In a year of much harshness, one of 2020's few joys was watching the second season of the excellent comedy series What We Do in the Shadows, based on the 2014 film of the same name. Similar to the film, the TV show is a faux documentary that follows a group of vampire roommates (and their human familiar) on various exploits, only this time they live in Staten Island instead of New Zealand.
I think most fans of the show tend to agree that the best episode of this year's season is the Emmy-nominated "On the Run," in which English dandy/vampire Laszlo Cravensworth skips town to escape an old debt. Laszlo lands in a small Pennsylvania town, where he assumes the identity of Jackie Daytona, a "regular human bartender" at Lucky Brew's Bar & Grill. Jackie quickly earns the admiration of the locals with his excellent bartending skills and dedication to the local girls' volleyball team.
Matt Berry, who plays Laszlo/Jackie, is not only an excellent human actor, but also a talented human musician. He's released several albums of folk/psychedelic rock over the past few years, and his song "Gather Up" from his 2013 album Kill the Wolf was featured in the "Witches" episode of What We Do in the Shadows this year. It could be a missing track from the Wicker Man soundtrack, with its ancient-sounding tune and layered voices urging us to gather up the fennel, the sage, and the nightshade. For what purpose? Only Matt Berry and the residents of Summerisle know for sure.
Love that show, and that episode absolutely was a huge stand out. That and the episode where Colin Robinson is promoted.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
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