Last week (2×01), Louis continued his interview, now putting himself into it wholeheartedly. Though Armand didn’t feel okay with that, Daniel encouraged it. This was the first time that Louis had delved so deeply into his memories. And now, he’d finally come to his time in post-war Paris when he and Claudia finally met Armand and the troupe of the Theatre Des Vampires.
Let’s dive in!
Warning: It’s about to get spoiler-y!
Paris Was an Awakening
Though Paris felt like a scar in the present for everyone, that wasn’t the case when Louis arrived in Paris for the first time during the post-war era. Then, it was an awakening. The city was healing from the world and there was so much promise. However, not knowing that he and Claudia needed to let the vampire coven in the area know they were visiting promised to make things tricky.
However, Louis and Claudia found many joys in Paris. The most prominent was that they weren’t targeted as they were in America. They felt a sense of safety and even explored who they were. Louis found his love for photography because of this.
Daniel, the Romantic
Throughout the episode, one thing became abundantly clear. Daniel is not a romantic. He scoffed at Louis and Armand’s memory of Paris. He sneered even more at the two finishing each other’s sentences regardless of them pointing out that they’d been together for quite a long time.
Personally, I understand. Romance is sweet and almost divine, but between vampires it’s slippery. Are they playing a game for Daniel? It seems like that could be one of the reasons Daniel keeps his walls up during this interview. Vampires play good glamour games and Daniel is determined to get to the truth of the story. That requires stripping away the rose-colored glasses.
Then there’s the last time Daniel tried to do this interview. Ultimately, it ended bloody with Daniel barely making it out with his life. I can’t blame the man for wanting to stay on task now more than ever. He understands that while he has to remain driven, Louis and Armand are predators. We’ve yet to see that flashback, but with it being hinted at more and more. I’ve got a feeling we may see it this season.
Time Apart
It’s not long before Louis is prying into Daniel’s memories. Daniel was quick to cut it off. Obviously, it wasn’t only because he’d found an interesting entry in Claudia’s. Louis was ready to conduct his own interview on Daniel’s life, but it was cut short.
Through Claudia’s journal, it was divulged that she was ready for Louis and her to take on their own adventures for a time. She still struggled with being a girl never to become a woman. And Louis finally drew the attention of the vampire coven in town, The Theater Des Vampires. Armand himself invited Louis.
The meet-cute definitely would’ve been cute if my instincts didn’t find it totally creepy due to the stalkerish vibe Armand gave off. But that does come with being a vampire, doesn’t it?
The Theatre Des Vampire
The theater is one of the biggest arcs of the novel and one everyone has been anticipating this. Each moment from the character monologues to the scenes depicted onstage carried the grave carnage that these vampires give into with pleasure. They play their games all for that satisfying ending of the audience watching them tear a woman apart.
Compared to the nearly romantic sentiment of this scene in the 1994 movie, the show’s angle was inspired by shallow terror and fear of not knowing what was real and what wasn’t. Both performances certainly showcased the different perspectives of vampirism. Once deemed romantic and had viewers wanting to be pulled up onstage to be bitten, now had them silenced in fear that they could be next.
Welcome Party
Though meeting the coven was filled with high spirits, secrets kept Claudia and Louis from feeling entirely welcomed. Discovering that the co-founder of the troupe was none other than Lestat himself, Claudia quickly divulged her and Louis’s maker to be Bruce. If the name is familiar, that’s because it was the very same vampire she met after she ran away during season one. He’s also the one who’d assaulted her and driven her to be fiercer and more determined to find other vampires that weren’t horrible creatures.
Now that they were in the thrall of an entire troupe, they’d better be careful. With vampires being so rare, I’m pretty sure that they don’t take kindly to vampires killing their own. I imagine that especially the case when the vampire is so beloved by an entire coven.
Vampire Drama
Daniel jumped at the chance to roll his eyes about how coincidental it was that Lestat still made an appearance though he wasn’t actually onscreen. For me, this was quite an “oh shit” moment. Not so much for Daniel which allowed for a brevity of humor that easily aligned with the viewers who were also unsurprised like him.
With a little background music, Daniel learned that not only had Armand known Lestat first, but he’d been with him first. It was comical to hear Armand list all of his partners and Louis chuckle in the background. It’s very clear that vampires don’t live by the standards of humans. They can be very polyamorous which highlights their supernatural nature even more. That doesn’t make it any less funny, however.
In The End…
As the episode approached its end, it was Daniel’s struggle against Louis’s mind invasion for his constant belittlement that was surprising. It wasn’t unexpected. Daniel was bound to catch fire for being so callous. Louis climbed into Daniel’s head to sift around one of his saddest memories, but it appears he wasn’t the only one to do so.
Images of Armand appeared in Daniel’s mind and a struggle shook him from the apparent overload. Though Daniel remained resolute, he came close to not being. Daniel took the mental invasion in stride where any other person would probably break down.
I can’t help but wonder how much more will come undone for Daniel and if it’ll mean his demise. This scene revealed more about Armand’s controlling tendencies and that Louis wasn’t the only one hiding things. Yet, I can’t help but sympathize. At least a little. Armand does care for Louis and seeks to protect him and their relationship. But how far is too far? And what happens when it all comes unraveled in this interview?
Share your thoughts in the comments below and follow us on Twitter!
