Interview With the Vampire season 2 episode 8 preview: Release time and what to expect from the finale

We've made it to the finish line on Interview With the Vampire season 2, as the finale, "And That's The End Of It. There's Nothing Else," airs tonight on AMC. It's certainly been another emotional roller coaster this time around, with the acclaimed adaptation taking the drama up a notch as we learn all about Louis and Armand's love story. And while they might seem happy together in the current timeline, it doesn't take long for their troubled past to come back to bite them as they recall some of the biggest moments of their lives together to Daniel.

Not only that, but we also learn what happened to Claudia in an intense penultimate episode. So, what's next? We have a couple of loose ends to tie up in the season 2 finale, and I'm betting it'll be another highly emotional week for our main players.

Season 2 finale release date and time

The Interview With the Vampire season 2 finale airs on AMC tonight, Sunday, June 30, at 9:00 p.m. ET. If you're unable to watch the episode live, an encore showing will air at 11:23 p.m. ET, according to AMC's schedule. If you happen to be up early on Monday morning, the episode will play a third time at 4:35 a.m. on July 1.

And if you're planning to stream the season 2 finale on AMC+ instead of watching the linear airing, you can do so at any time once it drops on Sunday morning. The network has not confirmed what time new episodes are released on the app, but we know it's hours prior to the linear airing.

Season 2 episode 7 recap

We last left off on Interview With the Vampire with season 2 episode 7, "I Could Not Prevent It," which followed the trial of Louis, Claudia, and Madeleine. Remember, the episode prior ended with Santiago and his vampires kidnapping the trio, with Armand's help. The three are brought to the Theatres des Vampires where they're tied up and displayed onstage. With a full audience, the coven performs a brand-new play that they've already scripted and rehearsed. And the most shocking part of all? The guest they bring in for a testimony: Lestat.

Louis, Claudia, and Madeleine are on trial for multiple crimes, the biggest being Louis and Claudia's attempted murder of Lestat. Because of this, Lestat appears on stage in the finale and gives his account of what happened in New Orleans. Though at first he paints Louis as the villain in the story and convinces the audience he's the victim, Lestat eventually does take ownership of his mistakes. Is he being sincere, or manipulative? That's up for speculation.

Sadly, both Madeline and Claudia are sentenced to death; while Madeleine is given the option to join the coven, she wants to be with Claudia, so she has no other option but to die. The two vampires are exposed to a sunroof at the theater and turn to dust up on stage, with the last person Claudia sees being Lestat. Louis, however, survives, and it's all thanks to Armand. Though Armand betrays Louis and Claudia, it's revealed that he had no other choice. Santiago and the coven would kill him if he didn't aid in the abduction.

Armand is forced to sit in the audience and watch the trial, but fortunately, that works out to Louis' advantage as Armand is able to mind control the viewers when they're asked to determine Louis' sentence. Armand makes them say "banishment" when they would've likely said "death," and Santiago tells the vampires to send him to Belgium.

"I Could Not Prevent It" ends with Louis being thrown into a coffin while Santiago cleans up all that remains of Claudia and Madeleine from the stage and the audience begins to leave the theater. We're not sure what's next for Louis and Armand in Paris, though it doesn't look like Louis is welcome there anymore. I'm also very curious to find out the resolution of the current timeline in Dubai; does Daniel have everything he needs for his book? How will that dynamic shake up?

What to expect from the season 2 finale

AMC released a short teaser for the Interview With the Vampire season 2 finale, and it's a pretty epic one. It looks like Louis is seeking revenge now that Claudia is dead, and he might try to kill all of the vampires in the coven. The preview also teases another confrontation with Lestat, seeming like Louis is going to try and kill him once and for all, too. "I was dead, but my rage had risen," Louis is heard saying in the teaser, which you can watch below:

The short but to-the-point logline for the season 2 finale reads: "Molloy questions the fiery fallout of Louis and Claudia's trial." The episode is directed by Levan Akin and written by Rolin Jones, the latter of whom serves as the series' showrunner. As for Akin, he's directed multiple episodes of the show so far, including episodes 5 and 6 of season 1 and episodes 2, 3, and 4 of season 2. It's no doubt going to be a season finale for the books!

Plus, we have a lot to look forward to after the season 2 finale. Interview With the Vampire has been renewed for a third season, which will follow the next book in the Vampire Chronicles series, The Vampire Lestat. In a press release, Jones joked: "And sincere apologies to the family and friends of actor Sam Reid, for the possession that continues to this day. Monsieur L extends his promise to return his body upon cancellation (may that evening never come.)" Reid will reprise his role as Lestat, taking on the leading role in season 3.

Check back here at Show Snob this evening to read our recap and review of the season 2 finale, "And That's The End Of It. There's Nothing Else."