AMC's "Interview with The Vampire", season 1 recap

May 12, 2024

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Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire" is a horror TV series produced by AMC and written by Rolin Jones. This latest adaptation provides a fresh perspective on the original storyline from the 1976 novel and previous adaptations of "The Vampire Chronicles" by Anne Rice. The series focuses on the tumultuous relationship between Louis and Lestat.

In 2020, a journalist named Daniel Malloy (portrayed by Eric Bogosian) received a package containing previously recorded content from his younger years. He receives an invitation from Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) to continue telling his story in Dubai. Louis is a 145-year-old vampire who began his tale in 1910 in the vibrant city of New Orleans. He is a prominent brothel owner and lives a life of affluence but is constantly confronted with the harsh reality of racism. He encounters the charismatic yet controlling French vampire, Lestat de Lioncourt (played by Sam Reid).

Reid and Anderson are truly exceptional in their respective roles. Their performances are electric, bringing an intense level of nuance and subtlety that is genuinely captivating and delivered with gripping intimacy. Unsurprisingly, their performances have been highly acclaimed by audiences and critics.

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Louis struggles with his attraction to Lestat, while Lestat is persistent in pursuing Louis. They eventually consummate their relationship; however, Louis feels conflicted with feelings of shame and heightened euphoria and eventually ends their relationship. Tragically, Louis' brother commits suicide, and his mother blames Louis, causing him to spiral into despair. Seeking solace, Louis goes to a church confessional, but Lestat arrives in a fit of rage, killing the priests and declaring his love for Louis. He entices Louis to end his mortal life and, with Lestat's agreement, turns him into a vampire.

Lestat teaches Louis how to hunt and enhance his newly acquired powers as a vampire, continually enthralling Louis with his charming personality. They purchased the Fair Play Saloon and renamed it Azalea Hall. In the present time, as Lois continues to narrate his story, he recalls the anger that he felt being subjected to years of racism and homophobia that prompted him to kill a man in a fit of rage, putting Lestat and Lois at odds as they argued about race and sexuality.  

Lestat and Lois have different approaches to their vampirism. Lestat is detached from humanity and feels no remorse for his kills, whereas Louis is constantly conflicted with his humanity. After returning home in a moment of intense weakness, he almost kills his nephew, succumbing to the overwhelming desire to drink his blood. While Lestat revels in casual cruelty, Louis does not and cannot embrace the blatant disregard for human life, as demonstrated by his killing of a tenor opera singer.

Louis becomes increasingly concerned about the value of human life and proposes that he and Lestat should feed on animals and criminals instead. Meanwhile, in the present, Daniel is troubled by the fact that Louis' recollection of his past differs from his previous memories. He suspects that Louis might have intentionally altered his story to romanticize his abusive relationship with Lestat. Louis becomes jealous when Lestat causally takes on a lover, telling Louis he likes variety. As retaliation, Lois has sex with Jonah, a childhood friend. Soon after, Louis finds he is unwelcome at his family's home, devasting him.

New racial laws are introduced that target Louis and black ownership in Storyville. He becomes enraged and murders the main antagonist, finally embracing that he is a vampire. He mutilates his body and publicly hangs him in the city. In retaliation, the white citizens burn down Azealea Hall. Using his vampiric powers, Louis rushes into a burning building to save a little girl, knowing this will be his final act of redemption.

Louis' mother has passed and his sister Grace is interested in buying their family home from him. Meanwhile, in the present, Daniel is reading through Claudia's diaries, the little girl Louis saved. Claudia had been horrifically burned, and Louis convinced Lestat to turn her into a vampire. Since vampires cannot read their creators' thoughts, Louis and Claudia share a special bond, often leaving Lestat feeling left out.

Claudia, as their adopted niece, is impulsive and precocious, showing little restraint, as evident in her first kill. As she grows older, she becomes increasingly frustrated, trapped in the body of a teenager. When she falls in love for the first time, she accidentally kills her lover in her excitement. She begs Lestat to save him, but Lestat heartlessly refuses and sadistically makes Claudia watch the body burn, telling her to use this as a reminder never to get close to mortals.

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Claudia becomes increasingly resentful as she ages, still trapped in the body of a teenager at 105 years old. She begins mindlessly killing people and keeps souvenirs from her victims. After throwing Louis's past mistakes in his face, she packs her bags and leaves Louis and Lestat behind, deciding to explore the world independently. Her absence causes a rift between Louis and Lestat, and they become nothing more than acquaintances. Louis becomes obsessed with finding Claudia, and during this time, he meets his sister, who tells him she is selling the family home and leaving for Boston. With no family left, Louis is devastated, pushing him and Lestat further apart. Despite Louis' obsession with finding Claudia, Lestat does not care if she returns and instead rekindles his previous affair with Antoniette, craving Louis' affection.

While researching ancient history, Claudia meets Bruce, another vampire who is everything Lestat warned her about - predatory and dangerous. It is suggested that she was sexually assaulted and Claudia returns home with a mission to take Louis with her. Seven years have passed since Claudia left home, and when she apologizes for leaving, Louis is happy to see her, but Lestat is not. He refuses her apology, and Claudia telepathically begs Louis to leave with her. Lestat becomes enraged, and a violent fight ensues between the two men. Lestat is incensed, screaming that he patiently waits for Louis to emotionally return to him and threatens not to allow him to leave. The two men continue to fight, with Lestat beating Louis to a bloody pulp. He then takes him to the skies and drops him several thousand miles below the ground.

Several years had passed since Lestat disappeared in shame while Claudia nursed Louis back to health. Lestat eventually returned, trying to win Louis back by giving him several gifts. The last gift, a recording Lestat composed, finally broke Louis' resolve, and he searched for Lestat. He found him in the middle of having sex with Antoinette. They both told her to leave and then reunited passionately.

Louis and Claudia impose new rules that Lestat must abide by, which displeases him. Among these are killing Antoniette, treating Claudia as an equal, and being honest with them. Claudia took advantage of the opportunity to inquire about Lestat's origin story. Lestat then shared the gruesome details of his past, revealing he was kidnapped by a vampire named Magnus and trapped in a room full of corpses that resembled him. Eventually, he is turned into a vampire and Magnus ends his life by immolating himself. Lestat also expressed his capacity for endurance and confessed that he dislikes being abandoned.

Although Louis sympathizes with Lestat, Claudia does not, and their new family dynamic immediately deteriorates. It is revealed that Lestat lied about killing Antoinette and kept her hidden in a motel while continuing their affair, which Lois and Claudia see. Louis tries to mediate between Claudia and Lestat, but their relationship becomes irreparable. Lestat becomes increasingly paranoid and, in a show of tyranny, demands that they all sleep in the same room. Claudia continues pleading with Louis to leave, but he refuses. With Louis' approval, she departs for Prague, however Lestat tracks her down and threatens to kill her if she does not return home, claiming that Louis needs both of them.

After Claudia wins Lestat in a game of chess, he becomes angry and demands that she finish the game, however Claudia refuses to continue playing and decides to take matters into her own hands by killing him. She telepathically communicates with Lois, revealing that she also knows Lois wants to kill Lestat.

In the present, Daniel is dreaming about his initial meeting with Louis in a gay bar back in 1973. During that time, Rashid, Louis's current manservant, was also present, hinting at the possibility that Rashid was also a vampire.

After attracting unwanted attention, Lestat decides that he, Louis, and Claudia should leave New Orleans. In the season finale, Claudia's plan to kill Lestat becomes the focal point as she orchestrates an elaborate party under the guise of it being Lestat's idea. Claudia uses Lestat's ego to her advantage and convinces him to throw an extravagant Mardi Gras ball, where they feast on the guests before leaving the city. Claudia plans to poison a set of twins strategically, which will cause Lestat's death when he drinks their blood. When Louis asks Claudia for more details about her plan, she refuses, knowing Lestat's powerful hold over Louis.

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As the killing spree begins, Lestat positions himself to feed on the man who was poisoned, however Antoniennte unexpectedly appears, revealing that she is a vampire. She has been tracking Claudia and informed Lestat about their plan. Lestat is elated but suddenly collapses. Claudia smugly explains that she was aware of Antoinette's presence from the beginning and had poisoned another of Lestat's enemies, whom Lestat had already fed on.

In the dramatic finale, Claudia kills Antonientee while Louis slits Lestat's throat, causing him to slowly bleed out. With Lestat now dead, they proceed to burn the remaining bodies, however Louis takes it a step further and decides to dispose of Lestat's corpse like garbage among the trash, confident that the trash collectors will throw it away in the city dump. Without looking back, they both leave New Orleans for Europe.

In the present, Daniel is suspicious of Lestat's demise, finding it wrapped too neatly. He questions Louis' decision not to burn Lestat's body, noticing inconsistencies in his story during the interview. Daniel continues to ask questions about the missing pages in Claudia's diary, accusing Louis of lying and secretly hoping the dump filled with rats would eventually revive Lestat. As the argument intensifies, we see Rashid rise from his feet, levitating to retrieve a book with "Theater of the Vampires" memorabilia. He promised he would not save Daniel's life as he did previously. Daniel is shocked as Louis reveals that he is none other than Armand, a 514-year-old ancient vampire who is the love of his life, concluding season one.

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Fans of Interview with the Vampire know that Armand is a highly influential and powerful vampire who leads a coven of vampires. The tantalizing revelation that Louis is Armand's lover leaves us with many unanswered questions, especially since Louis' story has inconsistencies throughout the interview. Louis' recollection of past events is questionable, as it's likely that his memories have been suppressed or altered by Armand's influence. This revelation sets the stage for a thrilling season 2 and leaves us eagerly anticipating what's to come.

Interview with the Vampire airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC and AMC+.