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rhodrymavelyneOne by one, all of the things that made the vampires from Anne Rice’s books uniquely captivating are disappearing from TV series; detatchment from the human world, from human bodily functions. The lust for blood replaced the desire for sex and drink, transforming a vampire’s sensuality into something unique and deadly.
Not in this particular interpretation. I’m deeply disappointed.
In spite of my disappointment, The Vampire Lestat continues to be compelling, feeling like a fever-driven hallucination of a rock video, which is oddly appropriate.
I miss Armand romancing Daniel Molloy, becoming his sugar daddy, as the former coven leader becomes obsessed with clothes, gadgets, and incalculable weather. All that happened in Queen of the Damned. Perhaps something like that will happen in future episodes?
I miss Lestat and Nick’s drunken conversations in their own mortal Age of Innocence, something I used to fantasize William Mosley and Ben Bass acting out. Nicky was a shell of the lover he was in the books, much of his relationship with Lestat becoming backstory. Perhaps their conversation was a bit too contemplative for the rapid pace of the TV series.
Gabriella doesn’t seem to have the need to hightail it for the wilderness that Gabrielle did. I often wondered if Gabrielle wasn’t the inspiration for the Gangrel clan in Vampire: The Masquerade. I do really enjoy Jennifer Ehle as Gabriella. I’ve enjoyed seeing her in action, ever since she played Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. Seeing her as a vampire is fascinating. She brings to the character of Gabriella a unique energy and a powerful dynamic with the other characters.
Jacob Anderson is a lot closer to how I visualized Louis than Brad Pitt, yet he was far from being as detatched as Louis described himself, once he was turned. In all honesty, I’m not sure how detatched Louis in the books truly was. What was surprising about Louis was the combination of violence and gentleness, which I feel Jacob does capture.
I have no idea what’s up with Daniel Molloy, other than his lust to expose others’s truth seems as strong as his lust for blood. How his pride prickles, when he fails to mortify the pride of others to the public. Lestat is hardly as tolerant of Daniel’s outbursts as Louis was (except when caught off guard), yet Lestat did share something special with Daniel. He shared Nicki, and this was for Daniel alone, not that Daniel appreciated it. Run with the Brat Prince, see what you get. Lestat, however, was more honest with Louis than Daniel about Magnus.
Magnus looked so different from the hideous jester of an old man I’d visualized. Magnus might have possessed an androgynous beauty, if it hadn’t been for the hideous disfiguration of his mouth, something appropriate for someone who survived centuries which marked you with disease. I couldn’t hear what his ghost said to Lestat. Too much talking, too much shouting at once, but it was a powerful scene, powerful enough to entwine itself with Louis’s vengeance for Claudia.
I prefer the lust for blood replacing all inducements to ravishment, blood drinking being the ultimate ravishment, of which all others are a pale copy. Even so, Lestat’s moments with Magnus were powerful.
I’m disappointed, but excited. Much of what I loved in the books has been stripped away, leaving something I hardly recognize, but I’m still fascinated.
Sam Reid as Lestat looks the closest to what I visualized, yet he is different. This difference feels shaped by literature, as if this version of the Brat Prince is drawn from tapping into the heart of the story, what might be symbolically drawn from the words. He’s impossible to look away from.
I’m curious where this Lestat and his story will take viewers next.
Not in this particular interpretation. I’m deeply disappointed.
In spite of my disappointment, The Vampire Lestat continues to be compelling, feeling like a fever-driven hallucination of a rock video, which is oddly appropriate.
I miss Armand romancing Daniel Molloy, becoming his sugar daddy, as the former coven leader becomes obsessed with clothes, gadgets, and incalculable weather. All that happened in Queen of the Damned. Perhaps something like that will happen in future episodes?
I miss Lestat and Nick’s drunken conversations in their own mortal Age of Innocence, something I used to fantasize William Mosley and Ben Bass acting out. Nicky was a shell of the lover he was in the books, much of his relationship with Lestat becoming backstory. Perhaps their conversation was a bit too contemplative for the rapid pace of the TV series.
Gabriella doesn’t seem to have the need to hightail it for the wilderness that Gabrielle did. I often wondered if Gabrielle wasn’t the inspiration for the Gangrel clan in Vampire: The Masquerade. I do really enjoy Jennifer Ehle as Gabriella. I’ve enjoyed seeing her in action, ever since she played Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. Seeing her as a vampire is fascinating. She brings to the character of Gabriella a unique energy and a powerful dynamic with the other characters.
Jacob Anderson is a lot closer to how I visualized Louis than Brad Pitt, yet he was far from being as detatched as Louis described himself, once he was turned. In all honesty, I’m not sure how detatched Louis in the books truly was. What was surprising about Louis was the combination of violence and gentleness, which I feel Jacob does capture.
I have no idea what’s up with Daniel Molloy, other than his lust to expose others’s truth seems as strong as his lust for blood. How his pride prickles, when he fails to mortify the pride of others to the public. Lestat is hardly as tolerant of Daniel’s outbursts as Louis was (except when caught off guard), yet Lestat did share something special with Daniel. He shared Nicki, and this was for Daniel alone, not that Daniel appreciated it. Run with the Brat Prince, see what you get. Lestat, however, was more honest with Louis than Daniel about Magnus.
Magnus looked so different from the hideous jester of an old man I’d visualized. Magnus might have possessed an androgynous beauty, if it hadn’t been for the hideous disfiguration of his mouth, something appropriate for someone who survived centuries which marked you with disease. I couldn’t hear what his ghost said to Lestat. Too much talking, too much shouting at once, but it was a powerful scene, powerful enough to entwine itself with Louis’s vengeance for Claudia.
I prefer the lust for blood replacing all inducements to ravishment, blood drinking being the ultimate ravishment, of which all others are a pale copy. Even so, Lestat’s moments with Magnus were powerful.
I’m disappointed, but excited. Much of what I loved in the books has been stripped away, leaving something I hardly recognize, but I’m still fascinated.
Sam Reid as Lestat looks the closest to what I visualized, yet he is different. This difference feels shaped by literature, as if this version of the Brat Prince is drawn from tapping into the heart of the story, what might be symbolically drawn from the words. He’s impossible to look away from.
I’m curious where this Lestat and his story will take viewers next.
