Do You Know What It Means to Be Loved by Death is the second episode of the second season of Interview with the Vampire and the ninth episode of the series overall. It aired on May 19, 2024 on AMC.
Synopsis[]
Armand joins the interview; he and Louis tell Molloy how they met.
Plot[]
Celeste and Estelle watch Louis and Claudia
Armand explains that Paris was an awakening for Louis, as well as a hunger. Louis feels something close to happiness when he thinks of it, but Molloy counters that Paris sucks, despite the fact that he proposed to his ex-wife Alice in Paris. At the time, Louis admits that Paris was Nazi scar tissue, healing from the war, just as he and Claudia were. They've been pickpocketing to survive, but they're barely scrapping by, though Paris is on its way back, Louis insists. Unbeknownst to the two of them, they are being watched by a local coven of vampires, as it's practice and custom for traveling vampires to make themselves known.
Louis recounts how his and Claudia's skin didn't attract the same amount of attention in Paris as it did America. Molloy pushes back on the notion that there wasn't any racism in mid 20th century France. Louis and Armand explain that in Paris, he was just grateful that no one wanted to lynch him or direct him to the far end of the café counter. Molloy becomes irritated with how they finish each other sentences, to which Louis and Armand reply that they've been together for 77 years, 47 more than he did with Lestat, Armand adds.
Louis and Claudia hid their selves away in an inconspicuous apartment in Le Neuvieme, passing themselves off as moneyed Americans, overspending for black market baguettes as cover. They never brought their kills home, they used the sewers for that. Waterways of which they had no expertise as it relates to flow controls and pumping stations. Armand and his people were constantly cleaning up behind Louis and Claudia for five months without ever making contact with them. They were too prideful to reach out first, and Armand restates that custom dictates that Louis and Claudia were supposed to introduce themselves. After 77 years, Armand still says it feels like a slight.
While in Paris, Louis took up photography as a hobby, which Armand argues is a pointless human perception of time.
Claudia asks Louis who is he outside of her
Louis and Claudia eat outside a café, where she telepathically asks what he is looking for when he takes a picture. She surmises that he listens to their thoughts, he knows what's coming, and he takes the picture. She says this all while stealing a wallet from another man at the café. Claudia then asks who is Louis outside of her brother. Louis jokingly replies that he's the reticent vampire of the Ninth Arrondissement. If there was no her or Lestat, she questions who would he be and how would he get to what he wanted.
Molloy admits that Claudia had a point. She was miserable in Paris, but she didn't want to disturb Louis' happiness. Louis and Armand then see this as a moment to pick at Molloy, claiming that he's projecting his own time in Paris on them. 1985 in Paris, Molloy and Alice were in at a brassy when she told him she was pregnant. And he replied, "Yeah." Molloy admits that it was probably that response that angered her most before resuming reading Claudia's diary.
Claudia is miserable, unsure of what she needs and in fear that her hopeless will rob Louis of his happiness, so she keeps it to herself as she wanders the Paris streets. She comes across a dress shop owned by an alleged Nazi woman named Madeleine. Claudia enters after spotting a silk dress in the window. Madeleine attempts to convince her to leave, explaining that she cannot have Claudia playing dress up in her shop. With her French being as bad as it is, Madeleine almost immediately realizes that Claudia is American. Claudia asks the shopkeep if she could take the dress in to fit her body, but she tells Claudia not to pretend to be something she's not and that womanhood will happen soon enough. Claudia retorts that she never thought about choosing to pretend, as life hasn't been kind enough to allow her that. Claudia then pays for the dress as well gloves, refusing to leave without service.
Real Rashid delivers the photo album to Molloy
Real Rashid arrives with the Paris photo album from 1946-1949. As Molloy's hand tremors, he tells Real Rashid that he shouldn't wear gloves while handling historical documents, as it reduces dexterity. He corrects Molloy and says that his name is just Rashid, rather than "Real Rashid." Among the photos are various human men. Most are dead and were drained for sport.
Louis visits a park known for gay hookups. By then, Armand has lost patience and decides to confront Louis directly, making him aware of the ways rogue vampires are dealt with in Paris. Louis senses his ancient power right away as he approaches. Louis fears that Armand has come to kill him, but Armand says, "I will not harm you." He then hands Louis a card for their theater, Theatre Des Vampires, and tells him to bring Claudia with him.
Louis and Claudia attend the show
Five months removed from their arrival, Louis and Claudia, per invitation from Armand, finally make their way to the Theatre Des Vampires. They take a seat as the show begins, headlined by a vampire named Santiago, who flies around the theater, assuring them that a great show awaits. Louis finds the plays to be weird but Claudia is absolutely enthralled. Then the last play of the night begins. Santiago plays Death, who is about to claim his latest victim when the play is seemingly interrupted by a distraught and rope bound woman running on stage pleading for help, crying that the vampires are real and that they're trying to kill her. The woman, Annika, explains that she was taken from her room last night and that she's not acting, but the crowd is under the impression that this is merely part of the show. Santiago suggests the possibility of letting Annika go, but someone would have to take her place, perhaps her husband or son, but she refuses. However, when Santiago points out a random man in the crowd, Annika agrees for him to replace her. Santiago wants the man to remember this, how easily she gave him up without a second thought. Santiago then turns his attention back to Annika, saying that it's not the man's time. She begins to cry until Santiago places his hand on her chest, patting her heart until she calms. Santiago bears his fangs and drinks from Annika, much to Claudia's amazement and Louis disgust. He then leaves Annika to be fed upon by his fellow coven members, who drag her to the floor and feast upon her body. The play concludes, and they receive applause from the crowd.
Armand takes Louis and Claudia to meet the rest of the coven
Armand takes Louis and Claudia to meet the rest of the coven, which has been in Paris since the reign of Charlemagne, but they've only become a theater company after Danton was guillotined. Santiago confronts Louis and Claudia for arriving in Paris five months ago without introducing themselves, though he holds no grudges, and they are welcomed with open arms. Armand introduces them to the entire cast, at which point, Santiago asks who their maker is. Claudia lies and says that it was a vampire name Bruce, who was from Copenhagen. Unfortunately, he threw himself into a fire in front of them. All her attention drawn to a recent discovery, Claudia asks them about a painting hanging above. Armand reveals it is of their cofounder Lestat.
Molloy interrupts, claiming that this is nothing more than a telenovela, finding it hard to believe that Lestat's painting was actually on the wall. Not only has he known Lestat longer than Louis, but he and Armand were actually together for a time, but they were not compatible. Admittedly, this is common in their community, with Armand revealing he was also with Santiago, Celeste and Estelle. He even had an evening with Tuan and Quang Pham in the back row of a cinema.
After leaving the theater and returning home, Claudia explains that she saw Lestat's painting and had to think of something quick. She chose Bruce because the best lies have some truth to them. It's going to be fine, so long as neither of them tell them or think it. Claudia invaded their thoughts and not one of them thought anything of Claudia and Louis other than how attractive they are. Claudia wants to go back, recalling how they all pounced on Annika and drained her together in front of a large theater occupied by unsuspecting people. Claudia felt such vampire pride in watching it. They've never felt that way, and Claudia insists on going back so that one day she may know the feeling. She suspects that Louis is afraid to go back, in part because of Lestat, but also because of his lust for Armand.
Seeing Lestat's portrait put Louis on edge. He needed confirmation of Lestat's death and goes to a law firm that Lestat had his finances with. He asks if they've heard from Lestat, but they've not dealt with him since February 1940 for a party he was throwing. They are aware of who Louis is and what he meant to Lestat. That said, he gives Louis something that was left behind for him from Lestat, as instructed in case of Lestat's demise. The attorney leaves to give Louis a moment alone. Inside the box, Louis finds a letter, among other things. It is a goodbye letter to Louis under the impression that Lestat had been killed. He tells Louis not to go after his killer(s) and to live his life knowing that he's the only being that Lestat has ever trusted or loved above himself. A veil now separates them, but it is a thin veil, Lestat assures Louis.
Louis just shared a haunting memory with Molloy, who doesn't seem impressed and even makes jokes that Louis expense. Louis reads Molloy's mind back to a time where Alice was pregnant, in her third trimester. She wore that purple dress that Daniel liked, and in that time in Paris, Molloy even felt free to hold her hand for some reason. He worked so hard to get that table in the corner so he could pull out the ring to surprise her, which he did, but when he finally asked her to marry him, she said no. Molloy hands begin to tremor again, which doesn't go unnoticed by Armand, who says Alice wanted to say yes, but she didn't trust Molloy, who hadn't given her a reason to. Louis continues to taunt but Armand reels it back in and proposes they resume the interview.
The vampires arrive at the De LaCroix estate
With Claudia having attended a month of performances, Armand and the coven invite her and Louis to join them on a hunt. However, Louis nodded off one night during Santiago's performance, which made him persona non grata. Nevertheless, they ride out on bikes in search of their prey. Louis takes a number of photos until Armand tells him to put his camera away and enjoy the moment. Before long, they arrive at the De LaCroix estate, where Santiago kills the two guards but not before digging his nails into one of their necks to learn the layout of the estate, as well as its occupants. As the rest of the coven race inside to feast, Claudia among them, Louis stays outside with Armand, revealing that he only feasts on humans every other night. He notices that Armand carries himself well. Armand also likes how Louis withholds, as does Claudia, who is particularly skilled at blocking her thoughts, but Louis must work harder on that, Armand remarks, as he felt some trepidation when Lestat's name was uttered. Louis feigns ignorance, but Armand is aware that he's hiding something and will wait until Louis is ready to share what that something is, but the coven can be volatile and unforgiving when lied to, so he urges Louis to shut his mind down if he hears Lestat's name again. He also tells Louis to never visit Lestat's law firm again. That sort of inquiry can open all sorts of trouble. Louis and Armand are then joined by the rest of the coven. They leave with a live one for tomorrow's performance, as Claudia expresses how much she enjoys herself with the coven.
Cast[]
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