Interview with the Vampire, Season 2 episode 3 recap

June 1, 2024

Courtesy: AMC

Daniel Malloy, portrayed by Eric Bogosian, easily stands out in "Interview with the Vampire" (aside from Jacob Anderson, of course!) His sarcastic wit and deadpan humor make his interactions with Louis and Armand so much fun to watch. "You kill nightly," Daniel says. "And sometimes you watch that kill in the local news... you're at the height of willful ignorance... easily exploited..." retorted Armand. The exchange between Daniel and the vampires has never been better, and he delivers one of the best lines yet, "How do vampires hide from Google?" He's not here for the BS, ready to cut through any lies to get to the truth.

In the latest episode, "No Pain," we learn that in 1556, Armand was sent by the Roman coven to lead the French coven. They called themselves the Children of Darkness, as Armand knew Magnus, the vampire who created Lestat. Armand has kept the coven safe, ensuring that they adhere to the coven's laws. However, conforming to medieval laws and archaic rules has left them emasculated, hidden under the city's underbelly, and forced to live in less than ideal conditions. Armand knows their life isn't sustainable and seeks out Lestat upon his arrival, knowing that Magnus' blood coursed through his veins.

The fourth law states that no vampire should reveal themselves to a mortal and let that mortal live. However, Lestat, thriving outside the coven, does not adhere to these rules. He brashly performs on stage, seducing his crowd at will. We witness the beginning of Lestat and Armand's courtship as Armand becomes obsessed with controlling Lestat, relentlessly pursuing him to join their coven. However, Lestat, ever flamboyant and arrogant, disregards their rules and takes a mortal lover, which enrages Armand. Armand, tired of pursuing him, uses his vampiristic powers to reveal his true nature, which frightens Lestat. He uses mind control to freeze time and demands that Lestat join him, taking Lestat's unconscious lover back to his coven. Armand is expecting Lestat, who arrogantly walks in with a wooden statue of Jesus Christ, terrifying his coven. He tells them that there is no higher power than themselves and that the statue is as useless as the tree it was made from. He tells them that they are the true gods and encourages them to live life as they were meant to and stop living in the ruins and underbelly of the city. Armand's coven disperses, embracing Lestat's words and adopting their vampiristic identities, which pleases Armand.

In the play, Lestat encourages Armand to use his performance as a cover for killing. This is where we see the origins of Theatre des Vampires. According to Armand's account of the events, he and Lestat declare their love for each other on the stage balcony and then proceed to make out. However, they seemed to be using each other for their own benefit. This is confirmed when Louis joins the interview and reveals Armand met with Lestat's lawyer the next day. Lestat had disappeared, leaving Armand and the theater, but he had left enough money for Armand to indefinitely cover the theater's costs. Daniel had the best line when he deadpanned, "Never say I love you to a raging narcissist." Ouch!

Daniel believes that he is under surveillance and that his laptop is compromised. In the episode's opening scene, he encounters a man, Raglan James, played by Justin Kirk, at a restaurant who informs him that he is aware of his meetings with the vampires and works for an organization that knows the "Great Conversion" is underway. MI6? The man tells Daniel that four previous journalists have attempted to interview the vampires but failed. During the interview, Daniel receives files and documents on his laptop, which unnerves him, but he quickly recovers.

Louis and Claudia worked on their origin cover stories in the past, and Claudia learned the details of being a stagehand.

Armand asks Louis to take him to the places he visits at night, and they stroll through Paris. Armand tells Louis that the coven believes Louis loves humanity and tries to persuade him to join the coven. Louis insists he's content with his photography, but Armand insists that the coven sees his independence as a problem. As Armand and Louis grow closer, Louis conjures Lestat, imagining him walking alongside them.

While out, he conjures Lestat playing on the piano, singing that he's only using Armand. He finally breaks and tells Armand that Lestat was his lover. Armand admits he already knew but wanted him to say it. Louis confesses that he killed Lestat and lies that Claudia helped him while Lestat goads him. Continuing in his nervous breakdown, he continues to conjure Lestat in the park, where he and Lestat begin passionately kissing, and Lestat continues to goad him, telling him to love him as he only can. He repeatedly smashed Lestat's head against a brick wall, revealing that he was actually killing an innocent person.

Louis is on the verge of confessing to Claudia, but in a heartbreaking moment, Claudia, who has been spending all of her time with the coven hoping to perform on stage and follow in Santiago's footsteps, reveals that she was kept under the floorboards of the theater for weeks. She also discloses some of her sexual assaults with Bruce. Claudia just wants to belong and have a sense of community. Gone were the years of the spitfire rebellious vampire we once knew. She has been reduced to a servitude role seeking acceptance.

At present, Rashid interrupts and Daniel seizes the opportunity to open the documents sent to his computer. He discovers newspaper clippings about a major fire in 1949 that destroyed the Theatre.

During the stage performance, Santiago and Armand communicate telepathically about finding the mutilated body of Louis, which puts them at risk. Santiago wants Armand to kill Louis, and Armand agrees after Claudia commits herself to the coven following the performance.

After Claudia is officially initiated into the coven, Santiago repeats the five official laws and asks if she agrees. Claudia enthusiastically agrees. However, they gift her a hideous dress fit for a child, making her realize that she will be relegated to playing the little girl on stage forever. Poor Claudia!

Armand tells Louis that only members can attend the ceremony and leads him away through the sewers. It becomes apparent that Armand is going to kill Louis. Louis asks him to look after Claudia, but Armand replies that she won't be there for very long as her vampire powers will destroy her. Instead, Armand leads them underground to his apartment, and Louis invites him inside to physically reaffirm their relationship.

Editor's notes: "Interview with the Vampire" just keeps improving! Louis is barely holding it together, and it will be fascinating to see how the coven deals with Armand not killing Louis and how Santiago retaliates. Law 5 will undoubtedly come into play very soon: "No vampire may ever destroy another vampire, except that the coven master has the power of life and death over all his flock. It is his obligation to finally seek the destruction of all who have broken these laws."

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