Posted in: AMC, TV | Tagged: The Vampire Lestat

The Vampire Lestat: Some Thoughts on "Detroit" Before Our Next Stop

Before this weekend's next stop on The Vampire Lestat tour, "Toledo," we have some thoughts to unpack on the season opener, "Detroit."

After two phenomenal seasons of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, I was expecting some sort of whiplash as we went from Louis (Jacob Anderson) narrating to Lestat (Sam Reid). There was whiplash… in the most fantastic way possible. It just feels like the road to perdition, and I am unable to turn around or look any other way. But do I even want to save myself at this point? I knew nearly from the start of life that I was a Lestat girlie, and Reid has made him real. This first episode was a trip. It went all out and balls-to-the-wall… and it is only the first episode. Like what, bro? Let's see if I can get to my favorite parts from "Detroit" before the next stop on the season-long tour, "Toledo."

First things first, though: I loved Lestat's narrating voice, truly chaotic and fun in a way only Lestat would be. Full of charm, dripping with honey, and enough toxicity to poison a whole town. That said, we also get to see new sides of Lestat that we had not seen before. Maybe part of that might be Louis' unreliable narration from the previous two seasons, but there was what seems to be a path to self-reflection within his words, maybe? He was relentless in letting us in. I was going to say that I have a feeling that we will see Lestat face himself and his feelings, but at this point, I am not even sure where we are heading or how we will get there… but I am certainly in for the trip, and all the "feels" it will undoubtedly bring.

I was really enjoying the domesticated version of Lestat (he bought Halloween candy), and it was pretty sad to see him descend into chaos again, thanks to the book. I was in for the rage, the screams, and the insane annotations. I loved how he called out discrepancies in Louis' memories, making it harder to determine what exactly is real from what transpired according to Louis… who I don't believe one bit did not know about the "cloud." Like, be for real, my man just covering now after being called out. Louis can be such a toxic little baby sometimes, like you knew

There was a moment I especially loved, and I am sure it must have been equally enjoyed by everyone else on the planet: "Armand for the truth? Have you met him? What does that even mean?" Lestat just had me rolling at that point. Even in the face of death bro was just making fun of the new children of darkness or whatever their name was. Absolute cinema. 10/10, no notes. The writing for this episode was wonderful: enough familiarity, yet a completely different style. The dialogue was brilliant, and the writers deserve all the flowers because they were just writing gems. It was the reason I had to rewatch. I also enjoyed the way the story was told and the constant jumps from past to present, chef kiss.

Anyway, time for my second favorite thing: Daniel (Eric Bogosian). I do not know whether it was the anger at being turned or the confidence that comes with having a new body, but I just adore how relentless he was with Lestat. His abrasive style has not changed one bit; now he knows he is not frail and can match the vibe given. Just as he was with Louis and Armand (Assad Zaman) before, he pushes and pushes regardless of who is sitting in front of him. When he kept pushing about the stutter, it just felt so foreboding by the way it kept being shot. It all turned disturbing once Gabrielle (Jennifer Ehle) finally showed up. I mean, we knew it wouldn't be Louis, but I didn't expect her to show up so quickly. The scene just felt disturbing, the way Lestat's behavior just changes immediately, as if performing for her expectations, just gave me the chills. I am curious about the relationship we will see and how it plays out. I have a feeling Daniel is about to get an answer to his question.

This leads me to my next thought, mostly concerned with what Baby Jenks' "soul" said to Lestat when he drained her. What did she mean by "Daniel dies pretty badly"? And who's coming to speak to Lestat directly? Is this related to what we see in the present: Louis and Armand injured, Lestat supposedly dead, and Daniel nowhere to be seen? Not to mention that Talamasca dude, Raglan James (Justin Kirk), is there watching in a very ominous way. I'm suspecting there is a lot of value in the big they are bidding for, but is it all for the blood? We do know Lestat mentions he has Akasha's blood in him, so I'm curious about what is going on in the present, the catastrophe, and what led to this outcome.

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