Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for further books in Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe.
The Big Picture
- The AMC adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire stays true to the original novel while making the storyline more accessible and entertaining.
- Season 2 of the show is likely to continue at a faster pace and explore new elements from the books, including the duo’s encounter with a pack of skeletal vampires in Bulgaria.
- Viewers can expect dramatic twists and turns in Season 2, including potential betrayals, tragic deaths, and a burning of the Theater des Vampires. The show’s reinvention adds an unpredictable edge.
The AMC adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire from Rolin Jones will in all likelihood propel the storyline along at a faster pace for Season 2 if it sticks to the original novel. The ghoulish gothic horror was terrifyingly translated from Rice’s 1976 novel into the 7-part drama, with only minor differences and still covering terrain familiar to avid readers of Rice’s work: with faith, morality, sexuality, and existential despair seamlessly blended into the plot. It veered far enough away from Rice’s story to satiate newcomers, not compromise the mythology and overall, make the show more accessible and still as gruesomely entertaining as Rice’s classic. The first season tackled a third of Rice’s iconic story and hopefully, season two will deliver Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) and Claudia (Bailey Bass) to Armand’s (Assad Zaman) coven: The Theatre des Vampires.
Where Did We Leave the Vampire Trio in the Season 1 Finale?
Following the revelation Louis is an unreliable narrator and his house-boy Rashid is the ancient vampire, Armand, it is safe for viewers to assume Jones won’t devoutly follow the narrative outline of the book. Where did we leave the vampiric trio in the Season 1 finale? Claudia and Louis host a Mardi Gras with a few select victims for the vampires to feast on and in an attempt to extricate themselves from Lestat (Sam Reid), conspire to murder the older vampire. Aware they’re being spied on by Antoinette (Maura Grace Athari), who will relay what she knows to Lestat and probably scupper the duo’s plans. Claudia slyly spikes their victim’s blood with poison weakening Lestat and beating Antoinette in a fight. In a gnarly scene, they burn Antoinette, slit Lestat’s throat, and dump Lestat’s undead remains at a dump site. In the present-day timeline, Daniel is shocked at Louis and Armand’s revelation and feels duped, maybe even betrayed by the vampire who’d granted him an interview decades earlier and was less than forthcoming with the truth. Jones’s painstaking world-building and efforts to put his own mark on the material was excellent and fans are eager to discover what awaits Louis and Claudia. The show will start incorporating more exciting elements from the books and really raising the stakes. The relocation from the 1790s to the early 20th century might be the most successful change, with fertile grounds for stories.
So What Happens Next, According to the Books?
They travel to Europe and land in Bulgaria, discovering a subspecies of skeletal, ravenous vampires, according to Claudia’s investigations into vampirekind, she ascertains they are vampires who remain in their graves, only rising to feed when the thirst for blood becomes unbearable. 8-episodes are slated for Season 2, so it is possible this segment of the book might not make it into the season unless in flashback. Often last season unfolded at a glacial pace with vampires in situ for decades, this was perfect for building tension and delving into the three protagonists, the next section of the book is pure gothic horror with a slew of new vampire characters. The duo’s pursuit of the undead leads them (via villain Santiago) directly to Armand and Theatre des Vampires. Louis feels an immediate connection with Armand, while Claudia is instantly at odds with him. The Theatre des Vampires are revenants who reside underground and cling to the old world. They have a pack mentality and perceive both Louis and Claudia as weak. Santiago is immediately suspicious of the newcomers and the duo are silently appalled by the coven’s antics. They hide in plain sight and murder innocent people while a paying crowd watches it play out. Louis has grown tired of Claudia needing him and is drawn to Armand with an intensity he can’t deny.
Will That Main Character Meet Their End?
In both the novel and Neil Jordan’s 1994 film, Claudia meets a tragic end when Santiago finds out they murdered one of their own kind. In Rice’s novel, Lestat resurfaces and instigates Claudia and Louis’s punishment and execution. Louis has sired another progeny for Claudia, her name is Madeleine, and she will act as a surrogate, so he can spend an eternity of bliss with Armand. If it follows the novel’s trajectory, Louis and Claudia end up in serious, life-threatening trouble when Lestat resurfaces and exacts an awful revenge. The vampires entomb Louis in a wall and chain Claudia and Madeleine up to wait for the morning sun. Louis is too late to save either of them and flies into a murderous rage, with kerosene and weaponry, he burns the theater to the ground and slaughters the vampires. Afterward, Armand takes Louis under his wing, and they travel the world, Lestat disappears (until later in the book). A later revelation in the book regarding Armand’s culpability in Claudia’s death could factor into a future plot.
The AMC Production Captures the Essence of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles
The AMC production legitimately captures the essence of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles while offering a fresh new take on the mythos. Going forward, the show is more of an updated reinvention than a straight transition of the text and this is a good thing. It adds an unpredictable aspect for viewers and the story happening in a new timeline gives it a grittier edge — it’ll be fascinating to see how they update the Theatre des Vampires or if they’ll remain faithful to their literary counterparts and allow them to retain their savage, old-world ideals and insular theatrical evil. Louis as an unreliable narrator robs him of his integrity to a certain extent, next season viewers will need to be on their toes. Louis was the one vampire who’d gained our trust during the season, his constant resistance to moral evil and the weight of crushing existentialism on his shoulders elicited sympathy from the viewer. Now viewers are not all that sure he should be invested in. Anne Rice’s trilogy (before the later standalone novels) and the mythology and origins of vampires will be story strands fans should be excited about if new seasons are commissioned. For now, we have the Theatre Des Vampires to look forward to…
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
