I became interested in the AMC created Anne Rice universe around the time that the second season of Interview with the Vampire was coming out on home released, having been offered the chance to review it. By the time the first episode ended I was hooked, and I knew that it was a show that was something a little special. Whilst I might have missed the first spin-off/addition to the universe in Mayfair Witches, I was excited to be able to dive into the third show in this ever expanding mythology, Talamasca: The Secret Order.
Introduced as something of a background element in Interview with the Vampire, the Talamasca are the mortal faction that plays a role in the realm of the supernatural in Anne Rice's world. Chroniclers of the immortals, historians of the hidden truth of the world, the Talamasca observe vampires, witches, ghosts, and demons and tries to maintain order where it can. The series introduces us to this organisation through the eyes of Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton), a young man looking to break his way into the world of law, but who's life has always been difficult thanks to his strange ability to hear what people have been thinking.
Guy is approached by Helen (Elizabeth McGovern), a mysterious figure that runs the New York chapter of the Talamasca. She introduces Guy to the world of the supernatural in order to recruit him on an important mission. Helen believes that the London branch of the Talamasca has gone rogue, and that it has fallen under the influence of a vampire named Jasper (William Fichtner). Journeying to London, Guy finds himself in a world of monsters and spy-craft as he tries to discover what Jasper is up to. However, as secrets about his own past, and the Talamasca's involvement in it, come to light Guy begins to question where his own loyalties should lie.
At it's heart, Talamasca: The Secret Order, is a spy series. It deals with double agents, secret organisations, dead-drops, fake persona's, and trickery in the same way any decent spy story does; it just has the added element of monsters and magic thrown into the mix. Despite this, the show ended up being much more reserved on the supernatural front than I was expecting. Interview with the Vampire throws its audience into this world in an almost violent, passionate way, and you're confronted with the brutal, bloody reality of these monsters. Talamasca: The Secret Order, in contrast, often feels something of a step removed from that; though I suppose this does fit the theme of the organisation itself, as they're supposed to be outside observers of the supernatural.
Whilst the show plays down these elements somewhat, its more human focus makes it feel like a more unique companion piece to the other shows, and offers the viewers something new. Guy might have powers, but for the most part he's a fairly normal person. His lack of knowledge of how the spy world works, him trying to keep one step ahead and not get killed all the time allows the viewer to connect with him as he's a regular person in a fantastical world. Nicholas Denton fits this role well, and whilst Guy never feels like he's an idiot, he does manage to make him feel like he's out of his depth, having to think fast. He's fallible, he gets emotionally involved, and there are times where you're not sure what side he's going to land on.
The supporting cast do wonderful jobs too, and help to craft an engaging narrative. Elizabeth McGovern plays Helen, the head of the New York Talamasca, a woman who's clearly used to espionage and spy work, but whose own personal demons are setting her on a path that might make her world come crashing down. She manages to be both a kind, almost maternal figure to Guy, yet also challenges him in ways that could see her shift into a more antagonistic role. The opposite to this is William Fichtner's Jasper, the villain of the series. Jasper is a vampire who's taken over the London Talamasca, creating monstrous attack vampires, and using the organisation's resources for his own ends. He's set up to be evil, yet as the series goes on you see a more human side to him, he occasionally shows the pain and trauma beneath his threatening and charming exterior. He's the kind of villain that isn't just the hero to his own story, but could easily shift into being the hero of this story too. Fichtner plays him wonderfully, and you'll likely come away wishing for more scenes with him.
The rest of the cast is rounded out by Céline Buckens who plays the young witch Doris, who becomes involved in Guy's life when her friend Kevis (Amelia Clarkson) is killed, Maisie Richardson-Sellers who plays the Talamasca agent Oliver, who's assigned to handle Guy, Jonathan Aris as head of the Talamasca London branch Owen, and Bryony Hannah as detective Ridge, a police officer determined to solve a series of grizzly killings that draw her closer to the world of the supernatural. The series also features a couple of fun inclusions from Interview with the Vampire that help to ground it a little more in that series, preventing it from just feeling like any other stand-alone urban fantasy series.
The story of Talamasca: The Secret Order is interesting, and manages to pace itself well over the course of its six episodes. It's got time to take it slow at moments, to allow you to spend some time with the characters and see inside their heads, getting to know them and understanding how these events are affecting them. Some other shows try to pack so much in that things move too fast, but Talamasca: The Secret Order seems to have found a decent balance between these quieter moments and moments of action and intrigue. That being said, the series didn't hit as hard as Interview with the Vampire for me.
Interview with the Vampire is a show about passion, both the beautiful and destructive sides of it. The emotions are dialled up to eleven, and you're sucked into the lives of these immortals who love and hate and lust in ways that make humans emotions seem like pale shadows in comparison. Talamasca: The Secret Order is, in comparison, less than that. It's not bad, but it doesn't have the fire and fury that Interview with the Vampire did. To be fair, very few shows do, and I can't expect every piece in this shared universe to all feel the same. As it is, it's a decent, well crafted narrative that shows a very different side of Anne Rice's world.
Alongside the six episodes, the new Blu-ray release also includes a handful of special features. There's a small behind the scenes piece for each of the episodes that sits somewhere between five and ten minutes each that has some interviews with cast and crew which whilst doesn't add a huge amount are still fun to watch. There's a larger behind the scenes piece that sits around 40 minutes that goes mych deeper into the production of the series that'll satisfy fans.
Whilst Talamasca: The Secret Order might have a whole different flavour to the other entries in this franchise it's a welcome one for sure. It puts a fun, espionage spin onto a world of monsters and magic that we don't often get to see, and leaves you eagerly hoping for a second season so that we can get more from these characters.
Talamasca: The Secret Order is available now on Blu-ray.
