Episode 3 of Interview with the Vampire has arrived, offering a thrilling mix of memories with Armand, confessions from Louis, initiations by Claudia, and discoveries through Daniel. Every minute was packed with gripping revelations.
Before diving into the episode, check out our reviews of episodes one and two. If you have not yet watched the new episode airing on AMC every Sunday at 9 PM EST or on AMC+, where the new episodes release at midnight every Sunday, do that first.
Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers for Episode 3. Turn back now if you wish to avoid them.
Synopsis: The Talamasca
Daniel takes a break from his midnight job as an interviewer to enjoy a rare lunch in a sunlit restaurant. This setting contrasts starkly with the dark, cool places filled with vampires we’ve seen so far. A stranger approaches him and reveals he is a member of the Talamasca, a secret society of researchers and investigators of the supernatural world created by Anne Rice. The stranger, Raglan James, informs Daniel that he’s being monitored, which Daniel doesn’t appreciate. But it’s too late to use a sarcastic jab to maneuver out of the situation he’s in.
Back at the Dubai house, Armand visits with Daniel during the day. He recounts the entire saga with Lestat. Before becoming the charming stranger who sold paintings and led a theater company, Armand was a cult leader. He led vampires to live for God by serving Satan, avoiding churches, killing sparingly, and lowering their eyes to religious totems. However, Lestat rejected these rules and performed on stage every night, killing humans without fear once the curtains closed.
Armand reached out to Lestat telepathically, offering companionship and protection. But Lestat, with his human lover Nicky, didn’t follow anyone’s rules. A confrontation led Armand to kidnap Nicky to lure Lestat to the coven. Lestat entered Armand’s domain, brandishing a crucifix to show its powerlessness, claiming they were the gods. Lestat’s defiance inspired Armand’s followers to abandon their servitude or die by fire.
Eventually, Lestat sought out Armand, who was now alone. Their affair began, fueled by Lestat’s desire to understand Armand’s Dark gift, which left Nicky, now a vampire, consumed with jealousy. Lestat left a week after Armand confessed his love to Lestat in the theater box while Nicky played below.
Daniel listens intently, having asked how vampires have stayed hidden for so long. His computer pings with messages from Raglan James, making it clear that Daniel was not alone in this uncovering of information. Which brings Daniel back to the question at hand so that Armand does not hide behind a historical briefing of his affair with Lestat. Armand explains that it’s human willful ignorance that keeps them hidden in plain sight. At this moment, Louis joins them, resuming the interview.
In the 1940s, Louis and Claudia fabricate their story about “Bruce,” their maker. Claudia, lovingly called “Puce” (flea in French) by the Vampires de Theater, enjoys her role as a stagehand and intends to join the coven.
Louis, however, remains distant from the theater group, anxious about Lestat’s demise coming to light and reluctant to commit to any coven while seeking self-discovery. Armand persistently seeks the truth within Louis, with Lestat’s presence haunting Louis through music and hallucinations.
Claudia, dedicated to her stagehand duties, bonds with Santiago over their orphaned pasts. She recounts her story of “Bruce” and his teachings, leading Santiago to advise her to “lie better” about her maker and her past.
The truth about Lestat eventually surfaces between Louis and Armand. Armand has known for months but waited for Louis to confess. This revelation drives Louis away, haunted by hallucinations of Lestat, leading him to kill a mortal in a fugue state while imagining the human as Lestat.
Later, in their apartment, Claudia shares her traumatic encounter with the real Bruce, swaying Louis to withhold the truth about Armand. The pain of her confession of the abuse she endured under Bruce moves Louis, and he knows that despite his fears, he wants Claudia to be happy and accepted.
During Claudia’s initiation, Santiago questions why Louis remains free despite his transgressions, including a human murder reported in the paper. Armand promises to handle Louis after Claudia’s initiation. As Claudia is welcomed into the Vampires de Theater, Armand leads Louis into the sewers, revealing Louis’s grave sins against vampire laws. Louis pleads for Claudia’s well-being, but Armand warns that vampire children’s minds eventually break.
Despite Louis’s fears, Armand walks him home, and Louis invites Armand into his apartment. Claudia is given her first costume and role as the eternal child, doomed to play a little girl for the next fifty years in the Vampires de Theater company.
Analysis
“No Pain” is my favorite episode of the season thus far.
Seeing the history of Lestat, how he prances around on stage in theater makeup and costume was such a delight. Sam Reid’s complete dedication to Lestat shines in this episode. From the perfect rolling French to the way he sings to Louis in a smoky bar – I can feel how beloved this character is to Reid. Lestat’s haughty portrayal of a vampire who plays by his own rules is so much fun to see.
Claudia recalls how in season one Lestat told them they would only find cruel vampires elsewhere. And as we see Armand and his troupe of fanged performers plot to deal with Louis and Claudia all because of a few rules, it is clear to see he was right.
Which will feel like the worst betrayal ever to Louis and Claudia, I am sure.
Witnessing Armand as a religious zealot who depends on rules translates well to the story we see today. Because while he currently stays with Louis, alone, hidden away from society I think it is evident that he lives his life under a rigid thumb. His need for order, secrecy, and loyalty may read as devoted love when he and Louis lock eyes and smile before Daniel Malloy.
But the more we get to know Armand, I just cannot shake the feeling that this is a man who expects things to play out his way. Which in my opinion makes him the opposite side of the same coin as Lestat.
Santiago remarks how his own maker was killed by the Maitre — Armand — for much less than what Louis has done to the man in the park, his secrecy, and his turning of a child. And while we have yet to see how it all plays it out, Louis is still alive. Therefore, Armand has spared a law-breaker because of his own self-interest. Did he allow Lestat the same fate simply because of personal preference?
As Claudia settles into the coven of her dreams, Louis drifts further away. He wants her to be happy, he wants to see that smile on Claudia’s face. The guilt of exposing Claudia to so much pain just because he wanted to raise a child with Lestat solidified Louis as more than just some brother figure for Claudia. He is a father to her, and wants to make choices that make her happy again.
But the further Claudia installs herself as a member of the coven, the more I worry they are simply repeating patterns. Santiago reads so much as Lestat. So for Claudia to gravitate towards him drives the theme of cycles of abuse in Interview. Clauda drifts towards the campy, stylish, murderous Santiago and Louis finds solace in a man with many secrets and a need for control.
Neither of them can escape the haunting presence of Lestat. The only difference is that Louis knows it as he carries Lestat in his heart, his mind. He is haunted by the love of his life that he killed with Claudia. And while he claims to try to find himself in the streets of Paris, he only ever finds blips of Lestat in moments of tenderness and loneliness.
So while Louis tries to combat this by finding a kindred soul in Armand – a man who has also been spurned by Lestat – Claudia throws herself into what she feels could be her family.
However, as the vampires unveil her eternal role at the child in the play, the horror on her face is clear. Claudia may never find what she seeks but she will settle for what she is offered. Even if that means never being accepted as a fully grown vampire, loved for who she is rather than the body she inhabits.
Final Score ( 5 out of 5 Stars)
I could not look away from this episode, even when my phone buzzed or notifications popped up on my computer screen.
Interview with the Vampire continues to honor the original text from Anne Rice by refusing to shy away from the brutal themes and plots she wrote. The slow crawl through the tunnels while Louis accepts his fate by Armand was chilling to watch. For a moment, we can truly believe that Armand would kill Louis even though we know he spared his vampiric love in the end.
I must admit however that while Armand and Louis is a chilling, at times tender sight to behold – the chemistry between Louis and Lestat burns so much brighter. Even in moments of hallucination, their toxic bond is extremely entertaining to behold.
As Daniel creeps closer to the truth of the Talamasca, I await to see what he finds that will act as a grenade in the lives of Louis and Armand.
The first season ended with Louis facing the truth of his memories, rather than believing a lie. Will Daniel uncover another truth before the second season ends? We have 5 more episodes to go and I am curious to see how they approach Claudia’s story with so much more plot to behold.
I am so excited to tune in next week to find out how the writers of Interview will spin the next beat of their tragic story.
Featured Image: AMC+
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