Posted in: FX, Hulu, Review, streaming, TV | Tagged: bleeding cool, cable, colin, comedy, episode 6, fx, guillermo, jackie daytona, jim the vampire, laszlo, mark hamill, nadja, nandor, Review, season 2, sitcom, streaming, television, tv, vampires, what we do in the shadows

What We Do in the Shadows Season 2 Review: It's Jackie Daytona's World

It seems that with every new episode, the second season of What We Do in the Shadows keeps getting better and funnier. This week was no different, with the show continuing to find ways to keep itself fresh with every next chapter. Every week, we discover new sides to the characters we thought we knew and that goes a long way in maintaining the interest. This week's episode was packed with surprises and laughter, and the introduction of an amazingly fun new character with serious long-term potential. The dynamics shift a bit in what felt like a mini-movie in less than thirty minutes, and I mean that in all the best ways possible.

"On the Run" was hysterical and showed a softer and more "human-ish" side to Laszlo (Matt Berry) than we had seen before. I found him the hardest character to connect with at first, but this week really had me appreciating his character so much more. Or should I say that I learned to appreciate "Jackie Daytona" so much more? Laszlo flees after his past catches up to him. Apparently, a long, long time ago he had short-changed Jim the Vampire (Mark Hamill) and now Jim has returned to take revenge. So naturally, Laszlo takes on the new persona of "Jackie Daytona" and leaves his old life behind.

Guess what? Jackie Daytona turns out to be a whole lot more likable, becoming a beacon of inspiration and changing the lives of everyone around him. After setting up shop in a little comfy bar and "helping" the local volleyball team to one of their best seasons ever, the little town he now resides in considers him a hero and a local legend. Even Jim the Vampire finds himself fooled by Laszlo's costume and inspired by his new persona, quickly opening up to and bonding with Jackie. The whole costume had me in tears the whole time. I loved the deconstructed play on the "Superman costume" as it stripped it down to the idea itself. The distance between Laszlo and Jackie was a toothpick. It was simply brilliant.

At home, things were more than a bit off as Laszlo's absence was definitely being felt. Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) was missing her partner; seeing her vulnerable, Colin (Mark Proksch) decides to take make his move. You can not shake that feeling of knowing how badly it is going to go and yet you can not stop watching. He approaches Nadja and leans in for a kiss, but she turns him down awkwardly. Slipping into rejected defense mode, he claims he only did it to create awkward energy for him to feed on. Sure, Colin. Whatever you say. It is a tribute to the quality of series overall that what was used as a subplot for this episode could've served as the main storyline for its own episode. To be honest, it was better than half the main storylines of the sitcoms out there currently.

Putting aside the fact that the episode blatantly played fast-and-loose with time (which was actually another aspect of the episode I found amusing), the flirtatious play between Laszlo and Nadja after he returned was infinitely cute. I love seeing these humane moments, it fits them well. As for the Nandor (Kayvan Novak) – Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) dynamic, nothing too major but I feel like we are building towards some type of "understanding" between the two. Whether or not that comes at the end of a pointy wooden stake or something less final still remains to be seen, but I am very much looking forward to it.

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