For years, we all watched Guillermo de la Cruz mop up literal buckets of blood, haul corpses into the Staten Island dirt, and take the kind of verbal abuse that would send anyone else straight to a therapist. He had one goal. Just one. He wanted to be a vampire. Specifically, he wanted to be Armando from Interview with the Vampire, or at least some version of that sleek, immortal badassery.
Then he finally got it. And honestly? It was a disaster.
If you’ve stuck with Guillermo What We Do in the Shadows through the highs and the lows, you know his journey is basically the ultimate "be careful what you wish for" story. But looking back from the perspective of the final season, the way his transformation—and subsequent reversal—went down isn't just a gag. It’s the smartest thing the writers ever did for his character.
The Van Helsing Problem Nobody Saw Coming
When the show first dropped the bombshell that Guillermo was a descendant of Van Helsing, it felt like a classic sitcom pivot. A familiar who is secretly a world-class vampire killer? Gold.
But it became more than a joke. It became biological destiny. In Season 5, we saw the actual physical toll of this. Guillermo pays Derek to turn him because Nandor is too busy being, well, Nandor. But his body fights it. He’s stuck in this weird, sweaty limbo where his ears are slightly pointy and he can sort of jump high, but he’s still eating Panera Bread.
The fan theories were everywhere. People thought maybe he was a "dhampir" or some kind of hybrid. The reality was simpler and way more grounded in the show’s lore: his blood is literally toxic to the process. His DNA spends centuries learning how to kill vampires, so it’s not exactly going to welcome a vampire virus with open arms.
Why He Couldn't Just "Drink the Blood"
Nandor eventually fixes the "stuttering" transformation by making Guillermo drink human blood. He becomes a full vampire. He has the speed, the bat form, the whole deal.
But the moment he’s faced with a real human neck—a defenseless guy in a grocery store—he freezes.
This is the nuance Harvey Guillén brings to the role. Guillermo has killed hundreds of vampires. He’s a stone-cold assassin when it comes to the undead. But he can't kill a person. He realizes that being a vampire isn't about the cool capes or the flying; it's about being a predator. And despite twelve years of hanging out with the most selfish predators on earth, Guillermo is, at his core, a "good guy."
The "Letting You In" Moment
Harvey Guillén has talked a lot about how he views Guillermo's coming out process—both his sexuality and his identity as a hunter—as "letting people in" rather than "coming out." It’s a subtle shift in perspective.
When Guillermo finally told his family about his life, it wasn't just about who he loved; it was about the mess he lived in. The show handles his queerness with a lightness that’s actually pretty revolutionary. It’s just a fact of his life, much like his uncanny ability to throw a silver stake with Olympic precision.
In the final stretch of the series, we see him stop trying to be what he thinks he should be. He spent a decade trying to be a vampire. He spent a few years trying to be a perfect bodyguard. By the time we hit the end, he’s just... Guillermo.
The Power Balance Shifted
Let's talk about the relationship with Nandor the Relentless. For seasons, it was a master-servant dynamic. Then it was a friendship. Then it was... complicated.
The "Nandermo" shippers have plenty of fuel, but the real meat of the story is the respect. By Season 6, the vampires aren't just keeping him around because he cleans the chimneys. They’re keeping him around because they are genuinely lost without him. He is the only thing keeping that house from burning down or being seized by the IRS.
- Season 1: Guillermo is an "ornament" (Guillén's words).
- Season 3: He’s the muscle.
- Season 5/6: He’s the emotional center.
What Really Happens in the End?
The biggest takeaway from the saga of Guillermo What We Do in the Shadows is that immortality is actually kind of boring. The vampires are stagnant. They haven't changed in hundreds of years. Laszlo still obsesses over his topiary, and Nadja still screams at the ceiling.
Guillermo is the only one who moves.
When he chose to become human again—killing his sire Derek to reverse the curse—he chose growth over stasis. He aged a month in a second, grew a thick "depression beard," and had to start over. It was painful. It was messy. But it was real.
Actionable Insights for the "Shadows" Obsessed:
If you’re looking to revisit the series or prep for a rewatch, keep these details in mind to see the foreshadowing you might have missed:
- Watch the "of the cross" hints: His last name, De la Cruz, was a hint from day one. Look at how he handles religious iconography compared to the vampires in early episodes.
- The "Armand" connection: Re-watch the pilot. The specific vampire Guillermo wants to be is the one who is most "human" and emotional in the Anne Rice world. It was always a sign that he valued his humanity more than he realized.
- Check the background chores: In Season 1 and 2, Guillermo is often doing things that are technically "hunting" prep—sharpening stakes, organizing silver—under the guise of "household maintenance."
Guillermo’s story isn't a tragedy about a failed dream. It’s a success story about a guy who realized his dream was actually a nightmare and had the balls to wake up. He didn't need fangs to be the most powerful person in the room. He just needed to realize that he already was.
To get the most out of the final episodes, pay close attention to the way Nandor looks at Guillermo when he thinks the cameras aren't watching; the shift from "master" to "equal" is finally complete.