Why season 3 broke my heart
I think that most fans on Reddit won’t care, but I loved Louis’ story. I fell in love with this show because of him. I wanted to understand him. I wanted to know if he would find out who he was, if he would find out the truth, and if he would reconcile with his existence.
I could spend forever examining all the tiny decisions and details that the writers put into this season in order to unravel Louis and erase his characterization, but I don’t have the energy to do it.
But I was thinking about how they revisited the church scene and why. Louis accepting the Dark Gift is one of the most beautiful and romantic moments in the entire series, and it is made fun of. This most certainly will be justified in the eyes of fans who say it is a result of Lestat feeling heartbroken by Louis’ book, but I think that Lestat’s perspective of Louis conveys a disdain far beyond heartbreak.
“Every room you enter, every hat you are forced to wear - the stern landlord, the differential businessman, the loyal son. All these roles you conform to, and none of them your true nature…be all the beautiful things that you are Louis, and be them without apology.”
When I think about this speech, I realize that The Vampire Lestat makes the argument that Louis is nothing more than the masks. The entirety of the season has Louis’ characterization as nothing more than a lying, capitalist, insane pimp. His love of opera and artistic interests are gone. His love of literature is gone. Even his connection to NOLA is portrayed as solely negative. The love and affection people had for him is portrayed as self-delusion. The series essentially makes the argument that Louis was never really beautiful and perhaps it was Lestat’s mistake in believing that he was. The couples in TVL seem to be forced together through the nefarious “vampire bond” - they do not even need to love each other because they see each other or even because they like each other. Jacob Anderson certainly has a magnetic and deeply loving presence. But if you strip away the strength of this cast and examine the script and its intentions, the whole thing becomes cynical and soulless.