In the past, we finally meet the Théâtre des Vampires, while in the present, Daniel prods too hard at Louis’ soft spots.
Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Episode 2.
The Big Picture
- Daniel struggles to navigate Louis and Armand’s united front during the interview in Dubai.
- Louis and Claudia’s arrival in Paris results in eye-opening revelations about identity and morality.
- The debut of the Théâtre des Vampires in Paris ignites tensions among vampires and introduces new dynamics.
In case we weren’t already aware that this Interview with the Vampire was starting to descend into some sticky places, Season 2’s latest episode, “Do You Know What It Means to Be Loved by Death,” written by Jonathan Ceniceroz & Shane Munson and directed by Craig Zisk, is here to hammer home the fact that journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) may be more in over his head than he thinks in Dubai. There have been previous instances within the titular interview where Daniel seems to be more in control of the conversation — it helps that certain pieces of Louis de Pointe du Lac’s (Jacob Anderson) memory aren’t always the most reliable — but now, with Louis’ longtime lover, the ancient vampire Armand (Assad Zaman), serving as a more active participant, Daniel has to try and parse through the deflections and diversions to keep rooting out the truth. It’s clear that after last week’s episode, the vampire couple wants to present a united front moving forward, but as Armand gradually shifts from adorably finishing Louis’ sentences to trying to offer answers on his behalf, our suspicions are raised right alongside the interviewer’s.
Interview with the Vampire
Based on Anne Rice’s iconic novel, follow Louis de Pointe’s epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to the journalist Daniel Molloy.
- Release Date
- 2022-00-00
- Creator
- Rolin Jones
- Cast
- Sam Reid , Jacob Anderson , Eric Bogosian , Bailey Bass , Assad Zaman
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Seasons
- 2
Claudia and Louis Are Adrift in Paris in ‘Interview with the Vampire’ Season 2 Episode 2
When the interview resumes at the beginning of the episode, we settle in as Louis starts to narrate the beginnings of his and Claudia’s (Delainey Hayles) time in Paris — with the occasional on-the-record interjection from Armand, of course. Compared to Romania, this city feels like one reemerging into the fullest version of itself, even as battle scars from World War II continue to hold sway. As Claudia picks pockets for any source of money or wealth to keep them living comfortably, Louis decides to take up photography as a hobby — and a way, as he himself admits in the present day, to “take his mind off of things.” (Presumably, this means Lestat.) But Armand also notes that it is customary for traveling vampires to introduce themselves to a city’s coven-in-residence — which Claudia and Louis decidedly do not. This rankles the members of Armand’s group, although, to be fair, most of them don’t extend the welcome wagon either, simply choosing to spy on these two newcomers from afar.
As Louis and Claudia set themselves up in an apartment (living on a floor between “students and sex workers,” as Armand notes), there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Louis isn’t completely happy, resigning himself to their new surroundings while Claudia tries to paint herself as the embodiment of contentment. One late-night conversation at a café proves especially revealing when Claudia confronts Louis directly, asking him to answer what seems like a rather simple question: Who is he, really? Louis’ instinctive answer is that he’s Claudia’s brother, but that isn’t satisfactory, and Claudia presses further — asking Louis to define himself outside of her, outside of Lestat (Sam Reid). It’s more telling that Louis either doesn’t have an answer or can’t land on one, but perhaps he’s also saved from having to spend too long wrestling with his own identity when the vampires who have laid claim to Paris finally reach out.
Admittedly, Claudia and Louis have been in Paris for around five months before Armand makes his move — though what is the passage of time, really, to vampires? For the first meeting, however, Armand takes advantage of Louis wandering around Paris on his own, following him through a park known for illicit moonlight meetings between men and initially observing him at a distance before approaching him directly beneath a flickering streetlamp. In the present, Louis and Armand collectively reflecting on their first meeting is a meaningful reverie, one that clearly holds significance for them both if the sweeping score by Daniel Hart is any indication. Louis is convinced Armand means to kill him; Armand’s first words, looking up at Louis from underneath the slanted brim of his hat, are to promise that he will do him no harm. It’s all very romantic! Yet one can’t shake the feeling that this relationship is going to have all kinds of ripple effects in the decades to come, and not just because they’ve made sure to tell Daniel they’ve been together for 77 years (47 years longer than Louis was with Lestat, just to hammer that point home). Back in the park, Armand leaves Louis with his card before slinking off into the night, and frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Louis fell a little bit in love with him right then.
‘Interview with the Vampire’ Season 2 Episode 2 Introduces Us to the Théâtre des Vampires
When presented with the evidence of other vampires in Paris, Claudia’s ecstatic response tells us all we need to know about where the duo is headed — to the Théâtre des Vampires itself. The two have been given the VIP treatment with the best seats available, per the ticket taker, but when Louis and Claudia enter the house, it seems that may not be as much of an honor as it once was, as the theater itself has clearly fallen far since its heyday in Paris. Seats that were likely once packed to the walls are now barely filled, and most of the audience is either made up of lingering English soldiers or the few human devotees who look like proto-Rocky Horror fans, dressing themselves up to look like vampires and reciting portions of the opening monologue verbatim. It matters little that the theater isn’t full; the cast fluidly acts through a series of plays in front of cinema screens, exaggerated displays of farce and death to lull the audience into complacency before the real show begins.
We’ve already been introduced to the Théâtre’s hypnotic lead thespian, Santiago (Ben Daniels), when he initially welcomed the audience to tonight’s performance, hinting that everyone seated was “complicit” in what they were about to witness. The meaning of that becomes startlingly apparent when a sobbing woman runs onto the stage in torn clothes and smudged makeup, warning everyone in the audience that she’s about to be murdered and pleading for her life to be spared. Santiago, dressed as Death in a black hood and carrying a scythe, entrances her into willing submission before the rest of the company pounces, feeding on her until the last of her screams die out. Louis is disgusted. Claudia is elated. The rest of the very human audience is divided between discomfort and uncertainty at what they’ve just witnessed (the newcomers) and rapturous applause (the Rocky Horror regulars).
Backstage, Armand formally introduces Louis and Claudia to the Théâtre, but amid all the namedropping and pointed questions from Santiago about where they came from, Claudia spots a portrait hanging on the wall. It’s the co-founder of the Théâtre des Vampires, Armand says, and one of the best thespians to ever grace their stage: Lestat de Lioncourt. Quick thinking leads Claudia and Louis to lie about the identity of their sire — some guy named “Bruce,” who tragically threw himself into a fire right in front of them — but not every member of the coven seems to take their word at face value, especially Santiago. Later that night, Louis is convinced that the Théâtre will want to kill them if they discover Lestat met his end at their hand, Claudia still wants to go back out of a desire to be with her own kind. “Don’t ruin this for me,” she declares, and yet Louis can’t let go of the lingering feeling that Lestat may not be truly dead. Dropping in at the Parisian law firm Lestat conducted business through provides no answers, save for a box that was meant to be given to him in the event of Lestat’s demise. At the top of the box’s contents is a letter from Lestat that reaffirms his love and trust in Louis, which is as subtle as a blow to the head in hammering Louis’ own guilt home. Again, deeply romantic, especially as the version of Lestat in Louis’ head begins to cry blood tears while reading the letter aloud!
A month passes with no incident, so the coven invites Louis and Claudia on a hunt since they feel the latter vampire has proven herself to be worthy of the privilege. By contrast, Louis has already rubbed Santiago the wrong way after falling asleep one night during a performance, something the vampire actor continues to hold against him. Yet Louis is still permitted to tag along, presumably due to his close connection to Claudia as well as his growing attraction to Armand. As the coven drinks their fill of every guest partying inside a mansion miles out from the city, Armand and Louis share an intimate conversation over cigarettes. It’s no secret Louis’ interest is reciprocated, but Armand is also skeptical about the truth about Louis’ connection with Lestat. Having felt trepidation in Louis’ mind when Lestat’s name was uttered, Armand advises Louis to keep his emotions concerning the other vampire buried around the rest of the coven.
Daniel and Louis Have a Tense Exchange in ‘Interview with the Vampire’ Season 2 Episode 2
While all these juicy details are emerging through the present-day interview, tensions between Daniel and Louis are beginning to spike again. The difference is the additional presence of Armand, who seems to alternate between letting their exchange play out with minimal interruption or interceding when Louis’ congenial mood starts to tank. At one point, Daniel uncovers that Armand and Louis were both intimate with Lestat after their conversation turns to the dramatic backstage portrait reveal. Granted, those entanglements occurred a hundred years apart by the vampires’ recollection, but Daniel is entirely tickled by the fact that they “shared a boyfriend,” regardless of how many Théâtre vampires Armand namedrops as past lovers. What seems to be a common refrain is that these vampires have the absolute smallest dating pool, and eventually, there’s going to be some overlap.
Daniel starts to get a little too cocky for Louis’ liking, however, deriving satisfaction from prodding too hard at painful spots — particularly after the vampire recounts his memory of reading Lestat’s letter. Turning the pain of the past back on Daniel as a defense mechanism, Louis pushes the journalist to revisit previous times with his ex-wife Alice, like his repeated attempts to propose, or his nonchalant reaction to her pregnancy. What happens next, though, is a new development even in Daniel’s mind, and one that sets up a tantalizing tease for the coming episodes. Being forced to relive those memories triggers new recollections for Daniel from the first interview, things he’s never been able to recall before — like memories of Armand’s face resurfacing from that very hazy, drug-fueled time. Before Daniel can linger on the discovery, Louis is already snapping him back to the present. It’s a warning shot across the bow, and Daniel ultimately retreats under Louis’ challenging stare rather than pushing the subject further, but when considering that Armand has a bigger plan to unearth “the boy from San Francisco,” maybe we should start asking ourselves who’s really interviewing whom.
Interview with the Vampire
Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Episode 2 sees Louis and Claudia crossing paths with the Théâtre des Vampires, but is this the family they want?
- Ben Daniels is utterly hypnotic in his official debut as Santiago this week.
- Assad Zaman and Jacob Anderson are captivating to watch as both past and present versions of Armand and Louis.
- The series continues to find creative ways to inject Sam Reid’s Lestat into episodes.
New episodes of Interview with the Vampire Season 2 premiere weekly on Sundays and are available to stream on AMC+.
This article was originally published on collider.com