If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire, it’s that no one lives happily ever after. Or do they? In “Like the Light by Which God Made the World Before He Made Light,” Claudia’s (Delainey Hayles) rebellious nature puts Louis (Jacob Anderson) in more danger. And Armand (Assad Zaman) makes a difficult choice.
SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR
This episode begins with Daniel (Eric Bogosian) and Rashid (Bally Gill) out in public for dinner. Daniel has suspicions about Rashid and asks him how he received a package of tapes with no postage or return address. Rashid doesn’t answer, but instead excuses himself to the bathroom. And at that moment, Ragland James (Justin Kirk) appears.
James is a part of a secret organization called the Talamasca. The Talamasca observe and record vampire activity, but they do not reveal who the vampires are nor did they interfere with the lives of the vampires. Upon seeing James, Daniel warns him that he has a chaperone. James is familiar with Rashid and is not worried about his presence. Daniel invited James to the restaurant because he was concerned for his life. James knows Daniel is afraid of Armand, but says he should be more fearful of Louis.
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James offers to help Daniel get his book published. There are some of the Talamasca who are interested in making sure Daniel’s book gets published. The only thing they ask in return is for Daniel to insert a hundred questions or so into the interview. Rashid returns from the bathroom to let Daniel know it’s time to go. James mentions that Daniel would like to stay alive. Rashid says if he wants to live then Daniel should have thrown the tapes away when he found them in his mailbox. Back at the penthouse, Louis and Armand are discussing what to do about an empty wall. Armand gives a few suggestions, only for Louis to answer with attitude. When Daniel returns, the interview continues, but the attitude doesn’t go away. And Daniel starts throwing shade at Armand as well.
BLINDED BY LOVE
Things in Paris began to slow down. Armand was doing his best to give his attention to the coven. Claudia obeyed Armand, staying in the theater and cleaning everything. Louis came up with an investment plan by purchasing art pieces. Even Santiago (Ben Daniels) was compliant with the daily routine in the theater. The latest production was a men-only production. But there was a reason for that. While Santiago is onstage rehearsing the new play, his followers were busy finding more information. This time, about Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid). And they were very good about hiding it all from Armand.
Daniel doesn’t buy it because Armand is a 500 year old vampire. He was the strongest vampire in the coven. How is it he wasn’t able to read any of the minds of the coven to know what was going on around him? Armand says he was blinded by love. Louis scoffs, saying Armand got lazy. That’s when Armand begins to realize that there’s something different about Daniel. He asks Rashid if Daniel spoke to anyone at the restaurant or if they were separated at any time. Rashid lies, saying they only talked to the waiter and were only separate when Daniel when to the bathroom.
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Daniel changes the subject and reads the last passage from Claudia’s final diary. She said diaries are friends of last resort and she had found one not made of paper and glue. Daniel wonders if there was more to the diary that wasn’t ripped out of the book. Armand assures him that they gave him everything they had and asks if Daniel is sitting on something in his encrypted laptop. Louis wants to continue to discuss Claudia, so Daniel makes a note to himself that there is no written corroboration about anything from this point on regarding Claudia except for Louis’ memories.
MADELEINE
The diary not made of paper and glue was Madeleine (Roxane Duran). Up to this point in the story Madeleine is unaware that Claudia is a vampire. One night, a trio of drunk people stopped by Madeleine’s shop to harass her. They painted a swastika on her window. She retaliated by throwing an iron at them, breaking the window. The trio entered her shop, dragged her to the back bedroom and attacked her. Madeleine’s neighbors didn’t bat an eyelash. And it was Claudia who saved her. Madeleine watched her attackers fly across the room. She walked into the shop to find two of them dead and Claudia was feeding on the third. Claudia asked Madeleine not to run from her. She promised to clean up the dead bodies and then they would talk.
Claudia took Madeleine back to her apartment and let her read her diaries. Madeleine only had one question. What was it like to drink blood? Claudia said the blood is warm and thick. She thinks of it as food that she needs. Madeleine offers her blood to Claudia, but the vampire refuses. When Madeline asked her why Louis returned home, saying once Claudia starts, it’s hard for her to stop.Louis was very upset to see Madeline sitting in his coffin reading Claudia’s diaries. Claudia calms him down and tells him how she met Madeline and how she killed in front of her, but she remained calm. Louis asks if their relationship is romantic and they both reply no. Madeleine adds not yet. Claudia explains that Louis once belonged to Lestat and now he belongs to Armand. She has always been the third wheel and for once she wanted to pick something for herself. She wanted a companion. Claudia wanted Madeline.
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Claudia tried to make a companion once before, but she’s too small and too weak. And her chosen companions died. Louis has never made a vampire so he wasn’t sure if he could do it. Even if he could, Claudia did not want Madeleine to have Lestat’s blood. She did not think it was good enough for her companion.Louis summoned Armand, and he was not happy to find out what Claudia had done. He called her a manipulator and pointed out that she broke many of the vampire laws. Louis stopped him and told him to imagine what life would be like if Louis no longer carried the burden that is Claudia. This was enough to convince Armand to consider turning Madeleine.
THE DARK GIFT
Armand talked to Madeleine, trying to scare her into reconsidering. Madeleine lived a hard life and wasn’t scared of anything he said. While they talked, Claudia asked Louis if he meant it when he called her a burden. He defended his words saying it was only said to convince Armand. Claudia realized that Louis changed. He’s stronger and harder. He agreed and was confident that Armand would agree to turn Madeleine. Armand said no. Daniel asks why. Armand says he never made a vampire because the thought repulses him.
Just as things got complicated for Armand and Louis, Santiago started acting out too. He changed the set directions on the play, threw fits about Armand’s direction and insulted the writer about his lines, and immediately apologized telepathically. Outside of the theater, Santiago and his followers began wreaking havoc around Paris. The police couldn’t catch the criminals because they all disappeared as the police arrived.
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Louis informed Armand that he planned to turn Madeleine. Armand was afraid for Louis, saying it was forbidden, but he didn’t tell Louis ‘no.’ He did say no to being there with Louis though. But Louis was okay with that. He asked Armand to make sure they wouldn’t be disturbed. The night that Madeleine was turned was calm and quiet. Claudia sat next to Madeleine the entire time. When Claudia’s fangs came out, Madeleine asked her to drink. Louis drank from one side of Madeleine’s neck and Claudia fed from the other side.
FLASHES OF A LIFE
Louis recalls what he saw as he drank from Madeline. He saw flashes of her life. The people she loved. And the people who judged her. Then he saw Claudia as Madeline saw her. He saw Claudia in the sunlight, looking more beautiful than ever. He knew at that moment that Madeleine would be a better companion to Claudia than he ever could be. Louis opened his wrists and gave Madeline the dark gift. When it was over, Claudia and Madeleine left Paris.
Armand checked on Louis, who sat in a chair bleeding. Louis was kind of sad. Not because Claudia left with Madeleine. He was sad because he no longer cared what happened to her. Armand told him to give it some time and that maybe one day they will find each other again. Until then, Louis could feel Madeleine and he knew that they were far far away.
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Armand brought a suitcase with him. He told Louis that he left the coven. He was afraid the coven would come after him, Louis and Claudia. Louis asked if he broke ties with the coven. Armand says they gave him a choice. Present day Louis asks Armand if that’s what really happened or if he missed something. Armand tells him to stop because this is an important part in their history for them to be playing games. Daniel asks if games are being played.
CONFRONTING THE PAST
Armand realizes that Louis remembers what happened back in 1973. He says Louis asked him to erase his memories, but Louis doesn’t believe that. Daniel doesn’t believe it either. Armand says he failed Louis once, but it wasn’t that day in San Francisco. He tells Daniel that both he and Louis tore out the pages from Claudia’s diaries. And admits there were some he tore out himself because he doesn’t owe Daniel anything, least of all his shame. Armand says he spent his entire life trying to make up for what he did to Louis, and he doesn’t think he can. Yet, Louis forgave him.
Daniel says he didn’t forgive Armand, revealing that he also remembers what happened in San Francisco. Armand says the drugs and alcohol do far more damage to him than those six days ever could. Daniel corrects him saying that he was held hostage for six days, not five. And Armand commends him for having a sharp mind for a human. He apologizes for what happened in San Francisco, but Daniel is more angry that Armand was going to drain him than anything. Armand gives him a second delayed apology.
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ARMAND’S SHAME
Back to the interview, some time had passed when Claudia and Madeline returned to Paris to visit Louis and Armand. Madeline said they planned to travel the world. She thought Claudia should see Louis before they leave. She stared at Louis for most of the time, making him uncomfortable. Madeleine said she can’t read his mind and he explains that’s because he is her maker. She said she can feel him and felt how much he loves Claudia and Armand. Louis got embarrassed, telling her to get out of his soul. He said Armand was given enough affection and didn’t need a big head. Armand laughed and excused himself from the table and walked to stand at the door.
Louis, Claudia and Madeleine stayed at the table, talking and laughing when Santiago walked up to the door to the restaurant. Time stood still as Louis watched members of the coven jump out, covered each of them with burlap sacks and took them away. Louis tells Daniel that the coven gave Armand a choice … and he chose.
The theater advertised a trial of the treacherous and unnatural for the next production. The show was a matinee in the middle of the day. The coven were the judges. The audience was the jury. The defendants, Madeline, Claudia and Louis were put on display at center stage. Santiago was the prosecutor. And the secret star witness was … Lestat de Lioncourt.
Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire seasons 1 and 2 are now available on AMC+.
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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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