Warning: This post contains spoilers for What We Do in the Shadows' series finaleThe series finale of What We Do in the Shadows offers an ingenious and unexpected goodbye that's wholehearted and self-aware. As a standalone episode, it provides one of the most inventive structures in the entire series. Simply titled "The Finale", season 6, episode 11 starts out as any other outing between the vampiric crew – this time with a development about some particularly uncontrollable urges from Cravensworth's Monster. The series slams on the breaks when the documentary crew asks for their microphone packs back, as Guillermo begins to unravel at the reality that their "documentary" is coming to an end.

While the earlier seasons of What We Do in the Shadows — created by Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi based on their 2014 film — represent the series' better half, the show has maintained a cult following. Instead of going big and bringing in various guest actors from previous episodes for a sweeping and cumulative farewell, the series smartly keeps its focus on its beloved core crew. Even though nothing came of Alexander Skarsgård's appearance in the penultimate episode and the finale was mostly disinterested in plot and character resolutions, the finale is ultimately highly original, self-reflective, and engaging.

The What We Do In The Shadows Finale Lifts The Documentary Crew Veil & Says Goodbye In Tandem With Its Audience

The Series Finale Saved Its Best Trick For Last

What We Do in the Shadows' finale pumps the brakes on the narrative storylines established through season 6, which ends up working in its favor. The whole "corporate world" theme of the season is hardly mentioned and new characters like Jerry the Vampire – who made a grand introduction in the season 6 premiere – are quite literally ripped out of the story. The finale embellishes the core element of the series that made it so strong in the first place, which is its near-workplace sitcom feel that celebrates the hilarity of its unique characters in any situation.

Season 6's setting may have felt a bit out of place in a city office building but it shows how easy it is to follow these characters anywhere. The cinematic spoof on The Usual Suspects in the finale plays into the meta tone of the series ending, in which Nadja hypnotizes the audience into seeing the "ending of their dreams." This nearly sarcastic tone helps break the fourth wall effectively and makes it easier for us to prepare for an inevitable detachment from the series.

The finale goes out with the same type of crafty and inventive humor that made the show such an original success.

The finale goes out with the same type of crafty and inventive humor that made the show such an original success in the first place. It avoids straying too far into an overly sentimental resolution but still acknowledges the inherent sadness of the occasion. The series also seems to take jabs at its own reception, seemingly mocking it may have received from certain unnamed parties. The plot is also not totally abandoned as Guillermo and Nandor do have a meaningful, and then hilarious, goodbye.

What We Do In The Shadows' Finale Cleverly & Hilariously Reflects On Its Legacy Without Becoming Overly Sentimental

The Comedy Series Stayed True To Itself Until The End

With a highly original character-driven series like What We Do in the Shadows, there's no real need to arrive at major plot points and "hero's journey" conclusions. Guillermo's attempts to inspire textbook storytelling essentials like character change and growth are cleverly brushed off by the Vampires, who have a meta understanding that we don't ever want them to change. The resting point about how Nandor and Guillermo will continue to be friends after the cameras stop rolling is the greatest sentiment to end on, creating an air that, somewhere out there, the crew is still up to their usual antics.

The vampires are mostly unbothered throughout the series and it's satisfying they remain this way until the end. Seeing Laszlo and Nadja break character and get immersed in their feelings might have packed more of an emotional punch but it's evident the creators did not want to go in that direction. As Nadja explains, this was not even their first experience with a documentary crew.

An old film features some of the highlights of previous seasons while also creating a hilarious moment in the present timeline that the eternal vampires have hardly ever changed over thousands of years. This helps scrapbook these characters and makes it easier to cope with the series ending.

The What We Do in the Shadows finale may not venture too deeply into its own nostalgia but it provides another ingenious entry to the beloved series.

What We Do in the Shadows remains a ionate series and one of the most intricate comedies with obvious care for its characters. The series didn't need to pull any cliché finale gimmicks and even laughs at the thought of doing so in its final scenes. Guillermo, as usual, is the human point of for us and is the only one who is truly upset about the documentary ending. Even when he gets his big commemoration speech into the camera, the comedy never stops, which is exactly how this particular finale should be.

The What We Do in the Shadows ending does provide a brief performance of the core cast singing "We'll Meet Again" by Vera Lynn, which does acknowledge a more traditional "finale" feel. Ultimately, it's relieving that the series doesn't trade its fantastically idiosyncratic comedic value for sappy character interactions and forced plot conclusions. The What We Do in the Shadows finale may not venture too deeply into its own nostalgia but it provides another ingenious entry to the beloved series.