Love will make you do some crazy things on Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. In “Like Angels Put in Hell by God,” Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Claudia (Bailey Bass) do their best to put the pieces of their family back together, despite Lestat’s (Sam Reid) lies.
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The interview continues while Daniel (Eric Bogosian) goes through treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Daniel judges the relationship between Lestat and Louis, calling it abusive, but Louis doesn’t see it that way. Besides, if he can’t forgive Lestat, then he doesn’t deserve forgiveness either.
Claudia took care of Louis while he recovered from his beating. Louis suffered a few shattered vertebrae, a punctured lung and was blind in one eye for two months. Lestat left but tried calling several times. No one answered when the phone rang. Lestat eventually showed up to apologize in person. Claudia tried to tell Lestat that Louis did not want to see him. To prove her point, Louis threw Lestat’s coffin out the window.
Three years went by, when Lestat saw them walking downtown. He stopped them to give Louis a car. He apologized to Louis and said he changed. Lestat said he’s nothing without Louis and Claudia, but if they wanted him to go, he would. Claudia threw the keys away and they left.
JEALOUSY
Things went on like this for a total of six years. Lestat never gave up and eventually Louis gave in. Lestat sent Louis a vinyl record of a song he wrote. Louis plays the song for Daniel with Lestat singing. On the original recording Antoinette (Maura Grace Athari) was singing. Lestat knew hearing her voice would set Louis off and it did.
Louis showed up at Antoinette’s, demanding to talk to Lestat. Lestat was in bed with Antoinette when Louis arrived. The two vampires made her get dressed and leave so they could talk. They didn’t talk long. The passion took over while Antoinette listened.
Claudia and Louis gave Lestat several rules that he had to comply with to return to the house. First, he had to kill Antoinette; next, Claudia asked him to call her sister; and last, he could tell no more lies. Lestat agreed to answer any question they had. Claudia asked who made Lestat. He told them that his maker was named Magnus. Magnus took Lestat from his room and kept him prisoner, feeding on him nightly. Lestat thought he’d end up dead, but he ended up a vampire. After Magnus turned Lestat, he threw himself into a fire. Magnus left Lestat without telling him anything about who or what he was. Lestat admitted he didn’t want to be a vampire. He couldn’t drink hot blood or just feed on someone. He only survived by his capacity to endure. And that’s why he doesn’t like being abandoned.
ENDURING
Years went by and something strange started to happen. Their home was often vandalized with signs of witchcraft. Louis says it was an awkward time. He loved both Claudia and Lestat, but there was a lot of tension between those two. The only thing they agreed on was that Louis made them feel inferior for feeding on humans. Lestat asked that they hunt together and they all hunt humans. Louis agreed by picking a man to feed on.
Louis did his best to help Claudia and Lestat get along, but both of them were stubborn. Lestat did try. He began teaching Claudia how to play the piano and chess. Claudia wanted to learn how to fly. Louis says Lestat only knows because he’s older. Flying was supposedly a gift that comes with age. Claudia said that was another lie. She believed that everything Lestat said, was a lie.
The night that Lestat killed Antoinette, he gave her finger to Claudia. Claudia used to like souvenirs from her victims. Claudia kept Antoinette’s ring and threw the finger in the fire. The gift didn’t do anything to help their relationship. Louis continued to help, but they only wanted to complain about each other. They were more like each other than they wanted to admit. Both of them sought power over the other and were eager to exploit each other’s weaknesses.
This was demonstrated while they play chess. Claudia tried to unnerve Lestat by talking about his first love, Nicki. He answered her questions and made it known that she doesn’t play chess very well. She started calling him Master and pretended to be at his mercy. That only annoyed Lestat and he left.
FATHER OF LIES
Lestat went to see Antoinette, who was alive and well and a vampire. He complained about Claudia and Louis the entire time. Antoinette tried to make him forget about them, but she also whined to him. He reminded her that he only sees her because she didn’t complain. She reminded him that he made promises to her when he made her into a vampire. The tension cooled down and they professed their love for each other. Claudia and Louis were standing outside of the hotel window, listening to their conversation.
Louis wasn’t surprised that Lestat lied about killing Antoinette. In fact, he was sure that Lestat wanted to be caught. Lestat did not like being told what to do. Claudia apologized to Louis for how Lestat treated him. Lestat hated what he heard, but he knew he would let Lestat come back time and time again. Louis had no intention of telling Lestat that he knew about Antoinette because it wouldn’t make any difference.
Claudia decided that she and Louis should leave. She talked to Louis about it through their telepathic link. Louis knew Claudia was unhappy enduring Lestat for him. he tells Claudia to go without him. He was where he wanted to be with Lestat. And she would be free to find her own happiness. She cried as she hugged him goodbye.
LOCKED IN HATE
Louis thought about committing suicide that night, but didn’t want Claudia to remember that he killed himself the night she got her freedom. He returned home to find out that Germany had invaded Poland. Lestat is worried for Louis. He knew Claudia was on her way to Europe. It’s a good thing she changed her mind.
Claudia got on the train. She hid in the luggage car, reading her books. Lestat was also on the train. He said Louis needed her. Claudia thought Louis picked Lestat over her. Lestat said Louis is in a worse state than he was the first time she left. He told Claudia to go home.
Lestat knew about Bruce and what he did to Claudia. He said it would be a shame if something like that happened to Claudia again. Louis would blame himself. And he wouldn’t let Louis suffer like that. As for them, they could endure each other for Louis’ happiness. Lestat tells Claudia to come home and make Louis happy. And if she tries to leave again, Lestat will turn them both to dust.
MIND GAMES
One night, Louis listened to the radio while Lestat and Claudia played chess. Claudia communicated with Louis through their mind. She said she thought that Lestat killed his maker and made them his slaves. Louis disagreed. Claudia was determined to free her and Louis from Lestat. They had no use for him anymore.
Lestat mocked Claudia’s every move she made in the chess game. Louis begged Claudia from thinking badly about Lestat. She ignored him, saying to beat Lestat, one has to become Lestat. They had to think like Lestat, but five steps ahead of him. Louis warned her that Lestat is much older and would be hard to kill. Claudia did not care. She wanted to kill Lestat. Louis said Lestat would destroy her if she tried, but Claudia was confident that she could kill him. And she knew that Louis wanted to kill him too.
The chess game is stalled. Lestat realized that Claudia was in a position to beat him. Claudia didn’t make her final move. She decided to go to bed instead. Lestat got very angry with her, demanding that she finish the game. After she left, he threw a fit. Louis turned up the radio to drown out Lestat’s cries.
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME
Louis stops telling his story when he realizes that Daniel is asleep. He asks Rashid (Assad Zaman) to get Daniel a blanket. Daniel dreams about the night he met Louis. He was in his early 20s and stopped at a bar for a drink. Louis was at the bar smoking a cigarette and offered to buy Daniel a drink. Daniel sees Louis’ name on his credit card and asks about it. He finds Louis interesting because of his name and his accent. He asks to interview Louis. Louis says he’s not important, but that’s Daniel’s speciality.
Louis says the interview is not what Daniel is looking for. He can give him what he wants though. Daniel asks if Louis is a narc. Louis tells him the truth and says he’s a vampire. They both laugh. Daniel says he really wants to interview Louis. Louis likes the idea and asks his companion if that’s okay with him and if he’d like to join them. The companion is Rashid. Rashid tells Louis to go have his fun. Daniel wakes up, startled by the dream.
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Interview with the Vampire airs Sunday nights on AMC. Watch episodes early on AMC Plus.
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