The Casino (What We Do in the Shadows)
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Episode 4
| "The Casino" | |
|---|---|
| What We Do in the Shadows episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Yana Gorskaya |
| Written by | Sarah Naftalis |
| Cinematography by | David A. Makin |
| Editing by |
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| Production code | XWS03004 |
| Original air date | September 16, 2021 |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Casino" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American mockumentary comedy horror television series What We Do in the Shadows, set in the franchise of the same name. It is the 24th overall episode of the series and was written by Sarah Naftalis, and directed by co-executive producer Yana Gorskaya. It was released on FX on September 16, 2021.
The series is set in Staten Island, New York City. Like the 2014 film, the series follows the lives of vampires in the city. These consist of three vampires, Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja. They live alongside Colin Robinson, an energy vampire; and Guillermo, Nandor's familiar. The series explores the absurdity and misfortunes experienced by the vampires. In the episode, the vampires accompany Sean on a trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.462 million household viewers and gained a 0.13 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising the humor, writing, and character development. The episode received a nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.
For their 20th wedding anniversary, Sean (Anthony Atamanuik) and Charmaine (Marissa Jaret Winokur) have organized a getaway group trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey, inviting the vampires to accompany them. The vampires are forced to take their ancestral soil from their coffins, as they can lose their powers without it, having to place it under their respective beds.
At the casino hotel, Nandor (Kayvan Novak) tells the vampires to stop treating Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) like a familiar, instead integrating him as part of "the family." As Guillermo begins to open up about his family background, the vampires leave to join Sean at the casino. Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), having met with the original Rat Pack, mistakes a group of performers as the original group. Nandor gets obsessed over a The Big Bang Theory slot machine, being forced to leave when Guillermo tells him the sunrise is nearing. However, the vampires are unable to sleep, eventually discovering that their ancestral soil is gone. It is revealed that Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) was distracted by a casino infomercial, failing to notice the housekeeper vacuuming the soil. Without resting, their powers will slowly fade. Nandor assigns Guillermo to travel to Europe to recover soil from their birthplaces, with Laszlo (Matt Berry) forced to ask Sean for the travel money as his hypnosis does not work. He later feels bad when he realizes the money may caused Sean's financial ruin.
While Guillermo leaves for London, Antipaxos and Southern Iran, the vampires struggle to keep their energy. While using the slot machine, Nandor wonders about the series' title, unaware of the Big Bang. Colin Robinson explains heliocentrism, which disturbs Nandor, as he always believed in the World Turtle theory. This causes Nandor to fall into an existential crisis, questioning his role in the universe. Guillermo returns with the soil, which allows the vampires to recoup their powers. To recover Sean's money, Guillermo uses the vampire for a scheme in which they will hynoptize two boxers during a match. One of the boxers decapitates the other, which allows Colin Robinson to win a substantial amount of money in gambling. Laszlo gives the money to Sean, who thanks him for saving him. As the vampires leave, Sean decides to gamble all the money on a game.
Production
Development
In August 2021, FX confirmed that the fourth episode of the season would be titled "The Casino", and that it would be written by Sarah Naftalis, and directed by co-executive producer Yana Gorskaya. This was Naftalis' second writing credit, and Gorskaya's fourth directing credit.[1]
Writing
The episode's writer, Sarah Naftalis, learned about the ancestral soil element in the writers' room, which allowed her to add a comedic element. She said, "It's a funny thing — the reality of the logic that you're being held to is stuff like the ancestral soil."[2]
Filming
The episode features a slot machine based on the series The Big Bang Theory. The machine was real, with production spending four months in preparing the episode. Two days before filming began, representatives of Warner Bros. Television Studios objected to the use of the series in any way. However, The Big Bang Theory' co-creator, Chuck Lorre, intervened and allowed the series to use it.[3]