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Recap / What We Do in the Shadows S 1 E 2 "City Council"

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Season 1, Episode 2

City Council

The vampires get embroiled in local Staten Island politics as their first step to world domination.

Tropes That Appear In This Episode:

  • The Bore: Colin Robinson regularly visits the Staten Island Borough Council because the political activity that goes on in there is so soul-drainingly dull that he gets to feed there all he likes, and is even given a platform to bore people further.
  • Closet Key: While Jenna has a boyfriend, she seems a little too open to Nadja's advances when she thinks that they are entirely sexual. She reasons that it's college and she should experiment.
  • Don't Sneak Up on Me Like That!: The Baron's familiar has a bad habit of appearing out of nowhere. Even the other vampires are put on edge by her.
  • Everyone Has Standards: Barbara Lazarro is incredibly disturbed by Laszlo's "gift" of dead racoons, and when Nandor's hypnosis of Doug Peterson kicks in at the meeting, everybody — including the other vampires — is understandably upset. (The exception to the latter is, of course, Colin Robinson—see above.)
  • Failed Attempt at Drama: Nandor tries intimidating the Borough Council with a dramatic speech about how infamous he is, but whatever tension and infamy he tried instilling did not take, as he fumbles with his microphone all the while.
  • Manchurian Agent: Nandor hypnotises Doug Peterson to give the Council the vampire's ultimatum. Unfortunately, the words he was instructed to give make him sound like a crazed loon.
    Doug Peterson: It is a grim portent of things to come if we don't surrender, you ignorant bitch.
    (the audience gasps)
    Barbara Lazarro: ...What?
    Nandor: Yes, Doug Peterson...
    Doug Peterson: I will rip your head from your body. And I will hang your entrails from the traffic light on Hylan Boulevard so our new masters will see that only those who submit will survive!
    Barbara Lazarro: Mr. Peterson, you are way out of order!
  • Nerdy Bully: The Head of the College LARPing-Group seems to take particular delight in tormenting Jenna, contradicting her at every corner, excluding her because her stats are not favorable and just generally being a dick to her.
  • Not Listening to Me, Are You?: According to Nadja and Laszlo, the Baron has a bad habit of giving his villainous decrees and orders right at the moment when he makes them orgasm, thus making it difficult for them to actually have his orders carried out. Though it is just as likely they are making excuses for why they haven't conquered America after all of this time.
  • Poverty for Comedy: Nadja claims that before she became a vampire, she was a Romani whose family was so poor that they could only fuel their campfires with donkey dung. When the dung ran out, they burned the donkey.
    Nadja: So yes, I do know what it is like to be mocked, and teased, and to cry myself to sleep at night by the light of a burning donkey.
  • Raging Stiffie: Colin Robinson does not leave with the other vampires when their plans fall apart because of this.
  • Rivers of Blood: Nandor claims that he turned the Euphrates red with blood twice.
  • Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Councillor Lazarro responds to Nandor's ultimatum by explaining that that particular meeting was about zoning ordinances, and that he should come to the open meeting in a couple months' time to discuss his non-zoning concerns.
  • Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Jenna projectile vomits during her transformation.

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