Warning: This post contains spoilers for What We Do in the Shadows' series finaleThe series finale ofWhat We Do in the Shadowsoffers an ingenious and unexpected goodbye that’s wholehearted and self-aware. As a standalone episode, it provides one of the most inventive structures in the entire series. Simply titled “The Finale”, season 6, episode 11 starts out as any other outing between the vampiric crew – this time with a development about some particularly uncontrollable urges from Cravensworth’s Monster. The series slams on the breaks when the documentary crew asks for their microphone packs back, asGuillermo begins to unravel at the reality that their “documentary” is coming to an end.
What We Do in the Shadows
Cast
What We Do in the Shadows, released in 2019, is a mockumentary series exploring the nightly lives of a group of centuries-old vampires residing in Staten Island. The comedic show delves into their interactions with each other and the modern world, providing a humorous take on the vampire genre.
While the earlier seasons ofWhat We Do in the Shadows— created by Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi based on their 2014 film — represent the series' better half, the show has maintained a cult following. Instead of going big and bringing in various guest actors from previous episodes for a sweeping and cumulative farewell,the series smartly keeps its focus on its beloved core crew. Even though nothing came ofAlexander Skarsgård’s appearance in the penultimate episodeand the finale was mostly disinterested in plot and character resolutions, the finale is ultimately highly original, self-reflective, and engaging.
The What We Do In The Shadows Finale Lifts The Documentary Crew Veil & Says Goodbye In Tandem With Its Audience
The Series Finale Saved Its Best Trick For Last
What We Do in the Shadows' finale pumps the brakes on the narrative storylines established through season 6, which ends up working in its favor. The whole “corporate world” theme of the season is hardly mentioned andnew characters like Jerry the Vampire– who made a grand introduction in the season 6 premiere – are quite literally ripped out of the story. The finale embellishes the core element of the series that made it so strong in the first place, which isits near-workplace sitcom feel that celebrates the hilarity of its unique characters in any situation.
Season 6’s setting may have felt a bit out of place in a city office building but it shows how easy it is to follow these characters anywhere. The cinematic spoof onThe Usual Suspectsin the finale plays into the meta tone of the series ending, in whichNadja hypnotizes the audience into seeing the “ending of their dreams.“This nearly sarcastic tone helps break the fourth wall effectively and makes it easier for us to prepare for an inevitable detachment from the series.
The finale goes out with the same type of crafty and inventive humor that made the show such an original success.
The finale goes out with the same type of crafty and inventive humor that made the show such an original success in the first place. It avoids straying too far into an overly sentimental resolution but still acknowledges the inherent sadness of the occasion. The series also seems to take jabs at its own reception, seemingly mocking feedback it may have received from certain unnamed parties. The plot is also not totally abandoned asGuillermo and Nandor do have a meaningful, and then hilarious, goodbye.
What We Do In The Shadows' Finale Cleverly & Hilariously Reflects On Its Legacy Without Becoming Overly Sentimental
The Comedy Series Stayed True To Itself Until The End
With a highly original character-driven series likeWhat We Do in the Shadows, there’s no real need to arrive at major plot points and “hero’s journey” conclusions. Guillermo’s attempts to inspire textbook storytelling essentials like character change and growth are cleverly brushed off by the Vampires, who have a meta understanding thatwe don’t ever want them to change. The resting point about how Nandor and Guillermo will continue to be friends after the cameras stop rolling is the greatest sentiment to end on, creating an air that, somewhere out there, the crew is still up to their usual antics.
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The vampires are mostly unbothered throughout the series and it’s satisfying they remain this way until the end. Seeing Laszlo and Nadja break character and get immersed in their feelings might have packed more of an emotional punch but it’s evident the creators did not want to go in that direction. As Nadja explains,this was not even their first experience with a documentary crew.
An old film features some of the highlights of previous seasons while also creating a hilarious moment in the present timeline that the eternal vampires have hardly ever changed over thousands of years. This helps scrapbook these characters and makes it easier to cope with the series ending.
The What We Do in the Shadows finale may not venture too deeply into its own nostalgia but it provides another ingenious entry to the beloved series.
What We Do in the Shadowsremains a passionate series and one of the most intricate comedies with obvious care for its characters.The series didn’t need to pull any cliché finale gimmicksand even laughs at the thought of doing so in its final scenes. Guillermo, as usual, is the human point of contact for us and is the only one who is truly upset about the documentary ending. Even when he gets his big commemoration speech into the camera, the comedy never stops, which is exactly how this particular finale should be.
TheWhat We Do in the Shadowsending does provide a brief performance of the core cast singing “We’ll Meet Again” by Vera Lynn, which does acknowledge a more traditional “finale” feel. Ultimately, it’s relieving that the series doesn’t trade its fantastically idiosyncratic comedic value for sappy character interactions and forced plot conclusions. TheWhat We Do in the Shadowsfinale may not venture too deeply into its own nostalgia but it provides another ingenious entry to the beloved series.
