What We Do In The Shadows (Season 3)

Season 3 of What We Do In The Shadows takes some big risks by trading some of its laughs for more drama and character development, and what ensues is not just the most uneven season so far, but possibly the best?

Season 3 starts with a pretty massive status quo shift. Now that most of the vampires in the Tri-State Area have been killed off thanks to Guillermo, the only people left who can run the Tribunal are the main cast. Thus, a lot of this season focuses on Nandor and Nadja trying to lead the Council, to predictably mixed results. It's a really cool storyline that slightly expands the scope of the series, and culminates in the reveal that the Baron is actually alive. I always thought he was wasted so it's nice to see him back. Meanwhile, Laszlo and Colin spend the season hanging out. It initially seems like they're just paired together because everyone else is busy with the Council, but we eventually learn it's all because Colin is dying, which leads to a really emotional last two episodes. And just like Season 1, each character has their own arc or subplot that leads to a surprising amount of development, like Guillermo's feelings for Nandor, Nandor having a mid-"unlife" crisis, and Nadja wanting to be a leader of the Council and not just a co-leader.

But while this was easily the best season to date in terms of its story, it's a lot more hit and miss in terms of its comedy. On one hand, this season allows the characters to get out of the mansion a lot more often, with the highlight being their trip to Atlantic City. Once again, I really feel like the series's scope is being expanded here. And at its best, this season is as funny as any prior What We Do In The Shadows season, with more high points as well. However, Season 3 did get to a pretty rough start, with The Cloak Of Duplication being easily my least favorite episode in the show to date, but even at its best, it felt like there were a few more jokes than usual that just didn't work for me (Colin's poop jokes from the premiere especially). It also doesn't help that with a lot more drama and character work, this season as a whole had a lot less comedic moments than the last two, so outside of some especially funny episodes, this season just wasn't as laugh-out-loud as the others for me.

Still, at its best, Season 3 had some of my favorite episodes so far:

The Casino: This was easily one of the funniest episodes of the show, from Nandor's obsession with the Big Bang Theory, to the vampires essentially getting drunk, to Sean wasting all of his money, to Nadja thinking a Rat Pack tribute band is the real thing. But what really made it is the fact that all the plotlines are resolved in an Ocean's Eleven style heist.

The Escape: This episode felt so big to me. It was a madcap chase across the city to track down the Sire, the first vampire ever, with the high stakes of every single vampire potentially dying if he isn't found. I wouldn't call this one of the show's funnier episodes, but it's definitely impressive.

A Farewell: This was a fantastic bait-and-switch in so many ways. Nandor going into Super-Slumber, Laszlo trying to give Colin attention, it all led to the incredible reveal that Colin is dying. But even more, this was just one of the season's funnier episodes, from the guest stars from the Supreme Tribunal, to Guillermo continuously waking up Nandor, to the ending where Colin accidentally gets his head destroyed.

The Portrait: While the first two season finales were alright, The Portrait was absolutely insane, completely fracturing the cast by sending Nadja to London with Guillermo, Nandor on a world tour alone, and keeping Laszlo home to take care of a reincarnated Colin. Laszlo sending Guillermo off to London stung the most, since he missed out on the one chance he got to become a vampire, and now Nandor thinks he ditched him.

Overall, while a bit uneven and not as funny as the prior two seasons, Season 3 of WWDITS manages to expand the scope of the series with a compelling main storyline, great character work, and some of the best episodes to date.

4/5 Stars