What We Do in the Shadows 4×06 fulfills the promise of episode one: Get Nandor hitched to the bride of his dreams. Nandor’s settled on marrying Mawra, his undead wife from his other life. Now that he’s a vampire, he can live with her in eternal bliss. Unfortunately for Guillermo, saying yes to being the best man is not everything he hoped it would be. His lack of sleep and loopiness are so relatable. We all know we have those days where trashing a room while screaming is what you need to do.
Frustrations aside, this week, the group did all they could do to make sure Nandor had the perfect wedding, even if it came with a lot of objections. What We Do in the Shadows 4×06 might be my favorite episode of the season yet.
NANDOR’S RELENTLESS REQUESTS
Nandor is an anxious mess. The Guide calls him a “bridezilla,” even if he doesn’t know what that means. There’s a list of impossible tasks for Guillermo to complete, and if he gets one more request, he’ll scream. Oh, wait — he did that.
In order to save Guillermo, her accountant, from having a stroke, Nadja steps in to help. Both Nadja and The Guide give Guillermo a well-deserved break, and they also give Nandor a wake-up call. They truly are those besties who tell you like it is.
I’d seen pieces of What We Do in the Shadows 4×06 on Twitter and assumed Guillermo was upset because Nandor was getting married. But Nandor is the type to need everything perfect to meet his standards. He used to be a king and famous warrior, so it’s only fair. But to see Guillermo throw a tantrum like this only solidifies that this is not the Guillermo we first knew. This Guillermo doesn’t take any BS from anyone — not even Nandor.
Harvey Guillén deserves an Emmy for that temper tantrum alone. Also for the way he interacts with the fictional camera crew. It’s too funny and perfect not to be award-winning. Someone get him a statue ASAP.
THE BARON’S ASSISTANCE
Baron Afanas has been through so much since his first appearance in season one. First, he was burned by Guillermo, then buried, then resurrected, and was living with one of the oldest vampire creatures as a torso. Nadja and The Guide still find him sexy, but if Nandor wants him to be the officiant of the wedding, he’s going to need a touch-up. So, Nadja suggests a makeover — yes, it’s exactly what you are imagining. With outfit changes and a catchy song, there’s no way that the Baron can find a look for himself. Even though Nadja put in the hard work to get the Baron to be more confident for the wedding, the only thing that solves his problem is for Nandor to wish him back to his old form. Now, I finally understand why every vampire was so horny for him.
What’s always stood out in What We Do in the Shadows, both the television show and the film, was that the vampires were always anachronistic. That’s part of the charm. The most obvious anachronism is the makeover montage with everyone switching outfits in the dressing room. The image of Nadja, the Baron, and The Guide laying on each other could become iconic. That’s the beauty of What We Do in the Shadows — the vampires aren’t in touch with human culture. But how they’re framed in this “documentary” makes it appear that they are. The Baron is insecure about his look, so of course in the most ridiculously human way, he’s going to get his looks and his groove back.
TIL UNDEAD DO YOU PART
Nandor’s wedding is going off without a hitch. He has a dodo for the wraiths to eat, and his wife likes everything he likes. After trying his best to become better for her, his last wish was to improve her in some way. But that doesn’t stop Marwa from requesting her dead parents come back to life for the wedding. Nandor isn’t happy with that request but goes with it anyway to please her. So, maybe he is still trying to be perfect for her… Marwa’s parents don’t like that Nandor brought her back to life to marry her. Why they explained the real situation to them, I’ll never know, but they set off a string of objections to the marriage. Even Djinn knows that Nandor doesn’t want this because he gifts him a smaller lamp with only three wishes so he can’t waste them.
This wedding is exactly what you’d expect a wedding in What We Do in the Shadows 4×06 to be like. My favorite part was the off-key rendition of “Who’ll Come First on the Wedding Night?” by Nadja and Laszlo. It was the perfect opportunity to bring back characters from the first season, like The Baron, their neighbor Sean and even Derek, the vampire hunter turned vampire from season two.
As the WWDITS universe expands, it’s cool to see that the show has stopped calling back to the film. The series has grown so much that it has its own inside jokes and recurring characters. The characters and their relationships have been solidified; now, we can see how they’ve evolved. And to remind us, some relationships have evolved more than others. I’m looking at you, Nandermo.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
- Both Nadja and Laszlo thirsting over The Baron was perfectly in character for them.
- Completely forgot The Baron had some sort of human form.
- I hope Nandor uses those three wishes to get rid of Marwa.
- Completely forgot about Derek, but cool to see him back.
- I need to know what other songs Nadja and Lazlo performed at the wedding.
