I HAVE TO SAY…

Below is a slightly edited version of the podcast episode. You can listen to the full episode above, by clicking play, or listening wherever you get your podcasts.

Today, I have to say…Interview with The Vampire just might be my favorite tv show of all time.

Season 3 comes out in any minute now, and I was planning on rewatching the show to refresh my memory anyway. I thought it would be perfect to talk about here.

So far, we’ve talked about Season 1 and the first four episodes of Season 2, so if you haven’t heard or read those, feel free to go back and come to this one after.

This will be a recap and discussion, with some light analysis on Episodes 5 through 8 of Season 2.

And again, I apologize for how long these are. Bear with me!

Episode 5

In Episode 5, Louis and Armand are back interviewing as if the fight they had about the pictures in Episode 4 didn’t happen. They talk about their time together in Paris and how carefree and in love they are.

It all sounds pretty rehearsed, and Daniel makes a comment to himself during the interview that Louis fixates on. He asks Daniel for clarification, and Daniel basically says the way he talked about it was impersonal, as if he is getting close to something he doesn’t want to talk or think about.

Armand says, “Or it’s daytime and Louis is fighting the pull of the sun,” always having to defend Louis and throw Daniel off of whatever it is he’s hiding.

Rashid walks in with a man, Malik, who we learn will be Armand’s prey in an elaborate hunt Armand likes to do when he eats because it’s not often since he’s ancient and doesn’t have to.

Daniel notes that he’s alone with Louis and fights off memories he has of Armand going through his memories, but then realizes that this would be a good opportunity to ask Louis what exactly happened in San Francisco, since Armand is gone and won’t be able to manipulate or sway the conversation in any direction.

Daniel asks Louis what “This time I won’t save your life,” meant from the end of the first season, and Louis says Armand saved Daniel from him. Daniel recaps what he remembers, but doesn’t understand why Armand left him alive.

Louis says because he could see Louis liked him and “preserves his happiness” and Armand felt like he could be useful, but Daniel isn’t buying it.

Daniel asks if they hooked up.

And then we get a flashback of San Francisco. Daniel’s in one of Louis’s places. There’s a flirty vibe between them though Daniel throws shade at his place and Louis tells him he owns a lot of places. 

They go into Louis’s bedroom and Louis shows him his coffin, Daniel asks, “You climb in, close the lid, and bang?” and Louis says sometimes.

Daniel asks if he’s the first guy Louis brought back and Louis says the fifth, and then Louis opens up the suitcase of drugs, letting Daniel take his pick.

While Daniel is doing coke, Louis is staring out the window. Daniel tells him that he seems like “a veteran of many wars,” and then offers him a hit. Louis says, “Cocaine is a fun boy’s drug, I’m not fun.”

Daniel says he prefers him like this and then offers to cheer him up before taking off his shirt, which surprises Louis. He asks if Louis normally interviews with his shirt off.

In real time, Daniel says, “So we didn’t?” and Louis pauses and smiles, “No,” and then laughs. It was so cute and then Daniel joins in, genuinely amused, “I really thought we did.”

Louis says, “Do you want to now? He sometimes lingers in the harbor.”

Daniel stops smiling a little bit and Louis quickly moves on telling Daniel he was used to drugs and young men in San Francisco, but Daniel was different.

We go back to the past and Daniel talks about how Louis specializes in low-end real estate. Louis says he likes predicting what is overlooked and will flourish over time, and talks back to his time in Paris in 1940, but Daniel doesn’t believe him. And then remembers he actually isn’t recording because he forgot to put a tape in.

So he goes to get a tape and Louis tells him he’s a vampire again, which Daniel doesn’t still believe until Louis shows off his fangs and speed races to him.

Now Daniel is nervous, doing more coke and struggling to light his cigarette. 

Louis says, “Don’t be afraid. Start the tape.”

And they start the interview with Louis standing above him, telling him he wants to give the “real story and not a simple answer.”

In real time, Louis makes a joke about how much Daniel shook then because he was nervous. Daniel tells Louis that it was easy to get him to talk and that he thought Louis was lonely. Daniel asks why him and Louis says no one would care if or believe it. But I don’t know if Daniel accepts that. He admits that he just wants to know what happened when they were in San Francisco.

Louis asks what Daniel remembers next, and though he thinks of Armand, he references Louis basically talking about how shitty Lestat was and throwing out digs.

Back then, Daniel was blunt and not sober, but he was getting into the story and Louis liked that Daniel analyzed it and saw things how he did.

But there’s a point in the interview in the past where Daniel criticizes Louis for not wanting to go with Claudia and for wanting to die after she left. Daniel says, “What about life?” and tells Louis he had an out with Claudia but was going to throw it away instead?

At that point, Louis tells him he’s overstepping.

Daniel says, “You were given the Gift, and I’ve been hearing you bitch the night away about it and since you use the past tense about her…I figure she…” And it’s the first time we get a hint about what goes wrong in Paris.

Daniel then asks for the Gift, offering to be Louis’s Lestat or his Claudia and Louis gets pissed that Daniel would even say that which is when Daniel tells him he’s forgotten what human life is like.

That pisses Louis off even more and he attacks him.

Daniel in the interview says he doesn’t know if killing him was justified even though he was an idiot and Louis says he overreacted. It doesn’t seem like Daniel blames Louis though, and he criticizes his own interviewing skills. Louis guesses that he can’t remember what happened after because of the drugs that Daniel had in his system.

Daniel hesitates, but shows Louis the original, unedited, interview recording, excusing it was saved in the cloud. Louis calls Daniel a liar and Daniel says, “So are you Louis. Whether you know it or not,” because Louis doesn’t believe it’s just the drugs making it so that Louis doesn’t remember.

Back in the past we see Armand glaring at Louis after ripping him off of Daniel’s neck. They argue because Louis was with a boy and because Armand is tired of cleaning up Louis’s messes. Armand says, “Louis’s tri annual fuck off and find me with apologies to follow,” and Louis sarcastically says, “I’m sorry.”

There’s been mentions before in this season that their relationship is kinda open with Louis having fun with human men before, but Armand being this mad was something new. Actually, seeing Armand direct this animosity to Louis is new, because at this point, since the first episode, when he half threatens, half warns Louis, it seems like Armand was as levelheaded as a vampire can be. He always defended Louis, rarely spoke back or was rude to him. He made a point to tell Louis he wasn’t like Lestat, and yet here we are. Arguing and provoking each other. Except this time Louis is doing what he wants and Armand is hurting. And this should’ve been a red flag now that I’m talking about it because vampires are naturally-turned predators. I don’t think anyone who’s a vampire can survive being so weak and submissive, so we really have to be missing something here.

Armand complains that Louis seeks comforts “in the arms of lowlives and unfortunate and broken children,” and is pissed he’d admit to being a vampire to a reporter he met ten hours ago.

And this just reminds me of the first season when he says there is nothing but broken and greedy people around him, and now we kind of get an answer. Louis seeks them out, and at this point Paris had happened, so is he feeling even more broken from that? Is he coping and trying to escape?

Louis and Armand continue arguing and Louis calls Armand boring and dull. Says the ten hours with that boy, which is Daniel, were more exciting than decades with you. And ouch. Louis really knows how to hit people where it hurts.

Armand is exasperated, not surprised and blaming the drugs.

Louis provokes him some more, asking if the look means he wants “to lick my boots or chip my hands off.” and asks if he is getting “the gremlin or the good nurse tonight.”

Armand decides to mock him saying, “Oh, it’s so hard to be me. It’s so hard to kill humans. I can feel their feelings as I drain them. Everyone I know wrongs me.” Which I hate to say it, but Louis does sound like that sometimes…not taking accountability for the roles that he plays in certain situations…like, that’s him.

And then Louis mocks Armand says, “I’m the vampire Armand and my daddy vampire groomed me into a little bitch.”

Armand says, “My daughter, was my sister, was my throw pillow.” and that one hurts and I yearn for what I know we won’t get, but I yearn for more Claudia point of views. I want to know what she really thought about Louis because he really put her through it whether he intended to or not.

And then Armand says, “Lestat. Lestat. Lestat. Lestat. Lestat. Lestat. Lestat. Lestat. Lestat. Lestat. Lestat. “

This argument should be in history books. There’s parts of it I left out but it’s a pretty bad fight and I think about it a lot because they were getting their whackings in.

Louis excuses he talked shit about Lestat the whole time and Armand says, “The name! Unuttered in our home for 23 years said over and over again in my brain. And her name, thrown in for cover.” Which is a crazzzyyy read and I wish it wasn’t true, but it just might be. I truly believed Louis loved Claudia and he says he did after Armand says that, and he says that he did in the past tense, by the way, but the first season definitely felt like a love story first before anything. Louis even agreed then she was a Band-Aid to their shitty marriage.

But Armand says, “She didn’t love you. Not like he did. Not like I have.”

And Louis says, “I know! Thank you for saying it…It’s all creeping back.” And he rumbles through his memories, feels like she’s calling to him and leaves the apartment.

Daniel walks Louis through this part, asking Louis why there’s two door slams and Louis’s memories come back and he remembers he walked out into the sun and ripped his shirt off, again ready to die, but Armand runs out after him and pulls him back inside.

He’s in bed, crying and moaning about the pain. Armand catches Louis up on what happened, still pissed about everything Louis said to him.

Louis struggles because he’s in pain and he’s emotional and he begins to apologize again; Armand says it’s meaningless.

We see that Daniel is still alive and Louis realizes it too, but Armand lifts him up and drops him with all his powers. Louis tells him to stop, and Armand says everything is fine. He’s fine. You’re fine.

Daniel barely can remember but talks about seeing another body wrapped in plastic and the news playing. Louis says that the person was a neighbor who saw Louis run outside and had to be dealt with because you can’t let a mortal see you and survive. It’s one of the Great Laws, so Armand took care of it.

Louis says he can hear Daniel but can’t see him, and Daniel says Armand put the table back and listened to the tapes where Louis talks about Lestat would’ve gone after someone like Daniel.

Louis says that Armand took over Daniel’s body and Daniel is scared, saying he doesn’t want to die, but Armand is fixating over Louis calling him interesting and confessing his secrets to him. Armand tells Daniel he’s brought 128 boys here and Daniel is the first he didn’t sleep with and kill, and he wants to know why Daniel is special. Daniel is scared, calling his work bullshit and says he’s good at getting people to open up to try to appease Armand.

He wants Daniel to teach him how to be fascinating and goes through his memories, trying to figure out what about him Louis likes. Daniel assures him he’s just a kid from Modesto and Armand tells him, “Even his transgressions are ordinary.”

Daniel says Armand is fascinating. He can read minds. And Armand opens up, saying, “Louis finds me boring.,” which is ironic because Daniel just said he’s good at getting people to open up. 

Armand forces Daniel to sit like there’s a chair under him and Daniel is stressed, crying because he’s in pain and can’t feel his body which is under Armand’s control.

Louis in the present asks Daniel to excuse Louis because “rage is imprecise,” and Armand was fragile and Louis had hurt him.

They go into the room with the tree and sink their feet in the rocks so Daniel can try to remember what would happen. 

Louis in the past cries for Armand to put him in his coffin. Daniel tries to leave but is unsuccessful.

Armand puts Louis in his coffin, feeds him his blood and they talk about the tapes. Armand says, “Lestat. Lestat. Claudia. Lestat. Lestat.” and questions why Louis only spoke trash about Lestat and accuses Louis of wanting to rile up so that Lestat would come look for him, like Lestat had done with the Come to Me record.

Armand tells Louis he could’ve just left Armand if wanted Lestat back, but he says it meaner than that, calling Lestat insanity and his time with Louis a prison of empathy. Armand calls to Lestat, even though Louis says no, and is the bridge between Lestat and Louis telling Lestat Louis hurt himself. So now we know that Lestat is actually alive. 

Lestat is concerned about Louis wanting to know what’s happened to him and wants Armand to tell Louis he loves him, but Armand struggles sharing the last part and decides not to. And now, if it wasn’t clear before, we know Armand is self-interested.

Louis assures Armand he was just his maker, and Armand is worried Louis will try to walk into the sun again. He asks Louis if he has made any progress in making up for what his part of Paris or if he’s a reminder.

Louis doesn’t say anything and Armand tells him to rest and he’ll clean up.

Armand goes to Daniel and lulls him into picturing his future and accepting his death. Daniel cries and Armand tells him it’s okay and to rest too. Daniel hugs Armand and Armand hugs him back, shushing him and is about to bite his neck when a charred Louis stops him, saying he wants him to live “As a testament to our companionship. Of its endurance.”

Armand says, “Are you asking, Maître,” and Louis says, “No Arun.”

And I just made the connection that Armand used to work for a brothel and Louis used to run one and that’s why they fell into these roles so easily. Armand was groomed to serve, lowkey, and Louis groomed people.

At this part in the story, Daniel leaves and comes back with his book, reading a speech he believed someone in the drug den told him, telling Daniel he’s “a bright young reporter with a point of view. There are stories that need to be told and if things ever get bad again, these are the words you hear in your mind like a tape.”

Daniel thought that it was someone else, who set himself on fire in front of them, and realized he mixed up those two events and that unsettled him because he swore the person who spoke to him was already burned. Because he was, it was Amara, he just didn’t remember.

Daniels wonders why Louis didn’t remember, after learning they gave him more drugs, distorted what happened and left him in a drug den. Louis figures it was because he was in pain, but Daniel doesn’t believe it’s a coincidence they both got the same version of events.

Armand shows up then, looking smug after a successful and entertaining hunt. Louis catches Armand up, telling him they were talking about San Francisco and Daniel was curious why he saved him.

Armand gave Louis the exact speech Louis said in the beginning, making it seem like Louis was fed that line. Louis joins in the speech and they’re repeating it word for word together. And that’s how it ends.

Episode 6

In Episode 6 Daniel is eating in the restaurant with his chaperone, Real Rashid. Daniel tries to get information about the original tapes from him, but Rashid goes to the bathroom, refusing to entertain it.

That’s when Ragan shows up and we learn Rashid is a part of Ragan’s agency when Daniel says he can’t talk because Rashid is with him.

We learn their agency is called Talamasca and Daniel asks questions about it which Ragan blows off, wanting to know why he was summoned.

Daniel’s worried about his safety now, the first time he really expresses that since being there. I mean he slapped Louis in the face and he wasn’t scared the, so it really means something that he’s scared now.

Ragan tells him they’re bad at keeping assets alive, though Daniel doesn’t consider himself an asset. Daniel says he wants to get out alive, Ragan says he wants a book, and Daniel says he wants both of those things.

Ragan says, “You fear Armand. You should fear the other one,” and then offers to give him a publisher in exchange of asking a list of questions the agency has.

While this is going on, Armand and Louis are discussing what painting should go up on the wall, having a little argument that isn’t really about the painting but it’s really about Paris.

In the interview session, Armand talks about Sam’s new play, which leads to a little tussle between Armand and Louis because Armand telling the story acts like he doesn’t like it, but Louis remembers him liking it and says he’s recalling the events with bias because of what came from this whole thing.

While they’re rehearsing this play, the vampires are reading Claudia’s diaries and she has no idea. Armand says he thought he was clever, keeping an eye on Santiago with the play, but he didn’t realize that the women, who weren’t in the play, were visiting Lestat’s lawyer, trying to get in touch with him. 

Daniel doesn’t believe Armand was clueless to what was going on, but Armand excuses that he was in love. Daniel stirs the pot, asking Louis if he believes it and Louis says, “I buy he was in power for a long time. You can get lazy.” Armand says again it was love, which Louis shrugs. “Okay. Love. He was loving in those days, sure. Love.”

And dare I say this might be a tiny bit manipulative, but I also believe Louis just doesn’t know what to believe anymore. I don’t know if he intends for it to be manipulative, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t.

Out of nowhere Armand wants to know if Daniel talked to anyone when they were out and Rashid and Daniel bounce off of each other, explaining their roundabouts. Louis asks why Armand asks and it gets quiet. Armand doesn’t explain.

Daniel moves on to the diaries and reads Claudia’s last entry.  “Diaries are friends of last resort. I have found one not made of paper and glue. Fuck these vampires.”

Louis says she’s talking about Madeline and you can tell Louis is really hurt before he even starts the story.

Madeline is in her shop when two men and a woman come over to paint the nazi sign on the window. She throws an iron at them and they climb in. The men drag her to the back while she kicks and screams. Her neighbor doesn’t care and the woman throws her dresses on the floor.

And then the lamp goes out, and someone drags the men, who were trying to get off Madeline’s clothes, off of her.

It’s quiet as Madeline cautiously gets up and walks out. She sees the woman bleeding out, hooked on a wall, and struggling to breath and she sees Claudia feeding on one of the other men.

Madeline is in shock. Claudia asks her not to run and says she needs to clean up before she gets in trouble. Madeline sits on the floor, hyperventilating and Claudia sits with her telling her they can talk when she’s done cleaning and confirms she’s a vampire.

Louis goes to the theater looking for Armand and shows him a painting he thinks is nice which Armand thinks is ugly, but Louis believes he can sell it for 5x the price in a week and then he wants to acquire more things to sell, go into real estate, and stocks.

Armand says, “The first vampire capitalist,” and this sets them up for what they do now. Louis held on to what that art dealer a few episodes ago said about him having a good eye and decided to go down that path instead of being an artist. He changed his hobby and found a different way to hustle and make money now as a vampire, and we know it was successful based on how he’s living now and the fact that he still is selling art pieces. It’s a curious thing though, because now he’s basically a god or at least god adjacent as a vampire, and he still worries about money and how to make more of it. 

Is it out of greed or necessity? It’s almost like, being a vampire, owning the night, isn’t enough. He wants to own it all.

Claudia and Madeline are hanging out at the apartment and Madeline asks questions about being a vampire and what blood tastes like. She offers her arm to Claudia and Claudia says no. 

When Madeline asks why, Louis walks in saying “Once she starts, she can’t stop.”

Then Louis gets mad. Claudia was supposed to kill her or run her out of town or something. They were not supposed to be hanging out, which Madeline knows and confirms. Claudia introduces them to each other and Louis is also pissed she’s reading one of Claudia’s diaries in his coffin. This goes against one of the Great Laws, though Louis doesn’t say that and I don’t think he cares. I think he cares because it’s his coffin, almost like she’s taking his place. 

Louis said, “I would like a couple of months where you don’t tear things down or fuck things up.” It sounds cruel and when he first said that I was like, “Why would he say that. That sounds really rude,” but then I think about it, Claudia wasn’t offended when he said that. And she does have a history of like…getting them into trouble with her antics…so…I can kind of get here he is coming from. But I also think that it was a place of hurt, of lashing out because she’s replacing him in a sense. Before, Louis felt like it was with the coven, and that’s why he felt justified in getting to know Armand, but that didn’t work out, and now it’s happening all over again with Madeline.

But Claudia explains why she likes Madeline as Madeline crosses the room away from Louis to sit next to Claudia, ‘cause Louis is getting pissed and he is a vampire.

Louis asks if it’s romantic between them and Madeline says, “Not yet,” which makes Claudia smile.

Claudia says, “You were Lestat’s. Now you’re Armand’s.” and Louis corrects her, “Or Armand is mine,” and that distinction is important because one of them is to lead the other, according to vampire rules. I mean it’s for covens, but I would believe it somewhat applies in relationships too. And with Lestat it seemed like he led and now Louis gets to lead.

Like Lestat was the first time Louis followed someone else’s lead, because he was used to running things. He was used to owning things (and people lowkey), and so, that distinction is important to him.

Claudia says she’s been a third and now she wants one thing for herself and that’s Madeline.”

Louis asks if she wants a companion and Madeline says yes when Claudia struggles to answer. 

Claudia asks for Armand to turn her, not wanting Lestat’s blood for her.

So Louis asks Armand who is pissed and doesn’t want to reward Claudia’s behavior. Louis tries to talk him into it, saying the coven won’t miss her and that they can be even happier without the “burden of her.” And this conversation might be the most obviously manipulative we’ve seen Louis be. 

Claudia tells Armand Paris is his and she is respectfully asking, but Armand disagrees saying she’s hiding behind Louis. And that she’s a manipulator, just like Lestat, and Louis basically tells him to chill.

Armand  goes to talk to Madeline one on one and interrogates her on why he should turn her and if she’s strong enough to handle it, if she’s strong enough to handle potential loneliness, losing reminders of her era, and being a monster, killing humans to survive and watching Claudia decline, because he strongly believes Claudia will go mad for being perceived as a child.

Madeline isn’t worried about any of it. She’s survived a war and used to being strong and enduring, doing what she needs to do, like sleeping with Hitler, while everyone around her declined and died. She believes Claudia could survive and she needs Madeline to turn in order to do so.

Claudia asks Louis if he meant it when he said, “without the burden of” her, and in this case she seems mad. Louis asks her if it matters because he got the result he was looking for, and that doesn’t satisfy Claudia. “Is that what you found when you went looking for yourself? Shortcut to the end of things?” she asked, referencing a conversation they have in the second episode. 

Claudia also says, “You’re stronger. I can feel it. Harder too,” which I’ve also been feeling.

Louis seems harder as this season goes on than he did in the first season, so he really was right. Being a vampire did harden him and made him less sensitive over time.

 Or is it because Louis remembers things more? So, he was always like this and we’re just seeing it more this season because his memories have started coming back? He did say he was rough around the edges in the first season, but watching the first season, I don’t know if we really saw that.

Claudia warns Louis, “You have to give something to get something.” So, he may think Armand will do this, but what will it cost him later?

Louis in the interview says Armand said no and Armand corrects him saying he wouldn’t do it.

Daniel says, “Maître in the bedroom. Maître only when it’s hot or convenient,” and Louis agrees with that, but Armand said that he had his reasons, and Louis explains he never made a vampire before.

Daniel is shocked, because Armand is like 500+ years old, but Armand says it repulses and it did repulse him then.

Louis says, “At least we can agree it was a disingenuous act,” which I agree with because Armand seemed pretty annoyed that Madeline had answers for everything he asked. Armand disagrees and it leads to a little back and forth but Louis and him. Louis says Claudia didn’t think he was open minded, Daniel backs it up with “Fuck these vampires,’ which is the last thing she wrote in her diaries.

Armand is touchy at the next rehearsal and Santiago calls it out, but then argues with Sam about the play, ignoring Armand’s request to continue practicing. Santiago flies away which we see is a part of Santiago’s plan when he apologies to Sam telepathically and Sam commends him.

At some point after this, Louis and Armand talk about why Armand wouldn’t turn Madeline. 

Armand says, “Those we make ourselves will always despise us for it.” Louis gives examples of people in the coven who were fine, but Armand says, “And he made you and Claudia.”

And I hate to say it, but Armand has a point. And it wasn’t even just despising; Claudia was ready to kill that man. So was Louis lowkey, even if he didn’t commit in the end.

Armand realizes Louis is going to turn Madeline and tries to talk him out of it because it’s forbidden, it could fail, Claudia doesn’t want Lestat’s blood, but Louis kisses Armand to shut him up and asks for Armand to be there. Louis pictures a transformation that can be done without trauma and says it could be beautiful, but Armand doesn’t want to be a part of it, so Louis backs off and walks away, telling Armand it’s okay and asking him to make sure they aren’t interrupted.

They turn her in their apartment closet, and Madeline reassures Claudia. Louis bites her, and after Madeline says, “I want you too,” Claudia joins in. Louis in the interview says he “drank with obligation” while Claudia “drank with reverence.”

Because how was Louis going to tell Claudia no? He slit the neck of the love of his life for her. Louis isn’t perfect, and his dynamic with Claudia isn’t perfect, but no one can ever convince me he didn’t love her.

They saw Madelline’s life, her parents passing, a little girl passing, her hooking up with the lieutenant, her being yelled at by a mob in the street, and he saw Claudia as Madeline saw her and he says he knew she would be a better companion than he had been. He fed her the gift.

Louis is sitting in a chair bleeding when Armand walks in to check how it went. Louis says it was successful and he told them to leave town and it’s weird because he can feel her. Armand questions the cut on his wrist, and Louis says he opened it back up and was trying to throw up her blood, already seeming to regret what he did.

Louis is pretty detached from the whole thing, and seeing Claudia go. He says he didn’t care as much as he thought it would and basically says it was another checkmark on a list for him.

I’ve taken away from this that Louis is numb to watching her go. I stand by what I’ve been saying, that Louis loves her. He’s not perfect, but the last time she left he was depressed and in order to not feel like that again, he closed off his feelings. He feels nothing. He doesn’t care. 

Armand reassures him and Louis notices Armand brought a suitcase. Armand says, “They gave me a choice. I chose.”

Louis questions that in the interview though, asking Armand if that’s what happened. “That’s my memory of it. But you were there too. Maybe there’s something I missed. Or maybe you put something in there later.”

Armand gets pissed and yells, “STOP IT” and reminds him they’re at an important part of the story and they shouldn’t be playing games. He says he knows why Louis is mad, because Louis remembered what happened in San Francisco and that he’s mad Armand erased his memories, but Armand says Louis asked him to and because he failed him once already, he wasn’t going to do it again.

Armand then turns to Daniel telling him most of the pages of the diaries that are missing they tore out together but there was one he did alone to protect himself.

“Why do I owe you my shame? Why do I owe you my one act of cowardice?”

Daniel and Louis both seem mad, but you can kinda see Louis processing what he is saying. Armand says he spent his life trying to make up for what happens even though he can’t and that Louis forgave him.

Daniel says he hasn’t and after throwing some shade mixed in with a joke, Armand gives him an apology because he thinks it’s what Daniel wants. And then he gives him another “belated apology” for almost draining him.

Louis still looks pained, questioning that he asked for his memories erased, and Armand says yes, “Three days after abandoning him.”

On the record, Armand admits again to being a coward.

Louis, Armand, Claudia, and Madeline are out at a restaurant together, chatting and it was a touching moment. I watched it like three times because it made me smile and it was one of those moments that felt normal, where Claudia and all of them looked happy. A cute family dinner….and I should’ve known…

Louis asks questions about what he saw in Madeline’s mind, and she answers honestly, saying it was her sister, Aimee, who died.

Louis questions if Claudia is Aimee’s replacement, and Claudia shoots Louis a look, assuring him they’ve discussed this already and Madeline adds she left that out because she didn’t want them to think that.

Claudia says, “And thanks for falling back into the Daddy Lou role,” and thanks Armand “for never treating her like a child,” but it’s without any ire and they smile at each other and I smile, because let’s be real, she was going by sister, but Louis would always think of her as his daughter, as someone to take care of and watch over and make sure is safe.

There’s more chatting and eventually Madeline asks why she can’t read Louis’s mind and is curious as to why she can feel him. Louis says, “I can feel you too.” and they have a moment. It’s clear that there’s a bond there between them. So, I guess Louis isn’t full of shit when he talks about his bond to Lestat, because it’s there between Louis and Madeline and they’re pretty much strangers.

Madeline tells Louis she told Claudia she can feel that Louis loves her which is why they stopped to say goodbye before they go. Louis looks at Claudia and sincerely tells her he’s glad they did this.

Madeline says she can feel Armand too, through Louis and tells Armand that, “Yes, he loves you.”

Which also made me smile, because if you really think about it Louis doesn’t really tell anyone he loves them. Not even really Lestat.

And Armand is cheesing at Louis and Louis says, “Okay. Okay. Let’s get the hell out of my soul,” saying Armand gets enough affection and his head will get too big.

Everyone’s laughing, me included, and Armand kisses his forehead and asks him to order him another drink while he goes to smoke in the doorframe. Madeline and Louis talk about why Louis doesn’t want Armand to know how much he loves him, which I’m going to say goes back to appearances and needing to come off tough, and we see Armand’s smile shift into a frown while his back is to the rest of them.

Time stops, as Santiago approaches. Louis notices but can’t act by the time the bags come down over the three of their heads.

Louis in the interview said, “They gave him a choice. He chose.”

Now, the theater is going to do a new play, a trial, and only one performance.

Santiago greets the audience, saying they’re tossing human affairs aside, and focusing on themselves.

We see the trio on trial, Louis, Claudia, Madeline revealed on stage. 

And someone goes down to tell Lestat he has ten minutes until his cue. And now we know that Lestat is actually alive.

Episode 7

Episode 7 opens with Daniel asking, “Child vampire, Claudia, and her companion, Madeline are…” prompting someone to jump in and continue.

Louis says, “Abducted. Outnumbered.” and we get visuals of them being tossed around and thrown down to the ground and then being kicked while they’re down.

Daniel says, “Armand sold you out,”

But Louis tells him, “I’m talking now,” I assume not needing the reminder of Armand’s betrayal or wanting it stated as casually as Daniel did. 

Louis says he’s straining, trying to get out of the sack and get to Claudia. They put her where the rats are and he says he heard when the rats found her, but he couldn’t go to her. He couldn’t help her. 

While this is happening, Madeline is being hypnotized by Santiago.

The trial starts and all three of them are on stage, tried for a series of crimes including the premeditated murder of Antoinette Brown and Lestat De Lioncourt. Louis says he was coming in and out of consciousness and that they’re props in a play that was rehearsed and designed with scripted lines. And if Louis, Claudia, or Madeline tried to speak out of turn, the coven mind of the judges used their powers to disorient them.

Santiago has Claudia’s diaries on display and reads one where she writes she will be Lestat’s angel of death. The audience boos her and Santiago hands the diary to the audience so they can read it. At that point, Louis tries to attack Santiago, but he falls, and he discovers that the coven slashed all of their ankle tendons so they couldn’t move.

And then the air shifted and Louis knew before he saw him that Lestat was there. Lestat walks out and the cloud cheers and claps. Santiago has Lestat swear upon his “final’ words to be truthful in this trial. Santiago asks why he’s come back and Lestat makes a joke, but ends with, “Justice for my attempted murder. It’s their turn to hurt.”

Daniel summarizes the events, “your new boyfriend sold you out to your old boyfriend and he put you on trial in front of a live human audience.”

Armand is annoyed, but says, “Yes. I sold him out.”

Santiago leads Lestat to tell the “story of his butchery”, but Lestat makes it a point to say it’s a “story of love”, which Santiago didn’t appreciate.

Santiago tries to gain the audience’s sympathy, starting with Lestat’s first love Nicky and how Nicky went insane, dying from his own hand, but Lestat corrects that, looking at Armand and saying, “No. With a little help from others.”

Louis follows Lestat’s gaze to Armand and sees Sam there, blocking his exit and says Armand was held captive and forced to watch. Armand says, “Painfully close view of the stage,” then looks at Daniel, and I believe in that look, is a flash of the truth, because it felt for a quick second, he was out of character with that look, and then he says, “Or they would kill me,” getting back into character.

Daniel isn’t buying this story, but Louis defends him, saying Armand spent the whole performance trying to figure out how to save him.

Lestat tells the story of his heartbreak after losing Nicky, saying he buried himself in the dirt for 100 years and only survived because he has ancient blood inside him. 

They tell the story of how Lestat met Louis. Santiago calls Louis a troubled man, failed sugar farmer, and brothel-keeper, but Lestat offers perspective, saying “cornered by his race, alienated from his own desires.”

Santiago adds, “Disreputable. Cold. Violent,” which feels microaggressive and racist if we’re being honest.

Lestat says Louis hunted him. Louis called out for him. Which upsets Louis who gets emotional. He argues it was the other way around and the audience boos. Louis cusses at Lestat and the vampires disorient him, and when Claudia tells them to stop, she gets disoriented too.

Louis still strains to say he said it to me, but Louis says, “How do you know it wasn’t your own voice? Your own unspeakable desires.”

And now, I don’t know what to believe, because Louis has imagined Lestat in his mind before, thinking his innermost thoughts. Or was it really Lestat? Armand didn’t feel him, so it couldn’t have been right?

So does that mean Lestat is telling the truth? Or is Lestat misrepresenting what happened.

Lestat is troubled, sitting down in his chair and pauses. He gets fed his lines and eventually he picks it back up, telling the audience he gave Louis himself, the Gift, at the altar, trying to paint it as a romantic wedding, but Santiago reminds the audience of the two dead priests there.

They make fun of Louis for not eating humans, which the crowd finds hilarious. Lestat says, “Louis was fixated on the loss of his humanity, his estranged family, the politics of his food,” which was true.

Santiago leads Lestat to talking about how Louis was verbally abusive and threatened to leave Louis alone forever. Lestat goes into the audience and feeds them the feeling of this loneliness, so they know how horrible it feels. 

Santiago puts on a southern accent reading from Claudia’s first diary about how she prayed she would die in the fire, and they talk about how Louis came with her, but Lestat’s version is different than what we said.

In Lestat’s version, Louis begged Lestat to turn her, even after he refused, even after he talked about the Great Laws. Louis begs, eventually falling to his knees and is emotional, worried she is going to die in front of them and feeling guilty for being the one who caused it. 

And then it leads us to the moment we saw, with additional memories of Louis promising he will stay and be happy. 

And Lestat still says no, even with the twinkle in Louis’s eyes because he knew it’d be a curse and cause pain and anxiety. 

Louis decides to do it himself, even as Lestat tells him why it isn’t a good idea and that she will be miserable. Louis tries to do it, but isn’t doing it correctly and Louis says, “She asked if I was an angel.” And because of all the pleading, Lestat does it, even though he thinks Louis will regret it.

Louis on stage denies this as the truth, but in the interview, he’s reflective and says he “didn’t think it was true at the time, but it is.”

Lestat demands to be sentenced alongside Louis for being the one to turn Claudia, but Santiago says he was manipulated.

Claudia questions if the story is true, but Louis on the stage doesn’t believe it is, though Louis in the interview says to go with Lestat’s version.

Santiago calls her being turned so young a “defect,” and recounts everything that happened in New Orleans, from Claudia’s burning herself in the sun, to her killing spree and her leaving, which Lestat talks about made Louis close himself off for seven years and that led him to having his situation with Antoinette to feel affection. 

It took seven years for Claudia to come back. 

Lestat says, “She told Louis to abandon me and go with her to Europe. And he was hers again.” The crowd boos and Santiago brings up their fight around the house. And we see the Lestat’s version of events: Louis attacking Lestat, even as he pleads for him to stop and tells Louis he doesn’t want to hurt him. Louis laughs in his face, not believing him because Lestat is the one who is bleeding. 

Lestat is emotionally, wondering if Louis is really going to leave, and Louis details how he’s going to kill him in a graphic and sadistic way, a side of Louis we truly haven’t seen, even as honest as he is about his nature, and it provokes Lestat like he wanted. It leads to Lestat pushing him through the wall and eventually dropping him from the clouds. 

Santiago tries to downplay Lestat doing that, excusing that he was provoked.

But Claudia shouts Lestat tried to kill him, and Santiago says Lestat could’ve done worse if he wanted, but Lestat himself doesn’t accept that. And is remorseful, being honest about how he wanted to hurt Louis, says that Louis was not fine, and he watched him as he falls. He is firm in the fact that it wasn’t an accident, going off script, and admits he broke Louis because he couldn’t force Louis to love him. 

“What is worse than that? Crushing what you cannot own. I hurt the one…I hurt the only one…” Lestat cries.

Claudia tells Louis, “He’s doing it again. Hurting you. Again.”

And Lestat turns to Louis telling him he will always be sorry, and he thinks about it a lot, but Claudia interrupts telling him it’s too late.

Daniel asks if Lestat’s apology moved Louis, and Louis basically says he was disoriented, because Lestat crossed the ocean to kill them and then showed real emotion.

Armand says, “Until you’re left with no sense of what is or what is not,” indicating that it’s not just Louis who has felt like this from Lestat.

Louis says he was busy thinking about if he was going to die, but Claudia moved right up on her feet, even with the slashes on her ankle tendons.

She was in pain, struggling to walk, but she moved upstage, mocking how Lestat could “drop Louis like an egg,” and now he’s fine. “Lestat apologizes and it’s all fine.”

And so, she admits to poisoning Lestat, and asks if she apologizes will it change anything since he’s not actually dead. They disorient Claudia but she still manages to ask Lestat if he’s going to forgive her showing her how strong she is. How capable she is of enduring.

Louis shouts at Lestat asking if this is the revenge he wanted. Madeline tries to go to Claudia but fails and the audience laughs.

Claudia sighs, saying she doesn’t know why she tries with Lestat, when he obviously came for Louis. “It’s never been about me,” she tells Louis as she struggles to sit back down, and she’s right. And it’s not even her body staying at 14 while her mind grows older thinking that. It’s the reality. It always comes back to Lestat. Lestat. Lestat.

Lestat was back in his role, delivering his lines and staying on script as they continued with the play, recounting all the events we learned in Episode 1 of how they conspired to kill him.

Louis in the interview has a hard time with what’s coming next and he throws a bowl against a painting, so Armand continues the story.

They rule to give Madeline the choice of renouncing Claudia and Louis and joining the coven or staying on trial because she isn’t technically guilty of anything. She says her “coven is Claudia” and is ruled by the audience as guilty sentenced with death.

Claudia is charged with breaking the first, third, and fourth laws, and murder and attempted murder. She is ruled guilty by the audience and sentenced to death.

She has one request which Santiago denies, but Lestat says she should have, and she asks someone to take off their hat, promising to kill everyone in the audience in the afterlife or whatever comes next.

Louis is charged with breaking the first, second, and fourth law and murder and attempted murder. The audience finds him guilty, but instead of death, he is sentenced with banishment because Armand brainwashed the crowd to say banishment. Santiago is against it at first but decides it’s a worse punishment than death and agrees.

Armand tells Daniel it took all of his strength to save Louis and that he couldn’t prevent Claudia’s, looking at Louis again as if it still pains him and as if he’s still trying to get through to him that he couldn’t save Claudia. And I have nothing to back this up, but I feel like Louis would’ve preferred if Claudia lived over him at least in the moment. But Armand never really liked Claudia like that. He always said that she was doomed to death, and he didn’t appreciate her defiance in the way Louis did.

Louis is dragged off stage and Claudia screams from him.

Louis confirms to Daniel that he didn’t get banished to another country, but was instead shoved in a coffin, filled with rocks so he couldn’t move, and was left in a vault to starve to death.

Daniel asks about Claudia, but Louis says to ask Armand because he wasn’t there. I think it’s a little dig at Armand.

Santiago switches his speech, saying everything the audience is about to see is fake, I think because it’s not human business. Armand explains Claudia and Madeline looked scared but defiant and were whispering to each other, but Armand was too worried about Louis to hear what they were saying.

They open up the observatory so the sun hits them. Claudia smiles and sings the song from the play. Madeline screams in pain and goes first. Armand narrates that “You can tell on Lestat’s face the last thing she saw on earth was him.”

The play ends, the audience leaves, and there’s a pile left [of ash] on stage.

Episode 8

In Episode 8, we see the vaults and Nicky’s name is written on one of them, and I just wanna know why Armand killed him. Was it to get Lestat to himself? Did Armand lie about Lestat ghosting him and instead Lestat left because of Armand killing Nicky? I wonder if we’ll get more of that in Season 3.

We hear louis moaning in agony while being covered in rocks and put inside the vault. Louis in the interview talks about how he could feel it when Claudia passed and that his injuries healed, and the wounds in his ankles heeled around the rocks that he was buried with.

Daniel asks if they’re still there. Louis says yes, but Armand chimes in saying Louis could’ve removed them if he wanted, which I think is both a practical thing to say but also insensitive. Because Louis’s retelling the story, so old wounds have resurfaced as he relives it all again. But Armand is also right. Why live with that pain? Or, maybe it’s just discomfort, but why? But then I think about what Claudia said in the first season. Something like, “We leave the damage, so we don’t forget the damage.” 

Daniel says Louis could be lying for effect, then asks what Armand’s consequences were for saving Louis.

Armand says he was demoted, forced to serve everyone else.

Louis was going crazy in the box, wondering what he should’ve or could’ve done differently to be strong enough to resist Lestat. He goes back to an inconsequential childhood memory, talking about how things could have been different if he changed an action.

And though I get what he’s saying, the example he used was about snatching candy and how he was taught not to do that, and I’m just like sir you sold women and drugs. He wasn’t exactly what the western world thinks of as Mother Teresa. 

We see the people Louis loved flash before his eyes: Lestat, Claudia, Grace, and Paul, and it’s interesting because I know his mom didn’t come up, and I don’t remember seeing Armand either. And I don’t know if it’s because he’s mad at him for betraying him or if he just never considers him at all.

Louis shows memories from the past that won’t chance because…

Louis realizes whether or not he snatched the candy from someone’s hand or not, nothing would’ve changed because Claudia was dead. At some point he says, “What is life to endure for? Claudia is dead.”

Armand says he got Louis out by placing a sacrifice in a different coffin and swapping it out for Louis and explains he wasn’t caught because no one was paying attention to him since they “defeated” him.

Daniel isn’t buying it. It does sound like a pretty bow on a fucked-up situation.

Louis makes a comment about not wanting to be woken up, because Claudia was dead, but he tasted Armand’s blood dripped in the coffin, and “my rage has risen, followed by my madness.”

Louis gets out by the tunnels, talking from the perspective of his rage and madness, saying they led him to a cemetery, led him to killing without satisfaction, led him to a crypt to hide out and hide the bodies, and they conspired together to get revenge.

Louis isn’t all there as he’s scribbling on the floors and walls trying to figure out how to get revenge. Armand talks to him telepathically, wanting him to leave Paris and talking to him about the danger they’re in. One of the victims that has been helping Louis plan this is telling him to answer Armand since he knows the theater better than Louis does.

Armand tries to explain himself and Louis tells him to shush but asks if he saved him, which Armand says yes, and Louis warns him not to be at the theater the next day.

Daniel is on his laptop privately chatting with Raglan or Rashid, one of them, to get something, and Daniel asks Armand if he knew what Louis had planned. Armand says no, but he could tell something was going to happen, and Daniel questions why Louis would warn Armand when he betrayed him once.

Louis says he can’t remember why but excuses it as a test and admits that he believed he would die either way because it was 13 against 1.

Daniel doesn’t let it go, though, asking why Armand didn’t warn anyone when he’s known them for centuries and Armand says he has complicated feelings with the members of the coven, but all he could think about was being with Louis.

Louis walks into the theater, spreading gasoline all over it and all over the coffins of the sleeping vampires before setting it on fire, grabbing Claudia’s diaries, and leaving. He gets 9 of them total between the fire and his sword. He didn’t see Armand or Lestat and says four escaped, but he planned for that.

The two vampires on motorcycles got set on fire, and Santiago senses it when they pass and screams. Louis starts talking to Santiago in his mind, and when Santiago asks where his companion is, Louis says they” broke up since he killed his sister and fledgling” but Santiago says it was him and wants the credit for it.

Louis then taunts Santiago, going through his memories while he rides on his motorcycle into position to find Santiago, who has escaped through the tunnels underground. He calls for Santiago to come to him and talks his shit, and in the end, Santiago jumps up onto the street expecting to catch Louis, and that’s when Louis jumps out from behind and cuts his head with a machete.

Rashid brings Daniel the things he asked for, like a newspaper and a martini, I think, as a cover to get him the thing that he is asking for in the computer chat.

Louis says, “his rage and madness left his body, and nothing replaced it,” and Armand looks down, because Louis didn’t mention him. Is he not enough?

In the apartment, Louis and Armand sit on opposite sides with a sun beam separating them and they talk. Armand says he started lying the night of Madeline’s transformation because he has been with the coven for centuries and wasn’t sure if Louis would love him would last for centuries. Louis asks if he rehearsed with Lestat, and Armand confirms he did and that he had been lying to him every time they saw each since. 

Louis questions why Armand wouldn’t have told him so they could have made a plan together. Armand says he will spend the rest of his life making it up to him and Louis says he never will, which Armand knows.

At night, Louis and Armand go to visit Lestat in the sewer, which was previously Magnus’s liar. And I think I got my Magnus theory wrong in the last episode, in one of the recaps. I think he was just disgusting to be honest. 

Lestat makes jokes as always but also says he came to wonder why he does what he does.

Louis paints a picture adding, “Burned your daughter alive? Rehearsed a play to burn your daughter alive? Crossed an ocean to rehearse a play that would burn your daughter alive?”

Lestat brings up the Great Laws, but Louis calls him out for being a hypocrite, because he is. Lestat had mortal lovers, he turned Louis, I’d assume without anyone’s permission, he wandered alone and had no master or coven really.

Louis says he came to kill him, but Lestat isn’t scared because he has the blood of Magnus and Akasha, who Lestat guesses Louis doesn’t know. And I want to know, who is Akasha?

So, Louis says, “Here’s your death, Lestat,” and kisses Armand in front of him. He delivers a speech about how he and Armand will spend their lives together and the look on Lestat’s face, you can tell it hurts him.

Lestat laughs bitterly.  “Well. Enjoy him. Let’s see how long it holds,” he says, looking at Armand.

Daniel asks Louis what he thought Lestat meant by that and Louis says they wouldn’t last.

Armand and Louis tell the story of how they left together. They traveled the world and are still do life together and that’s the end.

Daniel turns off the recording and they all toast, and then Daniel opens the envelope. 

Armand says, “He loved you. I can say that now. He loved you a great deal. It must’ve been terrible for him to see us that night.”

Daniel asks if he can ask follow-up questions and softens it saying it’s nothing big. He asks about a couple discrepancies that Louis has no problem correcting. Based on the look on his face he doesn’t know why Daniel is asking these questions, but he answers them genuinely anyway.

They are about to leave the table and move on when Daniel leads Louis to consider that one other person could’ve saved him that night.

Louis laughs it off and Daniel laughs it off with him, but Armand is annoyed and tries to get them to move on to dinner.

But then Daniel continues looking at the contents of the envelope and reads the notes along the margins of the script.

Armand asks where he got that and Daniel gives it to Louis to look at. Louis hesitates, but he slowly goes through the script.

And we see the coven run through the rehearsal with Armand giving instructions to Lestat who seems reluctant. Lestat asks how they will “get Claudia to stay quiet” and tells Armand he “doesn’t know Claudia’s strength.”

Daniel tells Louis Armand didn’t witness the play, he directed it and we see Lestat save Louis, not Armand. Louis looks both hurt and pissed and Daniel questions when Armand started feeding bullshit. 

Daniel tells Louis he “was supposed to die with Claudia. Lestat saved him, Armand took credit when the opportunity presented itself and Louis killed anyone who could’ve told him differently.”

Daniel admits he got it from the Talamesca and says Vampire Sam, the only one who survived the fire, was their guy in Paris.

Louis stares at the script and then carries it with him as he walks away. 

Armand calls for Louis and then looks at Daniel trying to figure out what to do, before he follows Louis and tries to assure him it was Santiago and that they’ve moved on from this.

On the computer Daniel gets a message to leave and then another urgent one. Louis and Armand’s fighting escalates, and it shatters something in the room with papers and glass flying. 

Louis calls for Rashid, but Daniel goes. There’s a big dent in the stone wall and Armand is on the ground with Louis hovering over him. And that’s crazy because Louis is doing this to a vampire that’s hundreds of years older than him, so either he is way stronger than he’s been letting on or Armand didn’t fight back.

Daniel tells Louis Rashid probably left. Armand struggles to get up.

Louis tells Armand not to touch or harm Daniel, and he needs to be gone when he comes back or he will kill him and he throws papers at him and walks out.

He tells Daniel to gather his things, and he will arrange for him to go home and will send him 10 million dollars.

Louis approaches Daniel, but Daniel takes a step back, now actually scared of Louis’s strength. Louis offers his hand and Daniel shakes it and he thanks Daniel before walking out and setting his computer on fire.

Louis goes back to New Orleans even though a hurricane is coming. He joins a tour where the guide tells stories that are 90% lies about what happened in the place he used to live.

Louis sees someone use their vampire speed to collect rats and Louis follows him in the rain. 

The man goes inside a house and talks to the Lestat who doesn’t care about what he’s saying.

Lestat is pretending to play piano while he plays music from his phone and Louis walks in. 

Eventually the other vampire is told to leave them alone.

Lestat asks if he’s passing through and Louis tells him he came to see him. Lestat asks about Armand and Louis tells him he wants to be single basically. Lestat then tells him he’s about to go on tour and has to go to rehearsal soon. 

Louis asks if Lestat saved him, Lestat makes a joke, but the answer is yes, and Louis asks why Lestat never said anything. Lestat makes another joke saying, “Was your time with Armand really saving you?”

They have a sweet moment catching up on where they are now, with Lestat living instead of enduring and Louis thanking Lestat for the gift, admitting he was selfish and hard on Lestat bac then.

Lestat asks about the day and time Armand called him, like he remembers the day and time. Like he says September 9th. 11:07 or something like that and asks if Louis hurt himself. They’re both tearful and emotional talking about the day Louis walked out into the sun and Louis implies he was thinking about Claudia. 

Lestat takes a deep breath, saying he can’t stop thinking about her too.

Louis says it’s all his fault. “I carried her home. I made you turn her. And saved her from a fire so a half century later she could…”

Lestat is crying, “She looked at me at the end, like a child looking to her father, but I was never her…”

And they embrace. I’m emotional thinking about it too, but they hold each other, comforting each other over their loss and their time apart in the middle of a hurricane.

And before the episode ends, we learn Daniel ended up publishing the interview and selling 5 million copies in 4 months. People think he’s lying, even though he’s very clear in his interviews he’s not, and that vampires are real, people think that he’s damaging his career.

In the interview we see Daniel is wearing sunglasses though, and then he talks a lot of shit to the interview, but it’s unclear if it’s in his normal way or if it’s in the way vampires like to play with their food.

Louis is looking out on his balcony as vampires talk shit about Louis and how he broke the Great Laws and turned against his own, just as Armand said they would. Daniel reaches out to Louis, it seems like in his mind, saying he wants to send him royalty checks, but Louis isn’t interested. 

Daniel mentions how the Talamasca made them censor the book and promises the next one will have editors, but Louis isn’t interested in another one either and says there shouldn’t be a first, ‘cause he burned the computer.

At first, Daniel is talking on his phone, but then he puts it away and they’re still talking. Daniel tells Louis he needs to leave Dubai for his safety and asks if he heard from his maker. Louis says no and apologizes that he was “burdened out of spite”, saying he should’ve stayed.

So I’m guessing Armand is Daniel’s maker which is a lot to unpack because Armand hated the idea of turning anyone and did Louis really think he could leave Daniel alone and Armand wouldn’t do anything?

 says he’s worried because he knows the other vampires aren’t happy about the book.

When they stop talking, Louis listens to the vampires who keep talking about killing him and speaks to them, shushing them, introducing himself, and telling them exactly where he lives and what precautions are in place so they can plan around it. 

He tells them everything’s unlocked, so come do it if they’re about it and ends off saying “I own the night.”

Final Thoughts

This was already long enough so I won’t keep you much longer. 

I have like a love/hate relationship with Armand, but I will never forgive him for what he did to Claudia. And this idea that he had that Claudia couldn’t survive and was destined to die by her own hand or go mad because of her reality…I’m not saying that he’s wrong. He’s been a vampire for hundreds of years, but I’m saying that Louis was right. He doesn’t know Claudia’s strength, and we saw it during the trial, when she stood up with her tendons slashed and when she was trying to talk through those mind fog thing. 

And Lestat says the same thing. “She’s stronger than you think.”

She was about to get her happily ever after, in theory, with Madeline. Or at least start a new chapter in her life where she could feel chosen and wanted by somebody…and that would’ve added years at least…it could’ve been her decision. It wasn’t a decision he [Armand] didn’t need to make.

I’m just very excited for Season 3 and more of all these characters. I want to see what Lestat has to say about what’s written in the book and I want to see if he’s going to talk about things from his perspective, like what the book got wrong or the first few seasons got wrong.

At the same time, Lestat isn’t the end all be all truth, like just because Lestat says it doesn’t mean it’s automatically true as well.

And that’s the other thing. He says that Louis was taunting him and like, telling him to come to him. Louis started it all. And everything else he said was the truth, but he doesn’t show Louis memories of that, so I have to believe that’s a lie. 

I don’t even know why I’m even considering…like the fact that I’m even considering that as the truth means that this show did a really good job of making everyone an unreliable narrator, ‘cause I’m questioning things as true, even if it doesn’t make any sense.

And I want to see what else is in store for the rest of these characters as someone who hasn’t read the book, and I’m not planning to, to be honest.

There’s a lot to unpack in Season 2 with themes of identity, good vs. evil, and memory and truth there’s so much depth with these characters. But I’ll have to save any additional analysis for another day.

If you made it here, thank you! That’s the end of the Season 2 Recap!

I will be talking about Season 3, but it probably won’t be until after the entire season airs, and I’m still debating if I want it to be a recap episode or an analysis episode.

Happy The Vampire Lestat Release Day!

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