The principal star of Interview with the Vampire seasons one and two was Jacob Anderson as the undead Louis de Pointe du Lac. After all, he is the titular vampire being interviewed. But he takes a back seat for season three, now re-titled The Vampire Lestat. And this is in keeping with Anne Rice’s series of novels, as Louis just makes a minor appearance in the second book in the series. However, the AMC series gives Jacob Anderson as Louis a whole new storyline, one not from the novels. And they tie it to a plotline from IWTV season two, a story point also created just for the AMC series.
The Talamasca Recruits Louis to Take Down the Fang Gang
At the end of episode two, the Talamasca convinces Louis to handle a problem for them, essentially cornering Louis after a hotel meeting with Daniel Molloy. The vampire coven in Detroit that attempted to kill Lestat, the Fang Gang, has been making undue trouble. They’ve been selling fentanyl, keeping humans prisoners as a food supply, and just overall wreaking havoc. The Talamasca does not want to get its hands dirty, so they try to convince Louis to take care of its problem, just as he did in Paris with the Theater of the Vampires decades prior. They flatter him, telling him he’s quite good at dispatching those who trouble him.
At first, Louis says “no thank you,” until Talamasca agent Raglan James mentions the leader of the Fang Gang, a vampire named Killer. But he used to go by another name, many years before. He once went by Bruce. And Louis instantly realizes who this Bruce is, especially after Raglan James shows him an old photograph. Once he hears that Killer is really Bruce, he agrees to take care of the problem for the Talamasca. Because this Bruce (Damon Daunno) is the same vampire who once tortured Claudia for weeks, then seemingly disappeared. Louis has waited a century for his revenge.
In season one of IWTV, we learn that Claudia attempted to leave home, where she met the first vampire outside her family, a man named Bruce. He charms her at first, but later brutally sexually assaults her, and keeps her prisoner for weeks. She writes about the entire harrowing experience in her diary, which Louis reads from. He eventually abandons her and takes off for parts unknown, leaving Claudia traumatized for the rest of her life. In the present day, Louis learns Bruce survived until the present day, and now leads the Detroit coven. This is in keeping with Rice’s novel The Queen of the Damned, where Killer leads a motorcycle vampire gang.
Louis Gets Revenge for Claudia
We see in episode three, “Toronto,” Louis goes full vampire slayer mode, and goes to the vampire coven house in Detroit. He dispatches all of the vampires providing security, decapitating more than one of them. Louis then frees their human prisoners. Covered in blood, he waits for Killer to get home. He finally arrives with his new bride, who we recognize as Baby Jenks, the vampire groupie from episode one. Louis pushes Baby Jenks out of the way, and cripples Killer. He then reads the passages of Claudia’s diary to him, detailing her harrowing ordeal with him that nearly destroyed her psyche. When he’s done, he lights the pages of the diary on fire, sets them on Killer’s head…and watches as the vampire once named Bruce burns to death after 100 years of causing so much pain.
Louis Meets Regina, Claudia’s Human Doppelgänger
Afterward, Louis tells his new lover, Loumel, that he feels better after having done the deed. However, his somber facial expression suggests otherwise. Getting rid of Killer and his coven (except for Baby Jenks, who survives) didn’t bring Claudia back. So Louis goes to an all-night diner in New York, where he’s been following a young waitress who works there. Turns out, this waitress is an exact doppelgänger for his lost Claudia, only human. And British. This is how actress Delainey Hayles returns to the series, as a waitress named Regina.
Louis (and Claudia’s?) Future in The Vampire Lestat
Could Regina be Claudia reincarnated in human form? And can Louis ever forgive himself for everything that happened to her? None of these story elements, such as Louis’ revenge on Bruce or Claudia’s human doppelgänger, are from Rice’s novels. AMC’s The Vampire Lestat is truly going into uncharted territory for the character of Louis this season. And we can’t wait to see what his future holds. Judging from the opening moments of episode one, which take place in a future where Louis is crippled, it’s going to be a harrowing journey.
