What We Do in the Shadows S5 E4 Recap: Controversies, Circumcisions & More

Episode 4 of What We Do in The Shadows Season 5 aptly demonstrates how the show continues to excel in its comedic formula by presenting novel and hilarious solutions to weird situations.

The episode opens with Neighbor Sean withdrawing from the race for Comptroller of Staten Island, leaving an opening for Colin Robinson to seize the opportunity and run as a substitute. Meanwhile, Nandor is perplexed by Guillermo’s secretive actions and seeks refuge at the gym, where he befriends a fellow member and goes overboard in an attempt to learn his culture.

Nadja explores her Antipaxos heritage even more by assisting at a family-owned restaurant. This turns into a disaster as she confuses various dishes and pours random stuff on food to make them horrible. Finally, Colin Robinson’s political aspirations are thwarted by romance, controversy, and imminent ruin before he can succeed. 

The episode also sets the stage for the future seasons of What We Do in the Shadows with some major revelations, such as Colin and Nandor exposing themselves in multiple ways and the most significant one – the gathering of the Supreme Council of Energy Vampires.

1. Nandor Learns Yiddish For his New Jewish Buddy

Guillermo, who is secretly a half-vampire, has been shunning Nandor’s company to hide his true nature. However, this only arouses Nandor’s curiosity about his whereabouts. Feeling lonely, Nandor befriends a Jewish man at his usual gym, and they decide to watch a film together. 

The situation becomes hilarious when Nandor attempts to use Yiddish expressions casually in his household conversations, causing his roommates to complain, and he becomes a laughingstock for the audience.

2. Colin Gets a Dose of His Own Medicine

Season 5 astonishes us with the revelation of Colin Robinson’s romantic attachment to a fellow emotional vampire. 

She begins to exploit his feelings and drains him of his vitality before preying on the lonely souls in a group therapy session. This turns out to be a buffet for her, just as town halls are for Colin.

Upon their reunion, he presents her with the Heart of the Ocean, the emblematic necklace from Titanic (a cinematic symbol of sublime love), which is almost as amusing as their peculiar habit of addressing each other by their full names.

3. Nandor Gets Circumcised for His Friend

What is the most that you can do for your best friend? Well, I am sure Nandor can do more than you!

In this episode, Nandor takes his newfound friendship with Jewish Alexander to a drastic level and undergoes a circumcision by Guillermo to remove his foreskin and prove that he accepts Jewish culture.

However, He fails to consider that vampires heal very quickly, so when he reveals his gesture to Alexander, his friend misinterprets it as a sexual advance. Nandor’s friendship is ruined, but he manages to retain his dignity in a hilarious sequence of events.

4. Lazslo Wins Over Nadja’s Family

Nadja seeks to reconnect with her Antipaxos family to break the hex placed on her. In this episode, she believes that the time has come to introduce them to Lazslo.

However, her plan is thwarted by Laszlo’s abysmal preparation, which consists of donning outdated garments, addressing them as “peasants,” and other utterances that epitomize Laszlo’s persona. 

However, when Laszlo opts to be genuine, he unexpectedly wins the crowd’s favor, who welcome him as a human embodiment of one of their ancient divinities, akin to Bacchas.

5. Meeting The Supreme Council of Energy Vampires

What We Do in the Shadows has gradually revealed its vampire lore in small portions that enrich the show’s narrative, and season 5 has expanded it further with Guillermo’s transformation into a novice vampire. 

However, the most astonishing disclosure occurs in Episode 4, when Colin Robinson and his ex are abducted and taken to the Supreme Council of Energy Vampires. 

The scene of Colin Robinson writhing as they go through a lengthy PowerPoint presentation of more than five hundred slides on the appropriate conduct of energy vampires shows that they might just be the most powerful vampires in existence.

6. Colin Does Something Out-Of-The-Box

Even Colin Robinson can’t follow the rules of the Supreme Council of Vampires when they command that he will have to win his campaign.

Colin comes up with a radical plan that he hopes might derail his political career. While on a live Zoom call with his voters, he exposes his nether regions and deliberately gets into a major political scandal that will eradicate any chances of success.

Both Nandor and Colin expose themselves for opposite reasons: one to gain a friend’s approval, the other to lose his peers’ respect. Similarly, both of them realized the consequences of their desires. 

What We Do in the Shadows Season 5 continues to demonstrate that vampires’ longevity does not imply that they learn from the wisdom that immortality offers. Immortality can sometimes be a curse and a significant barrier to knowledge, and this show is a testament to that very fact!

7. About What We Do In The Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows is an American mockumentary comedy horror TV series created by Jemaine Clement that premiered on March 27, 2019, on FX. The second television series in the franchise is based on the 2014 film of the same name written by Clement and Taika Waititi.

The series follows four vampire roommates in Staten Island and their lives in the modern world, how they adjust to it, and how they deal with other supernatural beings.

The TV series on Hulu stars Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén, and Mark Proksch.