The What We Do In The Shadows Season 4 Finale Hit The Reset Button In The Most Amusing Way Possible
This post contains major spoilers for the season 4 finale of "What We Do In The Shadows."
Bojack Horseman once said that, in a sitcom, nothing can ever really change and you could not get a happy ending. That's because, "if everyone's happy, the show would be over, and above all else, the show has to keep going. There's always more show."
Indeed, the longer a sitcom stays on the air, the more it stays the same. Even if the formula starts changing and new elements are added, like a new family member or a work problem, these are quickly swept aside or resolved before long. Things always have to stay the same, so there is more show.
That brings us to the season 4 finale of "What We Do In The Shadows." The excellent TV spin-off of the acclaimed vampire mockumentary film quickly became one of the best comedies on TV with its fantastic cast, wacky characters, and outright bizarre plot lines, like the beloved Jackie Daytona episode. This season changed the formula and introduced several new elements, but in the finale it hit the reset button hard. Of course, this is still "What We Do In The Shadows," so its reset was a bit different, and very amusing.
A vampire life is not for me
Season 4 of "What We Do In The Shadows" had three big storylines that were introduced in the season 3 finale: Nandor tries to fill the hole in his heart with a wife, Nadja rejects a job with the Vampiric Council and decides to open a nightclub, and Laszlo takes care of the baby who crawled out of the chest of his dead friend Colin Robinson.
By the season 4 finale, all of this was over, and none of it mattered. Nandor got married, but he sent his wife away, Nadja burnt down her club and lost all her money, and Laszlo lost his buddy and singing partner when Colin Robinson had a growth spurt and turned back into this old energy vampire self. As Nandor tells Guillermo towards the end of the episode, as a vampire, things don't really change, so why not spend the next decade or so getting really into books?
With most other shows, a reset like this would feel cheap, but it fits perfectly with the world of "What We Do In The Shadows." After all, these are vampires, so after several centuries, it makes sense that they wouldn't really take to changes. It's not like Nandor isn't used to seeing countless lovers die across the centuries. And Colin Robinson? His secret room filled with journals means this is far from his first death/baby resurrection. This return to the status quo is not just a way to keep the show going, but it serves as a poignant reminder of the sad reality of vampires — if you're immortal, you have all the time in the world, and when you have that, nothing you do has any consequence.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
But even as the show hits the reset button, it shows that some things do change, big time. This season finale feels different because we are heading into a new season knowing things are exactly as they were in the beginning, except for one major thing.
That is, of course, Guillermo. After three seasons of frustrations and being the butt of every joke, this season saw Guillermo finally take the reins of his life. First, he started stealing from the nightclub, after a decade of unpaid work. Then he came out to his family, and even got a boyfriend. Then, in the finale, Guillermo finally snaps and decides to not wait around for decades until Nandor makes him a vampire (nor does he pay attention to Nandor's description of how much life as a vampire sucks). Instead, he takes his money, and tries to bribe his undead friend Derek into turning him into a vampire once and for all.
In a show full of constants, it makes sense that Guillermo is the only variable, the only one who keeps surprising us — first with his vampire-killing ancestry, now this. If vampires can never change, then it's up to the only mortal in the show to change for them. It is entirely possible "What We Do In the Shadows" finds a way for Guillermo not to go through with his plan, but if he does, it would dramatically change the dynamic of the show. Until it doesn't, because there's two more seasons already in the works.
"What We Do In the Shadows" is streaming on Hulu.