Resurrection

"**Resurrection**" is the first episode of the second season of *What We Do in the Shadows*. It first aired on April 15, 2020.

## Synopsis

Nadja and Laszlo's new familiar poses problems for an increasingly anxious Guillermo, and the vampires enlist the services of a local necromancer.

## Plot Summary

The residents of the Staten Island vampire household recap on what has been happening over the past few months. Guillermo reveals that the Vampiric Council had sent ten vampire assassins to the residence to try to kill the residing vampires. Guillermo successfully killed all of them, sometimes effortlessly, and kept all the killings hidden from his roommates so that they would not suspect his possible vampire hunter heritage. Laszlo and Nadja reveal that they have been through numerous familiars who all accidentally died, and have adopted a new one named Topher. Topher’s charm makes the vampires treat him more favourably than Guillermo.

One night, Topher allows two more vampire assassins to enter the home. After dealing with them, Guillermo scolds Topher in the yard and advises him to stay away from the nearby koi pond due to the electrical short from the heater. Topher attempts to reset the heater and gets electrocuted and instantly killed.

As the vampires bury Topher in the yard, Nadja becomes upset and demands Guillermo dig him up so they can resurrect him. They take Topher’s corpse to Wallace, a necromancer running a souvenir store, who agrees to bring him back for a $350 fee. Wallace carries out the ritual, becoming distracted with his phone halfway, and brings Topher back to consciousness. Upon returning to the house it becomes increasingly clear that he is now a zombie. Guillermo tries to warn the vampires, but they don’t believe him and laugh off his concerns.

Eventually, Topher attacks Guillermo and gets impaled with a wooden stake. Guillermo tries to high-five the stunned Topher to make amends and accidentally knocks his arm off. The two familiars fight and Topher tries to drown Guillermo in the koi pond. Nandor, awakened by Guillermo’s screams, pulls Topher off and tries to dispose of him by breaking his neck, throwing him in the pond and electrocuting him, but Topher remains undead. The vampires finally realise Topher is a zombie and bring him back to Wallace, demanding a refund. The vampires are instead swayed by the offer of free nametag keychains.

Guillermo concludes that although the vampires have made his life more stressful, he is ultimately grateful for Nandor saving him and will continue to defend him. Wallace takes ownership of Topher, setting him to work in his shop basement making keychains alongside numerous other zombies he has accidentally created.

## Cast

### Starring

* Kayvan Novak as Nandor
* Matt Berry as Laszlo
* Natasia Demetriou as Nadja
* Harvey Guillén as Guillermo
* Mark Proksch as Colin Robinson

### Guest starring

* Haley Joel Osment as Topher
* Benedict Wong as Wallace

### Co-starring

* Paul Jones as Blunderbuss Familiar (uncredited)

## Production

* Topher’s severed arm prop was previously made for a scene from the television show *The Boys*, in which Haley Joel Osment’s character loses his arm. As some of the special effects crew worked on both shows, they decided to re-use the arm.

## Soundtrack

* ***European Waltz*** performed by Lee Jacobs
* ***Just a Little Bit*** performed by Robbie Nevil
* ***You're Dead*** performed by Norma Tanega (opening credits)
* ***Before the Storm*** performed by Isobel Raven
* ***Bingo Waltz (Full Mix)*** performed by Philip Stegers
* ***There Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down*** performed by Ralph Hart & The Texas Musical Hearts (end credits)

## References

1. ↑ "Listings - Listings - WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS on FX" - The Futon Critic
2. ↑ "Resurrection: Full cast and crew" - iMDb
3. ↑ "Haley Joel Osment becomes undead in first look at FX's What We Do in the Shadows" - Entertainment Weekly
4. ↑ "S2 · E1 · Resurrection" - Tunefind