#nandor goes to space

[mothsartart]

i can’t believe you’d make me go into space, guillermo

[bottombaron]

ima be real

i think the most off-putting thing abt the finale was that i kept clocking Kayvan drop character just ever the most slightest tinniest bit throughout it

[queenofthearchipelago]

What gets me the most about the wwdits finale is that while Nandor didn't know that Guillermo had Derek turn him into a vampire, he literally knew everything else.

He knew that the Van Helsing blood would fight the vampire cells and he knew that the only way to fix that was to drink human blood. He knew that Guillermo wouldn't do well as a vampire, at least that he wasn't ready and he didn't even hesitate to try and fix it for him. He instantly reached for the Djinn, and when that didn't work, he very intelligently made up a vampire tradition that would allow Guillermo to have a choice.

And when Guillermo couldn't go through with what was required to make that choice, Nandor essentially said, I know you. I know you can't kill him, not like this, and I know you want me to do it for you because you need me to do it for you.

And after it's done, Nandor tells him he knows it was hard but he thinks Guillermo made the right decision for himself. It's been 13 years, but he isn't ready. And then Nandor walks away to give Guillermo the space he needs to process all of that.

In this episode Nandor proved beyond all doubt that he is the smartest vampire here. He's the oldest and he's not been careless about his choices with Guillermo. He kept telling him that "He was getting around to it." But that was clearly to avoid saying that Guillermo wasn't ready yet.

And despite that, he's clearly been thinking about it. That, hey, when I do eventually turn him, because we both want that (Nandor doesn't want to lose Guillermo to old age and Guillermo does ultimately want to be a vampire), I'm gonna have to figure out how to combat the Van Helsing blood with the vampire cells.

And when it came down to it, he knew just what to do to make Guillermo human again. He knew that killing Derek would only age Guillermo by a month, not kill him.

Nandor has been paying attention this whole time. He's smart. He knows a lot more than he ever let onto before. And despite his anger at first, he did the kind thing.

I look forward to where this relationship goes from here. Because it isn't going back to how it was before. Guillermo can't just go back to being a frustrated familiar. Nandor can't go back to pretending his protectiveness is dismissal. Nandor proved here just how much he cares by throwing out all vampire tradition (as he's done before, but never like this). And Guillermo was at the mercy of a community he so desperately wanted to join but simply couldn't do it.

I don't know who they are after this, but I hope it's more honest and emotional. I hope they actually talk about what it is to be a vampire, and how does Nandor do it. I hope they talk about why Guillermo wants this so badly. I want them to talk about why does Guillermo want this with Nandor so badly, because it's clear to everyone this is more than a regular familiar and master relationship. I want them to talk about what Nandor is hoping for after all of this. To know that Guillermo isn't ready, and maybe he'll never be ready, but he doesn't want to lose him. So what does he want?

They subverted all the tropes so hard that I genuinely don't know where we go from here. Somewhere new, I suppose. What a thrill

[thebennsofdallas]

A Nandermo rant -Season 6 version

I'm not sure what they (the show runners and writers) are doing with these two. Nandor and Guillermo have been building steadily toward a romance for over 15 years (technically 5 seasons). But to quote various cast members, the ending will be “bittersweet".  More about that later.

For me, Season 5 was Nandermo, all the way. A two alarm fire (only two alarm because they would have to kiss to get more alarms from me). Nandor “remembers” Guillermo’s birthday and takes him to dinner. He notices Guillermo spending time with Laszlo and is hurt and jealous. He goes to outer space in an attempt to impress Guillermo. He tries to make Guillermo jealous by spending time with a new friend. When he thinks Guillermo is dead, he sobs his heart out. He remembers the card that Guillermo sent him 14 YEARS AGO, word for word. And once again, even though he is devastated by Guillermo’s betrayal, Nandor goes against vampiric law to save Guillermo’s life.

If the show had ended at Season 5, I would have been happy. As far as I’m concerned, I got Nandermo — maybe not the Nandermo of my dreams but it was close enough. 

So if the show runners wanted to depict a deep, platonic love between Nandor and Guillermo, they have royally fucked it up. This ain’t it. If they wanted to tease us into thinking this great love is never going to be consummated, it’s a big swing and a miss. 

As to bittersweet? What would that look like for these two? Here are a few ways in which the ending, for Nandor and Guillermo, might be bittersweet:

Guillermo comes to terms with his brief time as a vampire and decides he really did make the right decision. For the rest of his life, he’ll have his human family and his vampire family

Nandor comes to terms with Guillermo’s decision to remain a human and knows that he will lose him one day but they will make the most of the time they have left

Guillermo makes a go of Cannon Capital and earns enough money to finance a relatively normal life. He moves out for real but stays in contact with the vampires

Nandor finds a mate that isn’t Guillermo (that's not really bittersweet but out and out evil)

Together, Nandor and Guillermo have an honest discussion and decide that it would never work for them and they part friends

There are more, I’m sure, but I’m worked up now. For me, the first two are the only two outcomes I could even remotely accept and not organize a riot in front of Paul Simms’ house.

If Nandermo is not going to happen, if TPTB  have fucked us over for over 5 years and made us believe that, on the show where NO ONE is straight, that these two men are going to end up pals, then so be it. It won’t be the last time I’ve loved a show that screwed me over like that and it probably won’t be the last. I’ve been through this before.

But Nandor marrying someone else out of this  vampire group? No. Guillermo and Nandor say goodbye and part ways forever? Hell, no. Either of those outcomes would mean that I wasted a lot of my time loving this show and investing in these characters. And that would be a shame.

[leporidaecervinae]

LOSING my shit rn. Nadja prodding at Guillermo's sex life in the restaurant, Nandor being so absolutely on board with poking fun RIGHT up until Laszlo says "maybe a ~boy~friend?"

Everyone else goes in hard on the gossip, even more intrigued by the information they've pulled out of their assumptions.

Nandor's face drops like a STONE. He goes from giddy and jovial to absolutely uncomfortable and nervous. He clearly wants to cut in and defend Guillermo but can't find the space to speak.

When Guillermo asserts that his private life is private Nandor stares at him with the intensity of the sun and then nods quietly in the background of the shot, very evidently pleased with Guillermo's shut down of that conversation. This vampire is so whipped! He's so jealous!

[nellie-elizabeth]

What We Do in the Shadows: The Finale (6x11)

It's so wild to finish watching this finale and then hop over to Tumblr to see people lamenting and grieving for this epic queer-bait on one hand, and then other people throwing a party because Nandermo is canon now, and I'm just like... what show did you all think you were watching? lol. This was a fun finale.

Cons:

This finale cemented once and for all that the Guide was pretty useless as a character, and I hate saying that because I love the actress and I wanted her to have more to do. But her final character beat is that Cravensworth's Monster is really horny for her? The alternate ending where she's a detective on the case of the vampires was really funny, and it was the first solid bit they've given Kristen Schaal all season, and that bums me out. They even get in a last mention of Nandor's feelings for the Guide, which again goes nowhere and isn't funny or clever or interesting. So that's a bummer.

Also, I want to be careful here because there's all this extra weight put on finales to be some big thing that both shatters and preserves the status quo and that's an impossible standard to live up to, but, the one thing I do wish for was a bit of a resolution or at least an escalation on the whole "the vampires have fallen down on the job of conquering the new world" plot. It's just that the season started with that, and I didn't need some gigantic world-altering payoff, but some sort of circling back in a way that felt like things ended with a bit of momentum into the nebulous future might have been nice? Not the end of the world, but whatever.

To give space to the people who are sad about Nandermo, I will say I wish this show had had a bit more of a substantial relationship to the queerness of all the characters. For all that every single one of them is casually mentioned to be sexually attracted to multiple genders in a way that's really freeing, the only core romantic relationship on the show that has story-lines and gets narrative weight, is between Nadja and Laszlo. I honestly would never have expected or even wanted this finale to be some big grand "Ross and Rachel are finally together" moment for Nandor and Guillermo, but if I reflect back over the show as a whole... yeah. I do wish the queerness of the entire cast had been slightly less incidental in some way? It's more a reflection on some adjustments they might have made over the years, rather than a complaint about this finale in and of itself.

Pros:

Honestly, as I said above, finales have such a weird heavy lift in the TV world, especially when it comes to a comedy like this show. You have two options: either the show ends with a big change, the status quo splintering off and leaving you with a bittersweet sense of time passing (i.e. Friends), or else you basically say: and things go on thusly forevermore, and even if you're not here to see it, they're still out there being themselves. And frankly for this show, any ending that wasn't a preservation of the status quo would have felt disingenuous to me. Because the core tenant for these characters is that they're vampires and they'll continue on indefinitely being who they've always been. It's the core tension of Guillermo as a character, that he's a human with the impulse to grow and change, and his chosen family is frozen in time in a way he can never fully understand or be a part of. It's the thing about the show that makes it a good sitcom, but also doesn't lend itself naturally to some big climactic moment where everything snaps together.

So what do they do with it? They go meta! The episode starts with a setup as if it's going to be about Cravensworth's Monster turning horny and offering his dick as a gift to the Guide, and what they're going to do about this situation. But then, just as everyone's discussing it and giving their cut-away interviews to camera, the documentary crew suddenly declares that they have enough footage and they're done. Everybody else takes this completely in stride, but Guillermo is devastated and confused. So many years, basically his whole adult life, he's been followed around by these cameras, he's had his life structured into narrative arcs, and now... what? What was it all for?

One of the core strengths of the "found family" thing in this show is that the jokes can keep rolling while there is actually a subtle underpinning of sweetness to certain moments. So here, nobody takes Guillermo's reaction all that seriously, they all play off the end of the documentary filming like it makes no difference at all. But, at the same time, they all do something to acknowledge Guillermo's pain in their own way, and try with the typical clumsiness of this gang of vampires to offer him something in the way of comfort. Early season Colin and Nadja and Laszlo and Nandor wouldn't even have bothered to pretend to give a shit that Guillermo is upset, but here we have Laszlo offering to play a tune on the piano, Colin giving empty platitudes and talking about the nature of found family (even though he says he lost his found family in the early twentieth century and has been forced to hang out with these people instead). You have Nadja, using her new keen insight into human psychology to explain to Nandor why Guillermo must be upset, hitting the nail on the head by remarking that Guillermo probably feels like his opportunities for growth and development have passed him by. She uses her hypnotic powers to give the audience the perfect ending they would want, and we'll get into those alternate endings a little later on. And Nandor - Nandor gives Guillermo the stage to speak to the cameras and offer his own resolution, and makes earnest entreaties for them to stay together and be partners in fighting crime.

It's silly, and they all fumble it, and it's not actually reassuring or comforting except that the very effort in and of itself proves that they care. And that proves that these vampires are capable of change, doesn't it?

Guillermo really got the Main Character treatment here at the end, which is honestly his due: he's the one who has to grapple with the documentary ending, with the knowledge that this isn't even the first time his friends have been followed by cameras, that life is cyclical and that everything he's been through isn't new or original. He has to come to terms, in a meta sense, that he's a character in a sitcom. And so he goes for the sentimental ending: he helps put Nandor down to rest in his coffin one last time, acting as a familiar in all ways, and then he tells Nandor goodbye: that it's time for him to move on. He calls Nandor "Master" and when Nandor says he doesn't have to do that, Guillermo says: "I know. But you'll always be Master to me." And then he closes the coffin, slowly and with finality. Both actors give genuinely solemn and touching performances in this moment.

The end.

Of course, a camera still rolling in the corner of the room picks it up when Guillermo doubles back right away, interrupting the crew packing up their equipment. Nandor is pleased to see that Guillermo hasn't left after all, and Guillermo explains that he just wanted to give a satisfying conclusion to the documentary. He has no intention of leaving Nandor! And Nandor treats him as a friend and an equal, inviting him to share his coffin (although not, ostensibly, in a sexy way). Turns out, despite Guillermo's worries that the whole crime fighting thing was a whim and that he'd have to do all of the work, Nandor has actually been working hard on his secret underground lair, accessible only through a secret coffin-shaped tunnel through the earth. Our last glimpse of Nandor and Guillermo in the narrative proper is the two of them plunging through the earth in a coffin together, on their way to Super Hell. Or, I mean, their secret underground lair from which they'll fight crime.

I loved it, honestly. Guillermo's awareness of narrative convention, this whole season being about him stepping back and making his own choices, and then Nandor asking for Guillermo to come back, and Guillermo ending up where he wants to be without any false promises between him and Nandor. They are not a Master and his Familiar. They are friends, and equals, and it was honestly exactly the ending that makes sense for these two. A balancing point between the stagnation inherent in a character like Nandor, for whom change is almost impossible, and a character like Guillermo who had to go on a whole journey to figure out where he wanted to end up.

And then, we've got to talk about Nadja's three proposed "perfect" endings for the viewer. She hypnotized us into three parodies: the first is a Bob Newhart thing, where Nandor wakes up next to his husband Guillermo in bed, having had a crazy dream that encompasses the whole plot of What We Do in the Shadows. I saw some people saying that this was "making fun" of the viewers who shipped these characters, but like, guys, this show is nothing but making fun of everyone. It's all that, it's all jokes, it's all goofy. We got to hear some version of Nandor call Guillermo "honey," we got to see Guillermo kiss Nandor on the cheek. It made me giggle, it was so delightfully absurd. And it really revealed that the creators of the show understand what the Nandermo part of their audiences were picking up on - it's saying, yeah, some of you wanted this as an ending, but can't you see that the two of them having some grand romance at the last second would be genre-and-tone-breaking? I loved the line where Nandor was saying that in his dream, he and the other vampires all were having a lot of sex with each other, and "not you, Guillermo." Amazing.

The other alt "endings" provided by Nadja, available at least on Hulu as extra features, are great also... and I saw by reading some of the reviews of this episode that it seems people genuinely got different endings somehow when watching live - people reacted to the Nandermo Bob Newhart thing as one of the "alts," but I saw it as the actual content of the episode. The reviews that I saw all had the "Usual Suspects" ending as the one in the actual episode, with the others as the alts. That is fantastically troll-worthy behavior and SUCH a good note to go out on, the idea that some people might see one of the three endings and genuinely not know there's more out there. Through these endings we get to see Sean and Derek and some other frequent guest characters play bit parts, which is a fun way to give some of the extended cast a last hurrah.

I want to end by saying that if you're feeling hurt or betrayed by how this show ends, I want to honor that feeling as legitimate to you. But for my personal take? I don't think this show did anything wrong. Like, politically or structurally or tonally. My personal opinion is that this has always been an irreverent show where nothing really matters and nothing really changes, and this finale managed to actually feel like a sweet sendoff to the characters. Evidence of growth like I mentioned above, as this vampire family actually does make space for Guillermo's feelings, albeit in an unconventional and insufficient way. But this was never going to be a show where everybody got suddenly sentimental and sincere and confessed their deep personal truths to each other. It's a show that might wink at you, that might have Nandor say he's glad they won't be on film anymore, that might have Guillermo hopefully pushing to find out what he means by that... but that will always end with Nandor not picking up what Guillermo is putting down, that will always have another silly punchline waiting around the corner. This is a show that made me smile and felt really special in how bizarre it could get. And I did feel, on a genuine, emotional level, like this was the perfect way to end the show for Nandor and Guillermo's relationship.

As Nadja says, nothing is going to change - they'll keep on doing what they've always done, but now there will be nobody to film them doing it. And as Laszlo says, "We’ve had lots of laughs. Sucked lots of blood. And then fucked each other senseless."

This final episode gets high marks from me!

9/10

And the show as a whole, I don't feel like there's much more to say that hasn't been said above, which is probably another sign of a good finale: this was a real wrap-up of the chaotic and goof-ball energy of one of my favorite comedy outings of all time. It kept me good company these past few years, and Guillermo de la Cruz is always going to be a Character of All Time in my book. I'm sad to say goodbye, but what a send-off!

8/10

[nationmckinleyscorset]

In a way each season features a character in more depth than they have been in others

Spoilers for nearly every episode of wwdits so far under the cut

Let me explain

Season 1 introduced everyone but the plotline mostly followed Nadja's affair with the human Gregor, she was coordinating the orgy, she hates werewolves, she hates Laszlo's hat, and she turned Jenna then had an episode half dedicated to her teaching Jenna how to be a good vampire

Season 2 followed Laszlo as the main character, he got their familiars killed off, he discovered the family had a ghost problem, he gave Sean bran scramblies (it wasn't Nandor, Laszlo said "forget everything" and that's what fucked it up), Laszlo became Jackie Daytona for a full episode, Laszlo wrote songs with his wife because his original melodies were being plagiarised, and Laszlo fucked a witch and she returned to steal his semen (he was the first to be abducted)

Season 3 is less obvious in some episodes like The Siren, but I believe the focus is Nandor since he was trying to seduce someone by using the cloak of duplication (even though other characters are in this episode they are all played by him), he attempted to marry a werewolf and was rejected heavily, he and Nadja take over the vampiric council, he forgets to feed the sire then has to track it down to appease vampire kind, he rebukes his vampirism and joins the wellness centre, he is locked up in a cell until he decides to go into a super slumber then when he is woken up too early he basically confirms Colin's death, and he decides to go on an around the world adventure for a year and plans to make Guillermo a vampire on said trip

Season 4 is distinctively about The Guide and Nadja, for the purpose of this we're gonna overlook Nadja (sorry my girl). The Guide has been waiting for the vampires to return for a year because her life revolves around them, The Guide hates change so she receives counselling from Laszlo and we are given her very sexual backstory, we learn she has OCD and an overwhelming crush on Guillermo because of his lineage, we see her working alongside Nadja trying to get new acts for the nightclub and coordinating the wraiths, we see her longing to be included in the night market when she is gifted a box which turns out to be a bribe for the wraiths, we find out she falls in and out of love very quickly in The Wedding and also get the whole makeover sequence which is just <3, we see her at Girls Night in the pine barrens (this episode is less Guide-centric but you can't deny she's in this season a lot more than previous), I can't remember when but she has the "no close female friends" episode with Nadja and we can all empathise or at least sympathise with her character, she helps Nadja in her search for an act for the nightclub and is dedicated to her work right until the end

Season 5 is very much about Guillermo and his new found vampirism, in the mall we see him getting abilities such as better eyesight and the vampires invite him to dinner to try and cheer him up, the whole of dinner he is the main focus of conversation specifically how bad of a vampire he would be, in pride parade he helps plan the pride event and the viewer feels his horror towards the stereotyping throughout the episode, he also is the reason why Nandor goes to space in this episode, he goes to tell his family he is a vampire in local news but keeps being distracted by the vampires, although he doesn't directly interfere with their news problem he commentates on it then basically has to say goodbye to his van helsing familia, he is experimented on by Laszlo which leads to Nadja taking him to urgent care where she discovers he is a vampire and he gives his opinions on the group while doped up, in hybrid creatures he becomes responsible for animals that look like him and Laszlo's experiments continue, in the roast the baron finds out Guillermo burned his in the first place and the episode follows him being chased and almost killed numerous times, at Morrigan Manor he is the only one who The Guide doesn't want to torture and she accidentally reveals his vampire identity, in exit interview he is living with Derek and keeps being visited by the vampires, he eventually has to make up with Nandor and a whole ceremony takes place to turn him back into a human

Season 6 is focused on Colin (I was going to say season 4 but that wouldn't be fair to the guide, technically he has 2 seasons though). This is the least apparent because of the writing but his main themes are raising The Monster and trying to give him a less controlling childhood than he had, he picks out the monsters head using Uber and dances to Latin music with it, he joins Nandor's army while also working from the inside to overthrow Nandor and make him see sense, he sees Laszlo's father as a parental role completely bypassing that Laszlo is his father, he visits an old friend who turns out to want to fuck him and we learn he is less perverted than the other vampires, he gets the first vampire kiss in the whole program, he has many awkward moments in come out and play with various drinks and delaying the groups progress (he is the funniest character in this episode at moments and it really shows), in The Promotion he is named as one of The Monster's dads and The Monster basically takes his last name because he is just wonderful wonderful, I'd like to pretend the finale doesn't exist but in an alternate ending he had 2 babies with Nadja and in the other he had a really dramatic sequence with The Guide where I'm guessing the idea is he was behind everything and the only reason people can't see it is because he was a "boring" character

If I've missed any moments from these specific seasons please fill me in, I had to be careful with season 4 because I've read so much fanfiction I can't remember what's canon for the guide and what isn't (i think I managed to keep fanon away from this but if not... Oops. Live with it)

I'm aware characters cross over in each season (season 1 - Nadja, Laszlo, Jenna and Gregor but they all belong to Nadja in a way) (season 2 - Laszlo, Nadja and Colin in a way) (season 3 - Nandor, Guillermo and towards the end Colin) (season 4 - Nadja, The Guide, baby Colin, Laszlo but they all tie into the nightclub and also I HC Nadja The Guide and Laszlo as a polycule so it's whatever) (season 5 - Guillermo, Nadja - particularly her Antipaxon heritage - and The Guide - her tricky little schemes to make friends such as Morrigan Manor and the hex) (Season 6 - Colin, The Monster, Laszlo as a mad scientist but again this 3 come as a package deal)

This is simply something I noticed earlier today while rewatching season 3 and thinking "hey, Nandors in this a lot more than usual. What is happening?"

I'm also aware gizmo is the main character in every season but fuck it we ball

[candescentdibromoindigodreams]

Nandermo aside:

- Nadja was introduced and continuously shown to be the most ferocious one of them and had a leading position on the Supreme Vampiric Council. Now Laszlo thinks she needs protecting. I don't think she ever spat once this season and her hair is now a double Hermione beehive

- Laszlo was shown to be a great father to Colin Robinson, but now he's a dick one to Monster

- Guillermo's dream for the duration of the whole show was to become a vampire. That didn't work out and he's just... fine with it and has forgotten about it. He killed dozens, maybe hundreds of vampires, the great descendant of van Helsing and shit. Now he just goes to work and lives in a shed.

- Nandor spent several seasons trying to find a partner, came to a point of resurrecting dozens of his "wives", got cursed for some time to always think about Guillermo during sex, got confused so much that he "stole" Guillermo's boyfriend. Then he's fine-ish and now he's attracted to the Guide to whom he talks like only a couple of times during the season. It's all "resolved" via one phrase ("you're just about the conquest") and immediately forgotten. He's Batmanning.

- The Guide is a complete failure as a +1 main character, and doesn't even get a name. Kristen did not deserve this.

- just last season Nandor went into space and wore a crop top, and Laszlo and Nadja's now separate-individuality soul had a foursome with Nadja and Colin Robinson while Nadja's body was possessed and Colin Robinson was growing on its back. Laszlo was checking with Colin Robinson if he was "hitting the spot". This season the Thing is vampires getting an office job.

Ugh, why do I keep hoping

[cottoncandysprite]

Alright so a whole running theme for Nandor so far this season has been him being completely fulfilled in every aspect of his personality except romance. He rode a "horse" and found one that reminded him of John/Jahan. He commanded the police force like an army. He has the respect of Laszlo for his hypnosis powers. He went to a basketball game and will go to space next episode. On all accounts, afterlife is pretty great for him right now.

I can't wait to see how badly Guillermo fucks it up for him as the season goes on

[sumendi-blog]

All confirmed info of characters and episodes/plots that we know from the lasts interviews, a resume

OBVIOUSLY SPOILERS

CHARACTERS

Guillermo de la Cruz

-He stops being a familiar/wanting to be a vampire. His aim is to be a normal human and "make up for lost time"

-He returns to Panera Bread

-He starts living in the storage room at the garden of the Vampire Residence (😩)

-The vampires drag him in their...problems

-His friendship with Nandor will be questioned

-He's a fan of a series, that Simms describes as "for old souls". He writes about it?

Nandor the Relentless

-He goes on adventures? It seems that they're based on films from the 80's. The vampires have to help/rescue him at some point...?

-He will be at Panera Bread at some point after Guillermo goes there to work

-He has a fight with Laszlo: he wants to use the space under the stairs left by Guillermo to make a training area, Laszlo to make a lab

The Guide

-She still wants a friend, and at some point she finds it in Jerry, the new/old vampire roommate

-He thinks Jerry could "guide the vampires in the right direction"

Jerry

-He is the 5th member of the Vampire Residence

-He has been slumbering for 50 years. It seems the rest of the house...forgot about him.

-The first episode of the season is his debut: "The return of Jerry"

-He makes the vampires question themselves and their original aim of world domination

-Actor: Mike O’Brien

Laszlo Cravensworth

-He will be reunited with his dad in ghost form

-He will be the one finding that vampires can be hypnotized while slumbering. He will use this to make his roommates think his is the one in charge

-He will be obsessed with...Amazon?

-He will try to make, with dead human parts, a familiar (a Frankestein)

Nadja of Antipaxos

-She will join the workfield in a human-normal-job

-She will have an argument with Laszlo because of an old topic. But they will return to their "old horny selfs" soon enough.

Colin Robinson

-He wants a friend, and thinks the Frankestein created by Laszlo could be the one.

Baron Afanas

-He returns with his "more human self" thanks to a liquid secreted by the Guillermo!frogs that have regeneration powers.

Plots/Info:

*Confirmed 11 episodes, starting 21st October. 3 episodes will be aired, and then one weekly.

*There will be a "summoning demon" plot

*There will be "a human dinner/party" plot

*It seems that Paul Simms wanted "a season you could watch and have fun without watching the others". So it seems the episodes will be auto conclusive

[yes-i-can-hear-you-clemfandango]

I can’t get this out of my headddd help

Okay I am a diehard Laszlermo fan and I had a Lot Of Thoughts about like… Laszlo realizing Guillermo’s an actual fully formed person and not just some dumb donkey who does the household shit soooooo here goes my grammar and writing is usually shit tier but this won’t leave me alone: (mentions of culturally Catholic Guillermo- old habits die hard bruh I know)

Laszlo hadn’t ever really paid that much mind to Nandor’s familiar, a stout, nervous little chap who scurried around here and there constantly, sweating and mumbling and fumbling… Nandor had informed both he and Nadja that they were not to feed on the young man as “even mediocre help is hard to find these days, and he is as mediocre as they come.” However, Nandor had continued, they could make use of him as their unofficial familiar, because Nandor felt the lad needed to earn his keep.

Thus, Laszlo hadn’t paid much attention to the boy over the past few years (Gizmo, or something like that) other than to casually glance in his direction when he’d tossed his laundry out into the hall for the familiar to collect or occasionally snatching parcels or letters from his hands when he brought the post around to be distributed. In fact, he barely knew what the boy looked like beyond his huge glasses and horrifyingly ugly sweaters. Nadja, too, often commented on how unremarkable the familiar was. “He is a stupid and boring little donkey, but at least he works hard.”

Honestly, Laszlo wasn’t sure why he found himself studying Gizmo so intently of late. Maybe it was the fact that even though he’d been classified as mediocre he actually ran the household with the efficiency of a Swiss watch… or maybe it was the fact that he seemed to be quite bright and intelligent despite Nandor’s assertions that he was rather slow witted (rather rich coming from Nandor) or maybe it was the fact that despite being quite a young man, he never went out and seemed to have few to no friends… or perhaps it was just because he existed in the same space as Laszlo and yet Laszlo knew so little about him.

There were a few occasions that he’d noticed something unusual in the corner of Gizmo’s small cubicle under the stairs too. A few times when the boy was leaving his space, he’d held the curtain open just long enough for Laszlo to catch a glimpse of what was inside- the standard bed and desk and a few framed photos along with that ridiculous glitter *thing* Nandor had made to appease the boy when he’d fussed about becoming a vampire… but there were other things like small potted plants, a few stacks of books whose titles he couldn’t make out and one other thing in the corner he’d noticed that looked like a small table draped in oilcloth… what was it? As much as Laszlo hated to admit he was oddly fascinated with Gizmo of late. The little chap seemed to be, as the old chestnut went, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

One night, Laszlo’s curiosity got the better of him when he happened to pass by the familiar’s room and noticed an odd glow coming from behind the curtain. Giving in to his inexplicable desire to know who the bloody hell this odd young man was, he pulled back the edge of the curtain slowly and glanced in.

He was surprised to find that the seemingly drab little space was actually quite warm, inviting and full of color and personality. On one side of his desk, the young lad had cultivated a small garden of potted cacti in different unusual shapes and colors… on the other side, a marionette wearing a comically large straw hat leaned against the side of his computer screen in a nonchalant pose. The books were obviously well loved and often read and Laszlo noticed some of the titles: The Thirty Nine Steps, The Count of Monte Cristo (ah, so the boy had a bit of adventure in his spirit)… it suddenly struck Laszlo that Nandor’s familiar was no dimwitted little beast of burden, that the young man had a surprisingly rich and colorful inner life. After a moment’s contemplation, he turned his attention to the other corner of the room and Gizmo himself.

The young man hadn’t noticed him there because he was kneeling in front of a small, intricately wrought iron table. Ah, this must be the… thing he’d always kept covered, and Laszlo now knew why. Three lit candles in tall glass jars with painted figures on them sat in a row on the table, flanked by a portrait of the Jeebus man himself (the one with the glowing heart) and one of the Blessed Mother. Over his clasped hands was looped an old, fragile looking rosary and as his lips moved, his thumb rubbed the well worn beads slowly, as it appeared had been done many, many times.

It was an oddly beautiful sight, the young man’s face and hands bathed in the soft glow of the candlelight, the painted visages of the saints gazing almost lovingly on him as he silently uttered words meant to be heard by the Divine, his entire being radiating peace… or it would have been, if Laszlo’s skin wasn’t on fire and his insides hadn’t been ferociously curdling… he let out a pained gasp and was just about to recoil when Gizmo looked up, startled, and immediately jumped up to his feet.

“Shit, shit, shit, sorry,” the boy sputtered as he quickly extinguished the candles and tossed the oilcloth back over the table. “I didn’t realize you were there….” his voice trailed off and Laszlo sighed heavily.

“Boy… I would suggest you be quite careful with your little… artifacts there and don’t let Nandor see them.” He tried to make his tone hard and scolding, and it seemed to work on the familiar- no, Gizmo- even though to Laszlo’s ears it didn’t sound very convincing.

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Gizmo replied meekly, head bowed slightly and hands folded in front of him. “I guess I really shouldn’t have that stuff here but… the way my ama raised me… old habits die hard,” he finished a bit lamely and then cautiously glanced up at Laszlo with his big, dark, doe eyes. “Y-you won’t tell Nandor, will you?”

Damn those eyes. The boy had some odd sorcery with them, because Laszlo couldn’t help but soften when that gaze was turned on him. “No, lad, I won’t. I’ve much better things to do than run tattling to Nandor about the doings of his familiar-“ at that Gizmo smiled a brilliant smile that made something flutter oddly in Laszlo’s chest. He paused and coughed a little before adding in a conspiratorial tone, “Besides, dealing with Nandor day in and day out, you may need… ah… divine intervention to keep your sanity.”

At that, Gizmo laughed, a sweet, musical sound that Laszlo couldn’t help but smile ever so slightly at. “Yeah, he can be a bit much at times, can’t he?”

Laszlo rolled his eyes and replied ruefully, “That is an understatement if I have ever heard one. Right then, as you were, my boy,” with that he turned to leave-

“Laszlo?” He turned to face Gizmo again and met those eyes once more, trying to push aside that fluttery feeling once again as the boy looked at him with an expression of earnest gratitude. “Thank you….”

Laszlo waved his hand, “I just don’t want Nandor firing or killing you. This house would go to shit without you,” and with that he turned on his heel and strode off, trying to ignore the burning in his cheeks and ears that still hadn’t quite dissipated… was he fucked? Yes, quite fucked.

(the ending is bad because I can’t write for shit lol

The portrait of the Jeebus man is the Sagrado Corazón or Sacred Heart of Jesus

I like the idea of Memo like… not being super devout but having been raised in a Latin American catholic culture old habits die super hard trust me I know lol

a little artistic license on the potted cactus garden and books

the marionette is a Cantinflas marionette, Harvey has mentioned watching Cantinflas before so yeah

okay this is shit but k got it out of my system so yeah #sorrynotsorry

[your-mums-nuts]

Episode 3 summary: Nandor thinks Guillermo is into short kings and not tall himbos, goes to space to impress him, explodes on landing.

[marlenacantswim]

every so often my professors pass out real physical paper and my monkeybrain goes fittingly apeshit as i return to my highschool and middleschool days of doodling whatever interested me in the margins and blank spaces.

so here, tumblr dot com: have a doodle of The Editor, two of Nandor Fodor, and a single confused Nicholas Angel.

[bliki-twig]

The Dangers of Drug Blood

pairing: Nandor x Guillermo

summary: After indulging in a bit too much drug blood, Nandor finds the confidence to tell Guillermo how he feels. And it goes just about how you expect it to.

word count: 2.8k

warnings: drug (blood) use, referenced sexual content, angst, season 5 finale spoilers

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49866685

“Shut up Germo, I have to go to space.” 

“Master please you have to-”

“No. Master you don’t- Nandor no! Put that thing down you don’t know where it’s been!”

“You already went to space, Master.”

“And I’ll do it again!” 

“You wouldn’t treat me that way, would you?” 

One of the less talked about aspects of being a familiar is taking care of your ultra powerful, six foot something vampire master while he’s drunk off his ass on drug blood. It was also one of the aspects that Guillermo thought was amusing, almost as much as he hated it.

Currently Nandor was attempting to seduce a raccoon that was rummaging through a trashcan while his ever dutiful familiar pulled at his coat. It was only after it bit him with a snarl did he relent, calling it a “tempest witch” before throwing all of his body weight onto Guillermo’s shoulder and whining into his ear. 

“Like what, Master?”

“You wouldn’t bite me if I told you.” 

“Tell me what?”

Nandor mumbled something into his jacket sleeve and refused to elaborate, thoroughly confusing his familiar as they wobbled to the house. 

Guillermo all but kicked the door open to shove Nandor to his feet in the entryway. 

“Goodness Nandor, what happened to you?” Lazlo remarked as he sauntered down the stairs carrying his latest book of what was probably pornography. 

“He got into drug blood.” Guillermo answered for him, exasperated, shoving Nandor away as he tried to drape himself over his back and nose at his neck. 

“Oh good luck with that old chap. If you need any assistance, don’t call for me because I do not care.” 

Guillermo narrowed his eyes. “Thanks.” 

Lazlo looked over his shoulder. “No problem.” And just like that he was gone. 

“He’s a dick.” Nandor said, a slur of speech tainting his words. 

“Yeah. Yeah he is. Alright let’s get you to bed.” The entire walk to Nandor’s room Guillermo couldn’t help but think about what he had mumbled outside. There was a certain soft quality to how he had asked, like he was baring his non-beating heart in the question. 

Guillermo gingerly tried to undress Nandor for bed with as much success as someone trying to undress their toddler. Apparently Nandor’s legs refused to work, leading to Guillermo having to dump him into a nearby chair. His fingers deftly undid the buttons of his master’s tunic with over a decade of practiced precision. He leaned forward to reach the bottom buttons, bringing his face dangerously close to Nandor’s. 

He could smell the blood on his lips. Guillermo raised his head cautiously to see Nandor staring him down. They locked eyes and they both seemed to hold their breaths, even if one of them didn’t even need to breathe. 

“Master? I had a question.” 

“Of course.” The remark seemed to rip from Nandor’s throat, like the first sentence from unused vocal chords. There was a softness in his eyes Guillermo hadn’t seen before. 

“Earlier, you asked if I would bite you if you told me. What did you mean by that?” 

He seemed to consider this for a moment, before Nandor lifted his hand. He reached up, about to press it to Guillermo’s cheek, before retracting, instead reaching down to take Guillermo’s hands from where they froze against the last button. 

“I thought that if I told you how I felt, you would leave again.” The words came easily and with startling clarity. A part of Guillermo’s heart he had long since thought repressed sparked in his chest. 

For all his years of immortality plagued by selfish desire and uncaring notion, sometimes Nandor felt frustratingly human. Sometimes Guillermo thought he could feel it, especially early on when he went to sleep at night and dreamt of his boss in ways an employee, nonetheless a familiar, shouldn’t think of. 

“And how exactly do you feel?” The waver in his voice gave him away. Almost as much as the shaking of his hands in Nandor’s.

The moment broke as Nandor stood, wobbling on unsteady legs. “I feel like! Like..” He tried and failed to find words in his drug-addled mind. “You fucking guy! I feel like I never want you to leave. Like when you die because of your stupid short human life I’ll be sad!” 

“Thanks? I guess.”

“Shhhhh. I’m not done. Sometimes, when I’m in my coffin. I think about what it would be like to have you there with me. You’re very warm, you know that? I haven’t felt warm in so long, I forgot what it was like to miss it.” Nandor had turned away so he wouldn’t have to look at the pitiful look on Guillermo’s face. The confusion, the recognition, the want. Oh the want was the worst of all. But Guillermo had to come to his senses.

“You’re just saying this because you’re drunk. Let’s get you to bed.” He took a step toward his master.

“I am not! I have to say this now, because I will probably not remember that I said any of this when I wake up and..and… I want to say it now while I have the confidence.” He was desperate now, turning to finally face his familiar. The familiar that wasn’t supposed to weasel his way into Nandor’s undead heart, but had anyway, even after he treated him so horribly, even after they had fought verbally and physically. Even after all that, he knew him. 

He knew him in so many ways, enough to know that Guillermo would never want to be a vampire. Enough to know Guillermo couldn’t kill unless it was to protect someone he cared for. Enough to know that Guillermo still thought of the vampires as family. 

And Nandor knew himself well enough to know that the fact that he made the effort to learn all of these things about Guillermo meant one thing.

“If I told you I love you, would you leave?” 

Silence filled the room. The tension could be cut with a knife. Guillermo almost wished he had a knife, or a stake, or a goddamn crucifix. Anything to make him feel secure right now. 

“I…I don’t know.” That was all Guillermo could manage to squeak out before standing straight up. “I’m sorry Nandor. I don’t know.” There was a pressure behind his eyes Guillermo couldn’t place as he wrestled with the weight of this confession. Why did Nandor have to be high when he said it? 

Guillermo had imagined this moment a thousand times a thousand different ways, but never like this. Never, in any of his dreams did it hurt so much to hear ‘i love you’. 

And he just couldn’t deal with it. 

So Guillermo did what he always did. He ran. 

Nandor was left in his drugged stupor, swaying on his feet, longing, and without the energy to chase him.

-

Well, Nandor was right about one thing, he definitely didn’t remember what he said that drunken night. Or at least acted like he didn’t. For over a week they’d been basically avoiding each other.

Actually Guillermo was avoiding Nandor, the act causing the vampire to avoid him in turn. So technically they were avoiding each other. 

Eventually, after the second week, Nadja cornered Guillermo in the kitchen when Nandor was out.

“What the fuck is going on between the two of you?” Nadja shouted at Guillermo, poking a painted nail in his chest. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Of course he did, he was just hoping she wouldn’t ask too many questions if he pretended he didn’t.

“You know what I’m talking about. What did you do to Nandor?” She responded.

“I didn’t do anything to him, he did it to himself.” He was just being a brat at this point. Not wanting to face his own guilt in the situation. Nandor had asked, begged him not to leave, and he ran away like a coward. He deserved to be questioned.

“Well whatever he did, fix it. I’m tired of seeing him mope around like a limp dick. And usually I don’t mind a nice limp dick, but Nandor is making them not as fun anymore.” She crossed her arms across her chest.

Guillermo swallowed. The guilt clawed its way from his throat. “Nandor told me he loved me. Not in like a familiar way or even in a friend way. Romantically. So I’ve been avoiding giving him an answer.”

“Shit. I owe Lazlo 20 dollars.” 

“What? The fuck does that mean?” Guillermo raised his voice, pushing off the counter.

“Yes.” Colin Robinson emerged from the doorway for a split second before disappearing again.

“Me and Lazlo have had a bet going about who would cave first. I thought it would be you. You know, because you’re so… emotional that way.”

“I can’t believe you. Did everyone know Nandor was in love with me except me?” He began to pace around the kitchen waving his arms about. 

Guillermo was left in the strangely silent kitchen. How exactly did he feel about Nandor? When he was a teen he looked up to him as everything he wanted to be as a vampire, strong and imposing. After a few years it led to attraction, nights of imagining his own hand against his skin was a foreign one. Longer, and stronger than his own. Then it fizzled out. At least he thought it had. In the over ten years since then they had grown to understand each other on a deep and personal level. They knew each other's fears and desires in a way no one else really understood. 

“Shit.” Guillermo leaned forward onto the island, placing his forehead into his hands. “What am I gonna do? I can’t keep avoiding him.”

“Just do what me and Lazlo do when we have a lovers’ spat. Fuck it out!” Nadja noted the sentiment by making a lewd gesture with her hands and turning before walking out rambling something about ‘useless fucking morons’.

And some nights, although they’re ones that Guillermo refuses to acknowledge, he still dreams of Nandor in a way that an employee shouldn’t dream of their employer. Though now they’re not sexual, but dreams of soft touches and kisses and mumblings of affection. He dreams of clear skies and clouds that threaten to touch their fingers as they fly into the night. He dreams of an understanding on an inner level. He dreams of care. 

Like the care that someone would carry around their lover’s glasses. Like the care that they tie the knot of a cape. Like the care that someone would make a glitter portrait. 

Oh God. Guillermo realizes all at once that Nandor has always loved him, in some way. And he has always felt the same. He had told him “I don’t know.” but the truth was he was painfully aware of his answer. 

He was just afraid. Afraid of giving an immortal creature his heart and having it devoured in his hands. Blood from his veins spilled across the floor never to be given back. In many ways it was like being turned. Except this type of vulnerability could not be reversed with a stake through the heart.

 Fear had taken him over for far too long. 

Slayers courage filled his veins. Even if Nandor didn’t remember his confession, he would certainly remember Guillermo’s. 

Later that night Nandor stood dutifully silent, waiting to be undressed for bed. Guillermo walked into his room and closed the door behind him, hand staying closed around the handle. 

“Master.” No, that didn’t feel right in this context. “Nandor. We need to talk about something.” He tried not to let his nervousness affect his voice. 

“Yes. I believe we do.” Nandor answered. A tense silence filled out between them. “You did not do the dry cleaning last week. My cape feels stiff. This needs to be fixed at once.” 

Guillermo sighed out his frustration. Why did he ever expect him to remember? 

“Yeah, I’ll get to it tomorrow.” Guillermo wrung his hands. This felt big. Huge. More of a reveal than telling Nandor that he’d been turned by someone other than him.

“Do you remember a few nights ago, when you went out to feed and got into a guy who had taken drugs?” 

“Of course I do. I had a very pleasant dream about Jahan.” 

“That's…..great. Do you remember anything else?”

“Very little. Drug blood does that you know. I do remember having to get myself ready for bed and that you were most unhelpful. You left me alone Guillermo! You know I do not like that.” Nandor scrunched his nose at him in a way that Guillermo now realized was always adorable.

Guillermo thought he might explode. In almost all areas of romance he was very inexperienced. His only boyfriend was Freddie and we all know how that turned out. They stayed like that in awkward silence for what felt like forever. Guillermo opened his mouth to something when Nandor spoke.

“Actually. Here, sit down.” Guillermo sat on the loveseat across from the coffin, patting the cushion next to him.  Nandor, for once in his very long non-life, obliged. “That night you said something to me. Something I didn’t know how to respond to.” He took his bottom lip between his teeth and chewed on it. “You told me how you felt. About me. And you asked me if I would leave if you were to tell me.”

Nandor had straightened his back and was staring forward, not looking at Guillermo. His shoulders were squared and jaw tight. 

“What did you say? To my question.” He glanced over at his former familiar, body guard,  best man, best friend.

“I said I didn’t know. And…I ran. That’s why I’ve been acting so weird lately. But I know now.” Every word came out quicker than the last. 

“And?” Nandor’s only answer settled heavily into the space between them. 14 years of friendship and trust and betrayal compounded into one single moment. Guillermo swallowed, the pressure behind his eyes returning.

“I feel the same way. I think I always have.” The tears that had welled had spilled over and down his cheeks. His tentative hand slid across the cushion and his pinky finger wrapped around Nandor’s. The touch released the tension in both of them, shoulders relaxing and breath easing out. 

“Guillermo, I have a confession to make.” Nandor turned completely to the side, his hand sliding solidly into Guillermo’s. His chest heaved with unexpressed emotion. His eyes were intense and shaking. “I do not know what I’m doing. All my relationships have been lacking in many aspects. And I cannot promise I won’t mess this up.” 

Guillermo laughed. “I really don’t know what I’m doing either. We’re going to fight. We’re going to yell and cry and apologize and make up. But I want to do all of that because I can do it with you.” 

Nandor didn’t smile or say anything at all, he untangled his hand from Guillermo’s and wiped a stray tear from his cheek. His hand lingered on the curve of his jaw, his thumb skirting the edge on his bottom lip and the look in Nandor’s eyes was nothing short of need.

“May I?” Nandor asked. In this single question was everything past and present and future. In this question was the last line of defense to reverse this decision, pretend that nothing happened and everything would go back to normal.

“Yeah. Of course.” 

The kiss that Nandor pressed to Guillermo’s lips was arguably the most gentle act he had ever done. More tender than any intercourse before or after his turning. And more vulnerable than any of his marriages. 

When they deepen the kiss and both their hands start to wander it is like a beam of sunlight Nandor will never be able to see but he yearns to warm himself in. 

When Guillermo rakes his hands through Nandor’s hair and breathes heavily into his mouth it is like the sweet taste of a dish from Al Qolnidar that he can no longer remember. 

When Guillermo mumbles “I love you” into his ear as Nandor traces his fangs along his pulse point it is like the holiest prayer that refused to burn. 

“Hey Nandor I needed to- Holy shit fucking finally.” Nadja had unceremoniously opened the door, looking on in awe and relief.

“Damnit Nadja go away!” Guillermo’s face reddened as he shouted at her.

She turned and walked away leaving the door wide open. “Alright alright, have fun!” 

They stared at each other for a moment before falling into a fit of laughter.

“I’m going to have to deal with that for the rest of my life huh?” Guillermo said after a bit of silence. 

“Mhm.” Nandor replied, nosing at his cheek and placing kisses there.

Guillermo paused. “I’m not going to leave.” His tone turned serious as he pushed Nandor away, looking him in the eyes.

“I know. But I am scared.” He replied.

“I am too.”

“We’ll just be scared together.”

Guillermo smiled. “Yeah. We will.”

[mw567152]

send help i can’t stop making polls

[nellie-elizabeth]

What We Do in the Shadows: The Railroad (6x04)

Sean Rinaldi, how I love you.

Cons:

There's this little moment at the start where it seems like Nandor is crushing on the Guide? Now, I'm always complaining that they don't know what to do with the Guide character, and this episode is no exception... so maybe this could be funny or interesting? Maybe it's just a continuation from the hypnosis. It just seems kind of random and uninspired to me, though. Honestly, that goes for Jerry as well - he's here at the start of the episode to continue the whole "taking over America" plan, but it doesn't really go much of anywhere and this character hasn't really had much to do since his introduction in the first episode of the season. I guess we'll see if it all pays off!

Pros:

I thought the main plot and the subplot of this episode were both very strong overall!

Let's start with Colin and Lazlo teaming up to try and trick their neighbor and good pal Sean. This was the most fun I've had with a Lazlo and Colin match-up in a long while. I loved that they both took their responsibility to do the right thing by Sean so seriously, even if Colin was mostly going along with Lazlo's shenanigans. It's definitely a go big or go home situation, with them renting out an office space and hiring a bunch of actors to maintain their lie that they work for the railroad. The funniest part is Sean's inconsistent stupidity. His mental issues come from the over-hypnotizing that Lazlo has subjected him to over the years. So he's stupid enough not to know how to work the elevator, and not to notice that the man conducting his interview is a Frankenstein's monster, but he's smart enough to actually give a really great interview for this job that doesn't exist. That dichotomy is so fun. And Lazlo going on about how stupid he is, and then saying "he's my friend, I can't let him down" got a big laugh out of me.

Nadja is the bridge between this plot thread and the other one, and there's a fun scene where she dupes the finance bros into coming down to the fake railroad office to try and make a sale, and even though the lie is immediately apparent, they still end up thinking the property might be worth snatching up, so Nadja gets some further kudos with the Cannon crowd!

Of course, my favorite material is with Guillermo working his new job. His relationship with Jordan, his new boss, is taking on some master-familiar vibes. Guillermo helps Jordan down from his perch when he makes a speech, very like how he might have helped his master Nandor in and out of his coffin. He nearly slips up and calls him "master," and he is willing to take all manner of berating and abuse, all for the promise of advancement down the road, and the small crumbs of praise thrown his way. There's actually a rather complex character thing going on here with Guillermo. Because while he finally has excised himself from the unhealthy dynamic he had with his old boss, he's now falling right back into old patterns. And said old boss, or bosses if you include Nadja, are meanwhile right there actually working to support him. Nandor is willing to humble himself, and he actually says he's proud of Guillermo, and seems completely sincere in wanting him to be happy. There's no secret ploy from Nandor to get Guillermo fired so he'll come back to his old position. He seems genuinely pleased for his friend, if quietly heartbroken. 

And that's all compounded by the very tender and rather sad scene where Guillermo finally has to fire Nandor, after trying to avoid the task several times. Nandor doesn't turn on Guillermo, doesn't say anything nasty, but shakes his hand and quietly leaves. He tries to take it on the chin even when the camera crew are asking him about the situation. He does have a bit of a breakdown and throw a box down the hall, storming away from the cameras, but it all feels very... grounded and truly emotional, not a heightened and comedic reaction like you might have expected.

There's still a lot of comedy to be mined from the Guillermo and Nandor plot, such as Nandor's ridiculous janitorial tasks, such as mopping computer screens and throwing files away in the trash. Or Nadja's indignation about Guillermo's attitude now that he's making real strides in the workplace, forgetting that Nadja helped make it happen for him. Or Guillermo trying to justify the evils of capitalism by saying it's a net positive for the consumer to get a cheaper product, and a great working opportunity for children overseas. Yikes!

So yeah, this was probably the strongest episode of the season thus far. I'll be excited to see where Guillermo's plot goes from here. I have the sinking feeling that the season will end with Guillermo finally excising himself fully from the lives of the vampires, moving forward with his life while the vampires are stuck in the same old same old. We'll see if that's the direction they take it!

9/10