The story was part of Interview With the Vampire‘s initial success. It is a wild odyssey that you can’t predict the next course (except if you’ve read the books). Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Episode 1 does not feel like that.
As the show resumes after over a year off, the narrative in the current timeline in Dubai doesn’t skip a beat. It continues Louis’ (Jacob Anderson) narration of his time with Claudia (Delainey Hayles) post-Lestat.
“Let the tale seduce you” remains forever iconic, but the tale of the hour is less seductive. There is no cohesion between the remaining players, the narrative becomes too real, and it feels like the protagonists are on a vain quest.
But even in all that, great developments make the hour very important, even if it’s not fun.
BEWARE OF POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD!A Single Dad and His Murderous Daughter Trek Across War-torn Europe…
Every promotional piece for the show did not forget to mention Paris. It was the most incredible allure, and its promised drama felt very within reach.
But in Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Episode 1, we find a purposeless Louis tagging along with a very determined Claudia. The road to Paris, not even the initial destination, is full of death, loss, and despair.
Trekking through Europe during a war enhances the negative feelings swirling around Louis and Claudia.
War is never pretty, yet we humans can never get enough of it. Death stinks today like it did a hundred years ago. Seeing and hearing Luois narrate the decimation level sustained by cities and their people was gut-wrenching.
Most vampires would never pay attention to that, but sweet Louis, holding on to his humanity, could not ignore it.
The vampire-seeking excursion brings up a lot for Louis and Claudia.
Claudia is still a child for all practical purposes. Even when Louis cannot see any signs of anything positive, her optimism might be why he loves her so much. She reminds him that the world has more to offer than what’s currently on the table.
But there is still the Lestat of it all.
Claudia sees that she can never have Louis to herself as long as Lestat remains in his memories, fueling her desire to find more vampires so that she may find kinship. If Lestat ever turns up and Louis folds, she’ll have a family to lean on.
Bringing Back Lestat
The other thing that makes Interview With the Vampire a gripping tale is the characters. None are as enjoyable, entertaining, and enraging as Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid).
When Louis and Claudia killed him, it felt like a massive loss for the show because he could elevate a scene with one swipe of his theatrics card, and he never ran out of those.
Interview with the Vampire Season 2 teases that there will be more of Lestat, even if it’s from Louis’ projection.
He has one scene that doesn’t feel remotely enough, so here’s to hoping we see more of him.
Interview With the Vampire and the Love of His Life
In Dubai, the interview has not taken a break. Molloy (Eric Bogosian) is still as aggressive as ever and nearly breaks Louis.
After Rashid’s real identity was revealed at the end of Season 1, Armand (Assad Zaman) is expected to be a more significant part of the story this season than in the previous one.
He has moved from the unnoticeable role of a servant gliding by while completing his chores to Louis’ protector, who seems to have much to offer.
The episode offers snippets of what to expect for the rest of the season, and nothing is more exciting than seeing the dynamics of Louis and Armand’s relationship.
Specifically, something is intriguing about Armand. For one, Molloy hates him with passion and doesn’t hide it. Maybe he knows the full extent of Armand’s powers and fears letting Armand take control.
Or, there is something from the past that makes him that hostile.
Loumand vs Loustat
Vampire Armand is the love of Louis’ life.
Lestat de Lioncourt is Louis’ first all-consuming love. But that’s over with now.
There is so much about Loumand to be excited about. This is the season we see them meet and fall in love.
Their relationship is #goals at the moment. They seem to be in sync, carefully listening to the other person’s (vampire?) needs and addressing them accordingly. This envy-worthy calmness exists in their relationship.
But it doesn’t seem like it was always like that. They’ve had seventy years to perfect it, and it is beautiful.
Occasionally, something jumps out from Armand’s being, but for a brief moment. He looks like he’s spending a lot of energy trying to remain calm, especially when Molloy rides Louis hard and looks like he might break Louis.
Armand tries to interject several times, but Molloy stops him. When he’s shut down, one can almost see his efforts to avoid flying into a rage and separate Molloy’s head from the rest of his body in one swift motion.
It seems like Louis has anchored and calmed Armand down, while Armand has offered Louis the safety, stability, and love he had sought in Lestat.
Armand seems to relish serving Louis. That, or Louis knows how to wrap his men around his fingers.
The Interview Continues
Despite not enjoying being controlled by Molloy, Armand agrees to join in on the interview. As they sit next to each other and occasionally check in with touch or glances, they are clearly in love, even after seventy years.
With their attempts to find similar-minded vampires turning up naught, Louis and Claudia decide to go to Paris. As they leave, Louis makes a mistake he is bound to regret. “You and me,” he promises Claudia. That’s not a promise Louis can keep. Neither of them can keep it, but he promised.
Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Episode 1 “What Can the Damned Really Say to the Damned” feels different. For one episode, it’s okay since it is vital to have a starting point for the characters’ journeys.
It won’t be okay if the rest of the season keeps the same beat because it’s not enjoyable. The show is known for being campy and extra, but we get death and gloom.
As things change with the arrival in Paris, the tone changes, and we get great lighting and noisy, lively streets. To the writers’ credit, they are aware that the episode is dark and uninviting, which is better than the opposite.
It allows them to fix it and given the trust they’ve built with the viewers throughout the first season, it’s okay to trust they will.
One can appreciate its purpose, but this is not what Interview with the Vampire is.
Rating: 7/10.