10 Times Nadja Was What We Do In The Shadows’ Best Character

What We Do In The Shadows‘ female lead, Nadja of Antipaxos, played by British actress Natasia Demetriou, has provided plenty of memorable moments throughout the show and is arguably the best character in the series. Throughout its 5-season run, the Greek Romani vampire has run rings around the vampire world, with the hopes of more to come with What We Do In The Shadows season 6. With an incredible twenty-one Emmy award nominations, What We Do In The Shadows has been praised for its feature of LGBTQ+ characters and its developed and hilarious writing.

Nadja’s life alongside her fellow vampires Laszlo (Matt Berry,) Nandor (Kayvan Novak,) and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), and their familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) provides a modern-day insight into centuries-old supernatural beings living in a modern world. Through the eyes of a documentary crew, the vampires are fully explored as people, rather than as a myth. Nadja stands proudly as the best character in What We Do In The Shadows for many reasons, but key elements of her personality can explain her ranking.

10 Nadja Enjoys Her Own Company

Season 2, Episode 2 – “Ghosts”

Despite seeing Nadja attempting to be friendly with Sean’s wife and her friends, she generally enjoyed her own company and was by herself when not with the others. That was until the introduction of the ghost of her past arrived, the last part of Nadja in her remaining human moments, who takes up residence inside an old doll. Nadja spends a lot of time with the doll, treating her like both her child and best friend. The interactions between the two are very wholesome and sweet, especially when Nadja is heartbroken when the doll runs away after she becomes distracted by her work with the Vampiric Council.

9 When Nadja Was A Maternal Figure

Season 1, Episode 8 – “Citizenship”

In season 1 Nadja turns Jenna, a female college student who was initially introduced as a virgin to feast on, into a vampire. Nadja takes Jenna under her wing, as she’s struggling with the vampire conversion process. Some of Nadja’s best scenes come from this episode, talking Jenna through the various vampiric powers she may be blessed with, as she supports and teaches the young woman how to hunt humans. “Citizenship” shows Nadja in a more nurturing light, showing that she is more complex than her bloodlust.

8 When Nadja Was The Ultimate Vampire Businesswoman

Season 4, Episode 2 – “Lamp”

Nadja had a lot of character development in season 4, following her return from the UK in a senior role for the Vampiric Council. With Colin Robinson unable to pay the bills, due to being reborn and now a child, Nadja decided to open a nightclub in the Vampiric Council headquarters. Her hilarious but determined interactions with The Guide (Kristen Schaal) prove Nadja to be independent, especially as she’d just spent a year separated from her husband working by herself at such a prestige level.

7 When Nadja’s Lustfulness Was Revealed

Season 1, Episode 10 – “Ancestry”

Nadja’s sex-positivity and lustfulness are integral traits of her character, whoever she may direct herself to. Throughout the show, Nadja has had two main love interests: Laszlo and Gregor, her human lover who had been reborn across several generations. Gregor had suffered several gruesome deaths until it was revealed that Laszlo had been behind every single one, trying to protect Nadja from heartbreak. Considering his reasonings, it proves that Nadja and Laszlo were couple goals.

6 When Nadja’s Humble Beginnings Were Revealed

Season 2, Episode 5 – “Colin’s Promotion”

Ongoing commentary on her own backstory has provided some of the best Nadja quotes, and it’s always fascinating to hear more about her past before she became a vampire. Often nostalgic for her human life, Nadja frequently spoke of her village on the island of Antipaxos in Greece, a seemingly perfect place that she adores despite their hatred toward her. When Nadja finds out that Nandor is the unknown warrior who destroyed her village, she’s so devastated that she tries to kill him. Nadja’s tales of her and her Romani family are filled with plenty of love and whimsy, proving how grounded she is compared to the other vampires she lives with.

5 When Nadja Was A Great Babysitter

Season 2, Episode 3 – “Brain Scramblies”

Nadja’s instinct towards children is one of the things that makes her such a hilarious character, especially her interactions with Joanie (Sondra James,) who spent her childhood living next door to the vampires and Sean’s (Anthony Atamanuik) mother. Reuniting with her at an elderly age, Joanie’s claims that Nadja used to pin her to the ceiling as a child are played off by her family as her health conditions and confusion. Despite going along with it at first, Nadja is quick to speak to Joanie alone and be honest and shares a very sweet moment with the old woman, asking how her life had been.

4 When Nadja Supported Other Women

Season 3, Episode 3 – “Gail”

Breaking out of tropes, Nadja’s relationships with other women in What We Do In The Shadows have seen her have to defend herself against the likes of Lazslo and Nandor. She is quick to explain to anyone who will listen that she very much likes Gail, Nandor’s on-again-off-again human-turned-werewolf girlfriend, her only issue is that she keeps rejecting Nandor’s proposal to turn her into a vampire. Even despite Nadja accidentally killing Gail by kicking a ball in her face, she immediately panics and insists that she has no issue with Gail and is relieved when Nandor revives her.

3 When Nadja Was The True Ruler

Season 3, Episode 2 – “The Cloak of Duplication”

When Laszlo, Nandor, and Nadja are brought forward to become the leaders of the Vampiric Council, it’s Nadja who is the only one of the three to hold the position down. She briefly shares the role with Nandor, as Laszlo is immediately uninterested, but it’s the first interaction with the Council of Vampires that really cements her place. Nadja dominates the atmosphere as she rips out the heart of a fellow vampire, one of her more violent acts compared to the usual shouting and expressive arguing with the men she lives with.

2 When Nadja’s Love For Laszlo Required Patience

Season 2, Episode 8 – “Collaboration”

Nadja was the one to turn Laszlo into a vampire, and after the two married, spent several hundreds of years together across the world. Despite their many years together, Nadja’s tolerance for Laszlo’s shenanigans required a lot of patience, especially when they decided to reform their musical duo. The two originally broke up their collaboration due to constant arguments and musical differences, and Nadja agrees to perform one more show, but ultimately her enjoyment and love for Laszlo trumps his finicky working style.

1 When Nadja Was A Vampiric Threat

Season 1, Episode 8 – “Citizenship”

While mentoring Jenna, Nadja reveals that she is a talented crawler, with the ability to climb up walls and across ceilings. This isn’t the only vampiric power of hers however, and has demonstrated her skills in seduction and telekinesis, but it’s her supersonic scream that is Nadja’s most impressive talent. Her ability to screech at such a loud volume not only physically pains those around her, both human and vampire, but also can destroy lights, and on one occasion send another vampire flying across the room. Compared to her husband Laszlo, whose unique ability is hypnotizing animals, Nadja’s powers in What We Do In The Shadows are significantly more impressive.