When Harvey Guillén first discovered that his “What We Do in the Shadows” character, Guillermo, would lastly be turning right into a vampire, he thought the present was ending.
“They didn’t tell us that Guillermo was going to become a vampire until we had our meeting for the beginning of the year,” the actor recollects on a video name from Spain. “I thought we were going to wrap it, because where else do you go with his character?”
However it seems the writers of the acclaimed vampire mockumentary did have extra tales to inform. Among the many storylines audiences will see within the sixth and remaining season of “What We Do in the Shadows,“ which launched last week and airs weekly on Mondays through Dec. 16, is Guillermo’s efforts to figure out what to do with his life now that he needs to move on from his lifelong dream of becoming a vampire. In the finale of Season 5, Nandor gives Guillermo a choice — become a vampire or return to being a human. He chooses to remain human, but it meant sacrificing Derek (Chris Sandiford), his friend and the vampire who turned him. (Derek is saved, though — he’s reanimated by the Necromancer (Benedict Wong) in exchange for the cash Guillermo paid Derek to turn him — minus $270 he spent on “vampire clothing” from Sizzling Matter.)
Paul Simms, showrunnner and government producer of FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows.”
(Victoria Will / For The Occasions)
“A lot of what this season is about is his efforts to break away and start his own separate normal life and the vampires then following him to quote-unquote help him on his way in the real world,” says “Shadows” showrunner and government producer Paul Simms. “We had a lot of heavy conversations in the writers room about things like that that had one on in our own personal lives. The underpinnings of it were real things that everyone feels at some point.”
The otherworldly comedy premiered in 2019 and has adopted a bunch of vampires — Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) — and one time acquainted Guillermo, who share a Staten Island house. (Guillermo has since moved out of the primary home however stays on the property, in Laszlo’s backyard shed, “where there is a smell — mildewy.”)
And apart from Guillermo’s efforts to discover a actual job, the ultimate season will see Laszlo recommitting himself to a forgotten scientific pursuit — reanimating a human — Nadja sating extra of her curiosity about people, Colin searching for out companionship and Nandor probably discovering love the place he least anticipated. In keeping with Simms, the season is supposed to be accessible to first-time viewers however options loads of little particulars meant to fulfill those that’ve been alongside for the complete trip.
Whereas the showrunner stays tight-lipped concerning the finale, which, as traditional, was written whereas they had been filming the season, he describes it as “bittersweet” and calls it a “happy ending.”
“No one dies,” says Simms. “There’s a sense that life goes on.”
Showrunner Paul Simms, far proper, is tight-lipped concerning the finale, saying solely, “No one dies. There’s a sense that life goes on.”
(Victoria Will / For The Occasions)
Over the previous 5 seasons, the sequence — which was based mostly on Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi‘s 2014 film of the same name — has created memorable storylines and characters, developing a vampiric universe that’s transcended the unique materials. Simms and the “Shadows” solid have been on a farewell tour this 12 months — I spent a day with them at San Diego Comedian-Con in July and interviewed them once more earlier this month earlier than their journey to New York Comedian Con. The actors famous they’d been in contact with one another about how unusual it felt to not be heading to Toronto to movie this time of 12 months. (Demetriou sat out the NYCC look after giving beginning to her youngster.) As “Shadows” involves an in depth, the actors and showrunner recount in their very own phrases, edited for readability and size, memorable moments and character arcs from the present.
