In the season 1 finale of Interview with the Vampire,we see Claudia mastermind a plan to kill Lestat once and for all.
Now, let’s dive into the highlights of this week’s episode. And to catch up, read episode 1,episode 2, episode 3, episode 4, episode 5 and episode 6 recaps here.
Lestat decides it’s time to leave New Orleans
The episode opens with a man showing up at their house asking for help. Lestat immediately kills the man and opens up a letter that the man wrote for them. He had cancer, and he was looking for help from Louis, Lestat and Claudia. At this point, the trio of vampires are well known in their New Orleans neighborhood, due to their resistance to aging. After decades of living in the same home, they haven’t aged a day, which leads to Bibles, candles and other things being left at their doorstep over the years. The cancer-stricken man showing up at their home convinces Lestat that the vampires have worn out their welcome in New Orleans. The people know too much about them, and it’s time for them to leave the city.
Claudia’s plan to kill Lestat
When Lestat decides it’s time to leave New Orleans, Claudia realizes it provides her with the perfect cover for her plan to kill Lestat. She convinces Lestat that the vampires should go out with a bang in New Orleans. Her plan is to have Lestat be crowned as King of Mardi Gras and throw a massive party at their home. She feels like Lestat will be so distracted by all of the pleasures at the party that it will give her and Louis the opportunity to kill him.
She pitches the idea to Lestat as a party that will turn into a huge feast for the vampires. Lestat absolutely loves this idea for two reasons: He loves being the center of attention, and he loves the thought of devouring humans alongside the love/obsession of his life — Louis. After Lestat agrees to the party, we discover all of the details of Claudia’s plan. She’s going to poison one of the partygoers who Lestat plans to feast on. When he drinks the poisoned blood, he’ll be on the brink of death. At that point, Louis and Claudia will end him forever.
On the night of the party, just about everything is going to plan until Antoinette shows up. She prevents Lestat from eating the human with poisoned blood. Unsurprisingly, Lestat knew everything about the plan, and Antoinette was his spy all along. But wait! Claudia already knows that Antoinette was spying on them, and it turns out she poisoned one of the people who Lestat already ate. Lestat starts throwing up blood, and Louis slits his throat putting him on the brink of death.
Louis refuses to burn Lestat
After slitting Lestat’s throat, Louis can’t bear to finish the job. When Claudia tells Louis to put Lestat’s body in the incinerator, he just can’t do it. Instead of burning Lestat, Louis puts him in a coffin and lets the trash truck take him away. He tries to convince Daniel that this was enough to end Lestat’s life, but Daniel sees right through Louis’ claim. Daniel tells Louis what you can find in a trash dump: “Rats. Big f****** rats, the size of Kevin Durant’s sneakers. Enough blood in them to bring back the dead, especially one in a trunk with locks on the inside. You knew it, Louis. You had to. The biggest rat eater of them all.”
Louis still loves Lestat, and it kept him from completely ending his life. We’re looking forward to seeing more Lestat in season 2.
Rashid — the Secret Vampire
Throughout the season, we’ve been thrown clues that Rashid isn’t a mere human assistant for Louis. He seemed like so much more than that, and last week’s flashback to San Francisco in the 1970s finally revealed that he has been around Louis for years. In the season finale, we discover that Rashid is actually a vampire. And not only is he a vampire, but he’s a 500+ year old vampire named “Armand” with unthinkable power. On top of that, Louis introduces Armand as the “love of his life.”
Now that we know Armand is so much older and powerful than Louis, it begs the question: Is Louis being held hostage by Armand? Louis may refer to Armand as the love of his life, but it doesn’t feel genuine. Also, earlier in the season, Armand/Rashid told Louis that this second interview with Daniel is a mistake. Could this interview be Louis’ way of trying to get Daniel to help him break away from Armand’s grip? We have so many theories, and it’s a bummer we’ll have to wait at least a year before we get to learn the truth in season 2.
How to Watch ‘Interview with the Vampire‘
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