What We Do in the Shadows Season 5 Episode 5 Review: Local News
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, What We Do in the Shadows being covered here wouldn’t exist.
What We Do in the Shadows Season 5 Episode 5, “Local News,” raises the narrative stakes considerably when the vampires’ secret gets out to the public. Perhaps the funniest part of this crisis is that it was totally avoidable, with our vamps making it significantly worse while rejecting Guillermo’s help. It’s proof positive that they can’t function without him.
Sarah Naftalis pens a hilariously fast-paced avalanche of an episode. At the same time, What We Do in the Shadows directorial staple Yana Gorskaya always knocks it out of the park with her direction. “Local News” is one of the stronger outings in a slightly inconsistent season.
COLIN ROBINSON: No sh*t, you human fart. Now, help me booby-trap the staircase.
When you have a long-running comedy like What We Do in the Shadows, you’re bound to encounter a few speed bumps amid the journey. That’s not to say Season 5 has been under par by any means, but there’s some wear and tear on the narrative front. Thankfully, “Local News,” like “Pride Parade,” is a hysterical testament to what happens when this show fires on all comedic cylinders.
“Local News” also showcases the always wonderful Harvey Guillén. Guillén has offered some beautifully vulnerable dramatic performances in past episodes (along with Guillermo’s awkward brand of dry humor), and this one is no exception. We feel the gravity of Guillermo’s predicament when he’s surrounded by family.
The episode reminds us of his unique vampiric condition, from the cross necklace burning his skin to his removing a railing from an elevator with ease. It stokes the fires of interest in his situation while methodically raising the stakes for Nandor inevitably discovering he’s a vampire.
NADJA: Believe me, you don’t want to be caught out there fleeing with only the clothes on your back, sleeping at the bottom of the cold well, sucking on the throats of the mountain goats you once called your brothers.
Guillén delivers a heartbreaking performance. His conflicted emotions regarding choosing between his family and his desire to be a vampire are palpable. They leap onto the screen.
The scenes where the vampires are spiraling out of control are some of the funniest in the episode. Kayvan Novak, Natasia Demetriou, Matt Berry, Mark Proksch, and Kristen Schaal operate like a well-oiled machine. Their respective comedic stylings and timing mesh well together as a tightly-knit unit.
Kristen Schaal finally gets a few fun moments to shine comedically. That beat where she pauses after realizing she’s feeding on a woman on camera is so understated yet effective. In fact, that final news segment with the vampires is laugh-out-loud hysterical.
NADJA: So, this is it? This is really goodbye, my agápi mou.
LASZLO: I’m afraid so, my mátia mou. I must see my plan through. It has many steps.
So much of the humor in “Local News” falls under the “comedy of errors” category. This problem worsens exponentially through bungling and incompetence. The vampires’ solutions aren’t well thought out due to their prevailing paranoia that they’re being driven out of their home yet again.
The newscasters don’t even interpret Nandor’s statements literally — they merely think he’s a distressed man who’s potentially nervous about being on camera. He could’ve brushed that off as a near mishap and moved on. However, we wouldn’t have an episode then, would we?
“Local News” leans heavily into the popular comedy of errors trope to great success. The vampires are always funnier when they’re failing spectacularly. The creative team deftly balances the hilarity of the vampires’ dilemma with Guillermo’s solemn narrative. Performance-wise, the crew is always stronger when they play off each other, which they do well here.
While the raised stakes (not wooden) of humans discovering our vamps are resolved by the episode’s end, there’s still Guillermo’s story with which to contend. The writers are building to something that could have serious storytelling payoff. Here’s hoping they stick the landing.
Stray Observations:
- I love the idea of Laszlo giving Nadja Doll voice lessons. I’d watch that as part of an episode’s B or C plot.
- That’s it. Nandor’s official surname is “De Laurentiis.” I don’t make the rules. “Nandor De Laurentiis” roles off the tongue.
- I hope the vamps hypnotized the news-watching masses again after we see The Guide feasting on camera. Who’s going to forget that?
- On a news note, I’d love to see the vampires try their hand at orchestrating their own news network. It could cater to the vampire community or humans. We all know Matt Berry has the perfect voice for reading from a teleprompter.
- Nadja is a fashion goddess. That denim dress? Those cowboy boots? She really is Sally Rhubarb from a large farm.
- I wholeheartedly believe Laszlo could’ve protected his lady wife with nothing but a pipe.
- Colin Robinson was clearly inspired by Home Alone with his various booby traps. I approve.
What did you think of this episode of What We Do in the Shadows? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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What We Do in the Shadows airs Thursdays at 10/9c on FX, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
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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.