#WWDITS theories

[emmabirb8]

Oooh, calling it now:

Guillermo's inability to completely transform into a vampire is psychological.

His regret and guilt over seeking vampirism from Derek (and receiving it from him as opposed to Nandor) has created a mental block that is literally preventing the transformation from coming to full fruition.

He's doing this to himself and he doesn't even realize it.

[ev-belknap]

More wwdits s5 theory talk following ep1-2

The documentary crew has changed tactics 👀 It used to be when Guillermo asked them for a moment of privacy, they’d back off. (And then they’d try the sneaky way). Now they kept actively pestering him to get to the bottom of the story. We also saw something we never ever saw before: pre-roll film. They gave us a conversation between Laszlo and Nandor while setting up for an interview!

So here’s my theory: the series is reaffirming to us that this is a story within a story. That it has unreliable narrators. There are things the housemates do not share with the film crew, and I think this time, it’s going to be something big they’ll try to keep off the cameras. I think we’re going to be seeing a lot more sneaky footage in the future…

Also that moment where Guillermo alluded to the editing of all the good bits? The joke supposedly is that Nandor never did anything nice. Which is bullocks, I can think of plenty. However, If I was making that documentary, that would *not* be the place in the story where I’d be putting that montage in 👀

[barren-heart]

I have a theory about Guillermo deciding to reject vampirism. To me, it makes sense that he was unturned more because of guilt that he “cheated” on Nandor. I think him “losing” this dream (for now) will make Nandor see that Guillermo wants to stay by his side not because he wants something from him(vampirism), but because he really cares about him and loves him.

I would say that’s why Guillermo was turned in s5 so the audience could see that Guillermo was choosing to stay. He admits in both Urgent Care and Exit Interview that he loves the vampires (Nandor he loves the most) and that he believed that turning would make him closer to the vamps.

However, a lot of what the audience sees is Guillermo’s guilt and fear that Nandor will turn away from him (even though we’re told it’s because Nandor will kill him. But we all know Guillermo could kill Nandor.) The audience never really got to see a happy Guillermo choosing to stay with the vampires. And neither did Nandor because he didn’t know that whole time what Guillermo was hiding and why.

I think this will definitely be Guillermo’s plot (and Nandor’s) in s6. That they will choose each other, not because they need something from each other, but because they want to be together.

[rosewaterraindrops]

What is a "Saratoga Split"?

This theory is such a reach that I debated even writing it down at all. But at the very least, it was a fun little history refresher! My theory: the “Saratoga Split” is a reference to the 1777 Battle of Saratoga from the American Revolution, and it’s foreshadowing either the rest of the household having to defend Guillermo against Nandor, or Guillermo choosing to leave Nandor. My reasoning is below. 

The “Saratoga Split” could be seen as a throwaway moment, but there are too many strange things about it that stand out. First of all, I looked up the Saratoga Split and I can’t find a single mention of it anywhere, so I’m not sure it’s even a real hairstyle. Second, Guillermo doesn’t know the answer, so Nandor says the name very slowly and deliberately, twice. Third, Guillermo fully turns away from Nandor here (see screenshot below), so that we can see both of their faces - this is not the most natural thing to do in conversation, and feels intentional. Whenever one of them is fully facing away from the other, some secrets are usually brewing (see: the sound machine scene in ep1 or “I let you live” from the s3 finale).

Nandor’s love of battles and military history has been well-established throughout the show, and was emphasized in the prior episode, S5E7 “Hybrid Creatures”. At the beginning of “The Roast”, Nandor tries to engage with Laszlo by asking him a question about the 1759 Battle of Quiberon Bay, in which the British Royal Navy defeated the French Navy. Fast-forward to the “Saratoga Split” dialogue at the end. It’s said by Nandor, who a) canonically loves battles and b) already mentioned another battle earlier in the episode - a battle that is also from the 1700s and also involves the UK and France. 

Quick refresher on the Battle of Saratoga: it’s widely analyzed by historians as a turning point in the American Revolution, because the American forces managed to defeat the British forces, thereby raising morale and convincing France to form an alliance with them. This French alliance eventually helped them win the war. The American forces were victorious in the Battle of Saratoga partly thanks to the leadership of Benedict Arnold - who was wounded in battle and later switched to the British side because he felt unappreciated. His name literally means “traitor” in America, despite all of his contributions towards the revolutionary effort. 

The word “split” itself invokes division, rupture, separation, abandonment, etc. We know that Guillermo’s decision to be turned by Derek has already created an emotional divide between him and Nandor, whether or not Nandor knows the truth yet. We also know Guillermo is missing in S5E10, implying either a voluntary or involuntary separation, and the title of the episode is “Exit Interview”, implying someone leaving. 

Assuming this “Saratoga Split” reference is intentional, I think it’s a nod from the writers to the viewers, and can be interpreted in two different ways. 

1. It could be drawing a parallel between Guillermo getting the rest of the household on his side and America securing the French alliance. In this case, the “split” might refer to the fact that everyone has taken Guillermo’s side, leaving Nandor alone. The “alliance” between the rest of the vampires and Guillermo might end up being crucial in protecting Guillermo from Nandor’s anger when he finds out the truth about Guillermo's turning.  

2. It could be drawing a parallel between Guillermo and Benedict Arnold. Guillermo served Nandor faithfully for so many years but Nandor still refused to turn him, so he ended up going to Derek, and his actions have been described as a betrayal by multiple characters. Nadja even calls him a “traitor” in S5E5 “Local News” - yes, it’s for a different reason, but fits in with the overall theme. In this case, the “split” would refer to Guillermo possibly choosing to leave Nandor and the household, the way Benedict Arnold left the American forces. 

Anyway, time to pull myself out of this rabbit hole. 

[jaspe-r-ed]

Ok so im re watching wwdits, & im on s5e1 and something clicked when guillermo is joking w the vamps at his birthday dinner & nandir turns to him & says 'i will kill you' in reference to his 'what if dracula turned me' joke. Not would, will.

What if thsts at bit of foreshadowing? Remember when jenna died as one of the steps in her transformation? What if guillermos slayer genes are keeping him healthy enough so that the vampirism cant kill him & bring the next step of his turning?

What if nandor has to kill him to push him into the next step of his transformation?

👀 food for thought

[sphericalbee]

My theory on Nandor this season is that he knows Guillermo is a vampire- he's doing the whole "I know what you did" thing too often. ik he's a dumbass himbo but IT'S NOT AN ACCIDENT jksahfkjhakjgd

So, I think he's stressing Guillermo out on purpose. Of course he doesn't want either of them dead, but he's really pissed that Guillermo would betray him like this- so he's doing weird petty shit.

[honestlywhyamibackhere]

The Nandor Knows Theory™ has actually started to look really convincing. Before episode 8 I wouldn't have agreed, but Nandor's behaviour at the end of the episode seemed kinda off to me.

So first of all, Nandor appears quite down and quiet after the threat of Guillermo's life becomes more of a sure thing (in the eyes of the other vampires) and he doesn't even seem to recover to his full self after finding Guillermo in the coffin. He's initially surprised and pleased to see Guillermo is still here, but after establishing it's the real Guillermo he's dismissive, immediately brushing him off and going straight to his coffin to sleep. This implies all is not right, no?

There's then the way Nandor keeps asking him questions this season that allude to Guillermo keeping secrets, which Nandor then turns into a joke when he doesn't get an answer straight away. Prior to episode 8 I was in disbelief that Nandor could get even stupider, but now I'm starting to think it's an act..

ALSO Nandor repeated about how he knows Guillermo better than anyone. It's like he's waiting for Guillermo to tell him the truth, and as I mentioned previously, Nandor has been asking many times if there's anything Guillermo wants to share with him. I could be reading into it too much and I most definitely am, but I feel like he could've suspected Guillermo's vampirism for a while but wasn't certain until today, hence his overall sadness. Idk his personality just seemed flatter than usual after all that shit went down with the Baron.

Idk I'm not completely sold on this theory, but I just read a post by another Tumblr user suggesting Nandor could've given Guillermo blood instead of coke to test him, and how after figuring out the truth, Nandor realised he couldn't turn Guillermo to save him from death via Barron Afanas.

His behaviour just seems off at the end to me!! Like he just realised his friend is alive and safe and still with him. Like he CHOSE to stay and Nandor still seemed depressed and or unsatisfied??

I'm definitely overthinking this but I wanted to share my take on it. Sorry if this is incomprehensible I'm really tired

[elfany]

My main theory for Guillermo's slow turning is of course his Van Halsing blood, but i believe its not actually causing him to turn slowly. Its that he hasn't actually drank the right blood. It made him a vampire that can only drink vampire blood. He's turning so slowly because he hasn't had a properly feed, cause he's drinking human blood.

Later in the season I can see Guillermo ending up letting Nandor "turn" him due to guilt or other factors and thinking that he's going to explode/die. But the minute he drinks Nandors blood he ends up turning completely.

[wow-its-me]

OK GUYS

I watched em’

And I have two main theories on what’s going on with Guillermo

1. Van Helsing stuff. My first thought while watching the episodes was that his vampire hunter dna/powers was fighting against the turn. This would probably follow up with an arc about his identity, and maybe him becoming a new type of vampire (as I assume no other van helsing has been turned) or it could be followed by an internal debate for Guillermo as he feels like he has to choose a side of himself (and like this whole show,,, it can be an allegory for queerness)

While I do think all of that is a piece of what’s going on… it’s not new. The whole Vampire vs. Van Helsing thing has being going on ever since Guillermo found out about his heritage. The internal struggle has largely been dealt with. (And so has the allegory with him coming out to his family)

So!

2. Nandor. I didn’t even really think about this until I heard a few other people mention it. The internal struggle comes from his own regret and guilt for not being turned by Nandor. He waited like twelve years for him and finally decided to stop waiting. But he didn’t stop wanting. He’s going to be subconsciously fighting off the turn until he can accept that it wasn’t Nandor that turned him. (and also their continued unresolved feelings)

Anyway all about him accepting himself

Apparently the next episodes about pride

[strawmaguchi]

Okay Wwdits 5.10 realization: the reason killing Derek did not kill Guillermo was because Guillermo had only been a vampire for a month so therefore he aged a month when Derek died. If the Baron was killed both Nadja and Laszlo would age the number of years they’ve been vampires and that would kill them because humans cannot be that old.

[emmabirb8]

Y'know... has Guillermo thought to test out his slayer strength and abilities since he was turned? Now maybe there's nothing out of the ordinary in that department, but uh...

since the turning didn't quite go as planned and has yet to fully activate, I'm wondering if his slayer powers might be, like, counteracted in some form?? Like maybe they'll be somewhat diminished or canceled out, which would be a very unfortunate fact to suddenly discover during, say, an unforeseen dangerous situation or attack where he just assumed everything relating to those abilities was fine and normal 😬.

'Cause like... I'm still firmly in the belief that Guillermo's botched turning and subsequent failure to fully transform is at least partially psychological, but I ALSO do agree with the general fan consensus that his slayer genes are to blame as well. I think it's a combination of factors.

So if I were him, I'd test some stuff out. Just out of curiosity.

[ev-belknap]

Random out there future Nandor wwdits predictions because BRAINROT

- one day an orc will walk by, and it’ll turn out all orcs are ridiculously hot, and it will finally be confirmed Nandor was 100% flirting when he told Guillermo he could pass (that little up-down-smile thing he does checking him out is *everything*)

- ‘I have always been, and always will be, Nandor the Relentless’ ok but bestie how about you end the series as Nandor de la Cruz, I vastly feel you don’t need a wife at all, you need a husband.

[barren-heart]

We already know the ending of What We Do In The Shadows the show. The movie told us.

Spoilers from both the movie (2014) and the show (2024)

I think it’s obvious when Taika and Jemaine set out to make an American version of their vampire comedy, they weaved a lot of the same storylines into the show. We have vampire roommates, werewolves (not swearwolves) , familiars, an ancient vampire, vampire hypnosis, and a camera crew.

All the same ideas exist from movie to show, just presented differently.

Guillermo, the familiar turned vampire hunter turned bodyguard turned vampire turned back to human, is a combination of the movie’s familiar and vampire Hunter roles. I believe he’s also the love interest, Katherine.

I think the show, while becoming it’s own thing entirely, has a deep connection to the movie. I think they’ve been trying to follow viago’s love interest storyline since the show switched hands from Taika and Jemaine to Paul Simms.

While probably not known to most, Paul was instrumental in bringing the show over to the States, having helped to fund it.

He was already in the world of Shadows, and while I haven’t agreed on the way he’s said things and some direction the show had taken (season 4 had some growing pains), I do believe he’s understood the heart of the show.

Which is why I think they took such a dramatic shift in season 4 to tell and show the audience that Nandor doesn’t want to just date, but to really have a life or afterlife partner. That season had two “coming outs”. Guillermo obviously coming out as gay, and Nandor coming out as pansexual before he was turned.

I think this distinction was really important to build their romantic dynamic. They wanted to show Nandor’s interest in Guillermo wasn’t attributed to just horny vampireness, but actual true love and affection for him.

And having Guillermo formally come out as gay was more than just the Freddie gag (or the purpose of Guillermo having a boyfriend so that Nandor sleeps with him causing Guillermo to get upset about it which encourages Guillermo to take vampire turning into his own hands, leading to the events in season 5), but to show the audience that Guillermo’s not just a hero worshipper of his boss. He could very well have a crush that could become something more.

And while Simms’ execution of Nandermo so far has not been executed perfectly, (mostly because I think his version of Shadows uses jokes to cover or masque serious moments whereas Jemaine’s comedy often highlights and exposes the truth about life in funny situations), I think Paul’s vision is headed in the right direction.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Guillermo has a far larger familiar role than the one in the movie. Storytelling wise, it’s expected that Guillermo’s ending will solve the lingering vampire question that was halfway resolved in season 5. Because the show is telling the audience, “Wait. There’s more.” There’s more change to be had. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that a part of Nandor’s arc is finding love. And part of his ending will have to be resolving this, as well.

And funny enough, Viago’s ending resolves both of these issues. He finds love with Katherine again and turns her into a vampire, but she got to have a full life first. There’s comedy there (he’s still older than her even though they don’t look it) but also there’s heart. She got to have a full life and agency of her own instead of being robbed of it.

I think Paul wants to set up this ending because it’s funny but also, to highlight his appreciation to the original. We expected from the jump that Nandor would turn Guillermo eventually and we can’t just have that without growth and change and conflict in between. It’s nice to get everything we want, but that’s not what sitcoms do. Sitcoms subvert expectations, and Paul is highly versed in sitcom structure. (Something that I think even Jemaine and Taika had to learn. )

Paul Simms’ isn’t just a writer in the room, he is a writer familiar (haha insert lame reference joke here) with the source material in a sitcom format. The movie wasn’t a sitcom. They could resolve Viago’s relationship because movies resolve arcs at the end of the movie.

Sitcoms don’t resolve anything at the end of an episode or even the end of a season. They resolve them at the end of the show. He knows Nandermo would end the show, because when characters get what they want (whatever their aspirations are) it completes the narrative. In sitcoms, the characters wants drive the purpose of the show.

And all good sitcoms don’t immediately give you (the audience) what you want until the end. And yes it can be frustrating, but when done right, the payoff is worth it. When the arcs are finished, the story ends. Even in sitcoms and comedy shows. So, Guillermo and Nandor being together and Nandor even eventually turning Guillermo, would have to be arc finishers. That would end the show. Which is why I think s6 is ending here, because the lead (Nandor) finished his arc.

Now whether that means Nandor will turn Guillermo on screen or not is yet to be seen. Maybe at some point down the road when Guillermo’s family is much older or have moved on from this earth and maybe when there is a new way to be a vampire without blood, Guillermo will be ready.

[rosewaterraindrops]

Realized something about the WWDITS timeline:

-In the promo for S5E5, Nandor says they got to Staten Island in 1892.

-Laszlo was Jack the Ripper, who was active from 1888 to 1891.

So maybe they left London in 1892 so that Laszlo wouldn’t get caught!

[readnscreen]

Guess who finally caught up with what we do in the shadows!!!!??

Cork board time!

Derek says his transformation took 6 to 8 hours and he is a fully fledged vampire, which why did the vamps in the house decide to turn him?

Jenna's transformation took like a week right? Like it took longer and she fully died, the way the vamp slayers where convinced Derek died.

Jenna's bat form is fugly and she had some trouble mastering her abilities until she realized she had a special power.

Guillermo is getting only a vague blood craving, perfect vision and big ears- is the transformation plus Van Helsing instinct making him a better hunter via vampire transformation, will he be able to feed from vampires, Colin Robinson mentioned energy vampires where the only vampires that could feed on other vampires.

Again Jenna wasn't exactly sure what was happening when she was turned and was very anxious until she accepted the turn, kind of, so maybe it could be that it's taking a long time because he's nervous and not sure he wants to go through with it, because at the end of season 4 he tells the camera crew they can keep his closet so he didn't plan on coming back, but he backed out of his original plans.

Also the way the way all other familiars we've met talk about their relationships with their masters plus the way they where talking about turning Guillermo it's clear Nandor was never going to turn him so why is it suddenly a blight on Nandor's reputation that Guillermo got turned?? make that shit make sense, though it does imply that being a familiar is like an internship.

[humeruspuns247]

Okay maybe I’m off base but WHAT IF Nandor uses the last 3 wishes from the djinn for the others? Like he wishes to fix up the house again, maybe let Marwa and her parents live on indefinitely so she’ll be happy?? Maybe even smthn for Guillermo?? PLEASE I need a scene where nandor uses his Actual Last Djinn wish for Guillermo’s happiness I beg