The following contains spoilers for What We Do in the Shadows Season 4, Episode 6, "The Wedding," which aired Tuesday, Aug. 9 on FX.
What We Do in the Shadows has made prominent cameos an essential part of its equation. Figures like the cast of the original 2014 movie are par for the course, and the show pulled out all the stops in Season 2, Episode 10, "Nouveau Theatre des Vampires" when a passel of actors representing every vampire movie or TV show from the last decade showed up. Few made a splash like Doug Jones's Baron Afanas, however, who served as the butt of one of the series' best visual gags and has since become a fan-favorite.
The Baron resurfaced in Season 3, Episode 6, "The Escape" when the show's vampire household exhumed him for help when they inadvertently allowed another ancient vampire to escape. Season 4 couldn't resist adding him to the wedding that served as the signature event of a bloody hilarious season. Season 4, Episode 6, "The Wedding" was not only a welcome return for the surprisingly affable ancient vampire, but his most telling appearance yet.
One of Season 4's biggest plot threads so far concerned Nandor releasing a Djinn from an ancient lamp in his possessions. The being granted far more wishes than three -- clicking them off dutifully like a bored accountant -- but Nandor had a way of burning through them with shocking speed. Most of this came in his efforts to find a bride, which ultimately succeeded only to give way to endless fretting about the wedding itself. In "The Wedding," he ended up surrendering his last wishes to make the ceremony everything he dreamed.
That wouldn't be complete without an appearance by the Baron, with whom the vampires have a decidedly checkered history. He's Nadja's sire -- thousands of years old with a fervent wish to see vampires rule humanity -- and sent her and Laszlo to Long Island in order to take over the New World for him. Their abject failure to do so led to an inept effort to kill him in Season 1, Episode 6, "Baron's Night Out." That ended with a reconciliation, only for the recently hypocritical Guillermo to seemingly flash-fry him by opening the door to the full morning sun at the wrong time. They exhumed his still-living body in "The Escape," and successfully solicited his help before setting him up in a home in New Jersey where he could live in comfort.
Season 4, Episode 6, "The Wedding" returned the Baron to his original, human-appearing form via the Djinn so that he can officiate over the wedding ceremony. This is apparently a Very Big Deal Indeed among undead society, though the reasons remain obscure. The Baron was less interested in Nandor and Marwa's marriage than in hooking up with Laszlo, with whom he's had an ongoing affair despite his lack of functioning genitalia. He further had to officiate a full hour of direct objections to the wedding (including the bride's), before he was able to extract himself and meet Laszlo in the broom closet.
The character's humor stems from his pathos, and the idea that immortality isn't the boon it appears to be after a few millennia or so. What We Do in the Shadows frequently returns to the idea -- a throwback to Petyr the Nosferatu in the basement of the original film -- but has a ringer in the Baron, whose lack of understanding about the modern world always makes for memorable appearances. His demands to conquer humanity end with him comfortably snacking on Airbnb customers, which he seems very satisfied with. He's remarkably amiable for an ancient monster, and all of his claims of godhood hide that he really just wants a friend.
Jones has spent most of his time in the role beneath make-up and prosthetics, but "The Wedding" lets him take it all off, and though he's still clearly the Baron, the actor's natural sweetness and friendly demeanor shine through. The wedding, and his shenanigans in the midst of it, are further proof of how human the show's undead creatures really are.
What We Do in the Shadows airs Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m. on FX.