The life of a Vampire can be very lonely on Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. In “A Vile Hunger For Your Hammering Heart,” Claudia’s (Bailey Bass) inner struggle leads to more trouble for Lestat (Sam Reid) and Louis (Jacob Anderson).
Daniel (Eric Bogosian) continues to read Claudia’s diaries. He finds her diaries really messed up. Rashid (Assad Zaman) says it’s not any different than Daniel’s work. When the other vampires read his book, they will come for Louis. Daniel is okay with that as long as the vampires pay the correct freight.
They continue the interview. After Claudia killed Charlie, she locked herself in her room. Part of Louis blames Lestat for her behavior. He thought she was on a hunger strike. Turns out she was leaving bodies all up and down the river. The night they discovered her secret outings, they also discovered and read her diary.
When Claudia returned home, Lestat was waiting in her coffin for her. They confronted her about her extracurricular activities and demanded to know what she did with the bodies. She tells them where she dumped the bodies and they grow more concerned. The bodies washed up in the next storm..
Lestat and Louis meet with Thomas Anderson (Chris Stack). He’s running for the Louisiana House of Representatives and asks for their support and money. He was also there to warn them that the police will be paying them a visit to discuss the bodies that washed up from the river. Anderson says each of the bodies had a part cut off; fingers, toes and other body parts.
Sam Reid as Lestat De Lioncourt, Bryan Fenkart as Deputy Haversham and Jacob Anderson as Louis De Point Du Lac – Interview with the Vampire _ Season 1, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC
When they get home, the police are already in their house. Claudia let them in. She’s drunk and laughing about the situation. Louis sends her upstairs. The police found the incinerator. Lestat and Louis covered that part, saying they sell incinerators and show their customers how it works.
The other cops are searching the house. Claudia cleans up her room to hide any and all body parts. But it will be hard to hide the dying man in her closet. One of the cops comes to her room and the door is locked. He breaks down the door and Claudia pretends to be undressing, forcing the cop to leave quickly.
After the police leave, Lestat and Louis yell at Claudia again for her reckless behavior. She admits to being drunk. The man in her closet was drunk when she fed on him. Lestat is annoyed with Claudia, saying they were happier before she came along.
Claudia is scared that she will never find someone to love her. She tried making a companion for herself, but her victims died after she gave them her blood. Louis and Lestat are appalled. She asks Lestat to make a companion for her, but he refuses. So Claudia threatens to leave to find other vampires. Lestat says the other vampires would rip her to shreds. He calls her weak and a mistake.
Bailey Bass as Claudia and Sam Reid as Lestat De Lioncourt – Interview with the Vampire _ Season 1, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC
Louis gets angry and tells Lestat to back off. Now Claudia is mad at Louis for allowing Lestat to treat them both badly. She says Lestat is as cruel as the devil to refuse her one love when he has two loves. That’s something that Louis didn’t know. Lestat is still seeing Antoinette (Maura Grace Athari). Claudia says Lestat is tired of them. The housewife and the mistake. After she leaves, Lestat promises to kill Antoinette soon.
Louis goes to talk to Claudia and finds her packing her clothes. She remembers the night she was turned. She asks why Louis didn’t take her to a hospital instead of taking her life away from her. If he had, she would have been married with children by now. Claudia thinks she would have a normal life, perhaps even go to church. She tells him to think about that before leaving the house.
Louis admits to Daniel that Claudia was made out of remorse and selfishness. Daniel isn’t moved. She was a killer, but she’s the best part of the story. Louis doesn’t want Daniel to put Claudia in his book. He says he can use the diaries, but asks him to put it in the proper context. Daniel says it doesn’t matter the context, once he puts it out there, the public decides what it is. Lous tells him to keep reading.
Louis and Lestat had to go underground. They had to kill outside of the city and stop using the incinerator. They decided to stop going out. Lestat suggests they leave the city and start a new life somewhere else. Louis suggests Paris, but Lestat turns that down quickly. There was no roaring 20s for them. They stayed underground for seven years.
Louis became depressed. Claudia traveled, visiting college libraries. One night, a student stopped her and accused her of stealing. Another vampire stopped the student from taking Claudia to the authorities. This is the first vampire that Claudia met outside of her home. His name is Bruce (Damon Daunno).
Lestat becomes bored with Louis. All he wants to talk about is Claudia. The two vampires stopped keeping their house tidy. They stopped going out or socializing in any capacity. In fact, they are fighting more often. Louis still blames Lestat for what happened with Claudia.
Damon Duanno as Bruce – Interview with the Vampire _ Season 1, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC
Claudia and her new friend killed the student together. They burned his body in a bonfire in the woods. Bruce was a soldier and met his maker in Copenhagen. He faked his death and was shipped back to the states. Bruce says he didn’t get along with his maker and Claudia sympathizes. He asks if her maker is the voice calling out to her every night.
Bruce tries to give her a book on etiquette, offending Claudia. He says she could use it because she was sloppy in Jefferson City. He’s been following her for about five or six colleges. When he heard Louis calling out to her, he became curious about who she was. Claudia is annoyed and tries to push away. He moves just as fast and breaks her leg so she won’t run away. He stands over her and …
Daniel stops reading. There are four pages torn out of the diary that details what happened that night with Bruce. Louis says he will not exploit her. He says it’s clear what happened, but Louis doesn’t want Daniel to read it. Daniel tries to push Louis into talking about the incident, making him angry. Louis uses his mind to make Daniel’s hand shake and tells him not to ask again. Rashid stops Louis and apologizes for his behavior. Daniel slaps Louis and they continue.
Louis finds out about several mysterious deaths at college libraries. He’s sure that it’s Claudia. Lestat doesn’t care. He reminds Louis that he’s still there and a full grown adult. But if that isn’t enough for him, Lestat will go about his day. He has a date with Antoinette.
Louis continues to send telepathic messages to Claudia, hoping she will hear him and come home. She does hear him while she reads in the darkest places of the library.
One night Louis receives a phone call. It’s Grace (Kalyne Coleman). She asks him to meet her at the cemetery. Grace says they lost a lot of money in the Great Depression so they are moving north. Her husband already has a job waiting. She also refuses any money that Louis would offer her.
Bailey Bass as Claudia – Interview with the Vampire _ Season 1, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC
Louis tries to tell her that she looks good and she says she doesn’t need that. She knows this isn’t Louis. He hasn’t aged a day. Grace puts flowers on a grave that has his name on it. She says this is how it has to be. He has to remain dead to them. Grace kisses Louis on the cheek and leaves. Louis starts crying at the grave.
Claudia returned to New Orleans. She followed Louis and Lestat around, but never let them know she was nearby. She saw Grace and Louis’ exchange at the cemetery. Claudia realizes that they made her to be Louis’ sister.
Claudia goes home and Louis is beyond relieved to see her. Lestat isn’t. He’s very annoyed that she came home. Claudia apologized for putting them both in a bad spot. Lestat doesn’t accept her apology though. Instead he wants to toy with her.
Claudia says she’s been doing a lot of reading. She researched the old gods who longed for blood in Persia and Babylon. That led her to old texts from Romania and Hungary. She plans to go there and she wants Louis to go with her.
Lestat tries to convince Claudia that there’s nothing but monsters out there. He says they are vicious, but she’s already learned that. Claudia says Lestat uses fear to keep them at home, but she thinks he’s scared. When he’s scared he ridicules. Lestat taunts her by talking about Charlie. Then says she was a destitute little girl destined to live an inconsequential life. Louis says they took that life from her and cursed her.
Claudia begs Louis to come with her while Lestat yells at him to pay attention to him. Louis doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have to. Lestat knows Louis wants to leave him. Claudia begs again for Louis to leave with her. She says they can meet vampires worthy of his love.
Sam Reid as Lestat De Lioncourt – Interview with the Vampire _ Season 1, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC
Lestat attacks Claudia and Louis attacks Lestat. The two vampires fight throughout the house, destroying lots of things. Claudia tries to stop them, but can’t keep up with them. She finds them near the stairs and Lestat is beating on Louis’ face. She jumps on his back, but tosses her away with ease. Louis tackles Lestat and they head upstairs.
Claudia heads upstairs. She hears Lestat say he’s trying to restrain himself. Louis tells Claudia to stay back. He says it’s okay. They’re done fighting. Claudia sits on the ground, tired from the ordeal. Then Lestat and Louis fly out of the room.
Lestat drags Louis by the jaw down to the street. He says he fought his nature and controlled his temper so he wouldn’t harm Louis. Claudia catches up and begs Lestat to let Louis go. She is willing to trade places with Louis. Lestat says it was never her. He looks at Louis and says he chose him.
Lestat bites Louis and rises into the air. Lestat feeds as he drinks Louis’ blood. He says he patiently waited for Louis to love him as he loves Louis. He asks Louis to say that he will never love Lestat. Instead Louis tells him to let him go. Lestat obliges and lets go. Louis falls fast. He falls through the house and lands in the backyard. His body is broken but he is still alive. Claudia runs to him and holds his hand. Lestat glides to the ground and they stare at each other.
RELATED: Catch up with our Interview with the Vampire recaps
Interview with the Vampire airs Sunday nights on AMC. Watch episodes early on AMC Plus.
News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
GGA's resident Indigenerd, a little bit rez, a little bit classy...with a love for all things Star Wars, zombies, science fiction, and Indigenous. My ultimate goal is to start my own podcast.
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