1x07 The Trial

[8.0/10] I was wondering when and if the vampires from the What We Do in the Shadows movie would pop up in the show, and this was a delightful way to do it. We didn’t just get the TV vampires interacting with their cinematic forebears, but also tongue-in-cheek crossovers with the vamps from Only Lovers Left Alive, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, From Dusk til Dawn, True Blood, and even a characteristically phoned-in appearance from Wesley Snipes as Blade. (Also, for some reason, Dave Bautista?)

There was admittedly, some awkwardness in trying to stitch together a conversation amid all these actors who were clearly on set at different times, but somehow the show made the back and forth banter, and the mix of gothic ceremony and parliamentary procedure very amusing. The group presiding over a trial for our heroes, and having silly exchanges about who should be punished and how, was a really fun bit to play out. (More Tilda Swinton in comedies please!)

But the comedy worked apart from that big showpiece scene. Matt Berry as Lazlo has really grown on me here. Just him shouting “this is very odd” while the vampiric council danced got a big laugh out of me, and the big about him making a baby into a vampire and stashing it in the Bronx was a dark gag with a nice kicker later in the episode. Colin Robinson continues to shine with his umbrella bit, his “vampire roller coaster” bit, and even his “what the fuck am I suppose to do?” line, where his low-key, almost impish energy just shines through. And Kristen Schaal is a boon wherever she shows up. Her saying something ominous only to finish her sentence and then reveal something mundane is a good gag.

I also enjoyed the continuing developments in Guillermo realizing that his master is just stringing him along. His meeting the other familiars who wax rhapsodic about the day they’ll definitely be turned into vampires despite never having actually met a familiar who’s been turned is a great way for him to have a low-key epiphany. His role as an accidental vampire killer (twice now) is a nice way to possibly presage him becoming a Van Helsing-type figure with a justifiable grudge against the vamps. And just the look on his face as he carries the box full of bats tells you he’s had enough of this crap.

Overall, a really fun episode that will be remembered for it’s big fun vamp crossover, but which has a lot going for it apart from that as well.