Interview With the Vampire recap: 6 things to remember before season 2

Interview With the Vampire is finally returning after about a year and a half since the season 1 finale, and all eyes are on Louis, Lestat, Armand, and Claudia as the epic story continues. Based on best-selling Vampire Chronicles book series by the late Anne Rice, the series is not the first time Louis' tale has been adapted onscreen, but the AMC retelling still feels fresh, fun, compelling, and all-around a great watch. Starring the wonderful Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones) and Sam Reid (Belle), Interview With the Vampire is so worth the watch, not just for fans of the horror genre.

The first season of Interview With the Vampire consists of seven episodes, introducing viewers to a man named Louis de Pointe du Lac who was turned into a vampire while living in New Orleans in the 1910s. Through his recounting of memories, we learn about his great love story with Lestat, the vampire who turned him, his troubled relationship with his family, and much, much more. And with season 2, that story will only grow and become more complex as we see what else he gets into next.

As we wait for Interview With the Vampire season 2 to premiere this Sunday, May 12 on AMC and AMC+, here are six things to remember about season 1 as a refresher.

The show is framed around Louis' retelling

As mentioned, we learn about Louis' life through his retelling. The show begins in the year 2022, with a journalist named Daniel Molloy staying at Louis' to interview him about his life as a vampire. This is not the first time Louis and Daniel are meeting; the two actually conducted an interview in the '70s that didn't amount to anything. Now, Louis claims to be ready to tell the full truth, though Daniel is quick to call him out when he believes he's not being genuine.

Throughout Interview With the Vampire, Louis narrates his story as he tells it to Daniel, and the majority of the show is in the flashback format. While Daniel interrupts Louis at times for further clarification or questions, the current timeline takes a backseat to Louis' recounting of when he became a vampire and what's happened since. We expect this to continue with season 2 as Louis begins explaining another chapter of his life to Daniel.

Louis agrees to let Lestat turn him into a vampire

While living in New Orleans, Louis meets Lestat and is immediately attracted to him. He connects with Lestat in a way he seemingly never has with anyone before, though at first, he does not want to admit it. Louis struggles with his relationship with Lestat in the first episode of Interview With the Vampire, and that inner conflict is only intensified when they get intimate. Louis has a lot going on already, including a complicated relationship with his family and the fact that, as a Black man in the early 1900s, he is targeted by racism. Louis is a prominent person in town, but he still doesn't receive the respect he deserves because of the color of his skin.

After Louis' brother takes his own life, Louis is at an all-time low. Lestat offers to turn him into a vampire so he doesn't have to ever deal with the everyday troubles of being a human, and in a moment of desperation, Louis accepts. But it's not an easy transition. In his first years as a vampire, Louis struggles. He and Lestat maintain a very close relationship, but he's not like Lestat. He doesn't enjoy killing humans, and living a double life is very difficult for him, understandably. He's no longer accepted by his family and is still challenged by the racist and wealthy white men in town.

Unfortunately, Louis' troubles are not all solved by becoming a vampire. But does he regret letting Lestat turn him into one? That's a complicated question.

Louis and Lestat care for their child vampire, Claudia

Louis and Lestat's relationship becomes even more strained when they turn a child named Claudia into a vampire. After Louis kills a powerful man in town, a war begins which leads to a big fire. They rescue Claudia from a burning building, but she's dying. The only way to really save her is to turn her, and Louis convinces Lestat to do it. From there, of course, Louis and Lestat are responsible for her. But they're not ready to be parents. It's hard enough to raise a child, let alone a child vampire. Louis and Claudia form a close bond, something that no doubt makes Lestat jealous and insecure.

Claudia, understandably, has a hard time growing up as a vampire. Though she gets older, she still keeps the body of a kid, which is conflicting when she begins dating. She falls in love with a man but accidentally kills him, and Louis and Lestat later find out she hasn't been responsibly cleaning up her kills. Claudia is jealous of Louis and Lestat's relationship, feeling very alone. She decides to leave and it isn't until seven years later that she returns home.

Louis and Lestat's relationship is toxic

There's no other way to put it. Because the first season of Interview With the Vampire is primarily about Louis' transformation into a vampire and his early years navigating and struggling with his new life, his relationship with Lestat is a huge focus. Not only is Lestat the one to turn Louis, but Louis has a great, romantic love for Lestat that at this point knows no bounds. However, Lestat has a lot of emotional problems and doesn't confront his true feelings. He's passive-aggressive (or just aggressive) and gets jealous easily, even when he acts like he doesn't. He isn't honest with his feelings and puts on a facade, likely too scared to be vulnerable.

Because of this, and Louis' inability to defend himself, their relationship is really, really messy. Especially when Claudia comes into the picture. As mentioned earlier, Louis and Claudia become close which gets under Lestat's skin. He's desperate for acceptance, love, and even worship — all things Louis gives him, though just a tiny bit less so with Claudia around. They're trying to raise a child; it's only natural that their romance may come in second place. But Lestat can't accept that. Instead of coming out and sharing these feelings, however, he continues to play games and in episode 5 of the first season, he even almost kills Louis. It's very difficult to watch.

Louis is better off without Lestat, but he's so attached and so in love with him despite everything, that it's hard for him to see that.

Louis and Claudia kill Lestat... or do they?

Lestat's abusive behavior leads to Claudia convincing Louis to kill him. She believes they cannot move on, or even carry on, with their lives with Lestat in the picture. Claudia organizes a whole plan which is carried out in the season 1 finale of Interview With the Vampire, and surprisingly, Louis is the one to slit Lestat's throat after Claudia poisons him. It's an incredibly emotional scene, and in that moment even the viewer might feel bad for Lestat despite his wrongdoings.

But what happens next is very interesting. As Louis recounts the story to Daniel in the current timeline, he explains that he couldn't bring himself to burn Lestat's body, despite Claudia's pleas to do so. Instead, they throw his body away like garbage with plans to leave New Orleans and start a new life, but as Daniel says, Louis had to have known that wouldn't kill Lestat for good. Louis previously explains to Daniel that it is possible to kill a vampire, one of which ways includes burning the body. Daniel believes Louis purposefully didn't burn Lestat's body so he could see him again, accusing him of throwing him out near a bunch of rats that he could feed on.

So what's the truth? Well, I'm going with Daniel on this one. If Louis wanted Lestat dead for good, he could've done it that night. But he chooses not to because he loves him so much. Daniel is frustrated and disappointed with Louis, feeling like Louis is an unreliable narrator. But what Louis says next absolutely shocks Daniel in the final moments of the season 1 finale.

Armand is actually Louis' great love

As revealed by Louis in the Interview With the Vampire season 1 finale, his life story isn't about Louis and Lestat after all; it's actually about Louis and Armand. Rashid, Louis' servant who waits on him throughout the current timeline of season 1, is actually the love of his life, Armand. The photo above is a still from the upcoming second season, and if the trailer is any indication, we're going to be seeing a lot more of Armand. But that doesn't mean Lestat is out of the picture yet.

Check out the Interview With the Vampire season 2 trailer below to catch a glimpse of what we can expect in the new installment:

Louis is ready to move on after meeting Armand (and other vampires!) but will Lestat let him? The first episode of Interview With the Vampire season 2 premieres this Sunday, May 12 on AMC and AMC+. You can catch the linear showing on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Keep up with us here at Show Snob for our continued coverage of critically acclaimed and streaming shows! We'll be recapping each episode of Interview With the Vampire season 2, so be sure to check back with us as the season begins.