The Vampire Lestat, Episode 5: New York

"New York" is a long, dense episode chronicling Lestat's attempt to make an album out of his three-century "trainwreck" of a life. We get into some serious lore here, introducing VC character like Marius and Akasha. Even Amel, the evil spirit animating the vampires gets a few name drops. As is the case for other elements of the season, there is a bit of deviation and compression of the source material here which is initially distracting and even upsetting to those of use who love The Vampire Lestat novel but once you have gotten over some of the nagging differentness of the story, it is an enjoyable episode with a ton to unpack. The first appearance of Akasha does not disappoint.

We start with the band in studio making the album. At this point, Lestat has faked his death. Christine (apparently having survived her gunshot), Farid, and even Daniel have been sent on their way with the rest of the entourage having been replaced the vampire Sam and Gabriella, who are producing and managing respectively. Lestat, being the consummate demanding musical diva that he is, is starting to come to the conclusion that the band in its current form will not be able to give him what he needs from this album.They are planning one live show, presumably with Lestat. Maybe he is going to pretend to a hologram? Like the novel, it looks as though everything is building up to one massive and chaotic concert event.

Cut with these scenes hots of him being pulled out the group by Marius and taken to the sanctuary of Those Who Must Be Kept located in Greece. In this version of the story he is recruited by Akasha. In the book, during his wanderings he had been actively seeking the Roman vampire, Marius during his travels with Gabrielle and Marius finds him in the ground.

In the show Lestat underground for 80 years and Akasha sends Marius to him. This is (at least for the moment) a different interpretation of Marius than the book version. As the keeper of the Those Who Must Be Kept, he is apparently actively in the shrine the majority of his time and seems to have gone a little mental, as Lestat does later. When we first meet him, Marius has a very Yoda-in-his-early-Empire-Strikes-Back-scenes vibes.

Now Marius is a core Vampire Chronicles character, whose story is told not only in his own book, Blood and Gold but he is a major character in The Vampire Armand and Pandora. The showrunners have indicated that this is just a tease of the character and they have "plans" for him so I can't be too mad we didn't get the long sit-down with Lestat where he tells his life story. Seemingly there are other opportunities to do that. Given the success of the show and the popularity of the Armand character, it seems reasonable that we could get an Armand-focused spinoff in which Marius would be a major character.

Meanwhile, Louis is doing some uncomfortable improv with Fauxdia and a local actress playing Madeline. Is this the most disturbing element of the show? Maybe.

Armand is also in town and hovering on the fringes of things as is his wont.  He finds Daniel shooting interview segments for the documentary and recounts his fifty plus year monitoring of Daniel's life. He offers to help him "finish the job" of the documentary. He also offers to let him "walk in the sun." Armand reveals that Gabriella is Lestat's mother, which it seems Daniel had been working out on his own. "He lies with his mother," the gremlin adds, spicily.

Lestat and Gabriella discuss all the times she has abandoned him. This includes an unseen instance in New Orleans, presumably after Louis and Claudia left. "You were a terrible mother," he concludes. Letat's mommy issues have been a big theme this season and I can only assume this is to set up his seduction by Akasha who will be his new mommy.

In flashbacks, we see that Lestat has been taking care of TWMBK. He is going slightly mad in the same way Marius had been but on some level he seems content to take care of a mother who is incapable of abandoning him. In the book, they are described as looking like marble but are her depicted as having an almost bronze finish and they look fantastic.

Louis and Fauxdia continue their uncomfortable IWTV LARPing. She's writing things down in a book. It's very Claudia but also very sus. Characteristically, Louis seems tortured by the whole situation.

Back in the sanctuary, Lestat hosts a mad imaginary dinner party on New Years Eve, 1900. This would be about a decade before the events of season one. Akasha awakens and drinks his blood.

Back in 2025, Louis reveals his Claudia situation to Lestat. It's so nice to see these two back together and speaking. Despite Lestat being upset that Louis hadn't reached out after the shooting. Louis seems to be confused as to whether or not Fauxdia is actually Claudia on some level. I'm honestly a little confused as to what the show wants me to think about this. This subplot has been presented in a very grounded kind of way but the show seems to be suggesting that something supernatural is afoot. It should be said, that in the Anne Rice cosmology, ghosts can be very physical. So the fact that she is visible to others does not preclude Fauxdia from being a ghost.

Lestat goes in to see Fauxdia in full Low Key Marvel disguise, complete with sunglasses and a hoodie. He is deeply affected by seeing this woman who looks exactly like Claudia, although he tells Louis a different story. He goes on to record a really beautiful song about her which changes his whole approach to the album.

Lestat concludes that the band needs the blood, much to Gabriella"s delight. There are three vampires and three band members. Also, Salamander given the blood basically equals Matt Berry's character in What We Do In The Shadows and I am here for that.

Marius returns to find in Akasha awake and ranting and Lestat floating in the air. He wrangles Akasha and casts Lestat out. Sheila Atim is amazing in this brief scene as Akasha and I cannot wait to see what she does with the character next season.

The show ends with a scene of Armand compelling TVL guitarist Larry to walk unto the subway tracks For Some Reason. The camera then lingers on him looking cvnty and disassociated and already inspiring memes.

NOTES:

• The episode begins with Lestat describing some of his past coffins, including his first one from his days as an orphan vampire in Magnus' lair. I am still bummed we never saw more of this. We have not even seen Magnus go into the fire.
• In his voiceover Lestat says "I, Amel digress." This is very interesting.  Amel is the spirt that animates the vampires and was residing in Akasha for millenia. In the books, it ended up with another vampire at the conclusion of Queen of the Damned. It does not end up in. Lestat until much later. It makes me think they are streaming things here and ending QOTD in a different place.
• TC refers to Gabriella as "Yoko Mirren"
• "I'm finally going to talk about the Queen." Because he has previously been so reticent to bring her up until now.
• "I don't like being alone,"says Lestat when Marius goes off on vacation or wherever he goes. Great line reading by Reid and also just a huge theme of this version of the character. 
• Marius when Armand is mentioned: "Rotten boy." Armand is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Immortal Universe.
• Enkil back of head blown out and missing fingers. Marius seems to suggest this is from his accidental exposure to the sun but...um, wut?
• "There's not enough of us to make it profitable," Louis lamenting about how serving vampires is not economically feasible and offering a financial justification for the Great Conversion.
• Dan's daughter attended "Rice University"
• Armand describes Louis as "calculating to the core. Methodically cruel." Um, project much?
• "You do not need around you what does not need you anymore." Gabriella's justification for abandoning Lestat. It's a little twisted and roundabout but coherent and kind in its own way.
• "You don't have to do the accent. It's hard. The Yat." The irony of these two British actors having this conversation.
• The cheap reproduction Tiffany lamp keeps taking me out. Can we get a better lamp and wig budget next season. Mind you, one of the reasons I used to watch Gotham was because the lamps and light fixtures were so good.
• "Why is her tongue cut out?" This is the only line from Akasha's ramblings that seems directly related to the events of QOTD, famously the witch-turned-vampire Makare has her tongue removed on the orders of Akasha.
• In the next episode Lestat and Louis apparently enlist a witch to help them with their Claudia problem. This is essentially the plot of the vampire chronicle Merrick, featuring Talamasca member and Mayfair witch, Merrick Mayfair who helps them exorcise Claudia's ghost.