The following contains spoilers for What We Do in the Shadows Season 4, Episode 9, "Freddie," which debuted Aug. 30, on FX.
A major component in Season 4 of What We Do in the Shadows has been Nandor's romantic life. One half has focused on the feelings he might have for Guillermo, with the show hinting that what he was missing was actually right in front of him all along. The other side of the coin dealt with his marriage to Marwa, a former bride he had his Djinn resurrect.
Admittedly, it was initially comedic seeing him trying to explore the concept of true love with her, only to realize she wasn't his soulmate. This added drama and created a weird love triangle between Nandor, his bride and Guillermo -- even if Guillermo's attention was on his new love, Freddie. However, while Nandor did find a solution to the issue, it's a creative move that really left a sour aftertaste.
Nandor, as selfish as usual, had the Djinn turn Marwa into a clone of Freddie, because he liked the energy Freddie exuded when they met. However, this angered Guillermo, who chided Nandor for being selfish. Nandor, though, decided the best way to be fair and redeem himself was to set his Freddie free, putting him on a train. Shockingly, Freddie 2.0 ended up in London, having an affair with the original Freddie, which Guillermo saw, leaving him heartbroken.
Now, while it's sad to see Guillermo suffer like this, it's even worse to see a show stripping a woman of her identity -- physically and mentally -- for laughs. Nandor could have at least returned Marwa to her form and let her go, apologizing for how he had the Djinn mess with her mind to like what he liked, aka domestication. Instead, she's basically killed in what's a very horrendous take on love-swapping. The fact he's been manipulating her all along, even using the Djinn to warp his penis size, further reinforces how she's an object just to please Nandor, with no agency at all. And now, one that is discarded at the drop of a hat, without an apology or even the truth.
It's like he forgot she existed, even after she grew disenchanted and locked herself away in his man cave, the first sign she felt like a prisoner. Honestly, it's insulting that he kept trying to turn her into what he wanted her to be, only to then have that not even matter. The sad thing is, even before Nandor toyed with her mind, she was kind, gentle and selfless, which makes the whole thing so much sadder.
The fact that the other marriage in the Staten Island home is as genuine as it is, with Nadja and Laszlo accepting each other's flaws and running wild with them, makes it all even worse. As humorous as they get, there's still honesty and communication when disagreements occur, rather than deceit. Honestly, if the show was going to go in this direction, it should have used one of Nandor's past husbands, because this has a misogynistic vibe to it, shaping Marwa as a vessel with no say. Hopefully, at some point, the series addresses this and gets justice for Marwa, because this sub-arc leaves a sour taste over an initially-sentimental storyline about Nandor understanding heart and soul in a significant other.
What We Do in the Shadows' Season 4 finale airs Tuesday Sept. 6 at 10:00 p.m. on FX.