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 3 “Brain Scramblies” (B)

This really is a concept show that derives much of its humor from the way in which its characters fundamentally misunderstand the world around them. Raving about how they were going to a party celebrating owls seemed odd, and Colin clarified by explaining to the audience – and not trying nearly as hard in his efforts to correct the other vampires – that it was actually a Superbowl party, not a Superb Owl party. That fundamental confusion wasn’t all that detrimental since Colin still got to drain the energy of the men who had the misery of staying to hear him ruin all the fun while the other three got into plenty of trouble. I liked that Sean’s “get your rears in gear and get in here” was considered sufficient by Nandor as an invitation in, and they really missed the mark when they thought Sean’s comment about them being vampires was anything more than a joke. Their double hypnosis went predictably awry, and after giving him a night to remember, it turns out that him being turned back into a blank slate was actually the best thing they could possibly have done for him. Nadja was happy to see Joan even if she pretended that she was completely senile, but those emotions faded when she realized that Joan had taken the necklace containing her mother’s screams, which is a lovely notion. It was entertaining to see Guillermo get results he didn’t want when he was searching online for virgins in the area, and he managed instead to stumble upon a group of vampire killers posing as mosquito collectors. I recognized Craig Robinson from “The Office” and much more as Claude, their passionate leader, and Abigail Savage from “Orange is the New Black” as Tonya. He wasn’t exactly subtle in his reaction to what they were doing, but they’re about as perceptive as his own masters, which means he at least has some time to figure out what to do before they catch on to him.