem, it is incredibly well done. I highly recommend watching this show if you are a fan of over-the-top comedy, especially in time for spooky season!
Rating: 4/5