DISCLAIMER: This recap of Reginald the Vampire Season 2 Episode 1, “The Pompatus of Love,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Did you know that The Pompatus of Love is a 1996 American comedy about four dudes discussing the meaning of the word “pompatus”? “Pompatus” is actually a word made up by Steve Miller in his 1973 single, “The Joker.” You learn something new every day!
Anyway, nobody in the Reginald the Vampire Season 2 premiere says “pompatus,” to my disappointment, but it does introduce Balestro, laying the groundwork for a high-stakes season. Of course, Nikki slaying Raphael will undoubtedly have repercussions. Not to mention, something’s up with Claire’s mom.
“The Pompatus of Love” combines the show’s unique brand of corny, cheesy humor with an extra helping of campiness. So much camp. I wouldn’t say it’s the best episode of the series, but it’s nice to have this endearing, heartwarming series back on the air.
Angels in the Slushy Shack
We open with Reginald (Jacob Batalon) and Sarah (Em Haine) working the counter at the Slushy Shack. Two angels, Uriel (Max Montesi) and Raphael (Simon Arblaster), approach said counter. Reggie recommends his favorite slushy, which is pineapple-flavored. Sarah offers Uriel his slushy on the house when the system declines his card. Uriel takes a slurp of the icy beverage. It is life-changing for the celestial being. The sword at his side vanishes.
REGINALD THE VAMPIRE — Season 2 Episode 1 — “The Pompatus of Love” Pictured: Em Haine as Sarah Kinney — (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)
Next, we flash forward 30 days later. Reggie pores over stacks of books on the floor as Maurice (Mandela Van Peebles) enters the former’s apartment. Our titular vamp reveals he’s been reading Socrates and various philosophers to arm them with information. It’s been a month since The Assessment. It’s also been a month since Maurice killed Logan, crowning himself the vampire community’s next deacon.
Reggie encourages Maurice to ascend the throne, which he rightfully (more like inadvertently) earned. Then, Maurice must assemble the vampire council to smooth things over and get to work. It’s high time he and Reggie changed the vamp community for the better. However, Maurice doesn’t want power. He’s not about that. Reggie warns that if Maurice shirks his duties, someone else will swoop in and seize the throne.
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Sarah’s Newfound Purpose
Later, Reggie chats with Sarah in the employee breakroom. He hopes they can revisit their conversation about going on a break from the month before. Sarah reminds him that she still needs time to think about their relationship. She announces her decision to put in her two weeks’ notice upon Todd’s return from a conference in Topeka. Sarah wants to explore her options. The world is her oyster! The last thing she wants is to be stuck at the Slushy Shack forever.
Then, Reggie laments Sarah’s decision while sucking blood from a glamoured pizza delivery guy’s wrist. While he vents to this stranger (although, let’s face it, feasting on one’s blood is a step above stranger), Reggie declares he’ll orchestrate a grand romantic gesture to keep Sarah in Akron.
REGINALD THE VAMPIRE — Season 2 Episode 1 — “The Pompatus of Love” Pictured: Jacob Batalon as Reginald Andres — (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)
Meet Balestro
That night, Reggie meets Balestro (Garfield Wilson) while sleeping. Balestro vaguely hints at his desire to eradicate all vampires and how Reginald must beg for his life. Reggie wakes up from his “dream” before he can elicit answers from the angel.
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Next, Reginald helps Claire (Thailey Roberge) hone her electricity-esque abilities. She struggles to focus her powers, which results in, well, nothing. Side note: the Spider-Man mention made me giggle. She and Reggie chat about Sarah before Angela (Savannah Basley) barges into the apartment. This scares Claire, causing her to zap Reggie’s toaster. Angela reveals that the vampire council has ousted her from her mansion.
Reginald asks why Angela can’t glamour her way into a new lavish home. She responds that the council slapped her with a temporary restraining order, preventing her from relying on supernatural advancements. It’s her punishment for assisting Reggie and her part in Logan’s death. Angela asks Reginald what Maurice plans to do about this. He reassures her that he’ll persuade Maurice to claim the throne. It’ll all work out.
REGINALD THE VAMPIRE — Season 2 Episode 1 — “The Pompatus of Love” Pictured: (l-r) Marguerite Hanna as Ashley Weeks, Christin Park as Nikki — (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)
Nikki and Ashley
Meanwhile, Nikki (Christin Park) and Ashley (Marguerite Hanna) sit in the park, looking cozy under an umbrella. Side note: Nikki’s makeup in this scene is killer. Anyway, Ashley believes they won’t make it as a couple. Ashley is a human working at the Slushy Shack, while Nikki is a vampire hitwoman. Nikki tells them she’ll give up getting paid to murder for good. She loves them and will do anything to keep them in her life. The pair share a sweet smooch.
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Next, Uriel and Raphael sit in the Slushy Shack. Uriel is under a slushy spell, enamored with the cold beverage. He promises to protect Sarah, his Slushy Queen. Raphael reminds Uriel that their task was to kill Reginald, whose existence threatens The Great Reckoning. Then, they were to find Balestro’s offspring before the End of Days. However, Uriel failed to carry out the first mission.
Slushy Tyranny
Later, Raphael prays to Balestro to free Uriel from the clutches of the insidious slushy. When will this blasted drink get its comeuppance? At the same time, Angela and Maurice share an intimate moment after sex. She incessantly carves the letter “A” on his chest with a blade, which instantly heals because he’s a vampire. Angela asks him to ascend the deacon throne and to give her her mansion back. Maurice refuses to accept or wield that kind of power.
REGINALD THE VAMPIRE — Season 2 Episode 1 — “The Pompatus of Love” Pictured: Jacob Batalon as Reginald Andres — (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)
Then, Reggie, Sarah and Ashley are behind the counter at work and encounter Uriel … again. He sure loves slushies. Ashley reveals they heard about a vigilante delivering justice on the streets of Akron. They jot down notes in their notebook while observing Uriel. Elsewhere, Claire enters her mom’s room with tea to find her mother, Ann (Françoise Robertson), looking refreshed in bed. Oh, and she’s inexplicably holding a puppy. Claire asks where the cute little canine came from, but Ann doesn’t know.
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Nikki skips through the streets that night while singing about her love for Ashley. She meets Uriel, who asks her a favor: He wants her to kill Raphael. Uriel realizes Sarah is in danger as long as his angelic partner is around. Uriel gives Nikki a flaming sword. That should get the job done. Of course, we know that she previously promised Ashley she wouldn’t kill people anymore. This will certainly end well.
Mistake That Requires Correction
Next, Balestro pulls Reggie into that strange white space again as the latter dreams. This time, the angel wears a nun’s habit, which feels more appropriate. Balestro insists that Reggie is a stain, a “mistake that requires correction.” However, their chat is cut short again as Reggie wakes.
REGINALD THE VAMPIRE — Season 2 Episode 1 — “The Pompatus of Love” Pictured: (l-r) Max Montesi as Uriel, Simon Arblaster as Raphael — (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)
The following day, Claire and Ann have slushies at the Slushy Shack. Claire looks bewildered — how is her mom better all of a sudden? Ann apologizes for missing so much of Claire’s life. Suddenly, what appears to be a witch slides into the seat across from the mother-daughter duo. She tries to insert herself into their conversation. Neither of them looks too puzzled by her presence. Claire wonders if her mom knows this “witch” before the latter vanishes.
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Later, at her training session with Reggie, Claire discloses that someone has been visiting her mom’s room at night. Nikki smelled sulphur. Oh, and Nikki offered to turn her into a vampire to fight off whatever was interacting with her mother. Reggie wonders why Claire didn’t tell him this before. After this, Claire destroys three pop cans with her powers; our pair realizes they’ve reached a new stage in developing her abilities. (This show takes place in Ohio, and as a native Ohioan, it’s my right to say “pop,” dammit!)
Angela’s New Digs
Next, Reggie and Maurice visit Angela at her new digs: a trailer. Let the jokes fly. Maurice still refuses to give Angela a mansion (or penthouse), but he wants to show her something. Meanwhile, Sarah encounters Uriel while walking home from work. She scolds him for following her at night; however, she can’t help but feel safer with him. Uriel vows to protect her.
REGINALD THE VAMPIRE — Season 2 Episode 1 — “The Pompatus of Love” Pictured: (l-r) Christin Park as Nikki, Marguerite Hanna as Ashley Weeks — (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)
Our vamp trio witnesses two men accost another as they plan to beat him up. With lightning speed, Maurice saves the day, knocking the men unconscious and ordering the victim to run. After this, Maurice explains that he’s been playing vigilante at night—saving those who need it. Sure, it doesn’t help the vampire community, but it makes him feel good to be of service to people. He encourages Angela and Reggie to take their selfish desires out of the equation.
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Later, the angels revisit the Slushy Shack, where Uriel learns about colloquial language and human expressions. After they depart, Ashley tails them. Ashley is on alert. Raphael runs into Nikki that evening, who brandishes Uriel’s flaming sword. They duke it out, with Nikki rising victorious. She kills him. Ashley walks in during the aftermath, crushed to see their love break her promise. I hope these two mend fences soon.
A Grand Romantic Gesture and Angel Threats
Meanwhile, Reggie and Balestro meet for a third time in White Space Land. This time, Balestro is wearing a Hawaiian shirt—the epitome of vacation dad attire. Reggie makes a case for himself, claiming that despite his vampire status, he’s trying to improve. Balestro admits that Reggie isn’t who he expected; however, this doesn’t change the vamp’s fate or what the angel must do.
REGINALD THE VAMPIRE — Season 2 Episode 1 — “The Pompatus of Love” Pictured: (l-r) Jacob Batalon as Reginald Andres, Em Haine as Sarah Kinney — (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)
Then, Reginald surprises Sarah with his grand romantic gesture in the employee breakroom, decorated from ceiling to floor with hearts and flowers. It’s like someone vomited pink in there. Reggie belts out his rendition of “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” by Meat Loaf. Sarah cringes. Suddenly, an accident with electrical equipment starts a small fire, which Ashley promptly puts out. So, that ended well.
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Sarah and Reggie chat in the park about their romantic future. Sarah truly wants to remain friends — no strings, no promises, no pressure. Reginald accepts her wishes and doesn’t push further despite his broken heart. After that, Maurice and Reggie discuss the latter’s desire to improve the vampire community. He believes having Maurice on his throne will benefit their mission to strengthen the community’s moral compass (or establish one). Maurice, a fan of this altruistic direction Reginald’s taking, changes his mind — he’ll accept his deacon position and all that entails.
REGINALD THE VAMPIRE — Season 2 Episode 1 — “The Pompatus of Love” Pictured: Mandela Van Pebbles as Maurice Miller — (Photo by: James Dittiger/SYFY)
Next, Reggie finds himself in the white room again, Balestro’s words reverberating off the nonexistent walls. Suddenly, blue flames sprout up, licking Reggie’s legs. He wakes up in bed, feverishly batting away said flames.
What the f*ck?
Reginald the Vampire drops new episodes every Wednesday at 10/9c on SYFY.
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Melody.McCune@geekgirlauthority.com
What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
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