What We Do in the Shadows S03E04 A Ring-A-Ding-Ding Affair: Review – Bleeding Cool News

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This week's episode of What We Do in the Shadows, "The Casino", takes our vampires on a little road trip to experience the debauchery and bacchanalia of the famous "Sin City" itself Atlantic City. Yeah. Well. It's a start. With the twists and turns, it seems it might be harder to make it back than imagined. It was another great episode to add to the season's quality run supported by excellent performances and some truly great writing. I love the layers that it has added to the characters and how it has fleshed out new sides of them we had not seen before.

In this week's episode of What We Do in the Shadows, Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), and Colin (Mark Proksch) get invited by their neighbors on a road trip to Atlantic City to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Quick side note: I liked the use of the starting credits to show the travel portion. My favorite thing this season so far has been Nandor's concern to make Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) feel like part of the team. He even stood up to Laszlo and Nadja to make sure they understand he is no longer a familiar. Their awkwardness at trying to seem like they care was hysterical. I loved their faces and their poor tries. In particular, Laszlo did an excellent job looking to connect with Gizmo and I think Guillermo was pretty close to coming out to them if they had not been interrupted.

However, things take a turn when they are unable to slumber and realize their ancestral soil has disappeared all because Colin got distracted and the cleaning lady vacuumed it all up. Now Guillermo has to go on a journey to find the ancestral soil from each of their birthplaces. Seeking money to get Guillermo the plane tickets he needs, Laszlo ends up concerned about ruining the greatest friendship of his life in the process and it is actually pretty adorable to see him care. Also, their descent into madness and nihilism was pretty funny- like when Nandor's world gets turned upside-down after learning about "The Big Bang Theory" after playing a The Big Bang Theory-themed slot machine. Colin explains to him the concept of the creation of the universe and he learns that what he believed for 750 years was all a lie, having him believe there is no point to anything anymore. Bonus points for dropping a Sir Terry Pratchett/"Discworld" reference during Colin and Nandor's exchanges.

I have to say that the weakest storyline in this episode of What We Do in the Shadows was Nadja and the Rat Pack. We know Laszlo is the one who is bad with faces. However, it seemed weird to me that she would not take into account the aging process. Clearly, she is aware of it considering the older lady she encountered in the previous season. Right as they were giving up on life, Guillermo arrives with the soil and puts together a plan to save the financial situation Laszlo's friend found himself in due to gambling. They managed to pull an Ocean's 11 and gather money to pay off the friend's debt. I think that is the nicest thing they have collectively done for someone else since the show started (even if their Ocean's 11 scam turned into a scene from Rocky crossed with Halloween).

Before it ends, our vampires present Guillermo with a wrinkled doily saying he is a good bodyguard. Once again, Laszlo is the one that always gets me with his little gestures. Berry is just amazing, and he presents Laszlo in ways that make him more than just a one-note horndog. I do think it is a great step to help Guillermo start feeling like a part of the gang, especially after seeing how much they really need him on these past few episodes. I am looking forward to seeing where this new interest in Guillermo's life and family goes and what happens when he starts opening up to them for real.

What We Do in the Shadows Season 3 Episode 4 "The Casino"

Review by Alejandra Bodden

8.5/10

This week's episode of What We Do in the Shadows, "The Casino", takes our vampires on a little road trip to experience the debauchery and bacchanalia of the famous "Sin City" itself... Atlantic City. Yeah. Well. It's a start. With the twists and turns, it seems it might be harder to make it back than imagined. It was another great episode to add to the season's quality run supported by excellent performances and some truly great writing. I love the layers that it has added to the characters and how it has fleshed out new sides of them we had not seen before.

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What We Do in the Shadows S03E04 A Ring-A-Ding-Ding Affair: Review - Bleeding Cool News