The Vampire Lestat: Episode 1's 7 Most WTF Moments
AMC series Interview with the Vampire is back for a third season, this time under the new name of The Vampire Lestat.
Based on the second book in Anne Rice’s series The Vampire Chronicles, this new TV show sees the focus shift from previous protagonist Louis de Pointe du Lac, to the titular vampire Lestat.
With the shift in lead character also comes a change in style and tone, and just one episode in, it is safe to say that The Vampire Lestat is very different to what audiences have come to know from the show. The story joins Lestat as he and his newly formed band have taken their music on the road. Life on tour can be chaotic, and that is definitely the overwhelming energy of season opener ‘Detroit.’ After the slow and steady progression of Interview with the Vampire, watching The Vampire Lestat leaves the viewer with neck strain from all the tonal whiplash.
A vampire with a reputation for being provocative, Lestat wastes no time in bringing the shock factor to the screen. One episode in and we’ve already been treated to several WTF moments. Here are some of our favourites.
1. Armand and Louis Are Missing Body Parts
Right from its opening sequence, The Vampire Lestat goes for the jugular. It begins at an auction for the possessions of the ‘deceased’ Lestat. Among the bidders for his musical collection are both of his vampiric exes, Louis and Armand. The pair have looked considerably better though, as Armand is sporting an eye patch, and Louis a cane, the camera revealing that our former lead is missing a foot. Before an explanation is given for their injuries, the recorded voice of Lestat takes over and whisks the viewer back in time, with the rest of the episode marking the beginning of events that wound up in the present setting of the auction house.
2. Lestat’s Doppelganger
As Lestat narrates his new life as an up-and-coming musician, he introduces the viewer to his band and entourage. While the band and his lawyer are expected members of a musicians tribe, the inclusion of a man called Jarda is less so. After an unfortunate incident, Lestat must now keep his private activities away from public eyes. Hired by lawyer Christine, Jarda’s job is to act as Lestat’s double, spending his evenings after Lestat’s gig haunting diners, distracting any fans or paparazzi into thinking his life is mediocre, and keeping the vampire claims merely a part of his act.
Celebrities having doubles is nothing new. However, Jarda is described by Lestat as his doppelganger, and the pair are nearly identical. The only difference is that Jarda requires a wig and contact lens to fully pass as Lestat. To truly hammer home the doppelganger aspect, Lestat actor Sam Reid also plays Jarda, confirming that this is more than a mere lookalike. With Jarda revealed to have been discovered in Europe, not far geographically from where Lestat lived when human, could Jarda actually be related to him in some way? Does having one doppelganger open the door for more?
3. Lestat’s Heavily Scarred Chest
One of the most used GIFs from the first season of Interview with the Vampire is that of a shirtless Lestat seductively offering Louis his coffin. In the scene, Lestat looks immaculate, achingly handsome, and it is clear to the audience why Louis succumbed to his charms. Lestat is seen shirtless at several other points during the first two seasons, and each time his skin is blemish free. It is a very different Lestat that takes to the stage in ‘Detroit’, though, as his chest is covered by red, angry-looking scars.
Ahead of the release of The Vampire Lestat, fans assumed that these markings were tied to either a vampire attack, or a side-effect of some drug. The truth, though, is that Lestat received these scars during a wolf attack while still human. Lestat remarks that it was kind of Louis not to mention them in his book, the omission proof that love is blind to imperfections.
4. The Claudia, Louis, and Armand Trick-or-Treaters
Not every WTF moment in ‘Detroit’ was as neck-breaking as witnessing our favourite characters severely wounded — others just make no logical sense. The first of these instances comes during Lestat’s recounting of his taking over the band, Satan’s Night Out. Lestat has recently learned of Daniel Molloy’s book on Louis that provides a ‘mayonnaise villain’ version of himself. He is unhappy about the portrayal and is pushed over the edge by a group of trick-or-treaters. As Lestat opens the door, he is confronted by children all dressed up as either Claudia, Louis, or Armand.
Children often dress up as characters like Chucky or Jason Voorhees for Halloween despite not having seen the movies that they are from, but it is a big leap to suggest that kids would be excited to dress up as characters from a book that only their parents would have read. Had there been an in-universe TV adaptation then sure, but as it stands, it is a little harder to justify. The only real explanation would be if Lestat’s frenemy, Armand, had paid the children to dress in such a way so that he could inflict more torment on his adversary.
5. The Torvill And Dean Reference
Another, slightly more tame WTF moment comes in the wake of Lestat having drunk from fan Baby Jenks. Unbeknownst to Lestat, Baby Jenks is high on pretty much every drug going, and by proxy, so too is he. His conversation with Baby Jenks on the ceiling, and his later visions of people with distorted facial features, is all standard music biopic fodder so isn’t that shocking. Lestat’s description of MDMA and LSD as being the “Torvill and Dean of hallucinogens”, however, grabs attention.
Torvill and Dean are national treasures in the United Kingdom, the skating duo having won gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics with their famed Bolero performance. That event, though, was over 40 years ago, and so who, with the exception of those living in the UK, is going to get the reference? Definitely an odd joke to include, but one that does get the attention of those of us that do remember the skating legends. Quite how happy the pair will be to be compared to LSD and MDMA remains to be seen.
6. Lestat Peeing Blood
It is a well known fact that Anne Rice’s vampires cry blood. It is also explicitly mentioned in her books that, although they weep, all other bodily functions are off limits to vampires. This means no eating human food, no digesting, and therefore no peeing or pooping. The Vampire Lestat changes this, though, as a very inebriated Lestat is seen alongside two other vampires using a urinal. Even more shocking than watching a vampire pee for the first time is the fact that the stream of urine, like their tears, consists of blood. It’s a brief, but interesting look into vampire physiology.
7. The Inappropriate Mother and Son Moment
The Vampire Lestat ends its opening episode just as shockingly as it started. Having spent much of the episode sending flirty texts to a mystery person, imploring them to come to him, the closing moments finally reveal that person as Gabriella, Lestat’s mother. Rather than giving each other a polite hug or peck on the cheek, the pair immediately begin passionately kissing. As they do, Lestat’s narration confirms that Gabriella is his “fledgling, lover, mother,” meaning The Vampire Lestat appears to be borrowing a page from House of the Dragon’s playbook.
