What We Do in the Shadows – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review

The Cursed Hat

This week on What We Do In The Shadows, the vampires try to gain the allegiance of a Manhatten vampire gang, led by Simon The Devious.

With The Baron growing restless, Nandor and the others hatch a plan to try and extend their reach beyond the 5 houses surrounding them and Ashley Street which they gain dominion over. In order to try and swing the balance of power in their favour, they decide to visit an infamous vampire called Simon The Devious in Manhatten. Intent on combining their powers, Laszlo prepares for the trip by wearing his favourite hat. 

Reminding him the hat is cursed, Nadja laments his fashion choice and tells him not to wear it for the trip. As bad things start happening, a recurring joke about this cursed hat crops up throughout the episode to keep the comedy flowing strongly.

As they arrive in New York, they enter a club Simon is hanging out at. Here, Guillermo learns more about the role of familiars and gets angry when Nandor refuses to stop a random vampire from turning him. Ignoring Colin Robinson as he desperately tries to be part of the conversation, the trio of vampires venture into the VIP area of the club.

Simon tells the group he’ll accept their alliance on one condition – Laszlo hands over the hat. After initially rejecting the offer, he reluctantly hands it over, leading to Simon immediately kicking them out the club and deceiving them.

As they leave, lamenting their luck, the building blows up leading Laszlo to finally admit the hat may actually be cursed after all. Determined to make amends with his familar, Nandor flies Guillermo around New York but accidently drops him. In the hospital, Guillermo sports some pretty severe injuries for his trouble. In a strange twist of fate, the hat shows up in the hospital, leading Laszlo to sneak it out the room as the trio of vampires leave the familiar to rest.

Much like the previous episode, What We Do In The Shadows continues its good vibes with a blend of comedy and unpredictable drama. Quite whether this will be sustained throughout the season is still up for debate but for now, there’s enough here to make this vampire comedy one of the biggest surprises of the year.