If you’re a fan of Anne Rice’s novels or AMC’s Interview with the Vampire, then you were pumped when Anne Rice’s book The Vampire Lestat was announced. Lestat de Lioncourt (played by Sam Reid) is a character with a larger-than-life personality and baggage that he’s been carrying for over two centuries.
After seeing the series premiere of the newly named show, The Vampire Lestat, it’s clear that he hasn’t gotten over any of his past trauma, and he’s dealing with it in the worst way possible.
The show starts weirdly with an auction and Armand sitting with an eyepatch. Soon after that, he angrily looks over and sees Louis de Pointe du Lac walking in with a cane. It’s soon revealed that he has a prosthetic leg. It’s odd since both characters were whole at the end of season 2. Viewers soon learn that this is the future and that the auction is for items of the now-late Lestat de Lioncourt. Among the things being sold are his unreleased albums and audio from his documentary. That’s when the show flashes back to 2025.
Back in the past, Lestat was being interviewed by Daniel Molloy, who was trying his best to get information on his subject’s past for the documentary. Sadly, Lestat is coy and sarcastic about his early life. However, viewers see glimpses of his past, and it shows that he wasn’t always a sexy ball of confidence. For example, he used to have a stutter, and Molloy asks about this. While the answer is avoided, the question clearly affects Lestat. That becomes even clearer after he starts sucking the blood of a drug user to get high and avoid his problems.
At the end of the episode, Lestat’s downward spiral continues as he reveals to his bandmates, their crew, and some groupies that he’s a vampire. That’s a big no-no in a vampire community that’s already attempted to kill him for divulging their secrets. As the show closes, viewers learn that the mysterious “Toi” is Lestat's mother/lover, Gabrielle.
Ravenous review
The problem with anticipating a show you love is that expectations can be unreasonably high. That was me when The Vampire Lestat was announced. I had high hopes that the cast and creative team wouldn't let me down, but there was always a chance it could happen. Thankfully, the season premiere of what was once called Interview with the Vampire didn’t disappoint.
My biggest concern was that the first episode would take too long to get into things. That wasn’t the case here. Viewers immediately find out that Lestat does something that leads to the disfigurement of Louis (his former lover) and Armand. Plus, Lestat says something happens that almost causes the extinction of the Y chromosome (shout out to the comic book Y: The Last Man). Viewers learn this within the first five minutes, and things don’t slow down from there.
Lastly, the introduction of Lestat’s mother/lover in the present was the perfect way to close the episode. This shows that there’s something disturbing about our flamboyant lead character that will likely be disclosed in the next episode. Now, in order to learn more about their weird relationship, you have to keep watching. A smart move that will keep viewers interested and wanting to know more.
For more on Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat, stay tuned to Show Snob.
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