Interview With the Vampire season 2 episode 5 release time and synopsis: Get ready for Daniel's first interview

We're inching closer and closer to the conclusion of Interview With the Vampire season 2, and we're finally about to see what exactly happened the first time Daniel tried to interview Louis back in the '70s. This week's episode, "Don't Be Afraid, Just Start The Tape," will see a baby-faced Daniel get introduced to the vampire world for what I'm assuming is the first time ever, and I cannot wait to see the dynamic between these characters. It's been nearly 50 years since that first interview, and I doubt Daniel was as confident and snarky as he is now.

Though things are escalating in Paris between Louis, Armand, Claudia, and the coven, we're going to take a pause on that this week as we look back at a pivotal time in this story. Based on the short preview we got at the end of last week's episode, I think this is going to be one of the most important episodes of the whole show so far.

Episode 5 release date and time

Interview With the Vampire season 2 episode 5, "Don't Be Afraid, Just Start The Tape," premieres on AMC this Sunday, June 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET. According to AMC's schedule, if you miss the premiere, don't worry because there will be encore airings right after. The new episode will air again on AMC at 10:13 p.m. ET and another time at 11:26 p.m. ET.

If you stream new episodes of Interview With the Vampire, "Don't Be Afraid, Just Start The Tape" will be available on the AMC+ app starting Sunday morning. AMC has not confirmed what time they drop new episodes on their platform, but we know it's hours before the linear airings. If you can't catch this week's episode on Sunday morning, we'd highly recommend staying off social media until you watch. My X feed is always full of spoilers and given this is such a big episode, I'm sure that will only increase!

Episode 4 recap

In Interview With the Vampire season 2 episode 4, "I Want You More Than Anything In The World," Louis says goodbye to Lestat — though I'm not convinced this is permanent, are you? — while Claudia gets tired of the coven of vampires. The power dynamics between Louis and Armand begin to change after Louis learns about Armand's troubled past, and Santiago is now out to take Armand's job as the leader of the coven.

Claudia and Louis are also in conflict because of Louis' increased attention to Armand. Claudia tells Louis that Armand threatened her, but he's blinded by love. He tells her that it doesn't sound like Armand to do that, which, understandably, angers Claudia. She feels like Louis is choosing a man over her again, and given their past with Lestat, this devastates her. She wants to feel chosen, not just a burden Louis has to care for. She makes a friend in episode 4, a woman working at a nearby shop named Madeleine, but Armand puts an end to that. He tells her she's not allowed to see her again.

Tensions are rising and it seems like by the conclusion of episode 4, Armand is ready to confront his coven of vampires. Is it time for him to leave, or will he and Louis lead the group now? We might not find out in episode 5, but we will discover other very important details about Louis and Armand's relationship.

The final scene of the fourth episode sees Daniel looking through the files that were dropped onto his computer, including a list of suspected and confirmed victims. There are also photographs of him from his first interview and audio from that night in San Francisco. The episode ends on an abrupt note, but there's no doubt we'll get a closer glimpse into the interview in episode 5!

What to expect from episode 5

The official logline for "Don't Be Afraid, Just Start The Tape" reads: "With Louis’ help, Molloy delves into a haunted memory of his own." As I keep mentioning throughout this post, we're going to flash back to that San Francisco night in 1973 when Daniel meets Louis and Armand. The short clip we got at the end of last week's episode shows Daniel telling the vampires: “I want to know what happened between us.” Another moment sees Louis start to remember what happened, finally regaining his memory of that night. We're in for a big one!

As someone who hasn't read the Interview With the Vampire book — or any of the Vampire Chronicles entries — I have no potential spoilers to share with you all, but if fans on X are any indication, people have been looking forward to this episode since the start of the show.

Craig Zisk directed episode 5, who also helmed the premiere of season 2, "What Can the Damned Really Say to the Damned." That episode is still my favorite of the season so far, so I'm really hoping this week's is another great one. Hannah Moscovitch and Jonathan Ceniceroz wrote the script, which is also very promising. Moscovitch wrote the season 2 premiere, while Ceniceroz is credited with co-writing episode 2 of season 1 and episode 2 of season 2.

I truly don't want this season to end yet, but I can't wait to see what happens next! Check back in with us tonight for our episode 5 recap and review, and continue reading our TV coverage here at Show Snob.