After two seasons and fifteen episodes, the story of Louis de Pointe du Lac has come to a close. The tape recorder has been turned off, the pen laid down, and the infamous Interview With the Vampire is released to the world. Everything has led to this moment where the world will finally know the true story of Louis and Lestat, the pairing that burned with so much intensity that it set the world on fire. Perhaps with the finale of Interview With the Vampire Part II, we can finally lay their story to rest. Then again… maybe not.
The finale, “And That’s The End of It. There’s Nothing Else,” tied up all the loose ends of Louis’ story with hints towards what’s to come in the already announced season 3. Direct by Levan Akin with a teleplay by Rolin Jones, the showrunner of the series, the Interview With the Vampire Part II finale is a reminder of the bar AMC sets for its productions, as the last two episodes of this season are some of the best of the entire series.
Despite a shaky start, Jones and Akin’s flawless execution has left me yearning for more and eagerly awaiting the arrival of season 3. The series’ quality is undeniable, and anticipation for the next season is at its peak.
[Warning: spoilers from Interview With The Vampire Part II are below!]
Things will never be the same for Louis after this season
It’s hard to discuss “And That’s The End of It. There’s Nothing Else” without wrapping it up with the penultimate episode of the season, “I Could Not Prevent It” as they feel like two halves of the closing chapter of Louis’ (Jacob Anderson) story. When he, Claudia (Delainey Hayles), and Madeleine (Roxane Duran) are escorted onto the stage at Théâtre des Vampire for their trumped-up trial led by Santiago (Ben Daniels) and Lestat (Sam Reid), audiences know this is the beginning of the end. There’s no way out alive of all the vampires on stage, as until that point, Louis has spoken about his family in the past tense.
Louis is alive today, as we’ve watched him and Armand (Assad Zaman) tell the former’s story to reporter Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian). However, his tale is filled with woe and sadness, which should tell you all you need to know about Claudia’s fate. That being said, watching the trial and her eventual death while being held by Madeleine as they fall to dust in the sunlight felt like a stab in the gut.
But Claudia doesn’t go without a warning first. Be it in the afterlife or whatever comes next, she’ll find a way to return to this world and kill each and every audience member in the theater who has sentenced her to death. I got chills with every word Hayles uttered, ultimately sealing her fate and that of Madeleine and Louis. As Claudia and the fledging vampire disintegrate, Louis is sealed in a coffin, destined to die of starvation. But is ultimately saved by Armand, who releases him from his immortal tomb and escorts him out of the burning theater. At least, that’s what Louis has been led to believe for many years, until Daniel sets the record straight.
It turns out that Armand wasn’t the one to save Louis from the coffin; instead, he was saved by Lestat. Not only that, but Armand produced and directed the trial created for Louis and his compatriots. The betrayal now taints the years of companionship between the two and lies that Armand has fed Louis. But the only way forward is to move on.
This is where the story of Interview with the Vampire season two ends, with a separation of our favorite vampire characters and a jump forward in time. Daniel, now a vampire, has released his novel Interview With the Vampire and has become a laughingstock of a journalist. No one believes his novel to be actual, which aggravates him extremely.
Louis went on his own journey after leaving Armand and the penthouse, returning to New Orleans and making a long, overdue visit to Lestat. While these two creatures of the night didn’t reconcile their relationship (which is for the best, as you can’t rebuild with so much toxicity existing between the duo), a softness builds between them. Lestat speaks on his new venture of becoming a rockstar, hinting at a future storyline from the third novel, Queen of the Damned.
The parting image of Interview With the Vampire Part II shows Louis back in the penthouse, calling out to all the vampires who are saying horrible things about them, daring them to fight him if they are brave enough.
Closing episodes of Interview With the Vampire Part II were cinematic and strong
My earlier review of season 2 of this hit AMC series was mildly harsh, but the first six episodes weren’t as good as the original season. They felt more filler than story, adding quite a bit to the second half of Anne Rice’s novel. The most significant missing piece was the interactions between Louis and Lestat and their relationship. While it is incredibly toxic in every sense of the word, it was also intoxicating television, and the acting between Anderson and Reid was superb.
That integral component that made the first season magical returned in full force in the final two episodes, with the return of Lestat in Louis’ life. With Lestat’s arrival at the Théâtre des Vampire, it was like a true return to form, with the two vampires not missing a step in the wicked dance they have done for decades of vampiric life. Their scenes gave me chills, leaving my jaw on the floor because of their sheer talent that oozes off the screen in both their acting and dialogue.
The trial at the theater, as well, is one of the best parts of Rice’s novel, and it’s translated fantastically to the screen. It’s not a perfect adaptation, but what occurs in Interview With the Vampire Part II makes sense for AMC’s cinematic universe instead of the world within the page. I also love the changes that are made, with a more decisive decision to have Armand be more of a villain than in the book, which is left more ambiguous. There’s also a more significant change at the core of Lestat, whose motivation in the end was his love for Louis, softening a sharp and blunt character. I think this will make more audience members feel and empathize with him, likening them to following him into the third season.
If these final chapters indicate what’s to come, fans of Anne Rice’s novel and the television series are in for a treat. While the story is to shift to Lestat’s point of view, with a proper adaptation of The Vampire Lestat novel, Interview With the Vampire Part II only proves that the Immortal Universe is ripe with untold tales and only just beginning to unfold.
Now’s the time to catch up on AMC’s Immortal Universe
There’s no slowing down the train, as AMC’s Immortal Universe, focusing on the works of Anne Rice, is poised to be the network’s next The Walking Dead franchise. There is so much that AMC can and will do, opening up a world of monsters and magic where anything is possible, and fans are just waiting to tear open.
I was worried about the general direction of the universe after the earlier episodes of season 2. Still, once I go back and watch it together with the first season, it’ll feel like one gigantic story instead of a segment that didn’t work. Whatever’s to come next from the Immortal Universe, I’m strapped in and ready because I won’t be coming off the rollercoaster soon.
Interview With the Vampire Part II is currently streaming on AMC+. Let us know your thoughts on this season on social media @mycosmiccircus or in The Cosmic Circus Discord!
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