What We Do in the Shadows: Freddie
August 31, 2022 8:35 PM - Season 4, Episode 9 - Subscribe
Guillermo has a visitor from overseas.
Laszlo takes Colin on the road when Nadja refuses to negotiate better terms for the boy. Meanwhile, Guillermo's Skype pal Freddie comes over England to see Guillermo, but Nandor is attracted to the newcomer and decides to get a Freddie of his own.
Laszlo takes Colin on the road when Nadja refuses to negotiate better terms for the boy. Meanwhile, Guillermo's Skype pal Freddie comes over England to see Guillermo, but Nandor is attracted to the newcomer and decides to get a Freddie of his own.
The way the vampires in the club were so eager to watch a clown suck himself off made me think about how the vamps on this show always seem to be such absolute pervs (probably a lot kinkier than they were when they were humans), and that led me to wonder about the other, more extreme personality changes that seem to come with being a vampire.
The show has never really addressed the psychology of how somebody goes from a normal person to a bloodthirsty killer when they get vamped. We saw Jenna get turned and at first she didn't want to kill anybody, but then a potentially interesting moral dilemma went right out the window for a gag about how it turned out she enjoyed killing frat boys. Guillermo's friend from the vampire slayer club got turned and we never saw that transformation, but when we saw him this season he seemed fine with killing people but he expressed horror at the idea of stealing from their corpses. ("I may be a vampire, but I'm not a thief!") Aspects of their human morality can carry over to being a vampire, but somehow murder is fine.
That push-and-pull between the vampires being relatable and monstrous is what gives the franchise its juice, and while I don't expect this show to explore the moral transformations of these creatures I do wish they'd dig into it a little more. I wonder if the show follows Buffyverse rules, where the vampire is taken over by an evil force and they become kind of a corrupted, nightmare version of the original person, or if they're just saying that once people become vampires and they no longer have to follow human rules, they just naturally become monsters who kill on a whim. If that's the implication, it's far and away the darkest joke of the show. We're all just vampires waiting to happen.
Poor Marwa, huh? I really thought they were building to something where her original personality would be restored and she'd be an absolute nightmare for Nandor to deal with, but instead she just got a personality overwrite with some floppy-haired British dude. Poor Jim Jarmusch too!
In one of the "to-camera" things later with Nadja and the guide, one of the decorative objects in the background appeared to be a woman's head under glass. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was Coppola's.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 9:55 PM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
The show has never really addressed the psychology of how somebody goes from a normal person to a bloodthirsty killer when they get vamped. We saw Jenna get turned and at first she didn't want to kill anybody, but then a potentially interesting moral dilemma went right out the window for a gag about how it turned out she enjoyed killing frat boys. Guillermo's friend from the vampire slayer club got turned and we never saw that transformation, but when we saw him this season he seemed fine with killing people but he expressed horror at the idea of stealing from their corpses. ("I may be a vampire, but I'm not a thief!") Aspects of their human morality can carry over to being a vampire, but somehow murder is fine.
That push-and-pull between the vampires being relatable and monstrous is what gives the franchise its juice, and while I don't expect this show to explore the moral transformations of these creatures I do wish they'd dig into it a little more. I wonder if the show follows Buffyverse rules, where the vampire is taken over by an evil force and they become kind of a corrupted, nightmare version of the original person, or if they're just saying that once people become vampires and they no longer have to follow human rules, they just naturally become monsters who kill on a whim. If that's the implication, it's far and away the darkest joke of the show. We're all just vampires waiting to happen.
Poor Marwa, huh? I really thought they were building to something where her original personality would be restored and she'd be an absolute nightmare for Nandor to deal with, but instead she just got a personality overwrite with some floppy-haired British dude. Poor Jim Jarmusch too!
In one of the "to-camera" things later with Nadja and the guide, one of the decorative objects in the background appeared to be a woman's head under glass. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was Coppola's.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 9:55 PM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
Vampire acts:
Gloria Estefang
Bloody Holly
Bat Stevens
Batboy Slim
Hall & Throats
Tame Impaler
The Undead Kennedys
(Mid-credits)
Impaler Swift
Bruno Scars
Lindsey Suckingham
Wraith acts:
Bonnie Wraith
Wraith Hill
Wraith Evans
Billy Wraith Cyrus
Wraith No More
Wraith Charles
posted by Pronoiac at 1:15 AM on September 1, 2022 [14 favorites]
Gloria Estefang
Bloody Holly
Bat Stevens
Batboy Slim
Hall & Throats
Tame Impaler
The Undead Kennedys
(Mid-credits)
Impaler Swift
Bruno Scars
Lindsey Suckingham
Wraith acts:
Bonnie Wraith
Wraith Hill
Wraith Evans
Billy Wraith Cyrus
Wraith No More
Wraith Charles
posted by Pronoiac at 1:15 AM on September 1, 2022 [14 favorites]
Teenaged Colin will only consider performing Papa Roach and Evanescence.
Poor Guillermo. Poor Marwa. Nandor, stop being a jerk.
posted by the primroses were over at 4:09 AM on September 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
Poor Guillermo. Poor Marwa. Nandor, stop being a jerk.
posted by the primroses were over at 4:09 AM on September 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
Poor Guillermo. Poor Marwa. Nandor, stop being a jerk.
Yeah, he really messed things up for Gizmo.
posted by Ranucci at 5:05 PM on September 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
Yeah, he really messed things up for Gizmo.
posted by Ranucci at 5:05 PM on September 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
It impresses me that show that can be so funny and silly can also make me so sad-this case for Gizmo, Marwa, and even OG Freddie. After all, he was hypnotized to be ok with his "clone" so they are ALL victims of Nandor. I really wanted Gizmo to have a win.
posted by miss-lapin at 6:01 PM on September 1, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by miss-lapin at 6:01 PM on September 1, 2022 [7 favorites]
I'm sympathetic to the AV Club reviewer who suggests that Freddie might have been a bit of a narcissist anyway. And perhaps Gizmo dodged a bullet. Still, poor Gizmo. I love Nandor, but that was really bad. Still, I'd rather see Guillermo be with someone he doesn't have to lie to.
If adolescent Colin gives up his "Guess what" ways, I will miss it terribly. I swear, there is nothing more annoying than answering that question, and Baby Colin did it perfectly. Glad to see Mark P. back though.
"Wraith Charles" killed me.
posted by gladly at 6:30 PM on September 1, 2022 [4 favorites]
If adolescent Colin gives up his "Guess what" ways, I will miss it terribly. I swear, there is nothing more annoying than answering that question, and Baby Colin did it perfectly. Glad to see Mark P. back though.
"Wraith Charles" killed me.
posted by gladly at 6:30 PM on September 1, 2022 [4 favorites]
That was so brutal for Guillermo. This show ends with Gizmo killing everyone right?
posted by Uncle at 7:50 PM on September 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Uncle at 7:50 PM on September 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
I'm sympathetic to the AV Club reviewer who suggests that Freddie might have been a bit of a narcissist anyway
It's different if Gizmo organically came to that realization than having this very suddenly thrust upon him. Even if Nandor had realized some shit was up with Freddie and tried to protect him I'd have more empathy, but this is just fucking cruel. Even Nandor offering "his" freddie was just awful. He needs something-a bf, a decent bedroom, actual friends SOMETHING.
posted by miss-lapin at 8:11 PM on September 1, 2022
It's different if Gizmo organically came to that realization than having this very suddenly thrust upon him. Even if Nandor had realized some shit was up with Freddie and tried to protect him I'd have more empathy, but this is just fucking cruel. Even Nandor offering "his" freddie was just awful. He needs something-a bf, a decent bedroom, actual friends SOMETHING.
posted by miss-lapin at 8:11 PM on September 1, 2022
I lost it at adolescent Baby Colin's angry, angsty "guess what"s. "Guess what? I hate you! You're ruining my life!"
posted by phooky at 8:51 PM on September 1, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by phooky at 8:51 PM on September 1, 2022 [7 favorites]
I am still low key mad about the omission of "wraith against the machine"
posted by phooky at 3:40 PM on September 2, 2022 [15 favorites]
posted by phooky at 3:40 PM on September 2, 2022 [15 favorites]
I know this is essentially a sitcom so characters can't really change much, but I really need some kind of resolution for Guillermo. Either Nandor needs to show him some respect or Gizmo has to leave. They've had two physical fights and now with the Freddie thing I just don't see how they can continue with the familiar (ahaha) status quo.
I did love the Freddies screaming when they met, though.
posted by harriet vane at 11:30 PM on April 16, 2023
I did love the Freddies screaming when they met, though.
posted by harriet vane at 11:30 PM on April 16, 2023
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The rest? Not so much. Though there is a mini-reunion of sorts with Al Roberts of Stath Lets Flats but he and Natasia Demetriou don't even get a scene together.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 8:49 PM on August 31, 2022 [2 favorites]