WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for What We Do in the Shadows Season 3, Episode 2, "The Cloak of Duplication," now available on Hulu via FX.
As Season 3 of FX's What We Do in the Shadows kicks off, Nandor's (Kayvan Novak) gang of vampires are thrust into a unique pressure situation after his familiar, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), slaughtered most of the Vampire Council to end Season 2. But in a twist, they've shockingly been called in and appointed as heads of the new council of the Eastern Seaboard. However, while Nandor thinks he's got a shot at being Supreme Leader, Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) makes it clear she's the only vamp fit for the role.
In "The Cloak of Duplication," the Staten Island roommates must decide who will lead, with Nadja's lover, Laszlo, ruling himself out due to the stress of the job. Nadja, however, loves power while Nandor wants to show he's a good leader once more, just like his old conquering days, so they agree to share duty. Admittedly, Nadja tells the mockumentary crew she's just letting Nandor think he's in charge while she calls the shots.
It leads to them being tasked with confronting young vampires in Queens who haven't been paying their fees to the council. They need to rein these insubordinates in, which turns out to be akin to millennials fighting with the Baby Boomer generation as Wes, the hip leader, makes it clear they're not into the archaic style of the centuries-old bloodsuckers like Nadja.
It riles her as she thinks they're taking advantage of a diplomatic Nandor, who's trying unsuccessfully to broker peace. Colin Robinson is there to just take notes with the rogue group, so he doesn't offer much help, as Wes challenges the vamps and why they shouldn't answer to outdated leaders. Seeing as he's got a Masters in Urban Planning, he comes off arrogant and disrespectful, which Nadja can't tolerate. When it seems like Nandor is going to address the stalemate and find some way of still making this impasse work, Nadja reneges on her word of keeping cool and speeds over to Wes, ripping out his heart. She quickly makes everyone bend the knee, laying down the law with gusto and inflicting fear. Nadja's had it up to here with the rebels, who are now all too eager to pay dues and fall in line.
When they get home, Nadja, illustrating frightening woman power, is adamant they need to be more assertive, ridiculing Nandor for his weakness. It foreshadows potential civil war to come as Nadja wants the throne more than anything else, obsessed with ruling anyone who dares to question her. She might even be willing to subjugate folks at home, which will surely pave the way for a lot of dramatic comedy to unfold.
Notably, Nandor ruled the fictional lands of Al-Quolanudar and served in the Ottoman Empire, but while he's the oldest and self-proclaimed chief of the group, his ways might be antiquated.
It doesn't help that he's seeking love and is a bit softer, so while he might express patience with frivolous, frustrating modern issues in society like this, Nadja won't. And seeing as she's got the backbone the last council lacked, she may well be the one the other vamps see fit to resolve things in the bloodiest way possible.
See Nadja assert her dominance in Season 3 of What We Do in the Shadows. The first two episodes are streaming now on Hulu via FX.
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