If this review feels like a love letter to Guillermo de la Cruz, that’s because it is. What We Do in the Shadows 4×07 gave fans more than they could ask for. With Nandor, Laszlo, and Colin away with Sean to the Pine Barrens in Jersey, that leaves plenty of hijinks for Nadja and Guillermo in Staten Island. Though, they don’t know that they each have plans for the house.
Nandor and Laszlo settle their decades-long differences on a weekend away. There’s one thing that Nandor and Laszlo can agree on: It’s if someone comes for their human friend, they will fight to the death for them. Anyone but Guillermo. This week, Guillermo fends for himself when he has his family over to the house for the first time. This was a long-awaited appearance from the de la Cruz family because let’s be honest, we thought they weren’t real. But, to make it better, Nadja and Guillermo proved themselves to be the pairing we were missing from the series.
BOYS WILL BE BOYS
Nandor and Laszlo don’t get along, which explains why we rarely see them paired together. Laszlo isn’t helpful at all because he doesn’t care. So long as he has his wife and a roof over his head, nothing else will matter. Meanwhile, Nandor is the type that needs to be loved always. Thinking about 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows, Nandor is the most like Viago, and Laszlo is most like Deacon. Viago needed everything to be prim and proper, while Deacon really didn’t care (especially not about the dishes.)
The only thing that brings Nandor and Laszlo together is the Jersey Devil, which was a vampire myth until he appeared. They couldn’t agree on being the best in battle until they have to battle the craziest creature in What We Do in the Shadows 4×07. The Jersey Devil has a goatee, a massive sack, and a love for music from New Jersey. Bon Jovi, specifically. Honestly, nothing else could surprise me in this series. It makes complete sense that this creature could be destroyed by Colin’s iPad and good vibes. The only thing I ask from What We Do in the Shadows is that it continues to give me scenes that would never make sense without context.
VAMPIRE HUNTER FAMILIA
Guillermo invites his family over to the house for the first time in 12 years. Despite the fact that he’s been giving them money, he can’t convince his family that he was promoted. He hasn’t had them over in 12 years, but Guillermo’s family seems to have not caught up with his life. For all they know, he’s working at the railroad and has a girlfriend named Daphne. When Nadja appears, he says Nadja is Daphne to stop them from constantly asking “y tu novia?”
While Guillermo may be worried about his fake girlfriend, his family is more concerned with the vampires they feel. Looks like Van Helsing’s blood runs deep. Guillermo’s grandmother pulls him aside to tell him about the heat and goosebumps she’s feeling. Of course she would warn him — that’s her grandson. She loves him no matter what.
The reason this episode may be the best of the season (or perhaps of the series) is for Guillermo’s coming-out scene. It’s not subtle, but it’s also not as lowkey as Viktor’s coming out in The Umbrella Academy. Without an argument from his grandmother or nosy cousin, Guillermo tells his family that he is gay, but they already knew. His cousin tells him “we don’t give a shit about you being gay; we’ve known that forever.” His mother simply responds with “una madre sabe.” What’s beautiful is that they waited for him to come to them despite already knowing about his sexuality.
In an essay with Esquire, Harvey Guillén wrote, “If the truth of who you are was a home, you are allowed to live in it before having to invite everyone in.” What We Do in the Shadows 4×07 allowed Guillermo to invite everyone in once he was ready. He had to come out twice, first as gay, then as a vampire’s familiar. In this case, Guillén’s “home” was both literal and metaphorical. Guillermo hadn’t had his family to see him in 12 years, not until he made some money while with the vampires and could show off how well he was doing. The same for his sexuality and vampire secret, he waited until he had the mental means to admit his feelings to his family.
It was coming out as a vampire’s familiar that was the tough part. His family doesn’t want to invite vampires into their space, so why would a vampire hunter want to be a vampire? It’s a question I still ask, but I’m sure the writers of WWDITS will answer it in an equally beautiful way.
Also, if anyone wants to start a petition to get a flashback episode where Guillermo joins the vampires, I’d sign it.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
- We’ll probably be talking about What We Do in the Shadows 4×07 for years after this.
- Guillermo now needs to tell Nandor about his sexuality. We ALL know that Marwa isn’t the real love of Nandor’s life.
- I can’t wait for the sequel where Nadja gets to watch Mamma Mia 2.
- Prediction: Nandor and Guillermo get together, and Colin goes back to his adult self and has a child himself.
