Wellington Paranormal Review: Vampire (Season 1 Episode 5)
Wellington Paranormal Season 1 Episode 5, “Vampire,” crosses over into What We Do in the Shadows territory with the arrival of Nick, everyone’s favorite blood bank officer.
It’s an unexpected and delightful addition while further establishing this show’s intricate mythology.
This series infuses the tired “monster of the week” formula with a fun twist by incorporating the mockumentary format. So far, Wellington Paranormal has covered ghosts, demons, and werewolves. Vampires felt like a natural progression.
The core cast of characters brings their A-game, and their performances are only heightened with the introduction of Nick.
We’re only five episodes into this show’s first season, and there is already a slew of highly effective running gags.
Sergeant Maaka’s feigned, know-it-all attitude will never get old. Notably, any time he’s “accessing” his secret office by making sound effects to represent a keypad. It’s hysterical, and Maaka Pohatu delivers with gravitas.
Additionally, the camera department deserves a round of applause. The use of close-ups and “shaky cam” movements really elevates the scenes. Namely, whenever Maaka is informing O’Leary and Minogue about a new supernatural threat. This time, the glamouring abilities of vampires.
Minogue: I wasn’t born yesterday, and if I was, I’d still be a baby.
The inventive wordplay and jokes in “Vampire” are on the next level. It requires attentiveness on the audience’s part. The actors do a brilliant job of never overemphasizing or exaggerating lines for the sake of comedic effect.
In fact, everything is delivered so naturally that you might miss a great joke if you’re not paying attention.
Of course, one of the best examples of this in “Vampire” is when Maaka explains what glamouring is and that, chances are, Minogue and O’Leary were glamoured. “No, I don’t think so. I’d remember that,” Minogue responds. It’s cleverness personified.
Wellington Paranormal has established itself as a show that embraces physical comedy. From Minogue and O’Leary wrestling with a flying Nick to struggling to stand after a blood-bag explodes, “Vampire” doesn’t shy away from slapstick humor. It’s glorious.
Now, the “clown car” moment deviates from the main events of “Vampire.”
While it’s certainly comical, it speeds in from the left field. In addition, there’s no real conclusion or pay-off to it — the clowns do a bit of terrorizing, then they just … leave. Perhaps the show will circle back to them again at some point.
Overall, “Vampire” is another fun outing for Wellington Paranormal; spearheaded by strong performances, perfect comedic timing, and dry humor for days.
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Wellington Paranormal airs Sundays at 9/8c on The CW.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.