Interview With the Vampire season 2 episode 5 recap and review: Everything changed in San Francisco

We knew episode 5 of AMC's Interview With the Vampire season 2 would be a doozy, and, well, it is everything! Tonight's new episode goes back in time to 1973 when Daniel interviews Louis for the first time and if you haven't watched it yet, expect the unexpected. Not only do we learn key details of Louis and Armand's relationship, but we also are now left thinking differently about their dynamic and lives as a whole.

As always, Jacob Anderson gives an incredible performance as Louis, and we've come to count on strong acting from Assad Zaman as Armand and Eric Bogosian as Daniel Molloy as well. The actor who plays young Molloy, Luke Brandon Field, is a standout this week and I've got to give props to the casting department. The two actors look alike and Field does a great job picking up the same mannerisms and way of talking as Bogosian does in his portrayal.

WARNING: Major spoilers for Interview With the Vampire season 2 episode 5 below.

Armand is seen very little in the current timeline in Interview With the Vampire season 2 episode 5, "Don't Be Afraid, Just Start The Tape." A man comes over to serve as prey for him, with Louis explaining to Daniel that he barely eats anymore, so when he does he wants it to be a hunt. This gives Louis and Daniel a few hours alone, and it's not surprising that Daniel wants answers about what happened between them.

The pair begin talking about that night in 1973, which both Daniel and Louis barely remember. As Daniel remembers it, Louis bit him and he blacked out, and after Armand saved him, they dumped him at a drug den. But is that really what happened? Together, Louis and Daniel recall the night to try and regain their memories.

Meet Young Daniel Molloy

Daniel is curious why Armand would save his life, and Louis tells him that Armand could tell he was partial to Daniel. Apparently, Armand had a hunch that Daniel would be important to them later in life, which Daniel doesn't buy. Daniel wants to know if he and Louis got intimate that night in San Francisco, and we start our flashbacks of the episode.

Daniel is at Louis' apartment getting a tour, and it doesn't take him long to start doing drugs and taking his clothes off. Louis questions him, asking if he does that during all interviews. This seemingly clears it up for Daniel in the current timeline; they did not have sex.

During their first interview, Daniel and Louis get along very well, flirting through the questions. Seeing Louis' fangs come out and getting a little frightened, Daniel is fascinated by Louis, and the feeling is mutual. Louis eventually begins talking about Lestat and then remembers moments with Claudia. He recalls the time he considered ending his life after Claudia left New Orleans for the first time, which baffles Daniel. He believes Louis has a great gift and doesn't understand why he would waste it.

But Daniel's response greatly angers Louis. He believes Daniel has missed the whole point of everything he's told him; being a vampire is not a good life. Daniel asks Louis to turn him into a vampire, saying he could be his Lestat or Claudia or even something better. This only infuriates Louis more, who begins attacking Daniel.

In Dubai, Daniel stops the story to tell Louis that he has a surprise for him, revealing the advanced audio he received of their first interview. He lies and tells Louis that his assistant cleaned up the audio, and now they can hear what happened a lot clearer. We flash back to that night in 1973 and see Armand coming in to find Daniel, almost drained. He yells at Louis and is very angry at him, deciding to save Daniel.

Armand and Louis have a fight for the ages

Armand tells Louis that he's always making messes for him to clean up, and he's angry that he's telling his life story to a reporter he just met 10 hours ago. Louis responds by yelling back, calling Armand "boring." Though Armand chalks up his behavior to drugs, what Louis says next has to burn: "The 10 hours I spent with that boy were more exciting, more fascinating, than decades with you!" Ouch. They continue to yell at each other and say really terrible things, with one moment revealing that Armand is still bitter about Lestat.

In the current timeline, Daniel and Louis finish the tape, listening as they hear Louis run out of the room and slam multiple doors, leaving Armand to run after him. Daniel asks where Louis went, considering it was daytime. We then see in the flashback that Louis runs out into the sun and starts burning up. Armand follows and grabs him, bringing him back inside. But there's a lot of damage already done. His body is severely burned and charred, and as Louis begins to remember in the current timeline, he is in so much pain.

After the incident, Louis wakes up and asks Armand what happened, who explains he's the reason Daniel is still alive. He's still furious, understandably, angry with Louis for what happened and jealous of his new relationship with Daniel. As Daniel and Louis recall what happened next while in Dubai, Daniel says he remembers seeing a corpse in a body bag on the floor beside him at the apartment, thinking he must be next.

In the flashback, Armand finds Daniel's recorder and listens to the tape, hearing Louis talk about Lestat. This causes him to spiral even further, and he takes control of Daniel's body. He says to Daniel that he's going to teach him how to be fascinating, entering his mind and recalling memories throughout his life. He asks Daniel if stealing Playboys in middle school is the thing that makes him fascinating, or maybe it's the time he told a girl he would have sex with her with a bag over her head that makes him fascinating. Of course, this is the memory that Daniel keeps recalling throughout season 2, and finally, it makes sense.

Daniel is kept at the apartment for four days, though in the current timeline, he struggles to remember what happened next. We get more of the flashback, seeing Armand carry Louis to his coffin and giving him blood. Armand says he listened to all of the tapes and heard him speak of only Lestat and Claudia. He reaches Lestat telepathically, though Louis can't hear him because he's so injured. Lestat tells Armand to tell Louis that he loves him, but Armand refuses.

Armand almost kills Daniel

Armand tells Louis that he left him for death, asking if he'll have to be on watch for him to do it again for the next 1,000 years. Louis doesn't answer, and Armand leaves the room to go see Daniel. He analyzes Daniel, predicting what his future will look like, which is pretty miserable. He tells him it's time to rest — he's going to kill him — and Daniel gives in, hugging him. Armand begins feeding on Daniel before Louis comes into the room and tells him to stop. Armand addresses Louis as "Maitre" and Louis calls him "Arun," reestablishing who's in charge.

Armand lets Daniel go, and Louis sits with Daniel and tells him something that we cannot hear. In the current timeline, Daniel and Louis stare at each other, processing all that they've remembered, and Daniel gets up abruptly to grab a copy of his book. He recites a quote someone once told him, which he included in his book, believing it was from an addict he met at the drug den. But really, it was Louis all along. Louis helped him get his life together and stay committed to being a journalist, the most successful thing Daniel's ever done since.

As they put two and two together, they realize that Louis and Armand fed Daniel more drugs that week in San Francisco and gave him a fake story to remember before releasing him. But why is it that Louis also didn't remember what happened? They try to think about what could've happened but are interrupted by Armand coming back. Daniel and Louis tell him that they ended up talking about their first interview, and ask why Armand saved Daniel all those years ago.

Daniel and Louis put it all together

In response, Armand begins reciting the same explanation Louis gave Daniel at the start of the episode, word for word. This proves that Armand didn't only mind control Daniel; he did it to Louis, too. That's how the episode ends, leaving us with a lot to process. Is it Armand who holds the power in his relationship with Louis, after all? It sure seems like it. And to have controlled his mind without him knowing is incredibly shady. Louis must be feeling shaken up at this point, and so am I!

No, he's not perfect, but I absolutely adore Louis and my love for him grows each week, including tonight's episode. It's so intriguing to see his dynamic with Daniel during their first interview, considering how well we know their relationship decades later, and I cannot blame Armand for being so jealous. Love is a complicated thing, especially when you're with a person longer than an average human lifespan. I'm so curious to see where Louis and Armand go from here, both in the flashbacks and in the current timeline.

Keep up with us at Show Snob for our continued episodic recaps of Interview With the Vampire season 2. We're almost at the finale now!