What We Do In The Shadows: How Colin's Age Sets Up His Origins
Colin Robinson's age reveals a lot about the origins of the What We Do In The Shadows character and could hint at the history of all energy vampires.
In season 3, episode 2 of FX's What We Do In The Shadows, Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) turns 100 years old, and his age sets up a lot about his origins. The mild-mannered yet universally irksome psychic vampire doesn't actually remember where he came from or how he was created. Little is known about energy vampires as a whole other than that they are day-walkers, meaning they aren't hurt by sunlight, and unlike most vampires, they don't feed on blood. Rather, they drain the energy of their victims by being boring, inconvenient, or just outright offensive.
Colin Robinson's role amongst the other vampires in What We Do In The Shadows is as something of an outcast. His reserved temperament, entirely beige wardrobe, and more modern way of speaking contrast with the others whose characters are clearly frozen in much more distant history. It certainly doesn't work in his favor that energy vampires are the only variety that can feed on other vampires when they're vexed. During the day, he lives a relatively banal existence even for a human, working his unrewarding office job, bickering with strangers on the internet, and often frequenting local city zoning meetings, all to feed on the negativity inherent in these situations.
Despite his mundane appearance, however, Colin Robinson's age and origins set him up as potentially one of the most dangerous and hilarious characters in What We Do In The Shadows. His 100th birthday establishes him as a product of the 20th century, and this background means that he is perfectly placed to wreak maximum havoc on the modern age. His not-so-distant history makes him troublingly relatable to most humans, and what we know about his life before turning could even hint at the worrying origin of all energy vampires.
The show has already established that vampires don't really adapt to changing times once they turn. This can be seen through all of Colin Robinson's housemates flaunting period clothing, outdated ideals, and a lack of understanding towards modern amenities like a laundromat. For the other vampires, this historical displacement means that they stand out, often being mistaken for LARPers, and that they are intensely dependent on the ever-devoted familiar of What We Do In The Shadows, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén). Colin Robinson, however, only dates back to the recent history of the 20th century. His origin means that while his monochromatic attire and mannerisms are dated, they're certainly not ancient enough that they couldn't be found amongst a certain generation of modern humans. This allows him to blend in better, a vital part of feeding for an energy vampire, but even more troubling is the triviality of the ideals that he maintains.
It's no secret that the 20th century was rife with shameless bigotry and behavior that is now recognized as problematic. Where the other vampires of What We Do In The Shadows maintain ideals of conquest, mass slaughter, and total supplication, notions that are absurd enough to modern humans to be dismissed, Colin's outdated behavior is unfortunately recent enough as to not be totally out of place. Viewers see him capitalize on his familiarity with problematic ideals in season 2, episode 7, "The Return," when he becomes an internet troll to harvest people's energy online. The sad truth is that even though most contemporary individuals would disagree with such behavior, Colin Robinson's origins are recent enough that he doesn't quite stand out even in the modern world, and many people probably know another human that resembles him.
When Colin Robinson reveals his true age in season 3 of What We Do In The Shadows, he also provides a rough date for when he was converted into a vampire. He was born in 1921, and based on his appearance which freezes upon turning, he probably became a vampire in his older thirties, placing the most likely time of his conversion in the late 1950s. Colin's plain work attire, dated idiosyncrasies, and the photos of him that appear in the show's intro all seem to corroborate this timeframe. The energy vampire reflects the creepy uncle trope. In essence, Colin is recognizably hilarious to many viewers who may know someone problematic from the same era.
Audiences already know a good bit about Colin Robinson, but realizing his age can also help to construct a theory about his specific origin and even that of all energy vampires. Most of his pre-vampire career would have taken place in the 1950s, a decade pervaded by uniformity and notable as the true beginning of modern office culture. Fans of What We Do In The Shadows are familiar with the idea that vampires hold on to their prior personalities after turning. So even though Colin Robinson doesn't remember anything about his life before becoming a vampire, his history and personal traits indicate that his circumstances weren't very different. He most likely worked in a mundane office and probably even exasperated his coworkers long before he was able to feed on their energy.
This theory could potentially explain the origins of all energy vampires. Relentless or licentious humans become vampires like Colin's housemates, but perhaps when irritating, bothersome humans are turned, they become energy vampires. This theory holds up with the energy vampire introduced What We Do In The Shadows season 3, Dave Lewis (Nabil Rajo), whose particular brand of irritation differs from Colin's, but who also is based on a recognizable archetype. Similarly, the emotional vampire Evie is another form of psychic vampire, but she feeds specifically off of pity — falling under another character archetype, specifically from office culture.
Colin Robinson's 100th birthday sheds a lot of light on his origin, and also establishes him as one of the most troubling if hilarious vampires on the show. The comedy behind the character is based on the idea that audiences probably know someone like him, but they shouldn't think about it too much lest the similarities become too poignant. Colin's background also hints at the origins of all his kind, but the enigma of energy vampires will likely remain a mystery of What We Do In The Shadows until the show decides to address it directly.