Review: What We Do in the Shadows, "The Night Market" | Season 4, Episode 4
The vampires go shopping in a fantastical realm where everything is kind of shabby
Special effects can be the enemy of comedy, making everything look broader, heavier, and more cartoonish. But as I wrote back when this What We Do in the Shadows began, one of this show’s unique qualities is the way its special effects — all very well-done — just sort of pop in and out, sometimes for only a split-second and often in the background or fringes of a scene. A vampire poofs into a bat (or, sorry, “BAT!”). The Nadja puppet offers her thoughts. Witches zoom by overhead. Guillermo does an acrobatic flip and stab. Tiny, immobile garden gnomes suddenly come to life and walk out of frame. The special effects are like little finishing details, helping to create the documentary reality of the show… and also helping to sell the gags.
This week’s episode “The Night Market” is loaded with those little gee-whiz moments. We’re not supposed to dwell on them. We’re not really even supposed to be awed by them (though they are, at times, pretty awesome). This is just …