Sam Reid shines in new “Interview” chapter of The Vampire Lestat Review.
characters in his personal history. A stark contrast to the ethereal, porcelain beauty Louis, Gabriella is a brash, bold, powerfully passionate presence in Lestat’s more human days. Ehle brings a force to the role that both softens Gabriella’s edges and enhances her maternal instincts, driving home the idea that for all of Lestat’s inhumanity, those who shaped his human form remain integral to his understanding of himself. Her arrival in the narrative kicks off a series of flashbacks that not only deepen our understanding of Lestat’s humanity but enrich the show’s thematic exploration of how our relationships with our families shape us into who we become.
The central conflict of the season — and it really is just one, six-episode season for now — comes down to the pursuit of truth. For Lestat, that means digging into Louis’s account of their history, trying to figure out why he’s telling the story the way he is, and reckoning with his own fears about what that means for their fractured relationship. His journey to find truth is amplified and complicated by Molloy’s decision to document it, maintaining his role as narrator but also diving headfirst into a moral and ethical quagmire about how he’s shaping not only Lestat’s story but his own place within it, with an ending that, while emotionally satisfying, leaves the door open slightly for more to come.
The Vampire Lestat is a juicy, gloriously out-there ride of a season, one that never forgets the legacy of the show that came before it but refuses to be restrained by it. Despite the occasional hiccup in pacing, the heightened emotional stakes, gloriously campy visual aesthetic, and haunting musical score make this a season that’s worth an immediate second viewing. In a year packed with standout television, this is a series that stands out as wild, inventive, and soulful, a love letter to Rice’s original work that expands it in smart, clever, deeply rewarding ways. If AMC wants to keep taking big swings with this material, The Vampire Lestat sets a bold, thrilling precedent for how to do so.