Emmy Catch-Up: What We Do in the Shadows

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m watching the entire season of every series nominated in the top category.

What We Do in the Shadows: Season 2, Episode 1 “Resurrection” (B)

The announcement of this show as a Best Comedy Series nominee was definitely one of the most surprising moments of the Emmy nominations broadcast, and it also came near the very end, especially since it’s alphabetically last, and was the only announced bid for the show (it also earned technical bids and three writing citations). I enjoyed the pilot of this show just fine even if I think that we don’t need more mockumentaries in the world, and now I’m going to watch the ten episodes of season two to try to understand what everyone loves so much about it. This opening installment was entertaining enough, and having them check back in with the camera crew about what happened during the time off seemed to be like a fairly sufficient recap to get me situated with the events and characters. I immediately recognized actor Haley Joel Osment, best known for being the kid who could see dead people in “The Sixth Sense” and a recent recurring player on “Silicon Valley” and “The Kominsky Method,” as Topher, the familiar who, unlike Guillermo, didn’t put any effort into what he was doing and, also unlike Guillermo, got plenty of credit for being great. From his quick demise to his unfortunate reanimation, I most enjoyed his constant eagerness to have Guillermo high-five him, even when he was literally holding his severed arm in his hand. I didn’t feel the same affinity for Wallace, played by Benedict Wong from “The Martian” and “Doctor Strange,” whose obviously imperfect spell-casting was a bit much. I didn’t expect the ending with his zombie keychain factory, but I guess this show is capable of surprises. This season might be fun.