S01.E03: Is My Very Nature That Of A Devil

[Mr. Sparkle]

Tension begins to mount in all areas of Louis’ world: his romantic relationship, his human family and his business interests. A shocking act of violence leads to the most profound decision of his life.

Streaming on AMC+ 22.10.09 and airing on AMC 22.10.16. 

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

[AngieBee1]

Lestat and Louis have now been together for seven years and honestly, they should split six years and six months earlier - they are terrible for each other. Terrible for each other, but it's so fantastic to watch them messily navigate their vampire romance.

Lestat likes to act like he's above most human foibles but jealousy and possessiveness still has him in its grip. Meanwhile, Louis keeps saying he has no family/will never have a family - thus compartmentalizing his relationship with Lestat into some other space that I don't even think he knows how to quantify - but was hurt when Lestat was catting around with Antoinette and didn't try to kill her. I guess being a product of his times Louis - despite his telling Jonah he has someone - he doesn't treat what he has with Lestat as a relationship - it's just a more open version of his boyhood bayou fumblings he had with Jonah. He's not treating it like they're a couple no different than a heterosexual couple because if he did he wouldn't keep hitting Louis with the "you're going to always be alone".

Daniel calling out the differences in Louis' recollections in '73 versus '22 is interesting. Did Louis view Lestat harshly in '73 because he had just recently had a falling out and was reacting out of that and now, with 49 years under the bridge, he's able to view things with rose-coloured glasses? Or is this new recollection a way to paint himself as a vict someone was seduced and manipulated thus making him a victim.

[nodorothyparker]

I love the way this episode handled the question of memory, how he could have told so much of this one way nearly 50 years ago and another way entirely now and how the details can change as your feelings about them change. This is why eyewitness testimony can sometimes be notoriously unreliable. Both versions can be true, just as there can be serious elements of untruth in them depending on how the teller perceived things then and now. Even as an immortal, Louis obviously isn't in quite the same headspace that he was in during the first interview.

So we're fully into the throes of just how messy and dysfunctional Lestat and Louis's grand romance for the ages can be. As much as I was really enjoying how fully Sam Reid was showing Lestat fully throwing himself into this life, there was also some shadowing this episode and last of some pretty controlling behavior. Yes, he's Louis's maker, which already implies a certain power imbalance. But for all of his throwing his fling with the singer around having sex with her in their shared home and telling Louis that it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of all eternity together, he's still the one jealously skulking around when Louis takes him at his word and impulsively has a one-time hook up with a former boyhood attachment. Lestat is "a lot" indeed. I love how much the actor really seems to get that.

The show did a good job of showing the death of Storyville and how it played into the strings of Louis's mortal life being cut away from him. It's been long enough now that his family is both aging and afraid of him. The pretense that he could go on as he had before as a businessman Now with Vampire Power! is being ripped away. That brings a lot of pressure onto the question of what does he do now and how does Lestat, who he's deciding to blame for all of it, fit into it all going forward.

I felt oddly wistful at seeing the actors sitting on a bench in Jackson Square at night as that was always locked up after dark when I lived in New Orleans. My cats sitting with me all jumped at the cat yowling when Louis chose to feast on it instead of the mark he had specifically chosen.

[Scarlett45]

Shallow bus- Lestat hair is so pretty, but can they wash it, and blow dry it please? It looks unkept! I can’t see a vampire like Lestat walk around looking unkept. 

 

1 hour ago, AngieBee1 said:

I guess being a product of his times Louis - despite his telling Jonah he has someone - he doesn't treat what he has with Lestat as a relationship - it's just a more open version of his boyhood bayou fumblings he had with Jonah. He's not treating it like they're a couple no different than a heterosexual couple because if he did he wouldn't keep hitting Louis with the "you're going to always be alone".

I think Louis considered he and Lestat to be in a relationship, but he’s upset that Lestat isn’t as emotionally committed to him that Louis is to him. So Louis was going to hook up with the guy who he thought respected him and appreciated him. I think Louis meant “emotionally alone”. 
 

“Take a Black man in America, make him a vampire, fuck with that vampire and see what happens to that vampire.” (Paraphrasing- oooooooo)

”Why is your heart beating so fast???”

Claudia!!!!

[Zima]

2 hours ago, KingCharlesIII said:

Caught up with the third episode and can only say I like it better and better with each episode. Sure, there are scenes I have to play a few times because I know I missed something visually, or in the dialogue (yes, I do watch it with CC subtitles on since they mumble their words sometimes). It's so well done, and moves along briskly.  Again, I must say - when Reid / Lesistat is not in the scene, something is always missing. 

Yes, I was coming here to say that this is getting better and better with every episode! I'm loving this show soooo much.

I love all of the changes involving race and the disgusting things going on at the time. Really powerful stuff. I found the scene where he tortured and killed that POS business man very satisfying. Bwahaha. 

On 10/9/2022 at 8:40 PM, Scarlett45 said:

Shallow bus- Lestat hair is so pretty, but can they wash it, and blow dry it please? It looks unkept! I can’t see a vampire like Lestat walk around looking unkept. 

Claudia!!!!

Lestat is just absolutely beautiful.

And yes...CLAUDIA! 

Edited October 12, 2022 by Zima

[pasdetrois]

Now the show has engaged my attention. Louis is the intense, broody role, but I enjoyed seeing Lestat lose his cool. Reid has a beautiful face so it's important that he can show some range as well.

My family lived in NOLA around this time period, so I'm enjoying fantasizing about their presence on the city's streets.

A good telling of Storyville: https://www.myneworleans.com/last-days-of-storyville/

[PurpleTentacle]

The reporter just throwing away the old tapes must have been the biggest bullshit I've ever seen. Of course memory is subjective and ever changing, but that fact makes it especially interesting to cross check with previous recollections, to find the nuggets of truth in there.

In the first episode he said he was going to be more critical, point at inconsistencies, but now he's just going to let Louis spin his new yarn? My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined!

[peridot]

I know that Lestat was annoyed that Louis wanted to be more selective in choosing their victims, but starting up an affair was cold.  I felt so bad for Louis when he asked if he wasn't enough and Lestat just laughed at him.  He hooked up with that woman in their home!

It was very creepy that Lestat lurked around to watch Louis' hookup.  I'm glad that the soldier wasn't killed, I was expecting for his body to be found.

I really felt Louis' anger and frustration about the bs rules that were trying to edge him out.  I wanted him to beat the hell out of his acquaintances, especially when the one guy told Louis to call the other guy sir.  It's terrible that the racist assholes felt it was ok to destroy black neighborhoods and businesses.

I really can't stand Louis' mother. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Sure, there are scenes I have to play a few times because I know I missed something visually, or in the dialogue (yes, I do watch it with CC subtitles on since they mumble their words sometimes). 

I have to turn CC on as well. In addition to the mumbling they also have a tendency to throw in French words here and there.

Quote

I really can't stand Louis' mother. 

Well it's clear the Louis' nieces are afraid of him so it's no wonder his mother wants to protect them. 

[Snow Apple]

Does Louis' family suspect he's a vampire or similar? I can see his mother still blaming him for Paul's death, and the rest of the family may not approve of his profession and his relationship with Lestat (I'm sure they hear the whispers). But him not aging and his strength are not normal so I don't blame them for being scared. Has he even visited since he left the baby on the floor? The twins may be scared because he's a stranger.

Speaking of time. I just realized during this episode that Louis' mother is played by Rae Dawn Chong. It's seeing actors I grew up watching that make me realize how fast time flies. Sigh.

Edited October 17, 2022 by Snow Apple

[shirazplease]

19 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

Speaking of time. I just realized during this episode that Louis' mother is played by Rae Dawn Chong. It's seeing actors I grew up watching that make me realize how fast time flies. Sigh.

OMG, I didn't catch that!!!  Jeez, I must be old AF then.

[Eeksquire]

Listen, I have not been sold on Sam Reid's Lestat until this episode and then I think I had a minor stroke of some kind when he referred to himself as "Bad Daddy". Ok, you win. I'm in. Fine.

[rhygirl720]

Finally got to catch up, Sam really captures Lestat for me, so charming and handsome but the edge is there...I mean right there... His portrayal is a revelation to me. Jacob's Louis is so layered. I love the setting and choices they have made. So, looking forward to how this plays out.

[DearEvette]

I love the opening exchange between Louis and Lestat.  Lestat is going on about reading a column about the history of the square they are sitting in (I assume Jackson Square) and he is giving Louis little factoids about it.  And Louis is ‘mm hmm-ing’ along, reading his own book, and then he says ‘Say anything about how they used to take runaway slaves, cut their heads off, and pike ‘em on the iron gates as a warning?” Pause.  Pause. Then Lestat says ‘I’m only halfway through.”  Ha.  It felt oddly domestic and was even a little humorous, yet has that bite (ha!) and that unease that characterizes this relationship for me.

I did like the abused-abuser dynamics that Daniel talked about.  I got a huge whiff of that in the prior episode.

Great points about the nature of memory over time.

I know it was a bad move and Louis was letting his rage fuel him and he made some rash decisions, and I like how it came full circle to that starting conversation, but oh man, I loved the fate of that Alderman dude.  

Not enough mention has been made of Louis’ office manager/prostitute wrangler(?), Bricktop, but she is a great secondary character,  Love her.  But I am guessing with the loss of the Azalea we won’t be seeing her again.

And enter Claudia! I am super curious about her.  Of all the things I remember of the original book/movie, the tragedy that Claudia stands out.

Another really good episode.  I really can’t stress how much I am loving the writing in this series so far.

And it took me this episode to connect that the actor playing Lestat is Sam Reid the same guy who played Belle’s abolitionist lover in Belle.  Him + Gugu Mbatha-Raw = outstanding prettiness on my screen!

[Harvey]

The "I heard your hearts dancing', reaction from Lestat broke my heart. I like it when his voice goes from 0 to 100.

I also love Louis’ response to that, where he says something like “you were standing there watching like some CREEPER!” That whole part made me laugh.