Louis may be in some trouble.
And I'm shockingly not talking about him being in trouble with Dreamscape Lestat, who may be the least of his current worries.
The coven, namely Santiago, was less than impressed with Louis during Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Episode 4, and it feels like just a matter of time before things come crashing down for him. And Claudia.
This season has felt like it's flying by at times and then like we're slogging along at other times.
Maybe it's an unpopular opinion, but the hours feel longer than they did during Interview with the Vampire Season 1, though the series is as compelling as it's always been.
That makes for a weird viewing experience at times.
One thing this season has done a tremendous job of is following up on many of the themes from the first season with Claudia, who struggled mightily with being trapped in her teenage body as her mind and spirit grew and also in a "family" where she was always the third wheel.
With her and Louis free from New Orleans and Lestat's influence, France was supposed to be their fresh start.
Yet, Claudia felt as unfilled as ever when they arrived until she found the coven.
Claudia's always dreamed of being around other vampires, feeling like she'd finally find her place and be around others who weren't only just like her but cared for her in a way she never got from her maker.
And how could you not want that for her?
We're watching a tragic story unfold before us each week, with perhaps nothing more tragic than Claudia's struggle to be seen beyond the teenager she's forever meant to be from the outside only.
When she received that babydoll dress in Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Episode 3, you could see the sorrow in her eyes. But the sadness may have also been mixed with a bit of fear.
Fear that she'd once again spend years upon years trapped with the world leering at her as a child.
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Treating her as such in a public manner, and her coven members, those she'd thought would see and accept her differently, doing the same.
The hour did a masterful job highlighting Claudia's descent into apathy and abject derision as she got up on stage to shuck and jive for an audience that laughed at her and made her feel smaller and smaller as the shows went on, and the reality sunk in.
She's stuck, and she's miserable. She's around vampires, the very thing she craved, and yet, she must be feeling more alone than ever.
And it doesn't take a genius to figure out why she connected with Madeliene.
They're two people who shouldn't connect on paper, but they saw something in each other.
They saw loneliness and overriding melancholy, which connected them on a level neither one could have seen coming after their first meeting.
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Claudia has longed for someone to see her outside of herself, and Madeliene, in her bluntness, did that.
Ditching the coven to spend time with her felt like one of the first times she did something purely for herself in a while.
Meanwhile, Louis was out doing whatever the hell he wanted, as per usual.
Discipline Claudia for bumping into the scenery, but let Louis run wild.
Santiago [to Armand]
Armand had a lot of nerve during this hour, especially in how he treated Claudia, and look, I get it.
The coven lives by a set of rules, and as the leader, you're forced to enforce the rules, even if, at times, you may not even believe in them that strongly. Without rules, there's chaos.
But Louis didn't have to join the coven or adhere to anything.
Yet, Claudia rightfully pushed back against infantilization and condescension, which required not one but two dressing-downs by Armand.
The first objectified and infantilized her more, and the second threatened her and outed his allegiance to Louis, which was no secret but not thrown back in Claudia's face as much as in that moment.
Claudia was never going to be Louis's number one, and Louis could pretend that she abandoned him first to make himself feel better, but it wasn't the same.
It would never be the same.
Louis de Pointe du Lac is one of the most fascinating characters currently on television.
He's never taken to being a vampire in its totality, the very essence of them at great odds with himself, and he spent years wallowing in self-pity while also showing fleeting signs of understanding that life sucks.
Yet, he still had to keep on keeping on.
Louis decided not to conform to coven life.
He was content to wander the streets with his camera, capturing moments and blending into the background. It's a wonder he thought he could get away with that for so long.
Not only did he and Claudia lie right off the bat, but after months of silence, Louis then went rogue.
Whether he meant to or not, his demeanor came across as a slight, like he was too good for the other vampires, and it was naïve to think that'd never catch up with him.
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Naïve for Armand, too, though he was much more aware of the tension and actively fighting against it.
However, he was not willing to give up what he had with Louis, partly because he was becoming more disillusioned with being the coven's leader with his passing day.
From the outside, I wanted to ask why they couldn't just leave, but centuries-old politics are at play here.
This hour gave us perhaps the most unhinged Lestat we've seen all season. Lestat was present almost all the time for Louis, whether lying in bed post-coital or lamenting about his failed art endeavor.
Louis: You promised you wouldn’t talk.
Lestat [mocking]: I love you.
Lestat's maniacal laugh after Armand told Louis 'I love you' may be among the ten funniest things I've watched during this television season.
The series ability to mix horror and camp remains unmatched, and that's why the times when I do feel like things are dragging, they reel you right back in with something so gruesome, hilarious, or heartbreaking that you can't help but marvel at how layered this series can be.
Lestat is not only Louis's sounding board, but also, in this version, he's understanding.
He was no longer trying to guilt Louis but seemed genuine (as only Lestat could be) in his critiques of Louis's work.
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Interestingly, this was now the version of Lestat that Louis conjured up until he was finally ready to let him go.
To think that Armand was entirely unaware of how intertwined Louis and Lestat were during that time was a gut punch you could see on his face, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
Lestat is a constant in their relationship, no matter how much they may have deluded themselves into thinking otherwise.
As we know, time doesn't mean the same to vampires as it means to mortals, and though years had passed between Lestat's demise and Louis and Armand's meeting, Louis was still in mourning over that relationship.
He was still actively deconstructing the end of that relationship, grieving it and his role in it, while engaging in his feelings for Armand.
You can't talk about their incredible love story without acknowledging the elephant in the room that's been present from the start.
The trip to the museum was a mesmerizing encounter, and I'm not sure why Lestat needed to be there when Armand detailed his history.
Though again, it served to show this tether Louis had to Lestat, who was suspiciously quiet for the most part but still there, taking a rightful place by Louis's side while Armand ripped himself open to show Louis a private side of himself.
Armand's never been more vulnerable than when he detailed the events of his life to Louis, and the scene was played with brilliant hushed tones, save for Lestat's one outburst, and does wonders to shade in Armand, who while talking freely this season can still feel like a mystery at times.
He's all in on Louis, his first dalliance with meaning since he was left heartbroken following his romance with Lestat, but he's being pushed in so many directions that he was bound to break at some point.
Lucky (or maybe unlucky) for him, Louis was there to hype him up and insert himself in a very reminiscent way of Lestat.
That very night, Louis had been yelling at Armand and calling him Lestat 2.0, only for him to seamlessly transition into the man with the plan, facilitating advice and slightly manipulating a situation to fit his needs.
Santiago's got it out for Armand; thus, he was laser-focused on Louis, hoping to sever that connection.
Still, Louis's plan did sound like it could work, even if he was unaware of how much Santiago was already enacting his plan.
We are leading to an epic clash but taking a detour to return to the night of the first Louis interview in San Franciso with a younger Daniel Molloy.
Daniel keeps having visions of Armand, but he can't seem to make sense of them, and his memories from that evening are tattered.
Daniel's listening to Louis, and now he and Armand detail their lives as vampires, seemingly unaware of what role he played in their history.
Things are about to get very juicy as we hit the season's halfway point.
Extra Thoughts
- Delainey Hayles's delivery during that epic fight with Louis should be her Emmy submission. She nails every single emotion, as Claudia, who surely wasn't surprised by Louis's actions but no less saddened to be proven right.
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- Louis racing across a crowded restaurant to snatch Santiago's tongue was unexpected but a reminder that Louis is no pushover.
- Louis finally letting Lestat go, and choosing to remember him in his favorite suit, not with his throat dangling for dear life. Oh, he will never be free from Lestat!
- Armand switching out Louis's paintings. What does it mean?
- "Do you notice how hot the room gets when you talk about the secret?" Was Armand ever aware Louis could produce fire with his mind when Lestat was, in fact, on his mind?
- The whitewashing of Armand in that painting. How can your heart not break for Armand?
- Watching this show makes me want to read every book in this universe to better understand these twisted dynamics.
This was quite the hour, with moments that will keep us talking for days as we prepare for what comes next.
Do me a favor and drop all your thoughts below so we can discuss it all!