What We Do in the Shadows Season 6 Episode 11 Review: The Finale

What We Do in the Shadows Season 6 Episode 11, “The Finale,” is a love letter to fans, complete with a smorgasbord of Easter eggs and a moving meditation on change. The meta aspects also make this a fun, cheeky watch as the vampires (and you, Guillermo) contemplate having the documentary crew in their lives for the past six years. Have they learned anything? Besides that Colin Robinson’s actual found family died in a steamboat accident in 1906? 

We’ll Meet Again 

One of the most interesting things about “The Finale” is the three alternate “endings” to the documentary, thanks to Nadja’s hypnosis. Each one pays homage to a different piece of media: The Usual Suspects, Newhart, and Rosemary’s Baby. If you’re a Nandermo fan like me, you’ll find the Newhart scene really scratches that itch. It’s sweet. Rosemary’s Baby also showcases Natasia Demetriou’s incredible versatility as a performer. 

However, The Usual Suspects is chock full of Easter eggs from the show. As much as I adore the Newhart ending, the former is a blast to dissect. Regardless, each “ending” is crafted with so much love and appreciation for fans. 

Kid Cowboy and The Phantom Menace

“The Finale” also builds on what’s established in the final moments of last week’s outing, particularly Nandor’s suggestion they become vigilantes, ridding the streets of bad guys. “The Finale” blesses us with Nandor’s glorious misspellings, those ludicrous costumes, and the reveal that Nandor rigged his coffin with a lever to send them hurtling downward to a secret underground lair. It really plays on Nandermo’s endearing “Odd Couple” dynamic that makes them work so well. Of course, this is thanks, in part, to Harvye Guillén and Kayvan Novak’s easygoing, compelling chemistry. 

Even though the “real” ending doesn’t kindle a Nandermo romance, it brings the series full circle. Guillermo might be the crux of the show, our human anchor to keep us grounded amid the supernatural chaos, but his relationship with Nandor is its beating (partially undead) heart.

At its core, What We Do in the Shadows is about a dynamic between a vampire and a human that evolves beautifully over time, allowing for organic growth for both parties. Guillermo taps into his innate badassery while Nandor softens his warlord edges, eventually viewing Guillermo as an equal. 

Performances and Inner Journeys

Harvey Guillén steals the show in “The Finale.” He delivers a nuanced, vulnerable, and profoundly relatable performance as Guillermo reckons with the documentary ending. His existential crisis of sorts is where the comedy blossoms. He’s our POV. Time is a flat circle to vampires, as we’ve seen. This isn’t their first documentary, nor will it be their last. They’ll continue on as they always have. 

However, change is difficult for humans. For us, all good things inevitably come to an end — even What We Do in the Shadows. What’s particularly touching about “The Finale” is Guillermo finds space for a new beginning with Nandor and their deeply rooted friendship. After all, relationships, like humans, develop (or devolve) over time. 

Sure, he doesn’t warm to the idea of being a superhero, but he decides he doesn’t want to cut ties with his vampire buddies. Guillermo learns the power of compartmentalizing. He can find a place for his vampire crew while pursuing other avenues outside of them that light him up.

Much of his journey has been about choosing this or that — vampires or humans. Everything was in black and white. Thankfully, “The Finale” sees him embracing the gray, the intricacies of life, and how there’s room for multiple truths to exist. Life is too richly complex for “one or the other,” as it were. 

General Hygiene in the Cell 

“The Finale” blesses us with Easter eggs outside The Usual Suspects bit, complete with the return of Jackie Daytona of Tuscon, Arizonia, and the witch’s skin hat. We even get a delightful nod to Season 5’s “Local News” as the gang prepares to hightail it out of there after Nandor inadvertently reveals the existence of vampires to The Staten Island Chronicle. I reiterate: time is a flat circle. 

While the outing leans more into the comedy of it all, it still asks probing, deep questions about adapting to change as humans. The ebbs and flows of life. It also tugs at the heartstrings, namely the Nandermo scene at the end and the vampires’ impromptu performance of “We’ll Meet Again.” That moment undoubtedly had fans collectively reaching for the tissue box. 

Perhaps it’s What We Do in the Shadows‘ way of telling us that not all goodbyes are permanent. Sometimes, the coffin door is cracked open for a happy reunion down the line. As bittersweet as farewells can be, they also leave room for exciting beginnings. It’s a glass-half-full approach.

Plus, the hypnosis scenes allow us to choose our own adventure — our very own “ending” to a series that delivered six bitingly hilarious, unexpectedly heartwarming seasons. I’m glad I could spend that time with this found family of, in Colin Robinson’s words, “stinky turds.” It’s proof positive that when you find your merry band of misfits, the world becomes less scary. The things that go bump in the night lose the fearsome aura we impose on them. 

“The Finale” is an incredibly funny and silly conclusion to an incredibly funny and silly show that had its finger on the undead pulse of pop culture. BAT! 

Stray Observations: 

• Nandor’s inability to spell simple words will never fail to make me laugh. To be fair, his spellings make sense phonetically, for the most part. 
• The Newhart-inspired Nandermo ending is the best. I’m holding space for this one (sorry). Nandermo 5eva. 
• Colin Robinson should go into motivational speaking. After all, he’s learned so many quotes from various mugs! 
• Nobody tell The Guide about Shakespeare. Let her think Laszlo conjured those quotes from The Bard organically. 
• If I’m ever in the market for a new therapist, I would hire Nadja in a heartbeat. She knows her human psychologies well. 
• Matt Berry should always be singing in his projects. It’s a requirement. 
• Cravensworth’s Monster screwing the bear behind Guillermo during the latter’s somber speech cracked me up. 
• I can’t believe The Guide went MAGAFV (Make America Great Again For Vampires). I bet Jerry’s influence played a part in this. He gave off xenophobic vibes. 
• This really reminds me of the Community series finale with its meta commentary and multiple “endings” for the documentary. And that’s not a bad thing. 
• I need to see Natasia Demetriou spearhead a horror movie or something more in the drama sphere. She’s too good not to. 

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 is now streaming on Hulu. 

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