'Interview with the Vampire' season 2

There are so many different threads for the first season of this wonderful show, I didn't know which one to link to for previous discussion. So just do a search if you're interested in that.

I want more Lestat, but this is the Paris/Armand part of the story. Wiĺl def. watch though!

I loved season one - it was so well done. I can't wait for season 2.

Nice. Justin Kirk is hot.

I know they recast Claudia, but I only noticed the other day they swapped the American actress who did commercials and some TV shows with a British theatre actress. So obviously they are intent on not having any more drama on the set.

Reviews are strong, can't wait for this.

Only issue this critic has with this season is Lestat's absence, which is apparently keenly felt. And how could it not be, it's Lestat!

It's back, it's back, it's fucking back, my favourite show is back!

Ten minutes into the first episode and I'm already grinning like a fool, the back-and-forth between Daniel, Louis and Armand is a joy to watch, the dialogue on this show is like rich chocolate cream. Armand looks so radiant now, post-reveal.

Loved "the role of Claudia will now be played by Delainey Hayles" announcement in the intro. No pretending, straight to the point. And it's quite apropos, seeing how much of this season will apparently revolve around theatre.

Incredible season opener. The Romanian detour was so disturbing, I felt genuinely perturbed.

New Claudia looked off to me in the trailer, but you forget she was recast almost immediately, she's that good, with some iffy American accent work here and there. I'm seeing people saying already she might even be better than the old Claudia and I would agree. That's that theatre training shining through.

Sam Reid's Lestat is magnetic. Even in his dead ghost form, you can't take your eyes off him.

I had no idea Blake Ritson (Oscar van Rhijn from The Gilded Age) would appear in this season. His wig is looking the least wiggy it's ever looked, good for him.

[quote]Sam Reid's Lestat is magnetic. Even in his dead ghost form, you can't take your eyes off him.

He really is. I've seen a few reviews that lament the lack of screentime he has his season, but when he is on-screen he is compelling. Incredible.

Yes! Thanks! So glad it is back! The binge is on! Will rewatch Season 1 then dive into Season 2.

What did the Englishman in the shelter mean when he said “Up your bum” to Louie? Was he implying he knew he was gay? Was he gay, too? He seemed to love that woman genuinely.

It's a toast.

Thanks, R12, I thought it meant something.

Yeah, it was just a toast, although I swear Louis gave a little grin in response, as in "If only you knew..."

Blake Ritson is too big of a name to only appear in one episode, I think he'll be back. His quick delivery of his lines in his native accent was delightful, I've only ever heard him do the American one before.

This fantastic show should have more comments!

In the movie, Armand lets the vampire coven kill Claudia to get her out of the way. I can't imagine that's the case in the TV show. Louis calls Armand the love of his life. He couldn't feel that way if Armand was involved in her killing. Perhaps Armand wasn't able to stop them. Thoughts?

Armand comes off as super controlling, both in the interview scenes and when they're alone in the bedroom. Something tells me he'll have an issue with Louis' "me and you, you and me" connection with Claudia eventually, especially if he wants to have Louis all to himself. And who wouldn't want Louis all to themselves, he's cute as a button!

There's also some memory fuckery going on with Louis and Armand that I can't quite make sense of yet. It was mirrored by that old lady vampire who was slowly losing it from old age.

Poor Claudia. She thought she'd find some ancient sage vampire in the old country, but what she actually found was more animal than man. It just goes to show that Lestat's refinement takes work, you don't get like him just by squatting in some bumfuck town in Romania for centuries. Her death was quite poetic, I have to say.

Why did they recast the actress who played Claudia in season one?

I kind of liked her.

r17, I think Armand is screwing with Louis' memory- whenever Louis gets the details right, Armand says, "Let's take a break", and the interview was about Louis. Now it's about Louis and Armand, with Armand fully holding Louis' hand.

r18 Official is that she was committed to Avatar 3 + 4 (but they only had reshoots at that point). Unofficial- production really really disliked her- she was very demanding for someone of her stature.

Ghost Lestat looked hella fine. I can't wait until they get to Paris!

R3 what I love is that it took risk and not just for the sake of being edgy but story wise. And they didn’t try to make them bisexual in any romantic sense. NO they are chiefly gay men who only use women as a means to an end.

So why did the Romanian vampire throw herself on the fire?

She seemed like she wanted to go to America.

There's a difference?

Is Sam Reid one of us?

He's starred in many gay roles and doesn't appear to have ever had a long term girlfriend (that I can tell).

R21, she was tired and had given up. Vampire major depression. It's a thing.

[quote]He's starred in many gay roles and doesn't appear to have ever had a long term girlfriend (that I can tell).

He's been with Philippa Northeast for a number of years. She doesn't post him much on IG, but he pops up in her IG stories sometimes. They attended the AACTAs this year.

[quote]So why did the Romanian vampire throw herself on the fire? She seemed like she wanted to go to America.

She wasn't buying what Claudia was selling about some hopeful life for a vampire. Here she was an ancient who could no longer turn vamps and she had to kill her last remaining one because Claudia blinded him. She gave up. Which is why it was so powerful for Louis to tell her that as long as she walks the earth he wouldn't taste the fire. He had to let her know that he wouldn't give up like that. He just gives up emotionally by sticking with crazy ass controlling vampires.

Yeah, I read that scene as Daciana almost mocking Claudia's youth and naïveté. "Oh, we'll go to America, will we? And we'll tell each other our stories and run barefoot in the grass and braid each other's hair..." When she said "and my kids will come too" was when the red flag went up for me.

She was old and demented and had probably never left that part of Romania, there is no way in hell she could travel to the New World and reinvent herself. Also, she was barely aware of America and one of the most exciting things she'd ever experienced was when Cezare Romulo (Dracula?) killed a travelling circus in Sibiu that one time. No way could she handle even modernity, let alone NYC. Not everything and everyone can be healed, sometimes there's just too much pain and baggage. A very good lesson for Claudia.

She came across as more ghost than vampire, so I wonder if Dracula simply left her behind when he left for greener pastures. She said they were all gone, not that they were all dead.

That was an excellent explanation of that scene, R27.

Now it makes sense to me.

Thanks for that!

Too bad Bailey Bass was such a little diva.

She's so pretty.

Unfortunately, I fear she won't find work after Avatar.

Your reputation in Hollywood is everything, and now she's known as being difficult to work with.

Delainey Hayles seems nice and down to earth.

It seems to me that Daniel Malloy should read the narration of the diary, and not Louis.

I'm sorry to say that Jacob Anderson is a horrible reader. There's no variation or inflection in the way that he reads. It's just monotone. Not only that, but his pronunciation sounds slurred, as if he has marbles in his mouth.

Maybe it's because he's trying to concentrate on doing an American accent while reading the diary passages, but it just doesn't work.

The guy who plays Malloy is much better at reading lines with emotion and variation. You would get a real sense of the words. Not only that, but he articulates words better.

When Louis starts reading passages from Claudia's diary, I have to turn on the Closed Captioning, otherwise I wouldn't be able to understand what he's saying.

r31 Where did you get the idea the narration was Louis reading Claudia's diary? I was under the impression that was all Louis' thoughts? Rewatch the scenes again, she's always referred to in third person, so that can't possibly be from her diary.

R31 Maybe it's because he's trying to concentrate on doing an American accent while reading the diary passages, but it just doesn't work.

That’s EXACTLY what it is. He’s a pretty good actor so he is able to tap into the ethos of the character and sound convincing in the scenes but that narration. NO SIR.

You're crazy, Jacob Anderson does an excellent job.

Yeah everyone complains about accents and I'm over here like "what about the utter character assination of Lestat by the writers"...through changing the show so much they made him out to be a racist, a DV abuser and controlling..um yeah..can't wait to see how much they assinate him in S2.. Because Armand who literally plays Frankenstein with Claudia and eventually doesn't stop HIS coven from killing her is the better partner??? Ummm ..seems fair..

R35, why are you still watching the show? Why are you here? I'll never understand hate-watchers.

R36 what else is there to watch on TV?? I watched Roswell New Mexico for 4 years. I am a sucker for dumpster fires! Plus I'm a Lestat fan and I love Sam Reid. I watched everything Sam Reid's been in. Some good..a few great and far too much that was terrible.

Character assassination? He's a serial-killing monster, a deplorable character both in the book and in the movie, what's there to assassinate, lol? If anything, the show gives his some additional depth and nuance he arguably doesn't deserve.

How early are the episodes available if you have AMC+?

R35 is Defacturd. Ignore it. I’m loving S2. The production is so good. This is the way I imagined the books. I think if Anne or Christopher Rice had been more directly involved in the production it would have been worse.

Ben Daniels, god love him. That trailer did not do him justice, I was completely under his spell during his little stage performance. And what a contrast between those kitchy projection segments and the blood-curdling finale with the victim du jour (du soir?) being drained alive in front of everyone. Same for Louis and Armand's flirtation with the murderous feast as a backdrop.

Louis meeting Armand for the fist time in the cruising place and Louis cowering like a kicked puppy... How precious was that?!

Daniel's sarcasm sometimes makes him forget who's actually in control here. Armand and Louis gave him a nice lesson this episode, messing with his mind to the point of scaring him. Speaking of...

How controlling is present-day Armand? There's something sinister going on there with him and Louis, for sure.

I love Ben Daniels

Ben Daniels as Santiago is incredible. I can't wait to see him throughout the season.

He's been so excited for this role and has been teasing it for a while. This should be a great time for him with his first appearance finally out in the world. It's heartbreaking that it's tinged by the loss of his husband.

I try to avoid next week's previews as much as possible, but I caught a couple of seconds by accident and we're getting Armand's and Lestat's meeting next week? That should be interesting. I'm glad Armand didn't fly off the handle when he sussed out that Louis must have done something to Lestat, but I think it's only a matter of time before Santiago and some others figure it out and take it out on Claudia. I haven't seen the movie or read the book, so I'm going by the show only.

r43 I can't believe I'm only now learning that Ian Gelder was his husband and I can't believe he died just last week. That is so sad.

R37 😆. Right on. Is the cunt @r36 paying your mafuckin streaming bills. I’m glad you kindly told him to have seats.

I love the flirtation between Louis and Armand in Paris. Hopefully the first sex scene is as hot as Louis’s first with Lestat.

Assad Zaman is gay in real life, right?

I'm curious to see how believable he is with Louis in sex scenes.

Considering that Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson are straight and can generate such heat, I wonder if Assad can do the same, as a gay man with a straight man.

Why do people assume we're getting a sex scene between Louis and Armand? We're getting their initial flirtation in the past and them being a couple of 70+ years in the present, maybe the writers will just leave it at that. Claudia's idea of what gay sex entails was funny, though!

Did Louis and Armand have sex in the novel? I think Louis rejected him (esp. after what happens to Claudia (he was behind it). They are companions for many years, but not intimate/sexual (Louis' choice, - not Armand's).

BTW - no sex in the novel after Armand becomes a vampire. And the closest to sex between Louis and Lestat is drinking blood. I am glad the series is a lot more sexual than the novels, at least in the first season.

The music in this episode was so much better.

Last week it was loud and overpowering, to the point where I couldn't hear the dialogue.

This week, the music was soft and romantic. Very soothing.

Why did Armand's accent change from when he first met Louis, to the current day?

Back when he first met Louis, his accent had a French tinge to it.

Now he has a British accent.

That inconsistency is kind of distracting.

R47, Jacob and Sam have never stated their sexualities so might not be straight. Jacob does have a wife and daughter and Sam seems to have a long term girlfriend, but they could be bi.

I’ve seen Assad fans say that he’s straight and follows only female influencers/OF models on IG but I haven’t looked.

There’s also a very old thread on Sam where a guy claims to have dated him. Someone else says that they used to know him, and he had a boyfriend at the time.

Wow! I haven't watched any of this (S1 or S2) but reading all the superlative posts in this thread it looks like it's not to be missed. I better get to it!

r52 It's not inconsistency, it was explained at the beginning of the episode – they live long and pick up different languages and accents along the way. Claudia even comments that Louis is losing his grip on his mother tongue, English. Which happens all the time to regular people who emigrated to another country a long time ago. You can imagine how much more acute this is for vampires. And then there's the actors practising their English backstage and Armand chiding them for switching to French. It's all very neat and goes along nicely with the memory/recall issues the show is exploring.

This show is embarrassingly awful.

[quote]Why do people assume we're getting a sex scene between Louis and Armand?

Likely because of a snippet of a scene in one of the teasers.

Your mother thinks you’re embarrassingly awful, R56.

Claudia seems like she's impressed by cruelty while Louis views murder as a necessary part of vampire life. She had a massive O face the entire time that Belgian woman was being murdered on stage and Louis seemed mildly turned off. This could cause a rift between them. It would explain why Louis is happily living with a man who played a part in her death (I'm assuming the series follows her book arc).

I think they’re changing Armand’s role in Claudia’s death, R59. I can’t imagine Louis would be happily unmarried to him if he were involved.

Claudia's O face during the performance was terrible, I wouldn't feel bad if she met a horrible death. Is there a single redeemable thing about her, except for her love for Louis?

R60 I hope that's not true. It changes the whole book. And much of the Vampire Chronicles when it comes to the dynamic of Louis and Armand.

R61 They're vampires there isn't really any redeeming qualities in any of them. But that's why we love them. They are literally the worst of humanity put on display...jus saying

They should do what makes the most sense for the show, the book will always be there. I love these changes in adaptations, they allow you to see things in the source material in new light, almost magically back through time.

I found the first episode of Season two a little dull to be honest. I’ll stick with it to see if it improves.

This is the letter to Louis as read by the ghost/spirit of Lestat from Season 2, episode 2. It may help you decide whether the show or actors are truly awful or not.

I’m not sure what people expect from this series. Although elements such as time and place have changed, the writers and producers have stayed true to the characters and to what the vampires intrinsically are - killers without conscience or remorse. Except for Louis, and it was made very clear in the books that the one thing he maintained was a shred of humanity. Otherwise, the vampires have no “human” souls, and so the rules of humanity don’t apply to them. It’s absurd to watch the series and expect human values. From what I recall of the ancients, they were even worse, like Magnus, the one who made Lestat. The books describe how Magnus kept a collection of half dead or dead Lestat prototypes until he stumbled upon Lestat, letting him become a full-fledged vampire because he was perfect to Magnus. Even the old Romanian vampire woman losing her mind is in keeping with the lore and the loneliness the vampires, like Lestat, feel as they age. I think the series does an excellent job capturing these kinds of elements from the books, even more than I thought it would. It’s obviously helmed by people who understand the source material. If you’ve never read the books and don’t understand the lore (looking at you DV troll), then go watch reruns of The Vampire Diaries because you will never enjoy this series. To me, the series captures Anne Rice’s lore so well, and the production and acting are fantastic.

I should say if you don’t understand the lord AND complain, then this series won’t be for you.

*lore… fucking autocorrect

You need a lil understanding of the lord as well to get the gothic Catholicism.

I watched the first season and know the storyline but for the life of me I can't remember why Louis is going through these journals and recalling the life of Claudia, like he forgot some of their history. They travelled together after they "killed" Lestat, but it seems like all these years later he is getting some memories back while going through the books with Daniel and Armand. Example - Louis crying when he remembered that Claudia had a nightmare.

Daniel is interviewing Louis and I'm sure this was explained earlier why he's got this memory block, but I don't have time to go back through the series and get that tidbit. Can someone please get me up to speed on that point? Thanks!

Something weird is happening with both Louis's and Daniel's memory, but the show hasn't revealed what just yet! I suspect we'll find out at least one part of it by the end of the second season when we finally see what happened that night in San Francisco.

Thanks for the info R71. No wonder I couldn't remember... it is intentionally vague and unexplained. I was starting to wonder if I should be worried about early stage memory loss when I couldn't figure out Louis's issue.

Some are speculating that Armand is screwing around with Louis' memory- he's very controlling in the interviews now.

Also screwing up with Daniel's memory as well with that whole Alice in Paris situation.

Lawyer guy was played by Ed Birch, whom I've seen in all sorts of shows over the years – Foundation, The Witcher, The Alienist... I doubt they cast him for his perfect nails alone. Much like Blake Ritson, he's too big of a name for a single appearance, so I think he'll be back.

He does a great French accent r75.

In the books, Armand kills Claudia because he wants Louis to himself. He sees Louis as a connection to the modern world but Louis is too connected to Claudia. Louis does stay with him awhile after so it’s possible he’s fucking with Louis’ memories on purpose to keep him from leaving. Armand also turns Daniel in the books, so I wonder if they’ll go there. I think in the books, though, Daniel encounters Armand at a time when Armand and Louis are estranged. I can’t remember exactly.

It's been awhile since I read the books, but wasn't Claudia executed because she's a child vampire, which is a big no-no? I also remember that Louis was sentenced for either making her or killing Lestat.

I think it was two things - it was forbidden to create a young vampire so Claudia was seen as an abomination, and it was forbidden to kill your maker, even though Lestat wasn’t dead. When they arrived in Europe, Claudia and Louis also encountered some vampire that was disturbed that Louis ended up killing, which I think was also a crime, but not sure if it factored into the sentence. The Paris vampires, though, had their own view of the supposed crimes, and so tried and convicted both Claudia and Louis based in part on Lestat’s testimony. Louis was entombed, while Claudia was burned. They were both “punished” as ordered by Armand, but as I recall, Louis’ entombment was so he could escape and take revenge on the theater vampires. Or, rather, Armand released him. It was part of Armand’s plot to have Louis to himself and escape to a new life with him. Louis didn’t realize or know Armand’s part in what occurred, and blamed Lestat for testifying. It took years for Louis to understand Armand’s role in Claudia’s death. So probably why the issues with Louis’ memory, and also why Armand was probably doing things to fuck with it.

Sooo… are Daniel and Armand going to fuck? Spoil me, please.

The vampires don’t fuck in the books. I’m not sure about the series if Armand and Louis will.

This is petty but I don't like how close Armand and Louis are sitting during the interview. They seem like a codependent straight couple.

I think that's very much an intentional creative choice, i.e. having them put this act on for Daniel. Contrast it to the cold behaviour in the bedroom when no one else was around, it looked like the proverbial bed death. Even Louis's little kiss in that bedroom scene only came after he got what he wanted from Armand, it seemed so transactional to me.

It's not normal to be this lovey-dovey after doing everything together for 70+ years, so there's definitely some deeper play going on we're not aware of just yet.

R47 you think Sam Reid is straight?? 😂😂😂 Look him up here on Datalounge.. you'll thank me later.

r81, they did in S1. And it was violent...in a good way.

I didn't read the books but am loving the show so far...good gay TV is such a hard thing to come by. When you do, it's something special. But I gotta ask if anyone else finds Daniel/Eric Bogosian incredibly irritating with his incessant combativeness and sarcasm. I generally dislike him in most things but I find it incredibly irritating for a journalist who's job is to listen.

I understand why Daniel is acting the way he is. He was already wary after the previous failed interview, then during their new interview Louis kept contradicting himself from the past interview. Now that Daniel know Louis and Armand were tricking him with Armand being "Rashid", he's really on their necks. He does not want them manipulating him or the interview and he knows that is Armand's goal.

[quote]he's really on their necks

Seems appropriate.

Episode 3 is my favorite of the season so far. Lestat/Sam Reid has such good chemistry with everyone IMO.

This show is so good, it ought to be fattening! Daniel and Armand alone together are also magic, in addition to Armand and Lestat as r89 already mentioned.

We get some additional confirmation in this episode that vampires can go mad. That old vampire in Romania, Lestat's lover who was too fragile, possibly Claudia? Very interesting area to explore, as were the religious themes in the beginning of the episode.

Justin Kirk enters stage to introduce some new present-day drama. He's aged a lot since last I saw him.

Did you see Ben Daniel's jacked arms in that final scene? Oh, my. He obviously lifts, early and often.

I loved the Armand and Louis scenes. I was disappointed that we didn't see them beyond walking upstairs together. 😁

Yeah, Armand's and Louis' first kiss (on screen) at the end of the episode was so sweet and romantic, I swooned a little.

*Meant to write Ben Daniels', not Ben Daniel's at r90.

New episode tonight?

Yes, new episode tonight.

[quote]Yeah, Armand's and Louis' first kiss (on screen) at the end of the episode was so sweet and romantic,

I love them as a couple. The Lestat fans have been whining and say Louis/Armand - Jacob/Assad do not have chemistry, but they're pissy because they only want to see Louis and Lestat together.

[quote]Did you see Ben Daniel's jacked arms in that final scene? Oh, my. He obviously lifts, early and often.

He stays fit.

No review of the episode?

I'm just waiting for Claudia to get killed. I know it's going to happen so I'd rather they just get it over with. Justin Kirk is currently the most interesting character. I want to know what happened to the previous four journalists.

Why are people talking about Justin Kirk? Which character was he?

Raglan James - the man Daniel was speaking with in the restaurant at the beginning of the episode.

I would not have guessed that was him ^^

Some overbearing frau has sucked all life energy – and beauty – out of poor Justin since we last saw him in Succession.

Why is Armand so old and ugly now?

I hope they adapt the much better Vampire Lestat. No cry baby weak Louis, Gabrielle, the great Mom, and unreliable narrator Marius.

R94 🤣😂🤣😂 and you say that with a straight face I'm sure. Louis/ Armand's situationship is a direct reaction to Louis/ Lestat..Rebound. God Louis has more chemistry with the Dreamstat then Armand. But then again if your fucking your co star that that would translate on screen too.🤣😂🤣🤣

[quote] then again if your fucking your co star that that would translate on screen too

Someone has been reading WAAAAAAAAY too much fanfic.

R104 I said it that way purposely.. I just thought it was funny 😂🤣😂

Louis' mother wasn't hard on him enough. Her son is an idiot and she should have called him that more.

He didn't want to compound Claudia's pain during her retelling of her capture by Bruce, and deflate her joy about joining the theatre, but he should have spared a moment to let her know Armand (and by extension, the entire coven) knew Louis killed Lestat and that it is in violation of their laws.

Now that Claudia knows the laws and knows that it's impossible to keep things from the coven, she and Louis should have left town instead of her digging in with the coven and Louis getting his back blown out by Armand.

I loved seeing Armand's side of his relationship with Lestat. Seeing Lestat being humbled is always fun.

^^ I don’t really recall in the books that there was a whole of time between Claudia and Louis meeting the Paris vampires and them killing Claudia. IIRC, Claudia was wary of them and wasn’t wanting to become part of their coven. It’s Louis who got entranced by Armand and made them stick around. It’s why Claudia created a *mother* for herself - she feared Louis would leave her. Maybe that will all bear out. I just don’t recall Claudia participating in plays, etc. Once she read the room, she was afraid of them, and that seemed early on.

This was so hot

[quote] Louis getting his back blown out by Armand

Link, please!

When did that happen?

Rofl that Louis is a total bottom, but he put on such a butch act in season one.

Butch on the streets, bottom in the sheets!

"Armand Not Hot"

Not even a sexy terrorist!

[quote]Louis getting his back blown out by Armand Link, please! When did that happen?

Hasn't happened onscreen. But Louis invited Armand up and I assume that's what happened. Dream Lestat looks satisfied.

I didn't understand what Daniel and "Raglan" were talking about in the first scene in the restaurant. Raglan recognized Daniel as a writer and it was ??? after that. Can someone please break it down for me.

Raglan is from the Talamasca, an ancient organization dedicated to observing supernatural beings (witches, vampires, demons, mummies, immortals) in the Anne Rice Universe.

Ah hit return too soon- Raglan is telling Daniel that he knows about vampires, and has been tracking them.

Cannot wait for David Talbot. Will this show cross over to The Mayfair Witches, as in Anne Rice land, those stories get very entwimed.

It's supposed to r115, AMC bought the rights to 14 of her books, hoping to build several franchises with them. Sadly the Mayfair Witches wasn't as good as IWTV.

I think Armand played a role in Claudia’s death (as in the book), but in the show, Louis is unaware. Imagine the drama when it's revealed. Armand has been the love of his life for 70 years!

Lestat's boy toy Nicolas was played by this cutie theatre actor Joseph Potter, whom you might have seen opposite Harry Styles in My Policeman most recently.

I think they may change Claudia's death on the show. Claudia theorized to Louis in S1 that Lestat killed Marius because he wouldn't be a slave "no more than you or I". I think she gets fed up with the Théâtre des Vampires and them forcing her to play a child.

Coupled with Louis putting Armand before her despite his "me and you, you and me" spiel. I think she just decides she's not going to be enslaved by the coven or by her need to belong and she decides to torch Théâtre des Vampires and herself with it.

I think the pages of her diary that Louis had Armand removed are ones that point a finger at how Louis failed her. It could be why Jacob Anderson said in an interview at the S2 premiere that he hopes people still likes Louis after this season.

I recall Armand saying he only ever failed Louis once. I bet it was Claudia’s demise.

What the fuck did I just watch? That was more movie than TV show. This is so good, it makes me want to tear my hair out! Probably my favourite episode to date. How is the dialogue consistently this delicious?

While I've always thought Jacob Anderson was great in this role, it's almost like he shifted gears this episode, especially with his facial expressions. And don't get me started on Sam Reid and Ben Daniels, oh my god. Magical!

Delainey Hayles must have been delighted, a theatre actress having to perform shit musical theatre up on that stage.

It occurred to me this episode that the way characters talk over each other and jump into each others' sentences mirrors the gaslighting memory fuckery going on, which will now finally be revealed to us, at least on Daniel's side.

ITA, R121. This show is so well done.

I'm enjoying the show but the one thing that takes me out is the horrible fake looking contacts they put on the actors.

Claudia has a British accent when she yells. That distracts me more than the contacts. The actors playing Louis and Lestat are more skilled in the area. Overall though I love the show.

R123: Yeah, those contacts are distracting. They’re beautiful, but the pupils rarely line-up, so everyone looks slightly wall-eyed. I wish they’d spent the money on cgi instead of contacts. I choose to believe that vampires just have trouble keeping their dead eyes from wandering around in their skulls.

I just came here to gush about this show. It’s the best thing I’ve seen on screen in years. I was a bit obsessed with Lestat and Anne Rice in my twenties and this show is so much better than what I imagined as a reader. Every time Sam Reid is onscreen I’m either swooning or screaming with laughter! So sad to see the end of ghost Lestat this episode.

Did this episode end abruptly for anyone else - was it a dramatic choice? It was the scene of Daniel looking at his laptop and having a flashback of meeting Louis in the 70's and in the middle of a sentence BOOM... the voiceover talking about next weeks episode. Jarring.

Yeah that's what I saw, r126. I think they're jumping straight to the 70's next week and we won't see anything in Dubai or Paris. It makes sense for them to milk it since Claudia's death is imminent.

Louis rids himself of hallucinating about Lestat and frees himself up for Armand and Armand immediately calls him "maître". Louis' Big Dick Energy is too powerful for Armand.

Is Season 2 done? I want to binge it all this weekend, if possible.

R129 Not yet, we’re half way through the season. It won’t be finished until the end of June

OK Thanks R130!

I am loving this show so much. The new Claudia is a big improvement, and I'm swooning over all three vampire male leads. The production values are amazing, and I'm guessing this is a very expensive show to produce.

I can't remember from the first season, though, why Louis has agreed to tell his story. And for that matter, why Armand is okay with it.

I'm so glad they shot it in Prague and not Budapest like so many others, so I don't have that icky feeling I'm propping up the deplorable homophobic Orbán regime with my money. Many of the vampires in the coven are local Czech actors, so that's nice.

[quote]and I'm guessing this is a very expensive show to produce.

That's why I'm fine with them using contact lenses and not (even more) expensive CG. Waste of money that this show cannot afford.

Nice job also on the animation effects for the stage shows at Theatre des Vampires.

They filmed in The Czech Republic& used Czech actors but couldn't find a "halfway hot& sexy Slavic actor" to play my "favorite" Vampire Armand. They settled on an ugly "Bangladeshi boypire" with really bad hair. Seriously, who picked him!!

Other than that, I love the series.

Assad Zaman is handsome, you're probably just prejudiced against brown people.

So I'm starting to think that Sam Reid is the good actor here.

I was wondering why Sam and Jacob were so hot together, but Jacob and Assad had no chemistry.

Then I saw Sam's scenes with Assad, and they were hot too!

Clearly, the common denominator here is Sam, and he seems to be the one who brings the heat to the sex scenes.

He seems to bring out the best in the people who share scenes with him

Oh, and yes the new actress playing Claudia is fantastic. I really like her, so it's a bummer they're going to kill off her character.

[quote] Jacob Anderson on Sparking Up Chemistry with Sam Reid and Assad Zaman

In a recent interview with Men’s Health, Anderson stated:

“I think the chemistry between Sam and I is based on a similarity in approach, and the way we think about these characters. Also, we just get on—I think that that translates in a way.”

The 33-year-old British actor and musician is playing the role of Louis de Pointe du Lac, Reid is starring as Lestat de Lioncourt and Zaman is portraying the character of Armand in the hit TV series. Anderson then continued by talking about his chemistry with Zaman.

“Me and Assad [Zaman] have a different kind of working method, and that brings its own chemistry. But I don’t know if we ever tried for chemistry. I think we both made a conscious decision to not try to replicate Louis and Lestat’s relationship. Before we started shooting, we had a Zoom and we were just like, ‘Let’s not compare and contrast. Their thing is their thing. Let’s see how this pans out,’” he explained.

The actor further expressed, “Because [Louis and Armand’s] relationship is very different. It’s based on a very different kind of dynamic. And it’s probably a harder dynamic to plan too far ahead, because they’ve been together for 70 years. How do you map that out? You just have to do it as it comes.”

Moreover, new episodes of ‘Interview with the Vampire’ Season 2 are scheduled to be released every Sunday on AMC and AMC+, with the season finale airing on June 30, 2024.

R136 Armand is a 15 year old cherub, not a goat fucker.

I wonder why they decided to film it in Prague and not Paris. Not that I'm complaining, the show looks great.

Maybe we'll get memory Claudia like memory Lestat?

r140, most of it was in Prague, but they did film in Paris too- one of my French friends worked on it. I imagine Prague has more preserved pre WWII buildings and is less expensive than Paris.

R141 does your friend have any tea from working on the show?

R141 you can't say something like that and not have tea to spill 🫗🫗..

Sorry, I didn't ask her or my other friend who heads the SPFX makeup dept. (and she's lesbian!). However I did give very valuable tea for S1 (I worked on it) in the form of production getting rid of the first actress who played Claudia because she was a pain in the ass.

Oh that’s interesting R44, thanks for sharing. It’s strange because the S1 actress, Bailey, was still talking about being excited to shoot S2 just weeks before they began filming, and apparently Delainey was cast at very late notice — something like a few days before she had to be on set.

I’d love to hear more about your experiences working on the show/with the cast!

[quote]It’s strange because the S1 actress, Bailey, was still talking about being excited to shoot S2 just weeks before they began filming, and apparently Delainey was cast at very late notice — something like a few days before she had to be on set.

Maybe it was r144, but I remember a post in one of the s1 threads where a poster wrote that she had been fired. This post was made before Claudia made an appearance on the show. But when she did a joint Zoom with Sam and Jacob after S1 and a red carpet interview saying how excited she was to be returning for S2 and can't wait for Claudia's journey to play out, I thought the post was made up.

Fans think she had to leave due to the Avatar films, but her departure statement didn't state that she had a scheduling conflict, but "a variety of unforeseen circumstances". Which reads to me that she was let go.

A few months ago she did have to return to the Avatar set to do pick ups for the 4th film, but all of Avatar 3 was completed and the first act of 4 was done by the time Avatar 2 was released.

I need some Jake and Sam tea ☕☕..I know someone got something this is DL after all..

r146, yes that was me in the S1 threads. I forget which episode I helped out with- it was one of the latter ones. (I can't be too specific or it'll be easy to ID me). But production was already fed up with her before airing- she was making a lot of demands with makeup/hair/wardrobe/scheduling. Sam is very pretty in person, jacob needs to gain some weight- he's even lost more in this season, but he's very chill.

Thanks R148!

R147 there’s an old thread with some Sam tea that suggests he isn’t straight, if you haven’t seen it already.

[quote][bold]Interview With the Vampire Is the Best Show Almost Nobody Is Watching[/bold]

[quote]There’s one thing—OK, two—preventing this drama from becoming the hit it’s meant to be.

[quote]But for all of the things AMC’s Interview is—a prestige drama, a rumination on love and life, a campy fantasy romp—a hit it is not. Both seasons have received low ratings, prompting concerns, from the viewers who do care, over the show’s chances of survival. The series has a passionate fan base, but it is, to borrow a turn of phrase from culture critic Bobbi Miller, a prestige show with a CW audience.

I think Interview with the Vampire has at least one more season in it. I don't think AMC would go through the hassle of getting the rights to Anne Rice's properties like Mayfair Witches and doing a one on the Talamasca, if they weren't going to stick with it. AMC will likely license Interview with the Vampire to a few more platforms to recoup a bit of money back.

Curious as to whether AMC's putting several shows on Max last year helped increase AMC+'s subscriber base.

Tonight's episode is another excellent one. I'm loving Armand more and more.

Tonight? Are you living way past Greenwich Mean Time r152?

R153 the episode is already on AMC+ in Australia, so Google drive links will be circulating on Twitter by now

San Francisco flashback episode was everything I wanted and more, better than I could have hoped for. This show is pure magic.

Armand and Louis in that glorious fight scene were arguing over supernatural things that none of us here will ever get to experience. And yet, underneath it all, it was a completely relatable scene of a gay couple caught in a loving but mostly codependent relationship, having the mother of all domestics, drawing blood as deeply as possible, resorting to cutting remarks they've been sitting on for decades. That part felt like watching a play, so good.

Up until this episode, I admit I didn't think much of Armand/Assad, I thought he was second-tier compared to other characters and actors. But after those accusations Louis threw at him ("a bland pillow"), I now see Assad has been playing the part perfectly. He's supposed to be passive and not nearly as interesting as Lestat. But he was just stellar in this episode.

Also, their sub/dom relationship is pretty hot, until you realise Armand is using it to try and heal his half a millennium old sex slavery childhood trauma.

Young Daniel was so faggy, I love it!

I just came here to gush about last episode. I was skeptical about season 2, but so far the season has been excellent!

Louis is a fucking mess. If Armand's theory is correct - Louis' first interview was to bait Lestat so that he could reach out to Louis (which tracks because in S1 when Daniel questions Louis on why he speaks favourably about in the present, but denigrated him in the S.F. interview, Louis admits it was performance.) Yes, Armand calls his bluff and reaches out to Lestat so Louis can say what he needs/wants to say, yet he doesn't. Louis slams Armand for being boring, beige and a soft pillow, but Louis folds. I was glad Armand threw Paul and Grace in Louis' face.

Yeah, Louis is for sure the bigger mess of the two. Armand might be passive and quietly controlling and bland, but Louis is the one craving to get back with his former abuser and apparently throwing a childish temper tantrum every three years, with I don't know how many guys having to die each time he needs to get that out of his system. "Prison of empathy"? Get fucked, Louis. You want the passion of being abused and terrorised? Leave Armand and go find yourself another abuser, then.

Part of that r158, is that the devisiveness of L & L's relationship and his "suffereing" made Louis feel human. Living with boring Armand makes Louis feel like a vampire.

Remember when Claudia left NOLA and Louis was moping around for years? Lestat basically told him he was boring him to tears, going on and on about Claudia. It was interesting seeing that dynamic reversed in SF – Louis was the one bored of Armand.

r159 I think it's the opposite! Lestat brought out the passion and the jealousy, the animal, the vampire out of Louis. Armand in the SF flashback was making him feel like a boring housefrau, hence his need to act out and go on a killing spree every three years. This is again a bit different in the present, where Louis is the calmer of the two; he's been completely broken/domesticated by Armand, more a lame gelded horse than a fearsome vampire.

"Too old to play Hamlet, too young to play Polonius."

I loved this bit of grade A-level theatre cuntery from Armand, you just know it cut Santiago to the bone. Armand was probably sitting on that one for decades, having to suffer through hundreds (thousands?) of Santiago's self-indulgent performances.

I read the books so long ago, cannot remember much. I do remember Louis as a perpetual whiner. Season 1 was thrilling, due mostly to Reid's Lestat. I miss Lestat terribly, cannot blame Louis for being bored of Armand. Last night's episode was great, Armand showed real anger. I find his smooth imperturbable Zen act too dull.

Armand made laugh when he rolled up in the glasses. Look at this bitch!

Young Daniel was a cutie. I’d like to see him in more things.

[quote]"Too old to play Hamlet, too young to play Polonius."

When Lestat heard Armand start in on Romeo and Juliet's balcony scene, He scoffed and said Armand was barely Balthasar. Two theatre nerds.

I wonder if Lestat is going to make an appearance in the final episode. It would nice if we could get an episode from his perspective, see what he's been up to for the last 90 years. There are three more episodes so I think there's time for pretty much anything. It looks like Claudia is going to die soon.

Sam Reid has a very sexy voice

R165 - in the books, Lestat shows up in Paris. He was there to have Armand help heal him from being left in a fire by Claudia and Louis. Armand helps Lestat and gets him to admit it was Claudia and Louis who tried to kill him. The series veers slightly from the story, but Lestat may show up prior to Claudia’s demise in the series. I’m thinking that’ll set up season 3.

Young Daniel was a whore, darlin'.

Very "experimental." That's hot.

I don't see the attraction to Louis, that Lestat and Armand have towards him. They could both do so much better.

The extra commentary you get with AMC+ is really good. It explains a lot for me, that I would otherwise be confused about.

I'm still not seeing Louis as manipulative. He's actually more boring than Lestat and Armand put together.

r166, indeed, he literally purrs. He needs to do some audiobooks.

Do gay vampires have to douche?

Or are they always cleaned out because of their "liquid diet?"

I love this show more with each episode.

I thought Lestat's absence would cause me to lose interest this season. He is still my favorite character, but Louis, Armand and Molloy are all strong contenders.

And then what?

I hope AMC submits Jacob, Sam, and Eric for awards season to raise public awareness of this series.

[quote]AMC Networks is expanding its Anne Rice universe by greenlighting Anne Rice’s The Talamasca, a drama that will focus on a secretive society that tracks and containing the witches, vampires, werewolves and other creatures.

[quote]Season one will be comprised of six episodes, premiering on AMC and AMC+ in late 2025. The series is scheduled to go into production this fall and shoot in Manchester, England.

Yes, waiting for Claudia's death too! Want to see Louis go ballistic! Claudia is a distraction from the hot vampire guys also. However, sadly, her murder spells the end of Louis and Armand's bond.

I loved Armand mocking Louis’s accent and constant complaining. Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat.

I hope AMC redos "The Vampire Lestat" also.

Unfortunately, "The Vampire Armand" might be too salacious for AMC

[quote] Unfortunately, "The Vampire Armand" might be too salacious for AMC

A young boy pimped out to the streets for prostitution, by his parents?

Why would you think that, R178?

Coming to Netflix US soon!

Assad in Austin, plugging the show. He's so different in real life, not a trace of Armand. I know, I know, ACTING!

The frau interviewing him has a completely busted voice, the fuck was she doing the evening before?

This is a great show! Sadly, a lot of people won't watch because they are fixated on the homosexual aspects - that is such a small component. There is so much more to the story. I hope it gets another season. I love it.

Yeah, there was this thread recently on the main TV subreddit about how great this show is, and one poster said her husband loves the show, but plays on his phone during the homo segments. So juvenile. And the dialogue in this show is so rich, I can't imagine missing a single word, let alone full sentences.

I'm looking forward to tonight’s episode. The countdown to Claudia’s demise begins.

Tonight? Are you in Australia?

Louis' constant "boy" in the SF flashback showed just how much Armand had changed him over the 30 odd years into a performing dom monkey for the purposes of his kink (or trauma healing). No wonder he was lashing out, he had forgotten who he was. There was an implication he cut Louis' hands off at some point in the past when he got really angry? Fucking hell.

As much as fucked up Armand is by his childhood and later his master's killers, he is incredibly insightful. He took one look inside young Daniel's mind and clocked most of his personality's quirks. Someone mentioned upthread he's too zen/stoic, but I'm thinking that might be good strategy against going insane when you've been around for half a millennium.

Anyway, those were a couple of my thoughts I still had about the previous episode, I've already seen the sixth and can't wait to talk about it.

[quote]There was an implication he cut Louis' hands off at some point in the past

It's a nod to the books. Armand cut of the hands of Lestat's lover Nicki - the violin player we see in episode 2 of this season.

I don't think Armand has ever physically hurt Louis and that's part of Louis' frustration. He sees the anger thrumming through Armand directed at him yet Armand won't act on it. Louis wants a fighter. He's become accustomed to the chaos in a relationship.

[quote]Louis wants a fighter.

Yet look at the way he bitched about Armand flexing his powers in that restaurant scuffle with Santiago.

I do think Lestat made him feel more alive, but he's calmed down substantially by the present time. Like a mature (gay) man settling into a relationship. You can't go on living like in you're twenties all your life. It's not a good look, not even for a vampire.

Anything good happen tonight?

Oh slightly heartbreaking. I'm glad that it will be on Netflix, so it'll get a bigger audience.

I found it quite a bit more than just slightly heartbreaking! I got so attached to Madeline in this short time, it hit me hard seeing that resigned expression on her face at the very end; even in death, she's at the mercy of the mob. Really touching (and beautifully shot) moments of her life when Louis was draining her.

Armand's wordless facial expression in the present as the restaurant betrayal started playing out was outstanding, I wanted to murder him and console him at the same time. Also notice how quickly he clocked that something new was going on with Daniel – he asked him immediately whether he spoke with someone during his meal. Speaking of...

I admit the Talamasca bits are making me nervous. It's like the crappery of the Mayfair Witches slowly creeping into this perfect little show. I don't know, I remain sceptical. I do realise this one particular interview can't go on forever though, which makes me sad.

Lestat just sitting there, all saturnine and completely unlike the Lestat in Louis' imagination this season. Well, except for that promise he'll return to have his revenge when Louis is at his happiest. I'm terrified of next week's episode, this Paris detour has been so dreamy.

Louis' "face down, ass up" order to Armand was ridiculously hot.

Oh Boy! Wrap up already! So ready to binge the entire season during our NYC gay pride week watch party!🏳️‍🌈

Happy Birthday, Jacob Anderson!

Jacob turns 34 today (June 18).

Happy birthday, Jacob! He caught my eye in that quiet role in GoT already, never could have imagined he'd be playing Louis one day.

r192 Ooh, that sounds like fun.

The season ends on June 30 R192.

This was a good episode. I'm going to miss Claudia, as she has really grown on me.

Delainey Hales is so much better than Bailey Bass.

So is Lestat really alive again? It's a bit different from the movie version, where he crawled out of a New Orleans swamp, and looks like crap. How did he survive?

Also, is Rashid a Talamasca? If so, how is it that Armand doesn't know this, since vampires can read minds?

I laugh every time Daniel says Rashid. He just loves saying that name..lol.

In the books, Lestat survives the swamp and makes it back to the apartment where he, Louis and Claudia lived. There’s a fight between him and Louis, and the apartment catches fire. Louis and Claudia leave him there to burn. Badly injured, Lestat makes his way to Paris to have Armand help heal him. Armand gets Lestat to confess that Claudia and Louis tried to kill him, hid purpose being to get Claudia out from between him and Louis. He wanted a new life away from Paris with Louis. Lestat at this point is weak and a bit mad. Armand manipulates them all. It’s why Armand made sure that Louis was placed in a coffin after the trial so he could get out of. He wanted Louis to exact revenge on the Paris vampires without letting Lestat know that Louis was still alive.

Maybe Rashid was trained in Occlumency by the Talamasca.

Armand is not stupid.

We can see from the past few episodes that he is not only a powerful vampire, but he's also very manipulative, and he always knows what's going on around him.

So there's no way that he doesn't know Rashid works for the Talamasca.

Armand is clearly using Rashid for some reason.

I am loving the show so much. My only exposure to the story was the mediocre movie many years ago. I’ve never read the books. Do the books maintain their quality as the series goes on?

I’ve only read I think 4-5 of the books. I think the earlier ones are probably the best. Rice had a tendency to go off the rails a bit at times. What I liked was the history she created and the lineage or genealogy of vampires. There’s definitely a lot of source material to make an interesting series that spans centuries.

With each book, Rice made me more and more sick of Lestat. He was such the darling of her universe.

Apparently you need to stop at Merrick, because the next 3 novels are when she was heavily into religion.

They're having Assad do interviews on YouTube reaction channels that don't get that many views, he's such a good sport.

I'm not going to comment on the possibility that this might be desperation on the part of the marketing team due to bad ratings, because I choose to focus on the positive side of things.

I can understand why they pair up Jacob and Sam for interviews as they are the true leads and allure for many fans, but it is disappointing that Assad wasn't paired with Jacob - just the two of them - for a few interviews. The thrust of the second season is their relationship after all.

They've probably seen that those Reddit fraus aren't big fans of the controlling Armand and want Lestat back instead because they secretly want an aggro, not a softie. Whatever, more Armand for me. 😊

I happened to see 2 YT channels with black girls watching, so that 's nice to see. Next week is the last episode- it all went by too fast.

There are two more episodes, r206. We just had episode 6 and there are 8.

Oh thank the gods. Someone on Reddit had spoiled the title of the last episode and I assumed it was next week.

I had no idea this started already (I watched season 1) but I have no idea how to watch Season 2!

R209, moron. If only there were some way to search for things electronically. Would you like us to explain how to use toilet paper as well?

You can rent it on Amazon.

I'm excited to watch the episode early.

Another great episode.

Episode 2.6 is the second-best episode of the series (of course, 1.1 is the greatest). I teared up at various points. I didn't truly appreciate the new actress playing Claudia until now. It's such a shame this show hasn't found a wider audience.

That was absolutely transcendent. A tour de force of acting on everyone's part. Every line, every cut, every musical cue... Best show on television.

Chuckled at that one Matt Damon in the audience and Lestat schooling him on the spot.

I was hoping against hope they'd spare Claudia, but it wasn't to be. Still, a beautiful and poignant ending for her character. She was as much a hurricane as Lestat.

R215, I have to remember to use her final threat if I'm ever sentenced to death. 😉

[quote] Chuckled at that one Matt Damon in the audience and Lestat schooling him on the spot.

Matt Damon?

"Fags!"

Why industry watchers believe there will be a Season 3 renewal of Interview with the Vampire:

[quote] As the anchor of AMC’s Anne Rice Immortal Universe with 98% Rotten Tomatoes rating for each of its two seasons to date and the biggest non-Walking Dead universe series in viewership and acquisition on AMC+ in the last year, Interview with the Vampire probably doesn’t need to worry too much about a Season 3 renewal.

[quote] Dan McDermott, President of Entertainment and AMC Studios, AMC Networks; and Ben Davis, EVP of scripted programming, AMC Networks and AMC Studios, gave Season 2 high marks in confirming Jones’ new pact.

[quote[ “We’re thrilled to extend our exclusive multi-year overall deal with Rolin Jones, who is one of the most talented writers and showrunners working anywhere in scripted entertainment. He has been instrumental in the creation and ongoing development of our Anne Rice Immortal Universe, and the current second season of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire is one of the greatest seasons of television that has ever appeared on AMC or any network or streaming service,” they said. “We couldn’t be more excited about all that is to come through this extended AMC Studios partnership with this extraordinary creative talent.”

[quote] "the current second season of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire is one of the greatest seasons of television that has ever appeared on AMC or any network or streaming service,"

That sounds like hype, but it's not. He's stating a fact, and I'm not even an Anne Rice fan.

This really is the best show no one is watching. My cousin is a huge cinephile and has a PhD in something something media, and I had to convince her it’s a show worth watching. She dismissed it because it’s Anne Rice. I think a lot will also think it’s, as Julia Phillips would have said (and did say about Joel Schumacher wanting to make the movie) it’s about a bunch of hairdressers pissing on each other. A lot will be turned away by the obviously gay content. Admittedly, the audience for this won’t be the same as the one for the Walking Dead, and will be much smaller. I tend to think AMC probably knew this going in.

I'm guessing it's a more upscale audience than Walking Dead, which is a draw for certain advertisers.

Thanks for the updates! I am lookimg forward to watching it on 6/30!

There are fans mad at Armand for not saving Claudia, but just as Armand went along with the show trial to spare himself, Lestat did the same. If he didn't go along with it, surely Santiago and the others would put him on trial with Louis, Claudia and Madeleine.

Sam Reid is incredible.

Yeah, those fraus on Reddit have such a hate boner for Armand, it's almost comical. How is he the villain in all this?

[quote]Sam Reid is incredible.

Him and Ben Daniels on the same stage was overloading my senses! So, so good.

So Louis didn’t see Claudia die?

Hmmm…

R226, she's definitely dead…like dust in the wind.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they let Claudia live in the way Lestat lived on in Louis’ mind. That’d be another drift from the books though. I hope they go back a bit further in time, though, to the ancients.

[quote] I didn't truly appreciate the new actress playing Claudia until now.

I've been saying this for the past few episodes.

Delainey truly is the breakout star of this season.

I feel her passion and her sincerity. She's an amazing actress, and in this particular episode, I think that her acting was far superior to the others.

It was a powerful episode, not because of the testimony, but because of her rage, and sadness, and vulnerability. It was wonderful.

[quote] That was absolutely transcendent. A tour de force of acting on everyone's part. Every line, every cut, every musical cue... Best show on television.

I agree that the writing is superb, but in this particular episode I think ..... *gasp* .... that Sam Reid was ineffective.

And don't get me wrong because I absolutely love Sam Reid.

But he had a SHIT TON of dialogue to recite, and there were points where I wasn't buying it.

It's hard to capture the audience for such a sustained period of time, so I do give him kudos for trying.

But as he was reciting his lines, I started reciting them along with him, and there were numerous places where I think his performance could have been improved. Certain emphasis on different words here and there, a little bit more emotion here and there, and a little bit more of the fire that Delainey showed.

In some places, his acting lacked a bit of spark.

But again, that was a LOT to recite, so he did the best he could.

I don't have much comment on Jacob's performance in this episode, because his part was more reactionary.

As for Ben Daniels, sometimes his campiness takes me out of the show. He goes a little bit over the top, and turns it into a slightly bitchy recital of words and glances and gestures, rather than the hard core acting that Delainey does.

I wish he would tone down the theatrics, but I guess that's neither here nor there, because he probably bites the dust in the next episode.

With all that said, it's still one of my favorite shows on television, and I'm happy to hear that it will get renewed for a third season.

Isn't Santiago all about theatrics, though? The eternal theatre kid. So in that sense, Daniels is playing him perfectly.

I'll have to rewatch it, but I think Reid went into full American accent for a single sentence and I hope someone explains the creative choice behind that.

I think Lestat will end up freeing Louis, not Armand. Lestat seems unlikely to respect the verdict of a jumped-up theater troupe whom he abandoned. He would also feel entitled to decided the severity of Louis's punishment since he was the victim of the attempted murder plot.

I would like to see Lestat show up at "Fags!" suburban house 30 years in the feature and brutally kill him. Maybe that's what he could be doing when Armand contacts him in the 1970s.

[quote] I'll have to rewatch it, but I think Reid went into full American accent for a single sentence and I hope someone explains the creative choice behind that.

That's kind of what I was getting at, in my comments at R229.

Sam had a lot of dialogue to recite, and I feel like at times he got lost in the words.

His character was kind of all over the place, with the accent and the emotions, and just his acting in general.

But hey, it was nearly 30 minutes of talking, in a 50 minute episode. Or at least it seemed that way.

[quote] He would also feel entitled to decided the severity of Louis's punishment since he was the victim of the attempted murder plot.

Even if I had not read a Sam Reid interview where he says Lestat does not want to be there, I would still have known Lestat wanted no parts of the proceedings. I don't see him wanting Louis punished. It's why he Lestat went off script a few times to declare his own culpability in breaking one of the vampire laws and why he didn't downplay him dropping Louis from the sky.

Considering they took an episode or two to show Louis learning how to use his mind to set fire, Mr. Louis de Pointe du Lac will be getting fiery vengeance for Claudia.

I laughed when at one point, Lestat was shown in the corner closing his eyes, clearly annoyed with Santiago's over the top theatrics. He recognises a ham when he sees one.

I loved Lestat appearing in Dubai, really driving home the point that memories are now bleeding into each other. And also that he was an outsized presence, and still is. I think this was the first time that happened.

I did notice Reid’s accent slip in a few places, but I still can’t imagine anyone else playing Lestat now.

There was also a small slip-up made by several actors a couple of times in the episode. The French word for lawyer is "avocat", without a D. It's a common mistake, though.

That episode was amazing. I loved the look on Claudia's face as she stared at Lestat. Lestat's face was a mixture of awe and triumph. He's a great actor.

I don't watch that much TV. But I love this show!

RENEWED!

Thank goodness!

So good to hear. But I will miss Louis when they do The Vampire Lestat- he's just window dressing in the book.

Sam? Dr. Fareed? Were these characters actually vital in "The Vampire Lestat"?

"In Season 3, the Vampire Lestat sets his story straight in a way only he can—by starting a band and going on tour. Gabrielle. Nicholas. Magnus. Marius. Those Who Must Be Kept. They join Louis, Armand, Molloy, Sam, Raglan, Fareed and others we can’t tell you about yet on a sexy pilgrimage across space, time and trauma."

I trust the showrunner completely at this point, r242.

YES!! Loving it.

Armand in his box looked like a painting by one of the Dutch masters. Beautiful shot.

Does anyone know what Claudia meant by "Follow the bouncing ball!" just before she started singing? Someone elsewhere commented that they can't see anyone other than Hayles playing Claudia in the second season, but also they they can't see her playing that role in the first one. It's like each of the actresses was perfect for their season's Claudia.

[quote]it’s about a bunch of hairdressers pissing on each other

I read this almost a week ago now and I'm still chuckling to myself when I think about it throughout the day.

The bouncing ball is a reference to sing-along cartoons from the 30s and 40s

Thanks, I love that reference.

Is there a reason Lestat said he came back to Paris for a croque madame at Brasserie Lipp instead of a croque monsieur? Was there a joke in there somewhere about him choosing the femmier version?

I have been watching the first five episodes over the last coulple of days and I’m loving it. After ep Five, it’s turning out to be a vampire version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” about a destructive love relationship where you’re never quite sure who really has the upper hand.

It seems to have gone quite far afield from what I remember from the first few ‘Interview’ novels, but I ‘m not complaining. It’s well-written, well-acted and does a beautiful job of world-building..

Sam Reid is so beautiful, completely my type right up to the red hair. And where has Luke Brandon Field been all my life? — he plays young Daniel Molloy.

Yeah, LBF came out of nowhere, what the hell? At least for me, I'm sure I would have noticed him had I seen Jojo Rabbit.

The producers/showrunners told the actors that Episode 5 was to feel like an off-Broadway play, which it does. At some point, the audience is hanging onto every word of dialogue.

Here's a portion of that Play.

[quote] The producers/showrunners told the actors that Episode 5 was to feel like an off-Broadway play, which it does.

I don't know.

I always got the impression that it was more like the "Rocky Horror Picture Show," with the audience dressing up like the characters, reciting the lines along with the cast, and interacting with them.

r251 That goes for the audience at the Théâtre des Vampires, r250 is talking about direction to the actors in the flashback episode where there was no audience but us.

Watching episode 5 felt like I was back in high school, struggling through Look Back in Anger for my bac and not understanding anything. Except this time, I'm more mature and actually can't get enough of couples treating each other like shit.

re the clip at r250, I was too focused on the latter part of their argument with Armand teasing Louis about Paul's suicide and Grace "burying" him and Louis asking if Armand wanted to lick his boots, that I didn't pay attention to Armand chastising Louis with "You don't have enough to fear for Paris?". Louis must have the vampire community out for his head from what he unleashed on the coven.

Today's episode took turns I did not anticipate. Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!

Yes, extraordinary season finale. I can't believe how duped I was by Armand and his compassion. Was his sad backstory even true or is he a serial bullshit artist? Poor Louis, he looked so light and playful when the interview was over... and then that final bombshell.

I thought for a moment Louis was going to kill himself at the end, glad that wasn't the case. That kiss he gave to Armand in front of Lestat, adding "I'm with him now and I hope that kills you!" was one of the gayest moments I have ever seen on TV. And I've seen Will & Grace ten times over.

The way Sam Reid played Lestat in the present was incredible, a totally different person. Made me wonder how much of what we've seen of him up to this point was just Louis' bullshit and how much of it was true. Crazy how much love gets to him – he buried himself for a century after Nicholas died and went to NOLA for almost eight decades to feed on rats as he was going getting over Louis.

[quote]I've seen Will & Grace ten times over.

The undead condole you.

The look on Louis’ face when the truth was revealed was devastating.

I believe Armand loves Louis as much as he claims. Unfortunately, he’s also a quisling.

The acting in Ep. 7 was superb. I thought Santiago a bit too waspish, and he was mugging too much. The intensity of this episode reminded me of the Season 1 finale. I look forward to the last episode, happy in the knowledge of renewal of Season 3.

Assad Zaman is very good but he’s too epicene to be sexy, I just can’t root for Armand and Louis when hot-as-fuck-and-beautiful-to-boot Sam Reid is your competition.

R260, Santiago (If that's his real name!) is called out for that mugging in today’s episode.

Woot! Binge time!👍

Who else wanted Louis and Lestat to get it on when they reunited?

So, at the end when Louis visits Lestat, who did Lestat say was retiring and that he thought he could replace her as a performer?

That was a very good ending. It seems the tv series will have Louis be way more forceful and powerful than the books, where he sort of wimpishly faded into the background after the first couple of books. If I remember correctly.

r264 I didn't, it was such a poignant moment with both of them mourning their daughter, sex would have ruined it.

r265 Martha Argerich, Argentine classical pianist. Widely considered to be one of the greatest pianists of all time. Still around by the way, she's 83.

I really wanted Louis and Lestat to fuck, but you have to find ways keep the sexually charged couple apart, no? That’s TV 101.

What I speculate is that Lestat had 70+ years of severe depression because he thought he lost his great love who now hated him and blamed him entirely for Claudia’s death, something he really did feel guilt about (personally I found Claudia a giant pain and am glad she’sgone but that’s me). So he was unkempt, dirty, pathetic. But now that they’ve hugged and made up, I think when next we see Lestat he’ll be his usual swaggering self, and there’ll be some sort of flirtation/negotiation to see if the two can and will team up again.

It certainly won’t happen in Dubai, I can’t see Lestat living there. And of course Armand will be coming back somehow too, I imagine. Loved the reveal re Daniel Molloy, if that was in the books, I’d long sonce forgotten that twist.

So it was Armand who turned Daniel into a vampire, then? Out of spite, as revenge? His first-ever fledgling? He probably hated every second of it. His "we can be each other's teachers, Louis!" crap at the end made me howl, he sounded like those domestic abusers in some spiritual circles – all performative zen masking an unchanged (and unchangeable) gremlin underneath. I feel so foolish for having fallen for him and mocking the Reddit fraus who hated him. Still a fan of Assad Zaman's performance, though. His facial expressions during the final revelation were everything.

I laughed when Louis made Daniel's laptop go up in flames. I'm sure those files were safely tucked away in the cloud.

[quote] I think when next we see Lestat he’ll be his usual swaggering self

I wonder how Reid will play Lestat next season considering he's said numerous times that the series has not shown the real Lestat. The Lestat we've been seeing across two seasons are other people's interpretation of him. Lestat at the end of this finale is the real Lestat. He's in a bad place now, granted; but he still has a bit of cockiness about him.

I hope they cast someone great for Lestat’s mother, Gabrielle. She wasn’t a huge character in the books, but I remember liking her. I think I quit reading the books after struggling to get through The Tale of the Body Thief.

What an excellent finale! Reid played the real Lestat with such vulnerability in the last scene. I also loved that they addressed some of the incongruencies in season 1.

So, next season seems to cover both The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned, which makes sense to be honest. Lestat's origin story has already been sprinkled between season 1 and 2, so they only have to fill out the gaps about his mortal life and do his encounter with Marius and Those Who Must Be Kept. They already introduced Raglan James, so Tale of the Body Thief is also planned for. With a Talamasca series, they'll probably give David Talbot a bigger role.

By then, the franchise will probably have run its course, and it would be a good place to stop. I don't remember anything about Memnoch the Devil anymore, but I remember hating it when it was released. Afterwards, I read a few more books (Pandora, I think), but Rice lost me as a reader back then.

This episode made for a great ending, in case the show wasn't renewed.

Now that we know there will be a season three, I wonder what will happen?

And who was texting Daniel, right before the big reveal about Armand? They even texted him, "Get out of there. Get out of there now!" Who was that, and how did they know what was going on?

I loved the scene where Louis got his revenge on the Paris vampires. They were so evil. Especially FRANCIS. Lol. I loved that back story on FRANCIS, and how Louis mocked him. "It's SANTIAGO!!!!" ROFL.

It was wonderful seeing Louis return to New Orleans. Such a nice homecoming. I wonder why he doesn't want to live there?

And who was the rough trade (Millennial) finding rats for Lestat? Was that his new boy toy? He's not really Lestat's type. Or maybe Lestat has always been into rough trade.

That interview with Daniel and the talk show host. That seemed totally political. Lots of one-liner jabs, including Prince Harry and the "Prisoner of Santa Barbara." Ouch!! Is Meghan safe from no one??? Daniel totally reminds me of Anthony Bourdain. A likable asshole.

So why didn't Lestat and Louis move in together, after the hurricane scene. Which was very weird, by the way. All that noise and banging. It seemed oddly out of place.

Now that we know there will be a third season, I'm curious to see where they go with it.

"I Rule the Night." Love it!

[R272] Raglan James texted Daniel during the interview. You know, the Talamasca member who approached him in the sushi restaurant.

The millenial vampire in New Orleans was probably just some random fledgling, one of the many new vampires created in recent years (maybe as part of the Great Conversion?). In the books, there seemed to be a lot of vampires in modern times who didn't appreciate the dark gift and didn't know anything about vampirism. I suspect the character won't reappear, or if he does won't exist for long.

What will Season 3 be like, and who is the real Lestat? These questions are addressed by the showrunner and Sam Reid:

[quote] AMC has officially renewed Interview With the Vampire for season 3, and the show will next adapt Rice's second book, The Vampire Lestat. "We're following the order of the books," Reid confirms. The new season will be centered on Lestat, who is resentful of his portrayal in Molloy's book and, determined to set his story straight, becomes a rock star.

[quote] "Sam worked really hard for two years as a supporting actor, and I think Jacob is very excited to do the same thing for him, and put Sam front and center," Jones tells EW. "We've just scratched the surface with Sam, who's an incredible actor."

[quote] The showrunner knows it was "maddening" for Reid to constantly play other characters' perceptions of Lestat rather than the actual character, but that's finally come to an end. "We gave him one scene that is objective, the scene in New Orleans," Jones says. "In that moment, that's nobody's point of view. The camera's over there watching both of them, so there you go, fans. One scene so far of the real Lestat."

[quote]And who was texting Daniel, right before the big reveal about Armand? They even texted him, "Get out of there. Get out of there now!" Who was that, and how did they know what was going on?

The Talamasca, they were probably listening to everything through Daniel's laptop and/or they might have microphones elsewhere in that penthouse, courtesy of Rashid.

I'm guessing that Armand won't be in season three?

[quote] I'm guessing that Armand won't be in season three?

Oh, he definitely will, I think. His story is part of Lestat's story to a degree (already covered from Armand's perspective in season 2), as is Armand's maker, Marius de Romanus. I expect to see Lestat's and Armand's history from his POV in season 3.

What was the relationship, if any, between Armand's maker and Lestat's maker? I rewatched Armand's monologue in the gallery and he didn't mention it.

I don't think there was any relationship mentioned in the books, but it's been a long time... They probably knew each other, since there weren't that many vampires during that time.

Magnus was part of Armand's Paris coven and old, but Armand's maker was a 1,500 year old Roman vampire when Armand was turned in the late 15th century. Also, I feel Marius kept his distance from vampires since he had been the caretaker of Those Who Must Be Kept for many centuries.

Interesting that they took two seasons to cover the first Rice novel (with interpolations from other books in the aroce supernatural universe). Looks like they’re in for a long run.

I remember the rock star stuff now. That should be fun for Sam Reid, I look forward to it.

That final scene between Lestat and Louis is my favorite depiction of a gay male couple ever.

Also of grieving gay fathers, at the very end of the scene. That's why I maintain sex – or even a kiss – would have ruined the moment.

Do you wanna know what I think of this show?

Why was the Talamasca so invested in breaking up Louis and Armand? It seems like that was the end result of the group deciding to help Daniel. I might need to go back and rewatch s02. I enjoyed it more than s01.

I don't think Talamasca's primary motivation was breaking those two up, that was just collateral damage. I have no idea why they inserted themselves into this interview, I'll have to rewatch the scenes with Reglan and Daniel again. To be honest, I wish the whole Talamasca angle was kept as far away from this show as possible.

Has Matt Damon weighed in yet?

Okay, I just started it, and I have to say, the worst part of this series is the casting for Armand... he's supposed to be gorgeous (and in the movie, he was), but the guy they have playing him here is just freaky ugly looking. Skeletal. Just completely unattractive and unappealing in every way. WTF.

So, when I said that, I was mean!! But when you said that its Gospel truth. I demand an apology.

So "hideous ugly Bangladeshi boypire with bad hair" is mean.

Zaman is a gorgeous guy, this is just bog-standard DL racism rearing its ugly head once again. You can see it in all the porn threads as well, everyone slobbering over the most milquetoast white American boy next door.

It's not racism, he's fucking ugly. He looks like a fucking skull. The worst hair, the worst sunken eyes, the smarmy attitude, all of it is DEEPLY unattractive.

Louis is hot as hell.

And yes, Lestat is fucking hot too.

Which is why it's so jarring to have this smarmy obnoxious ugly Skeletor guy playing Armond.

R290 is MAGA!

Hey, the cock wants what it wants. Assad Zaman is by no means a conventionally handsome ‘hunk’ in face or body, so the fact that not everyone here is pleased with his casting should be no surprise.

R290 finds Jacob Anderson “hot as hell,” so the assumption that his problem with Zaman is with his brown skin is out of line.

LOTS of guys of all colors and ethnicities are attracted to pretty white men, we don’t decide who we are attracted to, we just are or we are not. I see plenty of posts on DL that assume any guy of color is hotter than white boy-next-door types. Whatever.

We are in very dangerous waters if we’re going to start policing the sort of men other men are attracted to. You think Zaman is gorgeous, fine. Not everyone does.

I think we can count on Christian nationalist Republicans to start policing our libidos if they win big win in November, we don’t need to start anticipating that here. Again, the law of desire imposes its own rules, stop insulting people for who they think is hot (or not). And stop assuming racism is at work if someone states that a particular man of color isn’t fantasy material for them.

I just finished the first book in the series, and I have to say that all of the changes made for the TV show were improvements.

Couldn't agree more r293.

The only change I might quibble with is aging up Claudia from a 5 year old.

A five year old incredibly vicious, incredibly libidinous vampire losing her virginity every time she fucks was probably the edgiest part of the books. It also made her final death that much more horrifying, and the grief of her "fathers" that much more tragic.

R294 - the vampires don’t have sex in the books. They’re incapable of it.

Armand didn't have his titties out enough for me.

Gross.

R286, see r215 and r218.

The way Armand's betrayal was revealed was amazing. I did not see that coming!

Really? The guy just OOZES betrayal. Completely untrustworthy from the moment he first appeared on screen.

I agree, R299. He fooled me.

[quote]What I speculate is that Lestat had 70+ years of severe depression because he thought he lost his great love

True. There were a spate of cast interviews that dropped the night of finale and in one Reid says Lestat thought Louis died on September 8, 1973 and he blamed himself because he let Louis go with Armand. Also, the regret/pain of Claudia's death.

If the series had not been renewed this would have been a perfect finale. Lestat turned Louis on a stormy night, when talking about Lestat going off-script during the he said, "You can't script a hurricane.", during the trial Claudia said Lestat coming was another round in he and Louis' stormy romance, and we wrap up their story embracing amid a hurricane.

I'm glad they're doing "The Vampire Lestat", but I don't like the possibility of Jacob Anderson's diminished appearance next season. While Reid has said that Lestat had his own Dream Louis, I don't see that being a convention they will use next season to fit Louis into the story.

I'm on the second episode and Molloy is ALREADY on my last nerve. It's off-putting.

Then give up now, R303, he’s a big part of this season (and young Daniel Molloy is hot).

I think Eric Bogosian is terrific in this, and I like the old time street boy quality he brings to the rather effete polished lives that Louis and Armand are depicted as having. It’s a nice contrast.

And in the hour-long behind-scenes special, he seems to have been thoroughly energized as an actor by playing this part, he’s really into it.

I love how he plays the character as so jaded that nothing they say appears to affect him! But he has admitted he was afraid. But he didn't show it!

R141, Jacob and Sam seem to be so close in real life and to adore each other, to the point that other people working on the show talk about how much they love each other. I think that's so sweet, and I was wondering if you had any thoughts on their friendship when you worked on the show, or what you heard from others?

Sam is Lestat the Rock Star in Season 3. I searched Youtube to see if I could find any videos of Sam Reid performing and singing, and I found this one.

Bring on Gabrielle.

Oooh, Michelle Pfeiffer as Gabrielle!! Someone make it happen!!!

Sam's got such a rich tone to his voice, singing or speaking.

We didn't really see it this season, but Sam has...the greatest body in the world?...so I'm hoping we see it more next season when he's in rockstar mode

Crazy hot cast all around

Wow. The movie pales in comparison! Very good!

It really does, R312. I also think the series would have been worse if Anne and Christopher were allowed to directly muck around in it. I think early on they got paid to sit back and shut up. Christopher has said he’s not allowed to openly discuss the show.

[quote]Christopher has said he’s not allowed to openly discuss the show.

Wow, I had no idea. I thought he was massively involved, given how gay it all was. I remember when Fuller was still involved, Christopher said it was important to not treat that part as subtext.

I follow him on social media and he never posts anything about it. Doesn’t even repost or share promos.

When Anne and Christopher were involved when Paramount optioned the rights to her eleven books. The series was to cover "The Vampire Lestat" and Christopher wrote the pilot with Bryan Fuller getting involved with the possibility of him becoming showrunner. Paramount's let option lapse, the project landed at Hulu, then they passed on it. AMC bought the rights to the books, didn't entertain Rice's script and that was the end of his involvement in a creative way.

Oof, I imagine he must be absolutely seething that the show has been such a critical success.

I JUST saw a guy in the downtown Jersey City Shoprite who looked exactly like Assad Zaman! What are the odds (could be an Indian guy who looks a lot like him), but then again, it is right across the river from NYC... He could be working on a project in NYC or have family/friends in the JC area. You never know lol! But yeah, I had to do a double-take!

People on the general TV subreddit were PISSED because TVLine declared Abby Elliott and Jamie Lee TraUma Curtis as performers of the week in that shitty episode of The Bear, instead of Anderson and Reid.

I swear to god Anderson sounds exactly like Brad Pitt when he starts his "I'm sorry speech" in that Lestat scene in NOLA, thanks to a combination of an emotional voice and sound mixing, what with the hurricane racket in the background. I'll have to watch that movie one of these days, I only remember fragments of it from my childhood.

Season one of this show and the first season of Mayfair Witches coming to Netflix on August 19th.

R306 the shipping fraus have waddled over from Heartstopper & RWRB threads. Will you fat femcels just buy a vibrator.

The costumes on this show are incredible. Looking forward to whatever they dress sam reid in as rockstar lestat.

^^ leather pants

Considering Lestat designed his, Louis and Claudia's outfits for Mardi Gras, rock star Lestat has to be really flashy.

Would love to see Reid in leather, harness, straps, etc. But Lestat is elegant and has refined taste so not sure he would go that route. Perhaps more like Glam Rock?

Glam Rock for sure!