Who did Louis kill in ‘The Vampire Lestat’? Episode 3 delivers a brutal and long-awaited revenge
'The Vampire Lestat' turns gorier in 'Toronto' as Lestat (Sam Reid) turns more unhinged and Louis (Jacob Anderson) goes on a revenge warpath for Claudia (Delainey Hayles). For those unaware, Claudia was Louis' adopted daughter. She dies in season two at the hands of Armand (Assad Zaman) and the Paris coven. Before her death, she was kidnapped and assaulted by a nomadic vampire named Bruce (Damon Daunno), which she recounted in her diary. Talamasca informs Louis about Bruce's current location and asks him to eliminate him and his coven. Initially uninterested, Louis jumps at the opportunity when the secret order reveals Bruce's identity. Louis heads to Detroit and easily purges the entire coven. However, he had to wait a little while before getting his fangs into Bruce.
Bruce finally arrives with his human bride in the coven's building, where Louis was waiting amidst the crowd of dead bodies. Louis quickly subdues his enemy and begins his torture by pulling up Claudia's diary. The diary described how Bruce broke Claudia's spine, and how she wanted him to feel the same helplessness she felt during those agonizing days. To Bruce's horror, Louis obliges. After inflicting an enormous amount of pain, Louis finally relieves Bruce from his misery by setting the diary on fire using his pyrokinetic abilities, which also takes out the Detroit coven's leader.
On the other side, Lestat takes a walk down memory lane during his interview with Daniel (Eric Bogosian). The interview is a constant tug-of-war between the two. Daniel is trying to squeeze information out of him by provoking him, while Louis is mocking him with unsatisfactory responses. Things become uncomfortable when Daniel forces Lestat to talk about Nicky (Joseph Potter), his first love. Lestat tries to gloss over this part of his life. "It goes where you think it goes. All the old tropes and traps of tortured and forbidden love. Blah blah blah. Bi-polar boyfriend, blah blah blah, fast forward, stop, vape, check your phone, press play… Now he's a vampire," the titular vampire shared. However, those who read the books will be aware of how deep the bond was.
Lestat's entire story with Nicky plays out in flashbacks. They met during a violin session, had similar relationships with their father, and before they knew it, became romantic partners. Lestat was honest with Nicky, in a way he had not been with anyone in his life. However, he could not tell him about his supernatural identity. Later, when the secret comes out, Nicky requests that his lover turn him into a vampire, and despite Gabriella's protestations, Lestat obliges. The turning further enhances Nicky's insanity, as evident by him chopping off his own hands. Ultimately, Armand pushes Nicky to his death in a fire, and though sad, Lestat confesses he was grateful for Armand's intervention.
Lestat might pretend Nicky was not his "great" love, but it is clear that he meant a lot to him. It is Nick's memory that causes him to break down, not his violent past with Magnus or his history with stuttering. Despite losing control, he does not let Daniel walk away with satisfaction. Lestat uses his powers to ensure the breakdown is not caught on camera, much to the journalist's disappointment. The episode ends with an exhausted Lestat, growing more unhinged, revealing his true identity onstage, and Louis following Claudia's look-alike into a diner. Armand also enters the present timeline as Arun. To find out how Louis and Lestat's future unfolds, tune into 'The Vampire Lestat' every Sunday on AMC and AMC+.
