“Interview with the Vampire” Season 2 – Review

Consisting of eight episodes, Interview with the Vampire season 2 had a whole lot of “filler” content as the narrative dragged toward the inevitable reunion between Louis and Lestat. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy every second of it.

As someone who recorded reaction and review videos for the first season of the live-action Interview with the Vampire series, I just couldn’t find it in myself to do the same for the sophomore outing. Again, it’s not because the story was boring or anything (it definitely was not!). It’s just that the eight episodes didn’t have much for me to react to except for a few fleeting moments peppered throughout.

With Armand (Assad Zaman) revealing himself during the finale of the first season, the second installment had him be an integral part of Daniel’s interview as the narrative followed Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Claudia’s (Delainey Hayles) journey to find other vampires around the world.

The beginning couple of chapters helped flesh out the vampiric lore. We even got to meet a female vampire who was used to demonstrate the toll of loneliness on such immortal beings. From what I could understand, the greatest punishment you could give a vampire was isolation.

However, wanting to be part of a coven came with a dynamic that could turn deadly. With Louis and Claudia coming to Paris, they got to meet the artistic coven called Théâtre des Vampires, headed by Armand. Claudia’s immediately interested in being part of a group while Louis continued to have reservations. He’s perfectly okay with having a romantic relationship with Armand and spending time with him though.

Chemistry was necessary for Louis and Armand to work, especially due to their relationship needing to go up against the electrifying intensity between Louis and Lestat (Sam Reid). So, kudos to the writers as well as Anderson and Zaman for hitting it out of the park. Even though you could feel there’s a lack of honesty between the two, Louis and Armand worked well as a couple. But then again I have a feeling that the male lead cast of Interview with the Vampire can easily manage to produce unbridled onscreen chemistry with a lampshade (I volunteer!).

Even though Louis and Claudia moved away from New Orleans, they continued to be haunted by Lestat’s shadow, with Louis experiencing full-on hallucinations of his maker. Not only that but Lestat was also deeply connected to the Théâtre des Vampires, with the threat surrounding the truth about Louis and Claudia hurting Lestat always knocking on the front door.

Everything came to a head by episode 7 and it was finally time for Louis and Claudia to be punished for what they did to Lestat. Again, the previous episodes are enjoyable, but they did have a repetitive vibe to them. Hence, my not feeling motivated enough to record episodic reaction and review videos.

Though I knew what happened to Claudia in the original story, I was hoping for the live-action series to take a different route (considering the creative team had changed so much of canon already). But alas, Claudia’s fate was inescapable. At least, the good news seems to be that her execution will continue to haunt Louis and Lestat. Apparently, the third season (the show has already been renewed), will include Lestat trying to atone for a bunch of his mistakes, including not being able to save Claudia. With Louis hallucinating about Lestat during the current season, I wouldn’t be surprised if Claudia popped up in Lestat’s mind in a similar fashion down the line.

Frankly, I’m here for it because Hayles did an awesome job in the role.

The major reveal in Interview with the Vampire season 2 dealt with Armand’s backstabbing nature. While not perfect, Daniel (Eric Bogosian) was a capable investigator and his line of questioning (supplemented by the Talamasca) helped Louis realize what exactly transpired during that fateful night of his and Claudia’s public trial. 

The writing team didn’t disappoint with the finale featuring Louis and Lestat’s reunion. Both men have been through a lot and they will continue to go through a lot due to being undead. The years apart had allowed them to do some soul-searching (for lack of a better term when talking about vampires) that had led to certain intense emotions settling down. Louis and Lestat were ready to forgive each other. I mean, they still had much to address in their relationship, but at least, this was a start.

In a sense, Louis’ journey during the second season was about accepting the fact that he was indeed a vampire. Embracing his true nature helped him grow more powerful. Calling out to vampires around the globe to come get him if they had any issue with his decisions was such a power move.

On the other hand, Lestat’s journey dealt with accepting guilt (a more human emotion). As a flamboyant immortal who cared less about humans and his kind, the past finally caught up to Lestat. He needed to feel guilt to begin his healing journey. And that included his relationship with Claudia.

Even though we have seen Claudia talk about how she didn’t mean anything to Lestat and Louis. In my opinion, the narrative made it clear that she was an integral part of who these two men had become. Claudia will always be a part of them.

As for Armand, I think he will continue to be a menace. He might have felt guilty about what he did to Louis, but in my opinion, being manipulative and a gaslighter will always triumph over any sense of guilt when it comes to who Armand is as a character.

I just know Armand’s planning something, especially with how he decided to turn Daniel into a vampire. From what I remember, season two did tell us that Armand wasn’t into turning humans into vampires. So why do it to Daniel? Hmm.

Now, before I end my review, AMC described the plot for season three as:

Resentful of the perfunctory portrayal in the trashy bestseller “Interview With The Vampire,” the Vampire Lestat sets his story straight in a way only the Vampire Lestat can – by starting a band and going on tour. Gabrielle. Nicholas. Magnus. Marius. Those Who Must Be Kept. They join Louis, Armand, Molloy, Sam, Raglan, Fareed and others we can’t tell you about yet on a sexy pilgrimage across space, time and trauma. No Auto-Tuning. No Trigger Warnings. All Feels Amplified.

We are getting rockstar Lestat, people! I want to see him post something on the in-universe version of TikTok!

Did you watch Interview with the Vampire season 2? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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