'The Vampire Lestat' Episode 5 Recap: Lestat seeks to disband the band as more of his past surfaces
'The Vampire Lestat' is back, and this week it is all in the family. The fifth episode, titled 'New York,' reveals the fractured situation between Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Regina (Delainey Hayles). The last installment ended with Regina agreeing to Louis' scheme and playing his departed daughter, Claudia. She turns out to be pretty good at her job. However, despite her best efforts, reality comes to the forefront, pulling Louis out of the fantasy. Louis approaches Lestat (Sam Reid) and asks him to check whether Regina and Claudia are actually similar or if it is all just a reverie. Lestat observes Regina and asks Louis to stop it. Lestat, of all people, seems to understand this is unhealthy. The rockstar vampire himself is so disoriented after the whole situation that he not only creates a new song but also questions the direction of the titular band.
The new song is a ballad, dedicated to Claudia. As Lestat plays the song in the studio, his adopted daughter's vision floats in the background. The heartbreaking sequence is a reminder of how the death continues to impact Lestat. The vampire, along with his trusted aide Sam (Christopher Geary), plays the fully orchestrated version for the band. The group is not a fan. "How's it fit with 'Long Face?'" Salamander questions. Lestat then delivers the blow. He is going to discard all the work they have put in until now and re-record the entire album.
Larry (Noah Reid) quits and walks away. However, the rest remain rooted in the same place. Lestat may want to break up the band, but they do not. Instead, they ask Lestat to turn them. When Lestat refuses, each of them indulges in self-harm to push his hands. Larry, unfortunately, walks away from one manipulative monster to another and comes across Armand (Assad Zaman) in the subway, who coerces him to take his own life. Armand and Daniel's romantic machinations continue to be the show's focus. The latter spends the installment trying to come to terms with his maker's confession. Armand's hold over Daniel becomes obvious when the charismatic vampire conjured up in the journalist's mind while he is interviewing fans regarding Lestat's 'death.'
Daniel comes face-to-face with Armand in a park. Despite not understanding why Daniel (Eric Bogosian) continues working on the documentary, Armand gives him what any journalist most desires: a juicy scoop about his subject. He hints to Daniel about the illicit relations between Lestat and his mother, Sofia, aka Gabrielle (Jennifer Ehle). Daniel gets agitated when Armand claims to have been in love with him for 52 years. It does not make sense, but before he can reject the assertion as merely a manipulation tactic, Armand describes in detail how he has been following Daniel for more than five decades, protecting him at every turn. Surprisingly, Louis knew all about it, and in a way, Armand believes Daniel "sainted him." The maker promises to make amends for all the harm he has brought to Daniel's life, to prove the authenticity of his feelings. The journalist is almost brought to tears when Armand vows to walk in the sun together.
The Queen of the Damned, Akasha (Sheila Atim), also enters the scene. After Lestat lost his first love, he decided to go into a long slumber. The eight-decade-long slumber ends when Marius (Christopher Heyerdahl), Armand's maker, coerces Lestat into taking care of Akasha, the mother of all vampires. Lestat is assigned the role of "The Keeper" because "she" apparently asked for him and guided Marius. Lestat is soon taken to the chambers, where two figures lie down. The pair look as if they are made of stone, but are "very much alive." Marius explains that Lestat's only job as a keeper is to fill Akasha's burrow with "worldly things" so that she knows how the earth is developing.
Lestat protests, but Marius refuses to relent, stating he has no choice. He drills into Lestat that keeping Akasha is paramount. Marius recounts how his drunken callousness in the past harmed the other half of the pair, Enkil, and wiped half of the vampire population from Earth. "I set us back ages," Marius explained. "She is the seed… If she burns, we all burn." Marius warns Lestat that under no circumstance should Akasha be fed blood, and walks away from the chamber. Lestat does not pay heed to the warning, but to his credit, he keeps himself in check for around a century. One fine day, after years of sheer boredom, Lestat gives Akasha blood and vice versa. What follows is inexplicable. Marius arrives to see both floating through the air, as Akasha babbles about the past, present, and future. Marius immediately dismisses Lestat, and the screams suggest that Akasha's chapter is far from over. To know where Lestat and Louis are headed after the eventful episode, tune into AMC and AMC+ every Sunday at 9 pm ET.
