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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for What We Do in the Shadows Season 6, Episode 9, “Come Out and Play.”]
What We Do in the Shadows saw the vampires of New York City step into the light for a very special occasion as Baron Afanas (Doug Jones) prepared to accept an Eternal Lifetime Achievement Award.
But as with most plans in FX‘s beloved mockumentary, the Baron’s moment didn’t go as planned as he was joined by his “kids,” the vampires of Staten Island, Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Lazslo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), and Colin Robinson (Mark Proskch). When the Baron is invited onto the stage to receive his honor, presenter and former forgotten Staten Island roommate, Jerry (Mike O’Brien), the disgruntled vampire tears down the figure with demeaning words.
Jerry calls out the Baron for not fulfilling his promise to take over the continent, and Lazslo’s monster doesn’t take too kindly to it, crushing Jerry’s head, which sparks a chaotic gang-like war reminiscent of The Warriors. As various groups hunt down the Staten Island vampires, they’re forced to rely on former familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), who wasn’t invited to the shindig, to rescue them.
Russ Martin / FX
“Baron Afanas is so self-absorbed, and when he hears that there’s going to be an award for him, it’s like, ‘Well, of course, there is, because I am all of that.’ But what he doesn’t remember is that he has gotten comfortable in his lifestyle,” Jones tells TV Insider. When it comes to Jerry, Jones adds, “The Baron knows he’s kind of right. It was a wake-up call for him to realize that yes, he has leadership skills, but he has not been using them all this time. He’s just been lavishing in his own glory, and that’s not enough.”
While the Baron later reveals that he apparently knew about Jerry’s plan to put him on blast all along, he utilizes Lazslo’s monster to put the other vampires in their place when they reconvene after the chase around New York City comes to an end. Because in truth, the Baron has come to love his quiet life in New Jersey with The Sire and their little Guillermo froggies.
“I think that’s some comedy genius that The sire and the Baron together have such power, and they’re such monstrous beings that they’re living a simple life in the country running their own Airbnb and eating their guests and petting the dog and bouncing little baby froggies on their lap,” Jones says with a smile.
Russ Martin / FX
As for why he continues to stick by the Staten Island vamps, Jones says of the Baron, “He does have a sense of family. He’s called [them] his children before. So he does have a family tie to them as angry as he gets with them, as frustrated as he gets with them at times.”
Luckily that frustration manifested in the actions of the monster as they continued to squash the heads of any vampires that chose to question the Baron. The prosthetics required for such moments weren’t required for Jones who is often buried beneath makeup onscreen. “I’ve had a 38-year career so far full of prosthetics and special effects makeup and things. So to have the Baron go through a transformation where he’s looking more like me is a perfect transition,” Jones muses.
In the episode’s final moments as the Baron continues to lay down the metaphorical law with the monster, one questioning vampire rescinds his query when he realizes the results of such an endeavor. The vampire in question happens to be Alexander Skarsgård, known for his role as famous TV vamp Eric Northman from True Blood.
While it’s never revealed whether Skarsgård is meant to portray Eric here or not is unclear, he’s just the latest in a long string of famous pop culture vampires to appear on the show (anyone else remember the first Vampire Council meeting?). “He was a delight to have on set,” Jones gushes about his final scene partner in the episode. “To bring in a dark brooding, beautiful vampire that young people have gone [gaga] over, and to put him in our goofy show was just a lovely dichotomy going on there,” Jones adds.
“He pulled the funny out too. We played a lot on the show anyway. He and I bantered back and forth for quite a while, and I’m not sure how much of that is on the cutting room floor at the moment, but it was just a glorious thing to banter back and forth. And he came up with some brilliant little bits that I wish everybody could see one day,” Jones teases.
While TV Insider didn’t have the opportunity to chat with Skarsgård himself, he did offer this funny statement via FX for fans, “I’m afraid I have no recollection of shooting this episode as Dr. Laszlo Cravensworth apparently hypnotized me at the wrap party. But I did wake up with an intense physical attraction to Dr. Cravensworth and found his extraordinary wit, charm, and intelligence absolutely disarming. I have since started a YouTube fan page for him. It’s called ‘Because you’re Cravens-worth it’ Please like, follow, and subscribe.”
What did you think of the Baron’s awards ceremony and that special guest? Let us know in the comments section, and don’t miss the remaining episodes of What We Do in the Shadows as they air on FX.
What We Do in the Shadows, Season 6, Mondays, 10/9c, FX (next day on Hulu)