S01.E01: In Throes Of Increasing Wonder

[Mr. Sparkle]

Almost 50 years have passed since Daniel Molloy first interviewed Louis de Pointe du Lac. Times, technology, and Molloy have all changed. Louis sends a letter asking Molloy to meet at a place of Louis’ choosing.

Streaming on AMC+ 22.09.29 and airing on AMC 22.10.02. 

Proceed at your own risk for spoilers before the AMC airdate.

[AngieBee1]

As I am not a fan of the books and enjoyed the film, but haven't revisited it in a long time, I am completely sold in this interpretation of  the work. Anderson and Reid are excellent.

[AnimeMania]

Louis de Pointe du Lac lives in 1910 New Orleans as executor-in-charge of his family's fortune; when he meets the vampire Lestat, Louis' life begins to unravel in otherworldly ways; in 2020, Louis tells his story to journalist Daniel Molloy. 

Sam Reid as Lestat De Lioncourt
Jacob Anderson as Louis De Point Du Lac
Kalyne Coleman as Grace De Pointe Du Lac
Steven Norfleet as Paul De Pointe Du Lac
Rae Dawn Chong as Florence De Pointe Du Lac 
Mike Harkins as Father Matthias 
Christian Robinson as Levi Freniere
Jude Severin as Wedding Pastor
Najah Bradley as Lily
Eugenie Nall Bondurant as Miss Carol
John DiMaggio as Alderman Fenwick
Chris Stack as Tom Anderson
Assad Zaman as Rashid  
Maura Grace Athari as Antoinette

[Glade]

Wow! I'm blown away by how powerful this telling is.  Both Louis and Lestat are brilliantly captured, and their chemistry together is through the roof and hot AF.  Lestat's powers at the card game were marvelous.  Louis' brother and his death were beautifully done, and seeing him faceoff with Lestat was a real treat.  Making his suicide happen at sunrise, not only giving Louis additional trauma associated with the sun, but to make it clear as Anne wanted in retrospect (via faq's on her website) that no, it definitely wasn't Lestat pushing him was perfect.  The writing is so good, I'm really excited to see the rest of the episodes and season 2.

Edited September 30, 2022 by Glade

[PurpleTentacle]

Weirdly, until today I always thought it was Inteview with a Vampire, not "the". Maybe because the german title is "Interview mit einem Vampir", which translates to "Interview with a Vampire".

So this is a sequel, to the book / movie but also a soft reboot / retcon I take it? The reporter saying his first interview was crap and he let too much slide seems to suggest it.

I think I've seen the movie at some point but it has been decades. I highly doubt there was gay stuff in it. Was it slightly hinted at? What about the book, is that one gay? Anyway, I was pleasently surprised when they first hinted at the gay shit and am here for it, now that they brought it out in the first episode already (even though that relationship seems pretty abusive so far).

[Enigma X]

I read the books and watched the movie. The show is following the same pattern for me as the other two. I am pleased with the actor portraying Louis but am not jiving with the actor playing L'estat.

[PurpleTentacle]

Just started the movie and in the first 6 minutes it has a serious case of the not-gays. "My wife just died and I loved her so much that I want to kill myself! Can't you tell how straight and in love with a dead woman I am?!"

So how were the books in that regard?

7 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

I am pleased with the actor portraying Louis but am not jiving with the actor playing L'estat.

Agreed. Lestat is just too over the top. They are both a bit extra, but Louis's actor sells it, while Lestat's actor does not.

[Enigma X]

25 minutes ago, PurpleTentacle said:

Just started the movie and in the first 6 minutes it has a serious case of the not-gays. "My wife just died and I loved her so much that I want to kill myself! Can't you tell how straight and in love with a dead woman I am?!"

So how were the books in that regard?

Agreed. Lestat is just too over the top. They are both a bit extra, but Louis's actor sells it, while Lestat's actor does not.

Honestly, it has been about 26 years since I saw the movie and near 30 since I read the books. I do remember enjoying the movie but disliking some of the changes. If I remember correctly, the books did not have an anti-gay vibe (which I was happy with). 

Edited September 30, 2022 by Enigma X

[Mr. Sparkle]

Reminder: there is a thread for the books & movies. Please keep all book & movie talk there. Episode threads should be for discussion about that particular episode only. 

[I-Kare]

Oh man, I'll happily disagree with those posting - I love Sam Reid and I think he's amazing as Lestat! I think both actors are perfect in their roles. So I'm thrilled with the show so far. 

[dwmarch]

I will post a more detailed reaction in the appropriate thread but I have to say I was impressed at some of the Anne Rice lore that made it into the episode. The show certainly takes some liberties with the story but sticks much closer than say the Jack Ryan series versus Tom Clancy's novels.

Nice strong start to the series and I definitely want to see more. Louis and Lestat are both great and the supporting cast thus far is doing well too. I especially like Daniel and I'm curious to see where this show will take him.

I am not sure why Lestat set that one pew ablaze. Bearing in mind that vampires have a weakness to fire I guess he wanted to put on a show without putting himself at too much risk. Either that or pyrokinesis takes a lot of out him. In any case, it seemed like a cinematic fire rather than a pissed off vampire lighting your ass up fire but that seems in character for Lestat. Also, why did Lestat bust that one priest's head open like a melon? That was... unnecessary. And it seems like a waste of good blood as well, especially since Lestat knew he was about to offer his to Louis.

Sam Reid looks distractingly like Lucas Till so that messed with my head the whole episode. Lucas Till was last seen on the MacGyver reboot in the title role. Now that would have been some interesting casting!

[oldCJ]

I really wanted to like this, but I couldn’t get past the stilted dialogue between Daniel and Louis. It felt like a David Mamet play and not a very good one at that. The thing is I know these actors can act. But even the scenes with Eric alone in his apartment, the acting felt unnatural and forced. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

7 hours ago, oldCJ said:

I really wanted to like this, but I couldn’t get past the stilted dialogue between Daniel and Louis. It felt like a David Mamet play and not a very good one at that. The thing is I know these actors can act. But even the scenes with Eric alone in his apartment, the acting felt unnatural and forced. 

That was my least favorite part. I know it frames the story, but the "grizzled old reporter" schtick is cliché, and really adds nothing. 

Some random thoughts on the first episode:

• It is impossible for me to not compare this to the source material. 
• Costumes, sets and cinematography are great.  
• I thought Lestat should be a little more flamboyant. That said, this was a little dull until Lestat showed up. 
• The punch through the head part was silly, and seemed like someone wanted to show off their special effects talents. 
• Watching this on AMC+, I wonder how much of the profanity and nudity will make it to AMC. 

Overall, I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the season. 

[nodorothyparker]

As someone who's been a fan of the series all my life and liked the movie well enough for what it was, I had a certain amount of misgivings going into this. Anne Rice's creations tend to be so high pitched anyway that it's really easy for them to devolve into parody. So I'm mostly pleasantly surprised here that the show manages to be fairly respectful of the spirit of the source material while definitely reimagining it to make it its own animal. New Orleans of course looked great and as a former resident, I appreciate when a show gets that right without resorting to a lot of Big Easy cliches about the city.

Watching however many seasons of Jacob Anderson as a near monosyllabic eunuch on GOT, I would haven't guessed he had that in him. I had no frame of reference at all for Sam Reid going into this but he did a decent enough job showing how both seductive and weirdly offputting Lestat is. Add me to the chorus umimpressed with the messy blood trail and silly punch through the head. We get it, vampires are monsters with superhuman strength. There's no way vampires are going to so cavalierly waste that much blood or leave that kind of mess in a public place where it can't easily be explained away, like say with a "fever."

Some of the Louis-Daniel Malloy stuff is rather stilted, but I realize as is often the case with a pilot, it's super exposition heavy. Hopefully it feels a little less clunky as they settle in next episode.

[Scarlett45]

On 9/30/2022 at 11:11 AM, PurpleTentacle said:

I think I've seen the movie at some point but it has been decades. I highly doubt there was gay stuff in it. Was it slightly hinted at? What about the book, is that one gay? Anyway, I was pleasently surprised when they first hinted at the gay shit and am here for it, now that they brought it out in the first episode already (even though that relationship seems pretty abusive so far).

4 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Watching however many seasons of Jacob Anderson as a near monosyllabic eunuch on GOT, I would haven't guessed he had that in him.

@PurpleTentacle, replying to you in the Compare/Contrast thread. 
 

I knew he could do it. It’s MUCH harder to play “quiet” than to play “loud”. The way he can work the muscles in his face is superb. The emotions in his eyes, Jacob Anderson can do so much! And he’s so cute. 

On 9/30/2022 at 1:32 AM, Glade said:

Wow! I'm blown away by how powerful this telling is.  Both Louis and Lestat are brilliantly captured, and their chemistry together is through the roof and hot AF.  Lestat's powers at the card game were marvelous.  Louis' brother and his death were beautifully done, and seeing him faceoff with Lestat was a real treat.  Making his suicide happen at sunrise, not only giving Louis additional trauma associated with the sun, but to make it clear as Anne wanted in retrospect (via faq's on her website) that no, it definitely wasn't Lestat pushing him was perfect.  The writing is so good, I'm really excited to see the rest of the episodes and season 2.

Ditto! Their chemistry is off the charts. I can see how Louis wanted to be free from the guilt (his mother was AWFUL to him, at least his sister always seemed to appreciate him). I was sad to see Father Mathias go, he was a good man and so kind to Paul. But it’s Interview with the Vampire. I expect people to die. 
 

I am here for it. 

[peridot]

I really enjoyed this!  It's been a while since I read the book, but I didn't realize that Lestat could stop time.  I'm surprised that Louis wasn't more freaked out about that.  He just called it one of Lestat's tricks.  I was wondering if they were hinting that Louis was gay, but I'm glad they made it explicit.  It would be awful to put on so many masks just to get by in the world.  It was shitty that one of his acquaintances offered his services for 10%. 

I liked the scene where Louis and his brother were tap dancing.  It was shitty that Louis' mother blamed him for the suicide.  His sister told him to not let it inside, but I don't see how those words could be brushed off.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

[Irlandesa]

I'm not really a person who is into vampire shows.  I haven't read the books nor have I seen the Pitt/Cruise movie.  The promos and reviews made me want to check it out. 

I don't know how long I'll stick with it since I eventually burn out on genre shows but as far as pilots go, this was a pretty great pilot.

It managed to balance the introduction of the characters with an episodic story arc and even added some deeper themes in terms of racism and homophobia. 

That said, even though they have terrific chemistry, I don't know if I can outright ship Louis with a man who got him by taking away every avenue of solace. 

[Snow Apple]

Only one episode in and I'm liking it so far. Although I found it strange that Louis didn't question Lestat's superpowers, just accepted it. However, since this is a show about vampires, I'm just going to go with the flow.

So sad that Paul died. He was prissy but won me over with the tap dance and watching the sunset with Louis. I'm not sure why he jumped though. Was it because he can't handle the world? I'm upset the minister was killed too. Perhaps he could have been the last person who might have saved Louis from giving up and descending into darkness.

Sometimes I can't understand what Lestat is saying because of the accent. I'm not sure if it's the sound system of my ancient TV though.

[iMonrey]

I was mostly bored with this until the very end. Hopefully it will get more interesting now that Louis is a vampire. I understand they wanted to flesh out the backstory and the interviewer but I just didn't find any of it very interesting. 

Quote

Sometimes I can't understand what Lestat is saying because of the accent. I'm not sure if it's the sound system of my ancient TV though.

Yeah I realized about ten minutes in I needed to turn on the closed captioning. 

[Broderbits]

3 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

Perhaps he could have been the last person who might have saved Louis from giving up and descending into darkness.

But then there would be no show!

I was absolutely riveted, and this Lestat is so much better than the miscast Cruise in the movie.

[Snow Apple]

3 hours ago, Broderbits said:

But then there would be no show!

I was absolutely riveted, and this Lestat is so much better than the miscast Cruise in the movie.

LOL. True there would be no show. I have a habit of thinking about these absurd situations if they happen in real life.

[anoninrva]

On 10/2/2022 at 5:03 PM, nodorothyparker said:

As someone who's been a fan of the series all my life and liked the movie well enough for what it was, I had a certain amount of misgivings going into this. Anne Rice's creations tend to be so high pitched anyway that it's really easy for them to devolve into parody. So I'm mostly pleasantly surprised here that the show manages to be fairly respectful of the spirit of the source material while definitely reimagining it to make it its own animal. New Orleans of course looked great and as a former resident, I appreciate when a show gets that right without resorting to a lot of Big Easy cliches about the city.

I thought Louis' accent was spot-on at times.  New Orleans just looked like the French Quarter, but that's by no means a complaint.  I do remember the books here pretty well, and Louis being a slave-owning plantation owner in the book is a bit of a deviation here, but I like that they're fully committed to changing the story.

[Scarlett45]

19 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

So sad that Paul died. He was prissy but won me over with the tap dance and watching the sunset with Louis. I'm not sure why he jumped though. Was it because he can't handle the world? I'm upset the minister was killed too. Perhaps he could have been the last person who might have saved Louis from giving up and descending into darkness.

I think Paul was tired of being in pain from his illness. The moments of freedom and then being sucked back in again. I think he was glad to know his sister was married and happy, but didn’t think he belonged in the world any more. 
 

Totally speculating here- we also don’t know what Lestat said to him when he got into his head. Telling him that he would forever be cursed by the voices in his head and his family better off without him. Also, with Paul alive, Lestat had no chance of turning Louis. Louis would’ve felt a duty to be around to protect his brother. But now his sister (Grace?) is married to a guy that seems decent, and they can look after the mother for the rest of her life, Louis is free. 

[MaggieG]

I never read AR vampire books but I did read the Witching Hour so I did like the comment Paul made about Grace going to hang out with the Mayfairs. It's been forever since I've seen the movie so I feel like I'm going in with fresh eyes and I'm enjoying it so far. Poor Paul. The guy playing Daniel reminds of Anthony Bourdain. 

I once took an acting class with Eugenie Bondurant who plays Miss Carol so I loved watching her pop up.

[Snow Apple]

59 minutes ago, MaggieG said:

I never read AR vampire books but I did read the Witching Hour so I did like the comment Paul made about Grace going to hang out with the Mayfairs. It's been forever since I've seen the movie so I feel like I'm going in with fresh eyes and I'm enjoying it so far. Poor Paul. The guy playing Daniel reminds of Anthony Bourdain. 

I once took an acting class with Eugenie Bondurant who plays Miss Carol so I loved watching her pop up.

I thought the same thing! It startled me every time he came on screen.

[rhygirl720]

I absolutely loved this! Personally, I felt this was the best Lestat interpretation I've seen. I hope they do all the chronicles. Who knew Grey worm had such acting chops!

[iMonrey]

I liked this better after a second watch. I get that there had to be a lot of table setting to inform Louis's story, it was just quite a bit to get through before they got to the "good" part. I'm looking forward to see what they do with it.

[txvoodoo]

On 10/2/2022 at 4:03 PM, nodorothyparker said:

Some of the Louis-Daniel Malloy stuff is rather stilted, but I realize as is often the case with a pilot, it's super exposition heavy. Hopefully it feels a little less clunky as they settle in next episode.

I, too, have been a fan for over 40 years. I have to remember that IWTV is a big ole' info dump, really. Louis always *was* the talker!

[starri]

18 hours ago, ratSenoL said:

The gay innuendo was most definitely there, especially with regard to Lestat!

It's not even really innuendo.  I mean, Louis flat-out said to Father Matthias "I have laid with a man."

I did like the blink-and-you'll-miss-it namedrop of the Mayfair Witches, as a reminder of the building of the Anne Rice Cinematic Universe.

[ferjy]

On 10/3/2022 at 2:58 PM, Broderbits said:

I was absolutely riveted, and this Lestat is so much better than the miscast Cruise in the movie.

I’m loving Lestat here too. Love Sam Reid’s interpretation, and may I add... hubba hubba! Although I have to stick up for Tom Cruise (it’ll be the only time, I promise!). Not being a big fan, I rolled my eyes when he was cast, but I was shocked at his superb portrayal. I didn’t see Tom Cruise at all, he completely embodied the character. 

Edited October 30, 2022 by ferjy

[Bellatrix]

On 9/30/2022 at 6:11 PM, PurpleTentacle said:

Weirdly, until today I always thought it was Inteview with a Vampire, not "the". Maybe because the german title is "Interview mit einem Vampir", which translates to "Interview with a Vampire".

Lots of people think that. This is actually called the Mandela effect, how masses of people can have the same false memory. The Mandela Effect refers to a situation in which a large mass of people believes that an event occurred when it did not. Interview with a Vampire is one of the classical examples 😊 See here:

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-mandela-effect-4589394

https://ourcommunitynow.com/local-culture/8-mind-boggling-examples-of-the-mandela-effect-thatll-make-you-question-everything

On 9/30/2022 at 6:11 PM, PurpleTentacle said:

I think I've seen the movie at some point but it has been decades. I highly doubt there was gay stuff in it. Was it slightly hinted at? What about the book, is that one gay? Anyway, I was pleasently surprised when they first hinted at the gay shit and am here for it, now that they brought it out in the first episode already (even though that relationship seems pretty abusive so far).

It was the most homoerotic movie of its day 😊 It was widely talked about at the time, and for many, many years afterwards.

[Bellatrix]

For the episode itself, I found it dull and disgusting.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Bellatrix

[PurpleTentacle]

18 hours ago, Bellatrix said:

This is actually called the Mandela effect

I know what the Mandella effect is and I disagree it is in my case. For it to be the Mandela effect you have to convinced it is otherwise. In my case I totally accept that I was just wrong, since I first watched the movie in german many, many years ago and as I said "einem" translates to "a", not "the", that would be "dem".

But "the vampire" makes a lot less sense than "a vampire" in this context, so I can see why a lot of people might have a Mandela effect here. Is it known why Anne Rice made that choice?

[Bellatrix]

33 minutes ago, PurpleTentacle said:

I know what the Mandella effect is and I disagree it is in my case. For it to be the Mandela effect you have to convinced it is otherwise. In my case I totally accept that I was just wrong, since I first watched the movie in german many, many years ago and as I said "einem" translates to "a", not "the", that would be "dem".

But "the vampire" makes a lot less sense than "a vampire" in this context, so I can see why a lot of people might have a Mandela effect here. Is it known why Anne Rice made that choice?

I always thought that it was Interview with a Vampire, too, but also accept that it is wrong. I still think of it as the Mandela effect.

No idea.

[snickers]

So I've seen all the episodes on AMC at my mom's house, i don't have AMC, but i just got AMC+ with a black friday special for a little while so I'm re-watching. 

I will say, there are *slight* changes regarding the nudity and I think the language-but not much

I'll start with episode 1

Quote

I absolutely loved this! Personally, I felt this was the best Lestat interpretation I've seen. I hope they do all the chronicles. Who knew Grey worm had such acting chops!

Agreed-Cruise did well as Lestat, but Sam Reid captures the FULL Lestat, I felt Cruise showed only 1 side of Lestat, the evil/cruel side, not the charming/weird side and this at least showed them hanging out for about a month before he was turned...more believable that he would agree to be turned by Lestat

It took me about 10 min in to realize Louis was Greyworm, I kept saying to myself, "i know him" then i was like, "its greyworm only with hair and and American accent!"

The Paul walking off the roof scene was so sad but well done and RIP Lily, i liked her :(

As for the chemistry between Louis/Lestat, yeah, like others have said, off the charts! wow, just wow, AMC struck gold with those two

And as weird as this may sound, but while this Louis was being "interviewed" I felt the vibe of Brad Pitt's character at times, again, I think it shows no matter what someone looks like, if they can embody that character, it shows on screen-

And it doesn't hurt both men are so nice to look at 🙃 I see that Sam Reid is from Australia, why are all the hot ones from there?

Edited November 28, 2022 by snickers

[Catfi9ht]

I've finally gotten around to watching this and wanted to hop in to comment how much I loved this first episode.

I've read all the books and have been a fan since before the movie came out. I always thought the movie was overacted, bordering on ridiculous.

This episode struck exactly the right balance for me. Showing an undercurrent of Lestat as a predator and setting up his manipulation and temper as an abuser later wasn't too overt. Giving Louis multiple things to feel guilty for and gutted by his grief of losing his brother and his mother.

Plus, the writing and language used for the narrations I thought were captivating and beautiful. Along side Jacob Anderson's voiceovers, the picture the "interview" painted was breathtaking for me.

I've been catching up on alot of things I'm behind on, Andor (good), Willow (bad), but this was pretty damn near perfect for me in every way imaginable, writing, costumes, sets, characters, chemistry, pacing, and everything else I'm not thinking of at the moment.

I'm a little sad that most reviews seem to focus on "OMG GAY!" instead of how great the entire thing is. To narrow the focus down to a single thing does this episode, and the world it sets up, a disservice. I know the season is over now and I missed the hubbub of real-time discussion, but this was so good to me I wanted to share.

[Scarlett45]

On 1/5/2023 at 12:55 PM, Catfi9ht said:

I've finally gotten around to watching this and wanted to hop in to comment how much I loved this first episode.

I've read all the books and have been a fan since before the movie came out. I always thought the movie was overacted, bordering on ridiculous.

This episode struck exactly the right balance for me. Showing an undercurrent of Lestat as a predator and setting up his manipulation and temper as an abuser later wasn't too overt. Giving Louis multiple things to feel guilty for and gutted by his grief of losing his brother and his mother.

Plus, the writing and language used for the narrations I thought were captivating and beautiful. Along side Jacob Anderson's voiceovers, the picture the "interview" painted was breathtaking for me.

I've been catching up on alot of things I'm behind on, Andor (good), Willow (bad), but this was pretty damn near perfect for me in every way imaginable, writing, costumes, sets, characters, chemistry, pacing, and everything else I'm not thinking of at the moment.

I'm a little sad that most reviews seem to focus on "OMG GAY!" instead of how great the entire thing is. To narrow the focus down to a single thing does this episode, and the world it sets up, a disservice. I know the season is over now and I missed the hubbub of real-time discussion, but this was so good to me I wanted to share.

I look forward to reading more of your thoughts as you watch the season. Jacob Anderson does have a wonderful cadence to his speech for this role, he could do voice acting if he wanted in his elder years (or now). It reminds me of Scarlett Johannessen in the movie Her, his voice could be a character all on its own.

[Enero]

I’ll be honest. I thought the previews for this encompassed cheesiness and bad acting. So I was hesitant to watch even though Interview with A Vampire is one of my favorite books by Annie Rice. 

Well I just started watching and so far, so excellent. I love the deviations they made from the book giving Louis a parent and siblings. I also love the fact that he was changed to creole/black. It adds some very interesting layers to the character and the overall narrative of the show. 

The writers and actors did a great job at portraying Lestat’s seduction of Louis. Honestly I think this is one of the best portrayals I’ve seen of the seduction of the vampire and how irresistible it would be. The chemistry between JA and SR smolders. 

And though Lestat can be mesmerizing, he is trash for confronting Louis at Paul’s  funeral and killing Lily. And honestly I wonder if he somehow killed Steven. Yeah the latter was troubled and walked off the roof of their home at sunrise (when Lestat should’ve already retreated to his coffin), but still I wonder. It seemed suddenly Louis was isolated, physically and emotionally, all by Lestat’s design so that he could execute the final seduction in convincing Louis to be his companion. As @Catfi9htstated, the fundamentals of an abuser. 

Speaking of Louis, I wanted to save him in that moment when he was confessing to the priest and desperately begging to be saved. Btw, great acting by JA. But unfortunately being saved wasn’t his fate. 

I haven’t read all the other comments in this thread but does anyone see Daniel as an Anthony Bourdain knockoff? It’s not just because the actor kind of looks like him but also his voice (the way he thinks) kind of reminds me of z Anthony’s voice in the books he wrote about his life.  

Edited January 18, 2023 by Enero