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Interview with the Vampire: The Thing Lay Still

“Claudia, you’ve been a very, very naughty little girl.”

So closes this season. With the story split in half, it had to end here, and my god, was it hard to watch.

What a marvelous game of manipulation and lies, as both Louis and Claudia faced off against Lestat to prove who was better at deception. Of course Lestat was overconfident, thinking he knew the whole plan, and had won before anything was started. He did play dirty, trying to scope out their thoughts by stealthy turning Antoinette. It was a brilliant maneuver, allowing him knowledge that had been shut off to him because he was their maker. Of course if Antoinette turned against him he would’ve been in the same boat.

It was implied Claudia was clued in when Lestat made his first move, intercepting her on the train last episode. Sure, the easiest explanation was that he was just watching her, but it was awfully suspicious. There were a few little moments like that, and during the Ball there were some weird whispers, and Lestat looked like he knew about their plan, and was desperately sad that he was finally losing Louis for good. Maybe he was even debating whether he could save his love, or if he would have to kill him.


Of course Claudia was five steps ahead of him, pushing pieces to be sacrificed just like in their final game of chess in the previous episode. Baiting him, playing against his weaknesses and known behaviors to ultimately win, if it can be called a win. Sure, Lestat is now out of the picture, and Antoinette is dead. But where do Louis and Claudia go from here? Out into the great unknown in search of other vampires with answers to their elusive questions.

I won’t get into conjectures or book comparisons right now, but I have to wonder how much they are going to continue to change with this adaptation? So for this episode the biggest change was the Ball and Mardi Gras massacre. While the twins were a nice nod to the book using laudanum and arsenic, they were adults, which lessened the horror somewhat. I did ultimately like the change up of the victim which paid off Tom as a long running character.

Possibly the biggest change was also the most emotional. In the book and original movie it was Claudia that sliced Lestat’s throat. Having Louis do it was far more satisfying and intimate given the nature of their relationship in this story, and what Lestat did to him. At the same time it was clearly a major turning point for the character, and is what brings the story in the present to a distinct and startling revelation. Of course, I’m talking about the fact that Rashid is Armand.


Those final few minutes are the series in a nutshell. It is all about the hunt for the truth as Daniel relentlessly questions Louis and Rashid about the facts of Lestat's death, how he was disposed of, and whether that was sufficient for their kind. He pushes and pushes to the point where Louis has shut down and Rashid gives up the ruse, taking off his colored contacts and rising up to grab a book from those odd upper bookshelves, their design suddenly making sense. While Daniel is floored, we are reminded about the conversation regarding memory. Then we get that final line, and I honestly have no words. It isn't just shocking, it is almost unbelievable.

Bits:

Since the release of this episode, the producers of Interview with the Vampire have stated that future installments of this series will be far more faithful (they are quoted as saying ‘wildly faithful’) to the original books.

The Mayfair Witches is another series in the AMC Immortal Universe dropping in January. It is based on a series of books that take place in the same universe as the Vampire Chronicles. I’m not as invested in Mayfair, but we’ll determine if we’re going to do a review for that series as well. You might remember a reference to the Mayfair sisters in the first episode.

This episode had some of the most gruesome horror elements on the show to date, with some excessively gory dismemberment shots and more blood than usual. Which is not surprising for a show on a network that hosts The Walking Dead.

The quote at the top was from Interview with the Vampire (1994) spoken by Tom Cruise as Lestat.

Quote:

Armand: "As we age, the sun loses its power over us. What's a mediocre star to a 514 year old vampire?"

This was a heavy and engaging series that just makes me want more. It wasn’t a 'faithful' adaptation if you are talking page to screen translation, but the feel of the world and the characters were all very well done. I guess what I’m trying to say is I cannot wait for season two, which should be out next year at some point.

4 out of 4 Hapless Mardi Gras Massacre Victims

One last kiss
Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.

3 comments:

  1. OK... I've started reading, The Vampire Lestat... I'm an avid reader anyway... and I couldn't bear waiting to see an idea of what might happen. One thing I must comment on, getting back to the show and Sam Reid's performance. I speak fluent French, and I'm really impressed, not only with his French, but with his French accent when he speaks English. Most actors will go with a caricature of a French accent... "Zis is zat"... type of thing. But his accent when speaking English is really really good. It is extremely realistic to what it would be.

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  2. Heather Parnell, I totally agree. Tom Cruise's faux French accent in the movie was awful. Sam Reid is fabulous.

    I'll admit that the party massacre was too much for me. But this series really is gorgeous, and I'm looking forward to season two. Thank you so much for reviewing this one, Samantha.

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  3. The entire ball was gorgeous, although the subtitles sadly gave away the Antoinette twist. They labeled her voice when she spoke, so there was no mystery there. But oh, the dance between Lestat and Louis. I'm suddenly right back to where I was in kinda hoping that the two of them work it out and end up happily ever after. (Or as happily as vampires can be.)

    My personal knowledge of who Armand is is very limited. I think he was played by Antonio Banderas in the movie adaptation, but that was also the part of the movie that I got bored and stopped paying attention. I don't know how I feel about Louis declaring him to be the love of his life, though. Armand declaring that he's there to protect Louis, coupled with his earlier declaration that Louis was his god (if we assume such a statement was true) feels very controlling. Louis is locked away in essentially a massive glass coffin with someone who can leave whenever he wants. It doesn't feel healthy.

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