Wellington Paranormal Review: The Invisible Fiend / Te Maero (Season 3 Episodes 1 and 2)
Wellington Paranormal Season 3 Episodes 1 and 2, “The Invisible Fiend” and “Te Maero,” kicks off the festivities with two zany, laugh-inducing installments full of top-tier physical comedy, dry one-liners, and Rhys Darby.
We make a much-needed return to the Jemaine Clement-Taika Waititi Universe (JCTWU) as Wellington Paranormal proves why it’s the reigning champ of deadpan and slapstick comedy. “The Invisible Fiend” puts our main cast’s physical comedic prowess to the test as they spend most of the episode wrestling with an invisible creature.
MINOGUE: I take offense to that. We’ve failed heaps. We’ve got a long list of failures.
The imagination required to pull such a feat shouldn’t go unnoticed. These performers, Mike Minogue, Maaka Pohatu, Karen O’Leary, and Thomas Sainsbury, give their all to hysterical results.
“Te Maero” ushers the inimitable Rhys Darby into the fold as he reprises his role as Anton the werewolf, hearkening back to when Cori Gonzalez-Macuer returned to the JCTWU as Nick the vampire in Season 2. Threading these projects together is a brilliant move on Wellington Paranormal‘s part. Perhaps we’ll see characters cross over from the What We Do in the Shadows TV series.
Mike Minogue steals the show as the bumbling but sweet Officer Minogue, offering some of the funniest zingers of the two episodes. Karen O’Leary makes for the perfect “straight man” character to Minogue’s wacky antics. At the same time, Maaka Pohatu infuses a nice mixture of both into Sergeant Maaka, showcasing his versatility as a performer.
MAAKA: It would appear my officers and I have accidentally ingested some mind-altering substances. In the interest of public safety, we have placed each other under arrest.
Rhys Darby slips seamlessly into this world, bringing his knack for dry comedy to the table. Wellington Paranormal excels at getting the best guest stars to play ball who go toe-to-toe with the show’s heavy-hitting core cast effortlessly.
Thomas Sainsbury is a hilarious addition to Wellington’s paranormal unit, taking a page out of John Krasinski’s handbook with his occasional “Jim-ing” to the camera (Community reference). Sainsbury’s naturalistic acting style meshes well with everyone around him.
If there’s one thing Wellington Paranormal teaches us, it’s that less is more when it comes to comedy. The actors never force anything or go over the top — instead, they let the dialogue land without overemphasis and allow the story to flow through them.
MINOGUE: We’ve got reason to believe he was abducted. And the reason being is we’ve got footage of that actually happening.
“The Invisible Fiend” and “Te Maero” are fantastic season openers for Wellington Paranormal‘s triumphant return, giving us a necessary serotonin boost and humorous escapism to briefly whisk us away from this perpetual hellscape.
Stray Observations:
- How did Sergeant Maaka construct his tent so quickly in “Te Maero”? It’s a flimsy tent, but the inside resembles his office at the station, complete with copious photos plastered on the walls. He must harbor supernatural speed!
- The “Too Much Drink, Not Enough Think” poster on the wall of the police station in “The Invisible Fiend” is worth a chuckle or two. Most of us are incapable of the think when we drink.
- O’Leary references the 2014 mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows, in which she and Minogue appear. They watched Anton the Park Ranger transform into a werewolf in the mockumentary. It’s all connected in the JCTWU!
- Any actor taking a class will tell you about “space work.” Everyone deserves accolades for their space work in “The Invisible Fiend” alone.
- Hearing Maaka and the Maero converse in Māori is beautiful.
What did you think of these episodes of Wellington Paranormal? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Wellington Paranormal airs Wednesdays 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.