What We Do in the Shadows: The Roast (5x08)

Oh my god, this was an AMAZING episode.

Cons:

I feel bad for continuing to harp on this, but The Guide continues to feel like such a wasted character! I like the performance, I don't think it has to be this way, there could be some really funny stuff here! But instead it's the same joke again and again. It's like she's the Jerry from Parks and Rec or the Toby from The Office. But this show didn't really need that, they're all a bunch of losers, and there's already the vampires treating Guillermo like he's disposable to fall back on as a joke? I don't know. She had plot relevance this week, but it feels like we could have done this without her.

Pros:

Lazlo's ennui was really funny, the way he keeps dismissing everyone's attempt to snap him out of it... one of the funniest exchanges was right at the top, when Nadja and Nandor were talking about Lazlo lacking interest in his old hobbies: Nadja - "We are down to like sixteen fucks a week." / Nandor - "We're down to three". And Nadja reaches out and puts a hand on Nandor's arm, in horror and sympathy to hear something so terrible! That really made me laugh.

What We Do in the Shadows: Hybrid Creatures (5x07)

Man, this show is a trip sometimes. This episode didn't quite click for me in a lot of ways.

Cons:

I will say, one of the things that I love so much about Guillermo as a character is that he's a bad-ass. He's a fool as well, don't get me wrong, but throughout the last couple of seasons, Guillermo being ridiculous is always balanced by big wins, something triumphant and comedically over-the-top cool that shows he is without a doubt the most competent character in the cast. This season... it's basically been all losses for our favorite half-vampire half-human guy. I hope he gets some ridiculous victory by the time the season ends, just for balance.

The grotesque animal hybrids were... okay, there were one or two funny moments in there, but by and large this humor just wasn't really making me smile. The thing where they all called Guillermo "daddy", and he was having to care for them like children, including bathroom stuff... I don't know, y'all. I get that this show is wacky and bizarre, but that just didn't work for me.

Outlander: Turning Points (7x08)

Big episode, lots to discuss. I'm going to try and be brief.

Cons:

I don't like Ian and Rachel again. I keep flip-flopping. But this episode adapted one of my least favorite book moments, where Ian suddenly gets all intense and passionate, and Rachel is all confused and torn about her feelings. It feels like the ramp-up for this romance is very sheepish and cute, and then suddenly it's this burning passion. It doesn't vibe right with me. Also, we end with Arch Bug showing up again and leering threateningly at Rachel, having identified her as someone Ian cares about so he can exact his revenge. Eh. I really could take or leave that whole plot thread, if I'm being honest.

This is a little hard to quantify, but there's a lot of over-explaining in this episode, I feel? Moments that were powerful on their own but then get just a bit too much in the way of belaboring, thus diluting their power. Benedict Arnold, for example. I wish we didn't have the moment where Claire is given an opportunity to sway his opinion away from resentment. The implication that she might have said something in that moment to alter the whole course of history is a little silly. I wish it could have been left more subtle and unsaid.

What We Do in the Shadows: Urgent Care (5x06)

Finally, Nadja knows! What a wild episode.

Cons:

I feel like this has been a Colin Robinson-heavy season so far. I'm not saying I dislike that character, but... let's be real. Not my #1 favorite part of the show or anything. I thought his story had promise but it took up maybe a bit more of the run time than I would have liked. I would have allocated more time to Nadja and Guillermo and Lazlo, and slightly less to Nandor and Colin.

Pros:

But starting with that Colin plot, I did love the conceit where he keeps being accidentally too interesting, and it slowly starts to kill him. As he tries to drain from people, he finds that his black eye looks too interesting. Then he gets hit by a car, and a TikTok is made of him, and he discovers the man who hit him is a famous actor (John Slattery - from Mad Men!), and then when he tries to go into a gas station, it's being held up at gunpoint... no matter what he does, he's too interesting to drain energy! That's pretty funny, as was the bit where Slattery finds Colin's accent so interesting that he's happy to listen to him talk all day.

What We Do in the Shadows: Local News (5x05)

Okay, this was pretty hilarious.

Cons:

The thing about Guillermo's slow vampire transition this season is that it does blunt some of the comedy impact of him being a vampire in the first place. I sort of wish there had been a more dramatic contrast between human Guillermo and vampire Guillermo. It's almost like instead of setup and punchline, it's setup and then very long, meandering journey towards a destination we've already been told about. That's not to say I don't enjoy some of the things about said journey, but I don't know. I guess I'm just hoping we'll see Guillermo get his transformative moment to shine.

Oh, and, same note as always on the Guide: there's nothing wrong with her, but she seems like she could lift right out of the story without being missed at all. Sorry!