The Nandermo tag is looking a little pessimistic, and hopefully it’s just anxiety about S4 coming so soon after S3. Not even a full year to play in the sandbox before we get jossed! (Is jossed still a thing? I know we hate him now but has a replacement term for upending speculation in that specific way entered the fandom lexicon yet?) Anyway, why borrow trouble? Across genres, fandom has a tendency to melt down into hysterics over the littlest things sometimes. Either they’re gonna do it and if they do there will be multiple obstacles what with this being a comedy, or they won’t. In which case, depending on how they go about it, it could range from mere disappointment to cowardly backpedaling. None of us can control that by doomandglooming on the internet. Thus far they’ve done a pretty good job of turning expectations on their ear and they don’t seem like the kind of production that makes decisions from a desire to defy the fandom no matter the cost, so I personally don’t see any reason for premature disgust and betrayal.
I mean, what can you do? If they screw you, you don’t have to keep watching. Media made for profit is transactional, you can withdraw your monetary support at any time. Obviously you can’t get back the time and energy you invested, but of course you did that of your own volition and were never promised anything in return.
But again, it’s too early to start melting down. I understand the desire to prepare yourself for disappointment, especially when you’re as used to it as most fandoms are. But it seems like a really unenjoyable way to interact with a media property, and it won’t change the outcome. If it goes bad, send the message with total abandonment. Unless/until that happens, no good will come of miserable pessimism. ♀️
Given what I’ve heard about the production thus far it genuinely doesn’t seem like they would swerve on fans just to be like cruel or petulant. I feel like if they didn’t get Nandor and Guillermo together it would be for other reasons like they really aren’t actually good for each other for example. Like we all love the ship and it works in this world and I want to see it done but there’s also a legitimate argument for it not being super healthy.
I know that turning or not turning Guillermo into a vampire is one of the story beats that they have confirmed as the impetus for the show’s continuation. The event of Guillermo being turned into a vampire or not is also sort of intrinsically linked to his connection to Nandor too. I’m not going to say you couldn’t decide one without the other but it would be difficult to say have them get together and have Nandor still be umming and arring on turning him.
So yeah from a narrative standpoint I’m just here to say though it hurts it being dragged out or not confirmed is likely an intrinsic part of keeping this world alive.
Just to be super super clear: I want them to get together. I think it could be done. It just wouldn’t be easy/isn’t promised.
People think the will-they-won’t-they of What We Do In The Shadows is Nandermo. Nah, kidlets, this ain’t Rachel and Ross, the will-they-won’t-they is “Will they vampirize Guillermo or won’t they?” The tension is “Why haven’t they already? Will they ever? What’s it going to take?” Nandermo getting together appeals mostly to the shippers, but the resolution of whether Guillermo will ever get to achieve his dream of being a sexy undead superhuman is more universal to the whole audience of the show: it’s his Red Rider BB Gun, his Golden Ticket, the thing he pines for and has for so long. We’ve been linking he and Nandor acknowledging their makey-outy feelings for each other with Nandor automatically agreeing to vampirize him–that’s the condition, and it’s a given, right?–but the fans are now at thirst’s door with the Horny For This Ship-itis, and if the writers want to extend the tension of the overall show for longer, they’ve got a good shot at doing so by separating the two. So I’m all for makeouts, but don’t forget that the two plot resolutions going together ain’t a given, kids!
I kind of have a different interpretation, so let me know if this sounds crazy.
We meet Guillermo as a kind of passed-over moon-eyed familiar who believed he would be turned very soon. When he isn’t, he becomes disillusioned with his master, and we saw some of that hero warship fall away to an affection that was a lot more real.
Sort of like, “you are an ass, but I care about you and feel responsible for your safety/happiness” - and that is what we really see develop. It’s not expressly romantic at this point, but there is love there.
When Guillermo learned that he was a Van Helsing, that suddenly conflicted with his desire to become a vampire, and it is my belief that his Van Helsing lineage is what truly starts to define his relationship with Nandor. Why? Because up till that point, Guillermo wanted to become a vampire to finally feel powerful, and Nandor was his ticket. However, as he explores his lineage, he discovers he is already powerful. In fact, he is so powerful he conceals, for instance, his immunity to hypnotism, so the vampires would feel safe and “not weak”.
So, now Guillermo is powerful on his own, he becomes confident on his own, and suddenly becoming a vampire is a huge conflict of interest. His relationship with Nandor is a huge conflict of interest. What is he doing there? Why would a vampire-slayer consider himself the bodyguard (and heartguard) to a vampire? What makes him stay? Why would Nandor, a vampire, wish to have a murderer of his own kind live with him and take care of him? Why does he fight for Guillermo?
So Guillermo has these conflicting identities and desires making the will-they-won’t-they aspect of his becoming a vampire less to do about Nandor finally turning him and more to do with his decision to be turned.
And should Guillermo decide to become a vampire, it would no longer be about becoming powerful, but perhaps it would be about joining Nandor in eternity. The will-they-won’t-they is more about Nandor and Guillermo accepting that their relationship is personal, that they mean something. Whatever that looks like
That article about the press release is so funny to me cuz it’s like “we aren’t saying that they will get together, they’ll just get into a rom-com trope situation that has never not lead to the protagonists getting together” oookay then
All this panic and my babies u gotta remember they never give shit away before a series airs. Nobody, like id put $ on it, though Colin would die and become a baby last season…nobody even guessed that til the end of ep 9.
They aint telling you shit. And sometimes writers etc lie or omit (for ofmd they had to pretend gentlebeard was just friends and u can see their practically in glee hiding it). We know actually quite a bit about this season but not enough that i believe them nothing happens.
Freddie (according to his acting site) is in his one ep. Mawra seems to be a multi ep thing. Ppl im telling u (i will beg for forgiveness if wrong) i really think we’re gonna get nandor realizing he loves Guillermo by the end of the s4 finale. Kiss? Maybe. Maybe not. But we know it ends on a cliffhanger and thatd be a nice setup for s5.
So ur gonna have to wait til it all airs im afraid. I got my prediction post im excited to see what i got right
As I thought, the person that wrote the “wwdits team says that Nandor and Guillermo aren’t getting together anytime soon” just took some incomplete quotes and interpreted them as they wanted. The staff didn’t say anything worth the panic I’m seeing here imo
The complete thing is stating what is obvious about Nandor marrying another person. Obviously Paul Simms can’t just say that they’re gonna get together and spoil the entire season(s).
I don’t think I’m clowning here by not being that worried, so I hope this helps the people dooming around the tag. You are already sentencing a season that isn’t even out…
