As always, if you don't want spoilers for the new season of Interview with a Vampire, check out some of my other posts instead. Here we go with episode 6.
There are so many things about this episode that I want to touch on. I absolutely loved the evolution of Claudia, I even saw her falling for the dressmaker when she first showed up and demanded a dress but thought it again when she went back. Madaline's story is tragic. Labeled a monster because she slept with a nazi at the height of the war, but also perhaps because she survived when so many around her died, she has become a leper in post-war France.
As always with episodes that contain a SA scene that the love interest has to rescue a character (usually a woman) from, I didn't care for that bit. The bullies could have just tried to beat her up or something, but no...since she's a woman they had to try r*ping her instead. This always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I did enjoy that Claudia who has been a victim of this type of assault, and not the male vamp who's supposed to be watching the dressmaker, is the one who rescues her, though. It also helps because this is the intro to the idea that Madaline should be turned, so she and Claudia can be together.
I love the scene where Armand and Madaline talk about her becoming a vampire, even though he's just yanking her chain because he's not even planning on entertaining the idea of turning her. Love the little conspiracy going on in the background throughout this episode as the vampire coven conspires under Armand's nose, and the ending...well they get me every time.
I have questions. First, can that really be Lestat? I'm thinking no, because it showed his reflection, and vamps aren't supposed to have reflections, right? But if that's true, then it can't be another vampire playing him either, it must then be a human. But it looked like Lestat. However, the coven is accusing them of his murder so it would be strange to invite him there to a trial of his murderers when he's clearly not dead. Even more than that, if they're going to accuse the trio of breaking the law by turning a child, shouldn't they also have Lestat on trial since he was the one who actually did the turning (whether it was on Louis' behest or not)?
Madeline's back story is pretty tragic, but it's one of survival. She's a survivor. This is probably why she takes to being a vampire even though Louis has never turned anyone before. It was interesting that the vamp sees a victim's life when they drink in their blood. Does this only happen with victims they plan to turn, or does it happen with every single one?
Then there's the reveal that Louis asked Armand (according to Armand, which who knows if he can be trusted or not) to erase his memory of the 6 days in San Francisco. Now that the show has reminded me, I remember the exact number. That doesn't change the fact that Armand seems to exist for Louis to need him. He needs to be nurturing. Perhaps it has something to do with guilt for betraying him. Yes, it is finally revealed that it was Armand's betrayal that led to the events which culminated in Claudia's death. I still have yet to figure out exactly what happens and if the theatre burning down has anything to do with it, but if that actually was Lestat, perhaps he is the one who rescues Louis, since Armand was the one who fed him to the wolves to begin with. Or maybe Armand has a change of heart and starts the fire in order to rescue the man he loves thereafter letting the rest of the vamps fend for themselves against the fire. He does have the power. I often wondered why not just use his power to dispose of the bodies instead of the rats. He can also survive in sunlight and none of the rest of them can, so he could probably wrap Louis up in something and make a run for it and no one would be able to chase him since it's still daytime out.
There is the suggestion in this episode that Louis has amassed his fortune by dealing in art which he has a good eye for. He obviously still has next to nothing in the 40s, and even in San Francisco they seem to be living meagerly. I love that the secret agent or whatever he is who sent Daniel all the encrypted files and stuff tells him that he needs to fear Louis rather than Armand. I think this speaks to Louis' unpredictability. He's like a time bomb. He's already been shown detonating in several different ways throughout the story. The first is when he impales the rich white man which in turn brings a race riot against his neighborhood. Lestat was hoping this act meant he had finally embraced his vampiric nature and decided he was no longer human, but Louis can't help but feel responsible for the ensuing chaos and all the innocent people who are affected by it.
Perhaps Armand is not doing what he is out of guilt or love but out of a sense of duty. Since he had a hand in an event that probably set Louis off even more than anything else might have. Now it isn't for sure that Claudia dies in the fire, or gets killed in the trial, but the fact that it is cannon that Armand has a hand in her death should not be discounted when looking forward to future episodes. I think she'll probably die in the next one. I just wish she and Madaline could be happy, but they were never going to be one of those vampire couples that last centuries because of the machinations that had already begun to conspire against them before Madaline was even turned.
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