Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire is a global phenomena, and was even before the new television adaptation came into being. The book, which spawned a dozen other entries in what would become The Vampire Chronicles series was such a success that it inspired numerous other creators in the genre, and helped to propel the popularity of fan fiction (despite her turbulent relationship with it. I, like many other fans of the genre my age, watched the film adaptation at a young age, and it helped spawn a love of the gothic vampire genre. Because of this, when I heard that the series was being adapted to television is was excited to see what might become of this sprawling epic. However, it was a series that I had not yet found the time to watch due to other commitments, and my household watching some other shows.
It wasn't until I was offered a review copy of the Blu-ray release of the second season that I found myself committing to actually sit down and watching the show. I turned on my television, found the first season of streaming, and fired it up. And was instantly hooked. Everything that I liked about the genre was here in spades, and the story that I remember from the film was fleshed out in fantastic ways, expanded and changed, with certain elements such as the timeline being changed and characters being altered slightly in such a way that the heart of the story remained, but was offered to me in a fresh and exciting new manner that (in a possibly contentious statement) I think I like more than the original version. I, much like a hungry fledgling vampire, devoured one episode after another, wanting more each and every time as I was sucked into this narrative, and before I knew it, I was onto the second season, and the reason for this review.
Season two opens big, with the story of Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) and his companion Claudia (Delainey Hayles - replacing the previous season's Bailey Bass) having fled the United States after the murder of their sire, and Louis' abusive lover, Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid). Claudia, who in the previous season had delved into the history of the vampire in a desire to learn more about her origin, and wanting to find some decent vampires, drives the two of them across the ocean to Europe to search out others of their kind. However, this is the 1940's, and World War II rages on. We follow the two of them through the ruins of Europe, as they move from ancient castle to ancient castle, searching out signs of other vampires. Sleeping in pits during the day, feeding on wounded soldiers and Nazi's by night, the two of them have begun a life of misery.
After some time searching for answers, answers that almost push Claudia to breaking point, the two of them find themselves in Paris following the conclusion of the war. Having heard much about the city from their maker, Lestat, they hope to find some peace and contentment, and hopefully a vampire or two. Thus begins the main thrust of the season, as Louis and Claudia discover a coven of vampires that have made Paris their home for centuries, and must try to figure out their place in the world that they've stumbled upon. And, just like with the first season, all of this is framed by our current time, where journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) interviews Louis and his immortal lover Armand (Assad Zaman).
The second season of Interview with the Vampire has a lot of heavy lifting to do. Much of the praise of the first season was laid at the feet of the central relationship between Louis and Lestat, and the chemistry the lead actors had. Indeed, it's hard to deny that their abusive, tragic love story was one of the main draws for that initial season, and even if you came away from the show not liking those aspects I think it'd be impossible to deny that Anderson and Reid gave anything less than one hundred percent in every scene. With Lestat gone from the narrative the show would have to focus instead on the relationship between Louis and Claudia, and the recasting of Claudia could make or break the season.
Bailey Bass was amazing in the first season, and had tons of infectious energy that made it impossible to hate the character of Claudia. She brought youthfulness to the role, portraying the child made into a killer in a way that was incredibly believable. Hayles, in contrast plays the character quite differently. This is a Claudia much changed from the girl who was made into a vampire at 14. An adult in mind, and hardened by her experiences, Hayles brings a mature, almost world weary energy to Claudia in the opening episode of the season, and you very quickly forget that this is a different actress in the role. Changing a lead character, especially one much of the season pivots on, is never easy, but Interview with the Vampire makes it seem almost effortless. As soon as Claudia crawls her way out of the ground, dressed like a refugee of war, smeared in dirt and blood, Hayles makes the character her own with a depth and sense of sorrow that she will carry for the rest of the season.
One of the biggest departures for the show is the huge shift in locations. The first season was set almost exclusively in New Orleans, and the location felt almost comfortable, and whilst we could watch times change around our immortal characters the character of the city melded into the background somewhat towards the end. The change to Europe offers something very different, and the opening episode makes for a dramatic change. The ruins of Europe are dark, almost nightmarish, and a huge departure from the warm lights and comforts of the first season. It's following our characters at their lowest, and the visuals reflect that in some beautifully grim locations and costuming.
It's the relocation to Paris where the season comes into its own. It brings a fresh sense of life into the characters and the narrative following the dour opening. There's a renewed sense of hope in Louis and Claudia, something that only increases when they discover a coven of vampires hiding out in the open as part of the Théâtre des Vampires, where the coven 'pretend' to be vampires to a paying audience. Everything about Paris looks gorgeous, from the small cafes and bars that Louis spends his nights in, people watching, to the monuments and iconic places we visit with them, to the old and somewhat rundown theatre the coven call home. Paris almost becomes a character, one that informs the look and feel of the season and changes Louis and Claudia.
Assad Zaman is promoted somewhat this season thanks to the reveal in the final episode of the first season that he was not the human servant of Louis in the present day, but instead an even older vampire, one able to walk in the sun. Paris is the place where Louis would first meet Armand, where the two of them would fall in love, and so he enters the interview alongside his companion. Zaman is a wonderful addition to the story, and the small trick that the show played with him in the first season makes the viewer want to learn so much more about him here. His relationship with Louis becomes a big part of the second season, and acts as a nice counter to Louis' previous lover. We're given the chance to watch Louis learn to move on, to leave the trauma and the love of his past behind him and embrace a new chapter of his story with Armand, even if he's unsure if that's something that he wants to begin with. It's a very different energy to Louis and Lestat, and it brings something new to the series that I think fans will really love seeing.
Speaking of Lestat, despite his 'death' at the end of the last season this doesn't mean that the show is done with the phenomenal Sam Reid just yet, as the guilt that Louis carries with him manifests in the world around him. Louis sees Lestat wherever he goes, haunted by the man he both loves and hates. This allows for Reid to stay in the series, and for him to approach the character from a different angle. This isn't Lestat, it's Louis' mind playing Lestat, and as such this version of the character does feel somewhat different, a lesser version of him. This doesn't mean that Reid isn't playing him as well, in fact it means he's got a more difficult performance as you start to see parts of Louis coming through this fake Lestat here and there. Reid does this fantastically, and at times it's incredibly subtle, and you can miss it if you're not looking for it, but it allows the character to be used in some interesting scenarios the show hasn't done before, and leads to some truly beautiful and haunting scenes.
Much like with season one, the second season does a lot of new things with the story, and it's very much making Rice's novel it's own thing. This is not a criticism, and if anything I found myself more invested in it because of this. A large part of this is thanks to the knowledge I had of the story beats, mainly learned from the film adaptation. This made certain aspects of the story all the more exciting for me. I remembered what happens with the vampire coven, I remember where this chapter in Louis' story leads, and I found myself unable to stop watching because I was desperate to find out if that's where the series would go, or if they could avert those events with their new interpretation.
Alongside the episodes, the Blu-ray offers some behind the scenes extras. Each episode comes with a small five to ten minute behind the scenes that shows some of the making of, and features interviews with the cast and crew. There's also a two minute blooper reel, and a 45 minute larger behind the scenes piece that contains more than the shorts, but does also feature some of the moments from them in it. Perhaps it's the length of most of the extras, or the fact that each of them ends with a 'stream now on AMC' screen at the end, but it comes across feeling like most of these extra features have been collected from social media promotional material and thrown onto the disc. I would have loved more, and something like episode commentaries with cast and crew would have been amazing; sadly, outside of the episodes the discs do feel a little barebones.
Interview with the Vampire was a show that I was wanting to watch, but wasn't sure when I was going to get round to it, and it ended up as a show that I binged two seasons of in a week and am excitedly waiting for the third season of. I found every single episode to be some of the best made, best written, and stunningly acted episodes of TV that I've seen in a long time. The series will appeal to fans of the source material thanks to the creative chances it takes, with the changes it introduces, and the new vision the showrunners are crafting. And new fans are going to be sucked in by how absolutely amazing each and every episode is. The show feels like a masterclass in how to adapt books, and I hope that this show ends up becoming one that people talk about in the highest regards, because it absolutely deserves it.
Interview with the Vampire Season Two Blu-ray, and the Season One & Two boxset, are released on 7th October 2024.
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