What We Do in the Shadows: The Mall / A Night Out with the Guys

July 15, 2023 10:11 AM - Season 5, Episode 1

Episode 1: The vampires discover the mall. Episode 2: Nandor and Laszlo have a night out with Sean and his friends; Nadja discovers the source of her bad luck.

The hour-long premiere of the fifth season picks up 16 days after last season's finale. Colin Robinson is back to his adult form, Nadja's club has still burned down, and we find out what happened when Guillermo put a bag of money in front of his vampire friend Derek.

Also, The Guide makes the opening credits now!

Vulture premiere recap
AV Club premiere recap

posted by gladly (12 comments total)

My money is on Guillermo, being of vampire hunter blood, is changing but just very very slowly. Like, even his own blood is primed to take out anything from vampires. He will get there but it will take a while (penultimate or final episode, like it did with his revealing his vampire hunter abilities to the gang).

Having Matt Berry as Laszlo is such a blessing. I can't decide what I love more: his "cheap sex potions" comment or his pronounciation of "chilaquiles."
posted by Kitteh at 5:08 PM on July 15, 2023 [10 favorites]

The neighbor exploding made me audibly gasp. I really didn't expect it. I'm so excited for this season.
posted by miss-lapin at 8:02 PM on July 15, 2023 [3 favorites]

My guess is that Guillermo's vampire slayer blood is making him turn into a daywalker. I've had a hunch for a while that someday he'll become a full vampire slayer, facing off against Nandor, and maybe he'll be a Blade-like superpowered cool guy in a leather trench coat. That'd be one hell of an arc! Or maybe this is something about how he didn't drink enough of Derek's blood (it was a quick sip, and IIRC Derek was passed out at the time) so now Guillermo is like 11% vampire and he's stuck in this limbo where he can't be a normal human again but he also can't become a full vampire.

It's sure good to have Classic Colin back.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 8:53 PM on July 15, 2023 [9 favorites]

Fifth season in and they haven't missed a step.
posted by Pope Guilty at 9:46 PM on July 15, 2023 [5 favorites]

"Curses are just supernatural excuses people make up for being losers. Hexes on the other hand, that's a real thing." I love Kristin Schaal in this show.

Nandor riding that mall carousel was my favorite bit from these episodes though. He found Jahan!
posted by the primroses were over at 5:49 AM on July 16, 2023 [8 favorites]

The Baron's neighbor exploding was such perfect timing. It went just long enough that I thought it would be fine. And, I'm so happy for Doug Jones getting out from the prosthetics.

The solution for Guillermo's change is perfect. Gizmo never gets what he wants quite as he wants it, but he did actually try for it.

I love Little Antipaxos that's been there all along. I'm so happy this is back.
posted by gladly at 8:47 AM on July 16, 2023 [10 favorites]

I saw the neighbor explosion coming so clearly and certainly I might as well have read the script beforehand.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 8:50 AM on July 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

I saw the explosion coming and I still laughed.

That montage of Colin Robinson feeding was an all-timer. "Prosexxy!"

I'm sure they're building up to something with Guillermo, but I think the funniest thing would be to have like one line at the end of the season to the effect of, "Yeah, my Van Helsing blood means I can't be turned," them boom, on to the next idiotic thing the vampires get into.
posted by MrBadExample at 10:13 AM on July 16, 2023 [10 favorites]

I was so delighted to have this back, and Colin Robinson's work at a Friday's knockoff was absolutely perfect. The only place he could do better would be the DMV.

I cackled at the joke that it'd be impossible to tell that the constant hypnotizing was making the people of Staten Island stupider.
posted by TwoStride at 1:33 PM on July 16, 2023 [5 favorites]

Great way of developing Guillermo without completely changing the dynamic.
posted by snofoam at 4:34 PM on July 16, 2023

Yep, and I love that Laszlo is the only person in the know. It's not personal for him, but he's also not capable of a Nadia level of indifference. Could be a secret for the season, could be a secret for one more episode. You can never tell with this show!

Matt Berry really is invaluable. The thing about Laszlo being charming enough that he never has to develop his glamour (plus he's married to Nadia, who is really fond of it lmao) is entirely believable.
posted by grandiloquiet at 7:28 PM on July 16, 2023 [5 favorites]

I'm calling it - Guillermo is becoming a Blade, but because he's Harvey Guillen and not Wesley Snipes he's going to come out as a Bladellermo. That's a combo Blade/Guillermo.
I mean, he's half way there already. Remember the fight from last season(s)?
posted by fiercekitten at 9:39 PM on July 17, 2023 [3 favorites]