r/VampireLestat

>!I consider this scene to be one of the greatest in modern literature. It's Lestat sitting in an 18th century parlor with Marius, discussing the nature of good and evil. It represents the core of Anne Rice's philosophy and what she was trying to impart to the reader with her books. I feel robbed that we didn't get to see it. The series doesn't feel right without it. The whole setup with Akasha is wrong. I wanted to see where Marius lived and the shrine he built to those who must be kept. Instead they gave us this cheap set and what feels like a knockoff vampire queen. To their credit though there are a few lines referencing the philosophy from the book. !<

I think the pace and style of the season is very different and I'm open to it, but the characters are bugging me a lot... None of them feels like the original characters, also the changes in storyline, for me, are really to the worse.

To me this is no longer an adaptation if most of the beats are lost or completely mangled. I will refrain from saying any specifics and spoiling the show, but I just watched episode 5 and the plotline I was most expecting to see because it is so grandiose for Lestat is so half assed that I'm almost giving up the show.

The guy just wanted to record music, only get to get driven to perform by a vampire with a midlife crisis and trauma. He makes the most reasonable decision and leaves the band.

But then, ANOTHER vampire drops into his life. Speaks to him and everything, and the next you know, he’s jumping off the train platform. Like holy fuck.

If it’s going to be like that for Larry, then what hell is coming to the rest of the band members?

I feel bad for the humans. They become collateral when it involves immortal creatures.

*warning: book and show spoilers*

That line in the new episode where Lestat calls himself >!Amel!< makes me wonder... do you guys think that, in Season 4 (which I hope exists), Lestat will >!eat Akasha's heart and become prince of the vampires? As in, write out the characters of Maharet/Mekare entirely and just skip to the part where he has Amel in him?!<

Or is it too wild of a theory haha

I know the books, but putting that to the side.

Questions the show would leave me as a non-reader:

1. Why did Lestat bury himself? Why did we leave out that scene of him going to ground?!Was it too much loss? It was, but the show glosses over it. Earlier seasons would have explored the emotions.

2. What is Armand’s role with Nikki? Why skip showing Nikki’s death. Heck, Nikki is so pivotal to Lestat’s becoming and yet he only gets an episode and a half.

3. So book change, and I know I am not meant to bring it up, but want to only cause it doesn’t make sense in the context of the show. Lestat was a Vampire for the great burning in the TV show. Fine, I can deal with that change, but why not show the burning occur and set up the mystery of what burned them before we get to it. This is a very awkward change because we are again told things we never see. Why change it if we never see it? Why have Lestat experience something so profound off screen? If I randomly caught fire in the middle of the night, I’d be obsessed with it.

My problem here is, the show is offering a juxtaposition between Lestat’s romanticized version of events through music, vs the actual events, but we don’t get enough of those events. I want an extended cut of this show. Adaptations naturally need to change things, but I really think there are scenes that were shot we are missing…

I don’t know. It just doesn’t flow if that makes sense. I guess I am suffering from pacing whiplash. Season 1 and 2 really took its time, and this season feels so rushed and salacious for the sake of it.

Funny enough, Louis’s storyline (not from the books, but I am sure is connected, looking at you Merrick) is one of the better aspects of this season. That is a slow burn story so far and it is great.

Edit to number 1: I guess in the show it’s cause Gabrielle, but in the book it is news of Nikki’s death, and his mother has already become solitary disappearing for long spans at a time.

After watching Armand mind-control Larry into jumping in front of a train, it just made me think about how completely different it was compared to the “Rest” scene with Daniel in season 2. Quite frankly I’m just surprised with how little effort it took Armand to make Larry kill himself. Like sure you could chalk it up to Larry being weaker-willed than Daniel or maybe Armand’s powers just being stronger due to time progression, but I personally like to think that he was just being gentler and kinder to Daniel on purpose. Perhaps he only started to put Daniel under his spell as a manipulation tactic against Louis. I’m not entirely sure. I just think the whole Larry scene draws important parallels that might be relevant to the devils minion relationship.

(>!The evil GREMLIN (affectionate) was amazing this episode, Assad is so compelling to watch 🧡
What are our thoughts on Armand influencing/ forcing Larry into suicide? My brain immediately went to Nicky. I know Nicky was already suffering mentally, and suicidal tendencies seems to be a part of vampiric existence BUT I am side eyeing Armand for being around this twice… do we think Armand influenced Nicky into cutting off his hand? Or contributed to his mental decline?
So excited to see what unhinged thing he does next 👀!<)

>!Watched the latest episode and the teaser for the next episode alludes to Merrick doesn't it? Will Louis get Merrick to try to revive Claudia using Reginas body? That would be close to the books and fit right in with the series! Or am I going crazy?!<

Anyone have any fun/cute IWTV memes, art, whatever, especially of Armand? Need something to cheer me up after this show once again makes me confront the fact that my sweet pookie is a Really Bad Guy

power is essential to look at when analysing toxic relationships
louis and lestat are going at each other's throats always fighting to have the moral, intellectual, vampire and human abilities high-ground, this is understandable considering louis' place in the social hierarchy when lestat [groomed] turned him
gabriella and lestat have a terrible [might i had disgusting] power imbalance, and lestat tries to fight it but he can't ever let her go, and eventually he ends up where she wants him, because she made her think he needed her to stay alive

there is abuse and manipulation in both relationship, i don't think these vampires could do without, but see it how you want it, I think louis could be considered lestat's victim, just as lestat is his mother's
anyhoo, parent-child, maker-fledgling, vampire lovers relationships are fucked from the get go and applying human morals and politics to them is complicated, so i tend to analyse the relationships before one or both were turned,

BUT regarding Regina, power imbalance is the whole issue and we can definitely apply human morals to it because well she is not a vampire, but I've seen people take lestat's side, saying she's manipulative, that it's her fault, well it's not

let's take a step back, a 20-something black girl working as a waitress trying literally anything to flee poverty, being forced to put herself in even more precarious situations just to survive, breaking the law, abusive working relationship with her boss, shit like that,
this girl happens to have a very rich very powerful very immortal very homocidal stalker who's pressuring her (being around all the time, showing off his money, refusing to leave her alone) into "accepting his assistance" by mentionning very secretive very precise knowledge of her life and side job(the only fans). let's be real, i would also do anything he says, anything i'd think he wants, again, she's doing this to survive, not because it's fun or because she's somehow enjoying it or wants it,
but louis, louis wants and takes, he's a capitalist (paying a whore to sit with him and talk), he builds empires, buys so many shit to grow money, and he has a specific past with poor sex workers and using money and power to his advantage. and if that fucks him up in any way how the fuck would it be her problem, even less her fault
she didn't ask to look like that, it's not her fault she was followed by a vampire when she went to work one day, not her fault she's poor and needs money, the whole situation is fucking her up way more than him

Man I don’t know how I feel about the dinner scene with Regina playing Claudia, I lowkey feel like he grooming her into being Claudia.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Amazing/s/VeMv0GLQ5G

Seriously, the character design in this season is so good! The Roman style curls, the way his face looks like a that of a Roman statue, not to talk about his accent that sounds way more Italian than whatever weird thing Gabriella is trying to do. Christopher Heyerdhal nails it.

>!So there are 3 vampires and 3 band members to turn. I'm assuming that Lestat turns TC since she is at the long table. So Sam Barclay and Gabriella will turn Alex and Salamander. Since Alex is working with Armand, he would probably want to be made by Gabriella so she won't be able to read his mind. Then again memories are shared in the making process. I'm curious to see what the Maker/Fledgling pairings will be.!<