The bittersweet moment has arrived for fans of FX’s critically acclaimed vampire mockumentary, What We Do in the Shadows. As the series embarks on its sixth and final season, the premiere episode, “The Return of Jerry,” masterfully blends the show’s signature humor with a poignant undercurrent of finality. For those wondering What We Do In The Shadows Episodes will bring in its swan song, this opener sets the stage for a season of reflection, hilarious mishaps, and perhaps, a touch of vampire introspection.
Jerry the Vampire played by Mike O'Brien is back after a long super-slumber in What We Do in the Shadows season 6 premiere.
Picking up after the somewhat conclusive events of Season 5, “The Return of Jerry” efficiently resets the status quo while simultaneously launching the narrative threads for this final chapter. The most immediate question looming as the season begins: Where is Guillermo? Our beloved former familiar has embraced a very human existence, finding employment at Panera Bread and residing in Laszlo’s old garden shed – a location with its own unique history. Despite the less-than-ideal living conditions (a lingering aroma, mysterious stains, and a peculiar sex-chair), Guillermo’s $250 weekly rent to Nandor seems like a steal, at least initially.
However, Guillermo’s foray into the mundane is short-lived. The catalyst for his return to the supernatural fold is, as the episode title suggests, the awakening of Jerry the Vampire (played with understated comedic brilliance by Mike O’Brien). Jerry, a vampire acquaintance of the housemates, entered a “super-slumber” in their basement back in 1976, with a request to be roused on New Year’s Eve, 1996. In classic What We Do in the Shadows fashion, the vampires completely forgot about him.
The comedic premise of Jerry’s return hinges on the vast changes the world has undergone in his 28-year nap and, more importantly, the utter lack of progress made by our vampire protagonists in their supposed mission of “conquering the New World.” Jerry’s first question upon waking – “So, how did it go… conquering the New World?” – lands with perfect comedic timing, highlighting the vampires’ inherent laziness and detachment from any grand ambitions. Their sheepish admission that they’ve been mostly “futzing around,” with Laszlo’s vulva-shaped shrubbery as the most significant achievement, is a testament to their delightfully aimless existence.
Jerry’s presence serves as a mirror reflecting the vampires’ stagnation and complacency. He is appalled by their acceptance of human presence, particularly the documentary crew filming their lives – a detail they struggle to explain. Mike O’Brien’s performance shines as Jerry’s mild-mannered demeanor clashes hilariously with his growing exasperation at his friends’ current state. His interactions with Colin Robinson, who bombards him with rapid-fire updates on pop culture phenomena like the ambiguously colored dress and Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” are comedic gold, showcasing the generational and cultural gap in a brilliantly absurd way.
To defuse the tension Jerry’s return creates, Guillermo steps in, directing Jerry toward The Guide. This pairing promises further comedic potential as The Guide eagerly embraces Jerry’s “New World-domination plans,” envisioning her own role in his schemes. Jerry’s initial directives to The Guide, involving research into “foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack and Bernie Goetz,” hint at a satirical exploration of societal issues through a vampire lens, a classic Shadows trope.
Beyond the immediate humor, “The Return of Jerry” subtly plants seeds for deeper character arcs as the season progresses. Jerry’s mere presence triggers self-reflection among the vampires. Colin Robinson, stung by Jerry’s inability to remember him, confronts his own loneliness. Nandor grapples with the realization that he might have softened from “Nandor the Relentless” to “Nandor the Kinda Nice Guy.” Even Nadja is reminded of her long-dormant ambition to understand human society, her current understanding limited to the ubiquitous “sink and a couch and a drawer full of spoons.”
Laszlo’s storyline, however, carries a particularly poignant note. His abandoned ambition to reanimate dead flesh and create new life is brought into sharp focus. The visual of Laszlo gazing forlornly at rotting body parts and a “tarnished” anal speculum, lamenting his lack of progress on “Cravensworth’s New Man,” encapsulates the comedic tragedy of his character. The shrunken head’s eye popping out serves as a darkly humorous punctuation mark on his stalled aspirations.
“The Return of Jerry” masterfully sets the stage for the final season of What We Do in the Shadows. It delivers the expected laughs while introducing a subtle undercurrent of melancholy and reflection. The episode effectively uses Jerry’s return to highlight the vampires’ unchanging nature and to subtly nudge them – and the audience – towards considering their legacies as the series approaches its conclusion. If this premiere is any indication, the final season promises to be a hilarious and surprisingly thoughtful farewell to our favorite Staten Island vampires.
Stray Observations:
- Keep an eye on the room under the stairs; it’s hinted to become significant again in Episode 3, particularly concerning Nandor’s “calistheneticals.”
- The vampires’ attempts to explain modern concepts like traffic and “steel horses with rubber feet” to Jerry, who was last awake in the 70s, provide classic fish-out-of-water humor.
- The running gag of yelling “BAT!” during transformation gets a new twist with Jerry’s more prosaic “HUMAN FORM!” in contrast to Laszlo’s dramatic “MAN!”
- Laszlo’s appreciation for Jerry’s straightforward name, “Bam! Thank you misterrrrr….” is a delightful Matt Berry moment. We also get amusing imitations of Laszlo from Nadja and Colin Robinson, highlighting his distinctive mannerisms.
This premiere of What We Do in the Shadows episodes‘ final season is a welcome return, promising a blend of familiar humor and introspective moments as we journey towards the series’ end. Fans are eagerly anticipating what we do in the shadows episodes will deliver next as the final season unfolds.
