The Night Teeth Scene That Makes Us Love Debby Ryan And Jorge Lendeborg Jr. Even More
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Los Angeles might be more commonly known as the City of Angels, but in "Night Teeth," it's actually an underground vampire kingdom. The film introduces audiences to a world where humans only think they rule the streets, but it's actually a barrage of bloodsuckers who call the shots. Up until now, these vampires have been content to split their power, dividing up L.A. into five major territories with bosses who have free reign — and even permission and protection from local authorities — to run their own personal blood banks with their vampire crews. After accumulating untold wealth and power over the centuries, these creatures of the night are certainly living it up when we first meet them in "Night Teeth."
However, their treaty with the humans and each other is just one bite away from being broken. And unfortunately for Benny (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), he's picked the worst night possible to substitute as a chauffeur for his big brother, Jay (Raúl Castillo). Not only is Jay secretly part of the group that tries to keep any folks with fangs in check, but there's now a bloody turf war underway between the vampire factions, and Benny's brother — and, by extension, Benny — is right in the middle of it all.
It doesn't take our hero long to discover that his two passengers for the evening, Blaire (Debby Ryan) and Zoe (Lucy Fry), aren't just party-hopping across the city for fun. Naturally, their true vampiric identities and intentions horrify and frighten him at first, but after a while, he begins to form a strange bond with Blaire, which puts his own natural allegiance to Jay in question.
Benny's complicated connection to Blaire is presented beautifully by actors Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Debby Ryan, who are electric throughout the feature. But there's one scene in particular that encapsulates just how much power the two bring to every single second of screen time they share. Let's take a look at the "Night Teeth" scene that makes us love Debby Ryan and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. even more.
Choosing a side
From the moment Benny meets Blaire in "Night Teeth," he can't help but be a bit awkward around her, and she seems to get a kick out of how much he stumbles over his words. He's only human, after all, and Lendeborg portrays his bumbling moments with likability. Still, Blaire seems to see some potential in him that even he doesn't, and when she has the opportunity to give him a major confidence boost in front of some cruel kids from school, she takes it. Ryan's ferocity in the role of Blaire is especially effective when she plants a surprise kiss on Benny in front of the stunned crowd.
So when Blaire and Zoe find themselves in a bit of hot water amid their all-night mission to support Zoe's boyfriend, Victor ("Game of Thrones" star Alfie Allen), in his bid to become the vampire king of L.A., Benny agrees to take them to the home he shares with his own grandmother for some temporary cover. By now, Benny knows full well what these two women are capable of, and he even has some injuries to show for tagging along on their little journey. But he also knows that Blaire has a heart, and he isn't afraid to open up to her in between all the moments of mad carnage.
Ordinarily, bringing two gorgeous women home to find one's grandmother waiting would be humiliating, but these are extraordinary circumstances. What really embarrasses Benny, though, is when he finds Blaire taking a peek through his bedroom full of action figures and other memorabilia from his adolescence. Instead of shrinking away in obvious discomfort, though, Benny reveals a bit of previously untapped swagger, which only intensifies the already kinetic chemistry between Ryan and Lendeborg.
Making a connection
Before this moment, Benny and Blaire have already had a few meaningful exchanges, but this scene reveals that Blaire respects Benny's talent and believes he might have a future beyond this very deadly night. After listening to his homemade music album and checking out his elaborate sound station, Blaire pays Benny a compliment, and instead of being his usual humble self, Lendeborg introduces a touch of confidence to his character.
As Blaire, Ryan is always quick with a dry, humorous response to what Benny has to say, and in this moment, she gamely plays along with Benny's boasts, jokingly echoing his claims about his album being a true classic. But without breaking the tone of her line delivery, Ryan also makes it clear in this moment that Blair actually does believe in Benny and wants him to succeed.
This touch of sincerity amid all the teasing gives Lendeborg an opportunity to dig deeper into Benny's interest in Blair, and he asks about her own passions. From there, Ryan delivers a meaningful monologue about how Blair first met Zoe in the 1970s and felt seen for the very first time, which is why she was happy to be turned and join her side for decades to come. Beyond their words, both actors' expressions indicate their awareness that history is potentially repeating itself in real time between them here, and their body language, as they inch closer and closer together, lets us know that both Blair and Benny feel seen by each other too.
Of course, their almost-kiss is interrupted by the sudden return of Zoe, who's now ready to make another move from Benny's place after touching base with Victor. However, even while standing apart, both Ryan and Lendeborg clearly show that the newfound feelings between Benny and Blaire are still going strong and that both of their prerogatives have now changed.