#iwtv spoilers /

[hallucinatinghalos]

It's interesting to me that the show writers have decided to make the monastery be the moment Lestat is brought home violently, and at (I would assume) such a young age. In TVL he's still taken from the monastery against his will and denied an education (devastating enough) but it's not until he's older and runs away to join the theatre troupe that they drag him home violently. His eventual response to the assault and yet again being denied control of his life, and some other major events I'll skip over, is to move to Paris and become an actor anyway. But by making the physical abuse happen so young, and be so brutal, they're creating a flashpoint of extreme helplessness and harm without hope of escape that will parallel his turning by Magnus (who also now imprisons him for a week which is longer than the books' shorter but still horrific turning)

The repercussions of the abuse at the hands of his father and brother as it occurs in the show would be a little death, a transformation. The child that left for the monastery is lost, the Lestat that walks out of his room with his prayers silenced and saints forgotten cannot be the same person and survive. That will certainly mirror his mortal/human death and turning by Magnus. He is struck down, altered so cruelly by both his father and by his maker.

And don't even get me started on the ramifications of his relationship with the divine. That he wanted to be a priest. That his prayers repeatedly go unanswered in the face of such horrors. The ocean between himself and God.

The part of the apology/reconciliation scene that I think strikes best at the heart of his abandonment issues as it pertains to the divine is when he gently scoffs at himself for calling out to God during his turning. Despite previous experience, he again tried to survive the wrath of a larger, stronger being by praying. The situation so extreme he was made utterly powerless. And yet, again, there was no intervention. Again, he was abandoned to this awful fate and now there he sits a monster. Worst of all though he's his family's monster asking for forgiveness that he does not feel he deserves. You know he recognizes the anger in Claudia's eyes, the harm. His smile is a sad defense against Louis' pity. It's crushing.

"I didn't want this." he tells them as if to apologize for his very existence, his being.

He has become the thing he hates most.

He is so vulnerable here. My god.

I can't even allow my brain to delve into his psychological state in the garbage dump, post-murder. That he knows he was so awful that he pushed Claudia and Louis to such desperate measures. It's no wonder he breaks down during the trial when recalling Louis putting him in his coffin, that Louis saved him despite what he was, what he'd done. You will never convince me he was at the trial for retribution, and I do not trust the tower scene as we saw it at all. He would mentally be in tatters. The events of the trial, whatever his involvement ultimately was, of seeing Louis in that situation and watching his daughter murdered...there are no words for what he would be going through (and that's without knowing what the full context of the trial was for him) there is only what remains years later...

A broken creature.

Louis leaving him was truly a push to destruction equal to Armand pushing his weakened body off the tower in the book, as near a fatal blow as Louis could strike in that moment. Lestat is alone and defeated. A fate he maybe feels he deserves, that he should've never survived to this point anyway. His existence only seeming to harm those he's loved most (can't forget Nicki here.) There is something about him choosing to sit in that ruined house and starve that calls back to his bedroom prison post-monastery. I can see why Rolin allowed the level of emotion to remain in the reunion scene. Because Lestat is as emotionally broken here as he is physically broken in the book. There is next to nothing left in him to rally against the flood of his feelings. He's that kid starving in his room, the man trapped with a monster, and a being that's hated his mind & body for lifetimes. It's unbearably sad and it should be gut-wrenching.

I'm guessing these changes (maybe more a shuffling) are just for more efficient storytelling. A way to get the viewer from point A to point B of his messy backstory more quickly with the same trauma of bookLestat still intact. What is my point? I don't know. I don't really have one. Mostly I'm just rambling, appreciating the show writers, and I really need new content.

Added a cut because below is a short S3 speculation that may contain spoilers.

Not that anyone asked but I'm leaning toward the idea that they'll have it be when he runs away with the theatre troupe (or just leaves for Paris) as a young adult he never comes home again. That the wolves will happen at some point before that but remain the life-changing catalyst and that the reunion with Nicki will be in Paris. That he will have a longer acting career before Magnus finds him. If that is the way it goes I hope Gabrielle still has a hand in his flight from Auvergne, but we'll see.

[mossycakes]

being a fan of hannibal and interview with the vampire means losing your shit over botticelli

[innit1]

In my brain nothing bad ever happened and they’re now living in a cottage in Paris

they’re so special to me I don’t even wanna talk abt it 😤

[fandom-chameleon23]

Ok so I binged season two of IWTV in two days because I was enthralled. CAPTIVATED. The way that season two completely reinterprets season one and adds layers upon layers is insane. I was looking back at my part one post here and just laughing!!! He had me completely buying his story. I knew there were issues with his recollection and he was an unreliable narrator but I really did not know to what extent.

So Lestat and Louis in season one do seem to have a very… I used the word stereotypical before… abusive relationship. Of course this is entirely intentional because that’s the way Louis is telling the story. It’s a different version than the story he told in 1973 but it’s still not the full picture. It makes me want to go back and rewatch season one to see what I pick up on.

Armand and Louis had me on a roller coaster. First it seems like Armand, being this ancient vampire, is 100% in control and then no, Louis is the Maitre (that made me honest to god blush) and then wait Armand edited their 1973 memories and then wait Louis asked him to and I’m so confused I honestly don’t know what to think anymore.

ANYWAY 10/10 will be thinking about this for weeks

[criztyeve]

Si yo quería...

[m00nys-world]

Listen, I know I’ve said I hate Lestat multiple times too, but… I’m not saying I like him now because I don’t, but he’s scared of being lonely. (If you’ve felt lonely before, you know what I’m talking about—like real lonely.) I’m not saying this excuses his actions (like dropping Louis, making Louis and Claudia prisoners at some point, and many other things), but… loneliness.

[gracerings]

daniel molloy character of all time once again: like imagine you’re a 20-something drug addict and a terrible journalist on account of being 20-something and a drug addict and you randomly meet a vampire at a gay bar and you think wow I might get drugs, gay sex and a story out of this and instead what you get is psychologically and physically tortured by his husband and your memories of it all erased and then 50 years later you’re DYING and those vampires show up in your life again to ask you to write the story of their happy marriage and your memory might be fucked but ON GOD you WILL ruin that marriage if it’s the last thing you do. and then not only do you succeed and walk out of it alive, but also with a bestseller, millions in your bank account AND immortality AND the knowledge that your annoying human ass was somehow the one thing that made that 500+ year old predator so mad that he broke his lifetime vow to never turn anyone. AND, on top of that, you’re out of the CLOSET.

[loo-nuh-tik]

Interview with the Vampire | 2.02

[shhhhimwatchingthis]

My favourite underrated thing about Louis de Point du Lac is that he truly is the least curious vampire to ever be made and he does not give fuck about vampires despite being one.

Its Claudia who goes to libraries, reads the folklore, tries to learn as much as she can and pushes Lestat for answers about who made him and where the others are. Claudia says Vampire Pride and Louis says hmmm Vampire Tolerance.

And Louis...truly does not care about vampire history,law, culture. He's never even thought to ask. There are vampire laws?...ok...Lestat never cared about them and he's not going to either, lol. He's broken a few and he will continue to do so. Oh you have a coven? he's not gonna join it, he's gonna do his own thing. but good for you good for you.

the 500+ year old Coven Leader, he's gonna call Louis, Maitre, actually.

He has fire powers? thats kinda cool. he'll learn that but only cause it lets him vent his feelings about Lestat.

Lestat and Armand say the name of the vampire queen in front of him and Lestat straight up says, "Louis has no idea who that is" and do you think Louis cares, outside of the fact that for some reason it means he can't kill Lestat? No! Do you think in the 77 years he's been with Armand he ever took 5 minutes to ask a follow up question? No!

Do you think he will care about Akasha in season 3? Doubt it! Outside of her obsession with Lestat, who is the only person left on the planet he seems to be able to filter Caring About This Shit through

He blatantly breaks the 3rd law and publishes a book about being a vampire and when the other vampires get pissed not only does he not apologise he literally sends them his location and says 'you wanna fight? lmao don't miss'

I love him. Daniel Molloy is gonna need to bring his A game because Louis will not be solving a single mystery next season, nor would it even occur to him to try.

[kayascodelorio]

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE S3 TEASER | Meet the Vampire Lestat ft. Sam Reid

[speckled-jim]

Armand: "I had never made one. The idea repulsed m— repulses me."

Armand when Louis leaves him alone for two seconds with Daniel:

[zamanassad]

vampire with a pearl earring

[ayo-edebiri]

#And he was right!!!

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (2022 - ) I 2.08

[userarmand]

I feel like I get to pick one thing for myself, and it's her. A weird white lady I met by happenstance.

[fandom-chameleon23]

I was fooled y’all I was fucking fooled, I thought I was being real smart picking up on the inconsistencies but I just finished season two (I binged it in two days bc…. HELLO??) and ohhhhh boy the way it recast my entire understanding of the show. I will definitely have more to share…

I just finished season one of Interview with the Vampire! Thoughts below (disclaimer I have not read the book):

One of my favorite things is the exploration of memory and emotion as Louis is presenting this story. Daniel’s comment about EMDR therapy made me laugh. It definitely resonates with my experience, especially with the idea that we can tell ourself a narrative that may not be true for emotional reasons.

The relationship between Lestat and Louis… oh boy. I usually love a good toxic relationship (I mean I ship silvergifting for god’s sake) but this one felt more creepy than anything. I’m still figuring out why, I think partially bc certain aspects hit a little too close to home. Also it felt very stereotypical of a M/f abusive relationship including the triangulation with Claudia. I haven’t studied gender/sexuality in media much so I don’t take my opinion too seriously but I just picked up on what felt like stereotypes.

All that to say I still am enjoying the show and I’m insanely excited to see what happens next (in the present and past!!!) I just love to hate Lestat lmao.

Let me know your thoughts! (no spoilers for season two please)

[prouvaireafterdark]

listen I know it's heartbreaking that Claudia dies and it's understandable to wish she didn't, but let's please not accuse the writers of fridging her. to do so is a fundamental misunderstanding of the story and is frankly insulting to the intelligence and skill of the writers of the show.

Claudia's death, and the overwhelming grief and regret her parents experience because of it, is quite literally the point of the entire story. she dies because Anne's daughter Michele died of leukemia when she was five years old and there was nothing she or her husband could do to prevent it.

writing IWTV was how Anne coped with the unimaginable loss of a parent losing her child. she created a story about a little girl that could not die and then killed her anyway. Claudia's death is a senseless, unavoidable tragedy, just like Michele's was. the grief that haunts Louis and Lestat for the rest of their lives is the same grief that haunted Anne and her husband.

so when you're accusing people of killing Claudia off to benefit a story about two men, please remember that in real life sometimes parents lose their children. please remember Michele Rice.

she's the reason Claudia exists.

she's also the reason Claudia cannot be saved.