Is My Very Nature That of a Devil
Episode 3 of Interview with the Vampire starts with Lestat and Louis discussing the nature of vampirism and what their purpose is. Lestat is happy to live in the moment and enjoy himself. Louis though, is convinced that they’re there for a reason and should use their powers to shape the world the way they want to. After all, why kill brilliant minds? Why not go after murderers? After a rather interesting encounter in an alleyway, where Lestat seizes “dinner” in the form of a petty thief and robber, Louis decides not to drink from him and picks up a cat instead. While discussing this decision at the club, Lestat suddenly interrupts Jelly Rolls, the pianist and his band, to start improving a melody. It turns out Lestat actually overheard that the band was going to leave in a few days to head off for another gig. That melody happens to be “Wolverine Blues”… but then Louis has been an unreliable narrator all this time, and cutting back to the present with Daniel, that’s confirmed. Daniel likens his relationship with Lestat as some sort of abuser/abused deal, and plays various recordings to show that his story has changed several times. So off the back of this, Louis admits he’s not sure if Lestat actually crafted that melody himself or not. Louis wants to be with Lestat but the latter admits that he wants “a bit of variety” in his life. Louis finally comes around to the idea of this “open relationship”, and right on the eve of a new ordnance passing in New Orleans to crack down on black girls working in Louis’ clubs, Louis sees this as absurd, especially given the very people who passed the law are some of his best clients. With soldiers rolling in before being shipped over to France for the war, Louis’ old friend Jonah arrives. In private, Louis admits that he has someone and they have an “agreement” together. As the pair get hot and heavy, Louis bites his own wrist to stave off the vampiric cravings. This incident though also drives a wedge between them, and it’s something made all the worse by Louis’ curse of never aging. He’s forbid from seeing Grace and the kids, and kicking the door off its hinges to try and see her doesn’t help. And to make matters worse? Lestat and Louis receive a notice that the Azalea is being closed until further notice. In fact, the electricity has already been turned off. And then it happens. Louis and Lestat come to blows. It turns out Lestat was there that night watching Louis and Jonah together. He was jealous and tries to spin it that he had no feelings for the woman he slept with, while Louis had clear feelings for Jonah. Louis holds a lot of resentment and love for Lestat in equal measure. Louis is a ticking timebomb and with laws cracking down against black people, and Louis’ business on the ropes… he snaps. He breaks into Alderman Fenwick’s house and spooks him. With Fenwick’s heart thumping faster and louder, he fires into Louis’ chest but it does nothing. Instead, Louis snaps and kills the man, leaving his bloody mutilated carcass outside the manor with a sign “Whites Only.” Predictably, this sparks the fuels of fire, as Molotov’s are thrown at the Azalea and the building burns. While Storyville and the club burns to the ground, Louis uses his power for good and saves Claudia from the wreckage. Before he can pull her from the building though, the episode comes to a close.
The Episode Review
Interview with the Vampire has a clever way of intermingling “race” as meaning both minorities and vampires in a solid allegory for “them VS us”, given the time period. That’s set up nicely across the season and it’s something made all the more complicated and intriguing by the ties Louis has to Lestat. Daniel likening this to the “abused and abuser” is a solid allegory too and you can really see that through the way Louis struggles to speak ill of Lestat, given his love for him, and despite all the horrible things he’s done. With Claudia about the enter the fray and – judging by the preview for next week’s episode – turn into a vampire herself, there’s a solid amount to work with moving forward. Roll on next week’s chapter!
