Review

The second season of Interview With The Vampire sees Louis and Claudia heading to Europe in search of other vampires after leaving Lestat for dead. The series had to cast a different actress, Delainey Hayles, in the role of Claudia as scheduling conflicts meant Bailey Bass was unable to continue, however the change is seamless as Claudia has matured from the first season so she behaves differently anyway. The other big problem to solve was how to include Lestat (Sam Reid) since he doesn’t feature heavily in the second half of the book version but we get Ghost Lestat who pops up in Louis’s subconscious every now and again. We also get Armand’s flashbacks to his time with Lestat so we get to see Armand’s version as well.

Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Claudia arrive in Europe just after the end of the Second World War so it is unsurprising everything seems very bleak. Based on the books Claudia has been reading, they head to Romania where they hope to find some fellow vampires but they are shocked when they come across a feral vampire who is monstrous in appearance. The creature’s maker, Daciana (Diana Gheorghian), tells them her attempts at making a companion keep failing and Louis tells her it is because the blood is bad due to an accumulation of pain and despair. Louis advises her to accompany them to America to seek stronger blood, but Daciana is too far gone and throws herself on the fire. Daciana is a warning tale that even vampires need companionship and this resonates deeply with Claudia.

Louis and Claudia then move on to Paris where they eventually meet the coven at the Theatre des Vampires which is led by the mysterious Armand (Assad Zaman) who obviously has his own connection to Lestat. The coven puts on plays where they reveal their vampiric nature under the guise of it all being fake but they kill real victims on the stage in front of an unwitting audience. There are some fabulous actors cast in the roles of the coven and I loved Ben Daniels as Santiago who hams it up outrageously but with a sinister edge. Claudia takes to the coven right away and is excited when she is allowed to join as a member but it all end in tears when they force her to take the part of a baby in one of their new plays. Louis is much more reticent towards the others but that doesn’t stop Armand from trying to get into his pants.

We are also introduced to the relationship that develops between Claudia and Madeleine (Roxane Duran), a seamstress, who is shunned for having been perceived as a collaborator during the war. Madeleine treats Claudia like a young woman and makes pretty dresses for her which draws them closer together. When Claudia reveals her true nature, Madeleine agrees to become her companion but Claudia has to enlist a reluctant Louis to turn her. The turning is done in a very beautiful way as an anxious Claudia holds Madeleine’s hand and whispers encouragement. Sadly, Claudia and Madeleine never get the chance to enjoy their new companionship as the coven seizes them and puts them on trial along with Louis for violating the Five Great Laws. The star witness being Lestat himself.

Back in Dubai, Rashid has revealed himself to be Armand and he joins in on the conversations Louis is having with Molloy, however you can see that Molloy is growing increasingly suspicious about the accuracy of Louis’s memories. In a nice touch, Molloy is now getting information fed to him by Raglan James, a member of the Talamasca, via his computer and there is a slow build up until Daniel takes great delight in exposing Armand’s lies to Louis. The story also flashes back to 1973 as we finally get to see the aftermath of Louis’s first interview with Molloy which ended with Armand torturing Molloy for days, while a despairing Louis chose to walk into the sun before being saved by Armand.

Louis and Lestat are finally reunited when Louis walks out on Armand in Dubai and heads to New Orleans where he finds Lestat living in a hovel and surviving on rats. There is no explanation as to why Lestat looks so weak but we can only assume he is suffering from depression after the events in Paris and is surviving on rats. It’s interesting to note the shift in power here as Louis is the strong one but the reconciliation is a sweet one. The power status is further underlined when we learn the Talamasca has helped Molloy, now a vampire, to publish his book and vampires around the world are venting their rage at Louis. Louis dares them to come for him.

The tone of this series is going to change completely with season three as Lestat finally comes to the forefront and reinvents himself as a rock star. There will be a significant backlash from the publication of Molloy’s book which is his own interpretation of Louis’s story and it is likely to blow apart Louis and Lestat’s relationship just as it looks like they are rekindling their romance. My dislike for Molloy in all his incarnations remains unchanged and I’m not buying into the future romance between him and Armand. I like this new powerful Louis and it is reassuring to note the writers will be including him in season three since Book Louis fades into the background. However, step aside, the main man is about to arrive in all his hedonistic glory.