If Episode one “In Throes of Increasing Wonder…” was the appetizer, Episode two, ““After the Phantoms of Your Former Self,” delivers the main course, and boy does it deliver…
Die-hard fans of the novels will recognize several scenes in this week’s horrifying offering, from the fallout of Louis’s vampiric transformation to the outing of Lestat’s flamboyant and dangerous passion for the hunt, to the culmination of Louis’ first kill. These are scenes loyal readers of the Chronicles know well. They will lay the foundation of Louis’ transformation and chart the path of his vampiric evolution – mind, body, and soul.
But in true Rolins style, we open the second episode with something completely new. It’s present day Dubai again, and the topic (ironically) is fine cuisine. As Daniel is fed a endless series of exquisitely-prepared extravagant courses, we can’t help making the comparisons to Louis’ own meager meal – a bag of blood, ‘fresh from the farm’, and a live rabbit, which he kills and devours without flinching. Later, he’ll feast on the neck of a breathing human being. Juxtaposted with the young man we know from 1910 and this present-day hardened cold killer, the question begs to be asked; what happened? Who is Louis now? The answer may come in the form of Louis’ man-servant when he announces “I serve a god.”
Man, god, or monster? Luckily for us, episode two doesn’t hold back. It’s a vibrant tapestry of profound and vibrant memories, vividly documenting Louis’ first bloody moments as a vampire.
The flashbacks resume as Lestat and Louis are walking through New Orleans, debating their existence:
“Vampires are killers. Apex predators, whose all-seeing eyes were meant to give them detachment. The ability to see a human life in its entirety, not with any mawkish sorrow but with a thrilling satisfaction in being the end of that life, in having a hand in the divine plan.”
And with those words, AMC peels back another layer of the oft-misunderstood and always poetic complex vampire icon that is Lestat de Lioncourt.
Fans of the Vampire Chronicles will often tell you that there are no vampire characters – or characters – as engaging and iconic as Lestat. Sam Reid (The Newsreader) a fan of Lestat himself, has frequently spoken of the honor of playing such a beloved and bombastic character. As we see more of him in this episode, the reverence is apparent. Sam oozes with Lestat-like confidence and arrogance, repressed religious trauma, and deep distain for weakness in his fledgling. True to the books his love of music and theatre is also revealed – offering us our first in-depth understanding of Lestat as a complex villain and potential anti-hero. AMC adds it’s own flavor by placing the two in racist 1910 New Orleans, where they must hide their budding relationship under the guise of lord and valet. It’s only in the privacy of a theater box, with the lights down, that they can dispose of the facade. This choice by the showrunners adds an extra layer of spice to their already lopsided power dynamic of sire and fledgling, or master and slave, and affirms the network’s decision to place the story in an alternative place and time.
Just as we’re treated to the ‘softer’ side of Lestat, he dashes it by murdering a tenor; sharing the blood with Louis, who is gradually falling deeper and deeper under his magnetic spell. This dynamic will be repeated again and again in their actions. uUnlike the novels, AMC doesn’t shy away from painting a full picture of their toxic coupling.
As the robust episode returns to close in present day, we see Daniel presiding over his last course – dessert. The act leads him to reminisce about his late wife and the singular human experiences they shared. But there is something amiss in his voice – doubt? Confusion? We’re left to digest the bizarre routine Louis is putting Daniel through in Dubai, and his motives for doing it. Now that we’ve seen the prologue to his transformation to cold-blooded killer, his motives suddenly seem more complex and we’re left to wonder what a lifetime with Lestat has done to his mind. Whatever the truth behind this sudden desire to see Daniel again, we’re beginning to sense that things may not be as they seem.
Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire airs every Sunday through November 13 at 10 PM EST on AMC. Episodes are available one week in advance for subscribers of AMC+.
Photo via AMC
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