Part of what makes FX’s mockumentary, What We Do In The Shadows, so funny is how silly the vampires are. Their incompetence when it comes to regular human activities often manifests in the most gut-busting ways that result in entertaining scenarios.
From the gang’s aversion to doing laundry to their unfamiliarity with spam emails, there’s no shortage of hysterical mistakes the vampires have made throughout the years. With the recent conclusion of the third season of the show, it’s the perfect time to look back at some of the most comical errors from the series.
The Superb Owl
Nadja, Laszlo, Colin, and Nandor are all incredibly excited when they’re invited to their first-ever Super Bowl party by their neighbor. The only problem is they all assume they’re coming over to celebrate the “Superb Owl,” which is far from what the hilarious side character Sean Rinaldi has in mind for the evening.
The party unsurprisingly goes terribly wrong, and the fictitious owl becomes the least of the vampires’ problems. Nadja discovers that Charmaine’s mother, Joan, has stolen and hidden her jade necklace, so she ransacks the entire house. Meanwhile, Nandor and Laszlo accidentally give Sean the “brain scramblies” by hypnotizing him too hard. It’s a wild time for everyone involved and the owl never appears, which disappoints the vampires.
Cursed Mailer Daemon
The vampires’ obliviousness to modern technology is one of the best running gags in What We Do In The Shadows. Their comical ignorance is highlighted when Nandor decides to check his email for the first time in over a decade.
He’s surprised to find chain mail telling him that he has been cursed by “Bloody Mary.” Nandor quickly ropes Laszlo and Nadja in, who get angry with him for inadvertently cursing them as well. They become desperate as the deadline to send the email to ten other people approaches, so they ask Colin for help. Unlike the three of them, Colin knows how to use the internet, but uses the opportunity to drain them and act like a hero instead of explaining the curse isn’t real.
Jim The Vampire’s Big Mouth Billy Bass
Laszlo’s elaborate efforts in avoiding Jim are proven to be inadequate when the skilled vampire eventually tracks him down in Pennsylvania. A huge fight ensues over Laszlo’s massive debt to Jim, but it is eventually resolved by a Big Mouth Billy Bass toy.
Laszlo puts on a convincing act and persuades Jim into believing that the talking fish is a “Mechanical Turk” that has taken on that special form. He tricks him into thinking it’s his most valuable possession, which is worth much more than what he owes. Jim gladly accepts the generous gift but realizes his mistake towards the end of the episode when Laszlo is long gone. It’s another brilliant and comedic example of how gullible vampires can be.
The Laundry
The vampires are finally invited to the prestigious Nouveau Théâtre des Vampires, but the invitation comes during an unfortunate time. Although they would never admit it, the gang is struggling to survive without Guillermo to help them.
They realize that they have nothing to wear to the formal event, as none of them know how to wash clothes. Colin steps up and offers to do it for them, but presents the task of doing the laundry as a dangerous and tedious one. Laszlo, Nadja, and Nandor express their immense gratitude in the funniest way, as they really have no idea what laundromats are or how easy it is to wash clothes. Colin saves the day again with his knowledge of mundane human activities.
City Council Domination
When the gang is pressured to take over Staten Island, they turn to Colin’s expertise in bureaucratic processes to get it done. The energy vampire convinces them to take their request to the city council, which holds a weekly forum that he frequents for feeding purposes.
The scenes in the council prompt some of Nadja and Colin Robinson’s best lines. The stark contrast between Nadja’s impassioned plea for a “nun-free” area and Colin’s boring speech about “zoning ordinances” underscores the ignorance of the older roommates. The gang doesn’t seem to realize their request is completely out of place in the dreary meeting, but it doesn’t deter them from their absurd attempts at world domination.
Nandor The Relentless' Number Two
Nandor and Nadja reluctantly agree to rule the Vampiric Council together, but both reveal their real intentions to the camera crew. Nandor’s admission is particularly gut-busting, as he keeps saying he’ll find a way to make Nadja “number two.” When Guillermo chimes in and asks him if he needs to “make a number two,” he misses the joke and says, “not right now but very soon.”
He continues by stating in a matter-of-fact way that “it’s important to have a really good number two.” When this makes Guillermo burst out laughing, Nandor gets annoyed and says there’s “nothing funny about a firm number two.” He even promises to one day sit on his throne and “make a number two,” hilariously illustrating how clueless he is about what the expression means.
Colorful Dust
Guillermo is perplexed during his shopping trip with Nandor, as the vampire keeps insisting that he needs “colorful dust that sparkles.” He wants to look perfect for the Baron’s arrival and for him, being sparkly is part of a vampire’s ideal attire.
The scene is not only hilarious because of Guillermo’s deadpan expression when he asks if Nandor means he wants glitter, but it’s also a witty reference to The Twilight Saga. Nandor explains that he wants to “sprinkle it” on his face and his body, “like Twilight.” Viewers who recall the movies may remember how the vampires’ glitter-like skin has been ridiculed and featured in memes.
Feeding Guillermo De La Cruz
One of the reasons Guillermo is such a likable character in the show is that fans often feel bad for him. He’s exploited and bullied by the vampires who don’t even bother to learn his last name. Something else the gang neglects to learn is what exactly humans eat to survive. When they lock Guillermo up in the basement, they provide him with nourishment in the form of raw meat, which, to his credit, he happily accepts.
The vampires’ ignorance is highlighted again when Laszlo tricks Guillermo into going to London with Nadja, locking him in his coffin. He only leaves the Familiar with packs of Oreos and Pedialyte, naively believing that’s all he needs to survive for several months on the ship.
Piñata Farmers
Nandor never fails to lighten the mood when Guillermo is upset. When the Familiar learns about his Van Helsing lineage, he’s distraught and conflicted about his relationship with the gang. Nandor notices this and asks him what his “ancestry test” revealed, but before Guillermo could answer, the vampire asks him if he’s a descendant of “piñata farmers.”
The vampire then proceeds with a misguided attempt at comforting the Familiar, insisting that piñata farming is a respectable profession. He explains in a serious but funny way that someone has to raise those colorful creatures, after all.
Creepy Paper
Nandor is obviously out of his element in a human store when he attempts to collect supplies in preparation for the Baron’s arrival. After asking Guillermo for “colorful dust” or glitter to decorate his body, he spots something delightfully “macabre” and grabs all of them.
He’s transfixed by the “creepy paper” and he keeps mistakenly calling them that as Guillermo hilariously tries to correct him by saying “crepe paper.” Nandor is too busy admiring the paper, however, and he becomes even more distracted when he spots a special one, exclaiming “Oh! Multipack!” The “creepy paper” line has become iconic in the fandom, as this interaction between Nandor and Guillermo perfectly captures what their amusing relationship is like in the show.