What We Do in the Shadows Season 6: A Stellar Cast, But a Safe and Slightly Underwhelming Season
What We Do in the Shadows Season 6: The Familiar Faces Still Shine, Even With a Safe Approach
What We Do in the Shadows season 6 offers a first glimpse into the final season for this FX vampire comedy series! The first three episodes introduce a whole mess of storylines–these set up plenty of potential throughout its eleven episode run; but the big thing is Jerry (Mike O’Brien)'s re-emergence from his “super-slumber” in the 1970s. This brings plenty of comedic opportunities, and nostalgia for those things he had to deal with previously; bringing to light other lost desires, hopes and those previously-held anxieties associated with his time around those vampire roommates; showing what life might be like to become suddenly thrown into the 21st century.
What We Do in the Shadows set a super high bar for this genre of dark humor and mockumentary styled storytelling; setting a totally fresh feel to comedy which really surprised critics, who lauded the show’s comedic creativity. Many even felt the show easily surpassed the cult classic movie it’s based on, creating such incredibly distinctive characteristics and a cast that quickly earned their audience’s praise through incredibly high-quality writing that makes many scenes far funnier, and ultimately funnier overall. This final season however faces major issues which need addressing to bring about an exciting end; despite the very familiar and adored cast involved.
A Stellar Cast and the (Mostly) Excellent Performances
One amazing thing about this show that hasn't really changed: This stellar ensemble is consistently funny! The chemistry is off the charts–these small details, especially during those talking-head interviews add so much more to each moment and really, elevate the quality that isn’t exactly necessarily expected for comedy. Natasia Demetriou absolutely nails it in her character development. Everything is perfect.
Even those lesser moments still largely deliver: Matt Berry and Mark Proksch even brought forth these seriously hilarious and surprisingly memorable moments throughout their storyline; and although there is a very slightly awkward moment from Berry in that entire marriage fight which falls slightly flat – due possibly to the predictability that made that moment seem lesser—those very, very subtle problems never quite diminish that overall incredible chemistry.
Yet this isn't perfectly written; The writing isn’t always sharp. While there are huge laughs throughout this production—those extremely hilarious scenes featuring Berry and Proksch mimicking those Muppets bits in hilarious ways—several moments lean on predictable sitcom tropes. There were even tired gags: Laszlo and Nadja’s silent treatment (with Guillermo as the unfortunate go-between). Those jokes are often too familiar, especially considering how incredibly distinctive their humor normally is; showcasing the surprising lack of attention to details found in similar plots found in past seasons.
Storylines That Fall Flat: Inconsistent Story Arcs and Poor Decisions
The season’s storylines also have very significant flaws; this season’s plots aren't quite well-paced. Guillermo’s attempts to join the human world are energetic–but Laszlo's sudden Frankenstein-monster obsession is a very poorly developed plot element and makes his character very flat. Bringing this character and storyline back and into this narrative fails at being impressive considering those kinds of themes were far, far more pronounced before; therefore, making a fairly unique attempt toward introducing the same storyline into something entirely too similar doesn't really succeed in conveying its original brilliance in its former presentation and use.
Jerry’s arrival–the initial catalyst—promised serious change; a major meta nod towards that documentary crew which creates some additional humour and self-aware elements that were already featured previously (a strong call-back towards the series finale in The Office). It doesn’t happen very well though, in those later episodes: It falls back into those familiar sitcom antics. The pacing is simply poor and those initially highlighted plots could easily be resolved; without really generating that kind of emotional payoff or creative changes needed for those particular moments.
Conclusion: What We Do in the Shadows Season 6 Needs to Get Way Better
What We Do in the Shadows relies on those consistent laughs which are created by character-driven interactions and those totally unpredictable plots, yet it appears that the earlier storyline doesn’t make its attempts at those kinds of surprise reveals entirely successful. This season remains highly enjoyable, as demonstrated by the incredibly talented and skilled cast and the fantastic moments displayed through incredibly impressive performance skills. It's however unclear whether it can deliver the intended shake-up before the series finale, needing some drastic alterations before that upcoming finale, unless drastic changes happen soon enough.
