‘Reginald the Vampire’ Recap: ‘The Pompatus of Love’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

REGINALD THE VAMPIRE -- "The Pompatus of Love" Episode 201 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jacob Batalon as Reginald Andres, Em Haine as Sarah Kinney -- (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Two Premiere of ‘Reginald the Vampire’.
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There was a time, not that long ago, where the vampire story was the butt of everyone’s jokes. Mainly because, a ‘sparkling’ story… allowed for the creature to become something of a lampoon of itself. To the point where vampire stories weren’t anything to write home about since everyone was chasing the next, kitschy thing in the world of the fang. But thankfully, those days are changing and fast, and everywhere we look, the vampire is reclaiming its originality and reclaiming its standing as one of storytelling’s most iconic and pertinent monsters. One that can explore so much about the human condition and one particular series that’s helping with this sharp-toothed revolution is Reginald the Vampire on SYFY.

For season one of this series really did offer up an amazing premise for us to sink our fangs into. Because one simply cannot go wrong with a story that features an everyman turning into a vampire, and where that same man… explores a world, he doesn’t understand while also trying to figure out his own transformed life. Which brought forth a fascinating season of storytelling that shattered tropes and brought the laughs and outright gave us an engaging story that we could not stop watching and well, the best news of all, is that the show is back on the air and is eager to continue to make us smile, all while offering fresh new ideas for the genre to explore, as evidenced by the season two premiere of this delightful series.

For ‘The Pompatus of Love’ picked up some time after the wild events of the season one finale, wherein there should have been epic tension and trouble awaiting Reginald and his friends. As is often the case in vampire stories when a power struggle comes into play. But here, Reginald and the gang, were just enjoying life once again. In fact, this story focused heavily on the wonder of love and whether or not that was something Reginald could enjoy at last with peace surrounding him. So, he pondered deeply upon how best to woo Em, and in his mind, the best way to make that happen was through grand gestures and impressive moments that would melt her heart and bring her to him. But alas, Reginald came to learn a valuable lesson in going that route. 

In that, honesty matters most, and that respect should come into play when the person we love isn’t 100% on board with our feelings. Because we cannot control others, we can only let them decide the path they want to take with us. Which Em did express, and Reginald did hold to. Which brought about, a very human tale. One grounded in concepts you don’t see in vampire stories all that often, and it was refreshing to see honesty and integrity themes in a horror comedy. Plus, it also featured some amazing trope-busting elements as well. Such as how Maurice wants to be a vastly different kind of leader, one that is transformative. Plus, the danger trope here took quite the unique turn thanks to the best slushies in the land.

But of course, there are concerns and worries ahead for Reginald. Since the angels won’t stay at bay forever, regardless of how many slushies they ingest and of course, those dreams are of concern. But while we wait to see how that all plays out, we can enjoy… one refreshing and original season premiere. One that genuinely showcased the wonder of the vampire and what it can accomplish from a storytelling standpoint if real care goes into the story and real gravity is given to what the monster stands for. Which means we are going to be in for one delightful season of storytelling, one that will continue to build on the new legacy the vampire is forging, and one that will make us smile with more moments that are hopefully as epic as watching Reginald sing ‘I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).’ Until next time.

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