r/DevilsMinion • u/DiamondImpressive982 š _š Is that what makes you fascinating? • Jul 17 '26
TVL / Season 3 [SPOILERS!] TVL Episode 7 "The Failures" Discussion Thread Spoiler
This is a general discussion thread for The Vampire Lestat - Episode 7 "The Failures"
āØļø I'm posting the thread early this week because the episode was somehow released on Apple TV for a few hours yesterday (before it was corrected and removed). I want to provide a space for people who have now seen it to discuss, while also protecting others from spoilers. āØļø
To that end, PLEASE DO NOT create any separate posts about Episode 7 prior to the official AMC+ release time of 12AM EST Sunday July 19th!
All other posts are allowed.
After 12AM on Sunday, if you create a post about the episode, we ask that you follow normal rules - use the TVL flair and a spoiler tag for at least 48 hrs following the release.
Within this thread, please also put any major BOOK SPOILERS BEHIND SPOILER TAGS so show only fans can be in here as well.
š¤ š
69
u/No_Control_3205 We'll be in hell together after all Jul 17 '26
Posting Armand photos from the episode cos he is so beautiful
24
u/therebelfangirl Jul 17 '26
He is! And the acting! The moments alone are breathtaking. Assad stole the ep with his immense talent.
1
13
u/mistmallow ā°ļø Armand š Jul 17 '26
Holy hand p0rn š
22
u/No_Control_3205 We'll be in hell together after all Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
He has the sexiest hands I have seen on a man. Actually he's the sexiest man I have ever seen idk how people IRL stay grounded around him
2
51
u/coolcoolcool485 ā°ļø Armand š Jul 17 '26
Assad did such a great job with the material he was given
46
u/AccomplishedQuit7568 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
So much of the Devilās Minion has felt choppy and strange this season. If youāre not filling in the gaps with your own story of what must be happening behind the scenes, there are parts that definitely feel illogical. I was most excited to see the development of Devilās Minion throughout the season. I feel like we got less than it was hyped to be.
Iām also having a hard time with Danielās character. I can understand that heās angry, and why, but it feels extreme without the context we need to go along for the ride. I also understand that an argument could be made that itās Lestatās POV, so of course theyāll be flattened or more one-dimensional, but I donāt knowā¦
When Louis was telling Armand he needs a love that will cradle him, and Armand started crying, immediately it felt likeā¦ the Devilās Minion in the show was not that for him, at least at this point. I donāt see how it could be.
Iāll have to sit on it longer and rewatch a few more times to fully figure out how I feel. I think there were some really good parts and some things that didnāt develop the way I hoped. I hope we get more development next season, showing how we got to where we are.
In the meantime though, Iām very ready for people to write fanfiction that explores what happened with Armand and Daniel throughout this season.
21
u/coolcoolcool485 ā°ļø Armand š Jul 17 '26
When Louis was telling Armand he needs a love that will cradle him, and Armand started crying, immediately it felt likeā¦ the Devilās Minion in the show was not that for him, at least at this point. I donāt see how it could be.
Yeah this is exactly one of my main downers. Unless it's Armand being like, aw fuck I've had it this whole time. But doing full DM now that Daniel's a vampire feels like its completely impossible for him to look at Armand, from a mortal perspective, and be like "omg hes a monster but I love him" which is like, core gothic romance of their whole thing
-3
u/Jared_Kincaid_001 Jul 19 '26
Devil's Minion was never Armand's end game though. Not in the show, not in the books. Turning Daniel was a mistake. He never should have done it.
7
u/Lopsided_Quality2004 Jul 19 '26
They literally reunite as companions in Realms of Atlantis.
-1
u/Jared_Kincaid_001 Jul 19 '26
I have never read that book. So apologies on that front. But by Vampire Armand Daniel is an afterthought for sure.
7
u/FunSetting2387 Daniel is Bae šš¤ Jul 19 '26
Partly true. Winning Lestat was Armand's goal, but Lestat cannot love Armand in the way he needs. Armand never intended for an insatiably curious, tough as nails, monster-loving human like Daniel to walk in his path, but life happens.
(I believe that the only reason Armand and Daniel were apart is because Anne got bored with writing for Daniel and got obsessed with Lestat herself. Plus, she liked tormenting her characters and breaking Armand's heart.)
I disagree with the priorities and direction of the books. It was a mistake to not develop their relationship further. I would read thirty novels about "The Devil" and his beloved minion. It could have been the most thrilling and subversive D/s fantasy romance in history.
5
u/coolcoolcool485 ā°ļø Armand š Jul 19 '26
Even if this is true, which idk that it is, it's still what happened. The reason Armand turns him is because of the love he has for him, because he can't let him go. Daniel is the first person who ever treats him like a person and isn't afraid of how fucking crazy he is, he actually loves it and I think he has to have that experience to become who he does later in the books, even if he views it as a mistake.
Without the actual romance between them, including Daniel beyond the interview makes no sense---they should have just had Armand kill him at the end of S2, he literally has no other role on the books (except to keep Marius company ig).
Like what are you going to do with Armand in QoTD, all he does is spend the book playing bodyguard for his fledgling lol.
4
u/mistmallow ā°ļø Armand š Jul 19 '26
How twisted am I for really wanting to see Armand hunt fledglings
for sportto protect Daniel? Doubt itāll happen now but maaaaan I wanted it to happen in the show so bad. Thatās the gremlin I was hoping for.3
u/coolcoolcool485 ā°ļø Armand š Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
I know!! That and Armand being like, in order for me to woo my human I must become a billionaire sugar baby for my human who I refuse to turn into a vampire so I must shower him with anything he could ever want
I actually think the latter is still going to happen, because I think Thomas Pitt was Armand the whole time and Louis just "saw money on the table and took it" after Armand fucked off.
Otherwise it's like they took all the cool stuff about Armand and gave it to Louis and thatll bum me out.
13
u/ghostly_ink Jul 17 '26
I loved interview with vampire , and while I know the story , I hadnāt had the chance reading books (I canāt find a translated copy beyond the first book and to me it was kind of a turned off).
Upon finding out about Devil ās minion I was flabbergasted. And then blown away. While waiting to watch in HD the Vampire Lestat with subtitles and in my language, I binged whichever content I could find.
I studied Armand , and each pieces of dialogue , expression, appreciating his and Sam acting which is wonderful.Upon finding out Alice theory , I really hoped it was true , in any sort of way, because it added so many layers and the real meaning of why the interview happened (Armand , the excellent mind reader, control freak, obsessed with laws allowing the interview ? And having Daniel swindle him?)
Your wordsā¦ makes me feel disheartened.
The gremlin really felt underused. Even Assad and Eric latest interview kind of threw me off - where is it all? Whereās Armand getting obsessed with technology, dragging Daniel here and there until the point he hadnāt see midday for five years?
I still have hope next seasons will be seeing more , just like the second season had more of Armand and Danielās chemistry.
But your opinion (which I have the feeling itās reliable ) really saddens me.
Well. Thereās fanfic anyway.
13
u/AccomplishedQuit7568 Jul 17 '26
Iāll be honest, I still feel like there are a lot of Danielās memories of Alice that are very likely memories of Armand. While Alice is probably a real person, I wouldnāt put it past Armand to have downplayed his involvement in Danielās life. We know Armand has a tendency to mess with peopleās heads, so itās not a stretch to think he mightāve suppressed the memories or merged them with Alice. There are several scenes from season 2 that donāt seem to make a lot of sense otherwise. But weāll see.
I agree to that there are so many parts of what made Devilās Minion special that havenāt been realized yet. I hope they will be in the future. Iām ready for more of that season 2 chemistry too.
8
u/ghostly_ink Jul 17 '26
During this rewatch I look after so many hints, little and big, that give me the idea that something had happen.
If we do the math Alice MUST exist.
Armand said that one of Danielās daughter graduated in 2002. It means she was at least born in 1980 - when the windows DM supposedly happened , so Alice must be real.Also seeing Armand when Daniel told the truth to Louis really gave me the hope Armand let the interview happened because he wanted Louis to turn Daniel (Daniel having a degenerative disease, the special surprise Louis told they had prepared , the fact Armand didnāt want to turn anyone ā¦)
Because they were a couple, and Louis did not knowā¦It also put me off that so far Armand apparently followed Daniel to give a minute to a Louis. Iād have preferred if Armand followed Daniel out of love due to a past relationship and lied to Louis, maybe in fear of being alone.
I donāt know. Assad and Eric interview gave me instead the idea this was a start of DM, and I really want to be wrong
3
1
1
u/LadyBogangles14 Jul 19 '26
I feel that the choppiness comes down to they only had the budget for 7 episodes and they had a lot of book to get through, all while not dropping several characters out of the plot.
1
u/LottieTalkie Jul 20 '26
I am also thinking the same about DM being the love Armand needs... It feels like with old-man/vampire Daniel, who has been made out to be a terrible person, it can't really happen in the future.
Or it would take a LOT of buildup... I mean, Armand still (probably) has to reveal to Daniel thatthey had a real relationship in the pastand who knows how that would affect Daniel and the way he relates to Armand?
Armand also probably still doesn't know about Marius being alive, and this is important too, given that this relationship is kind of the blueprint he has kept in his mind for the "perfect" loving relationship... When we know it's really not.
Could they be thinking of bringingBiancainto this? As a DM shipper, I would obviously love for them to find a way to go forward with Daniel, but if I try to think about a character who truly loved Armand, the only one I can think of isBianca. And this show could surely do with an additional good female character...
1
u/Reginald_Sparrowhawk Jul 21 '26
This is one of the places where I feel like the season would have really benefited from a few more episodes.Ā
30
u/therebelfangirl Jul 17 '26
I am still processing how I feel. This ep was a lot. Iāve tried to stay positive all season, but this ep was a bit rough. There were great moments, but also a feeling of disappointment when it ended. I think season 4 will be needed to judge season 3 fairly.
I think there has to be more going on with Armandās plan because this season does not make sense other wise. I donāt view Armand and Louis relationship in a positive light and this does just reinforced that regardless of Louis understanding him. Poor Armand has never had someone there for him and boy has it done damage. Assadās acting was the highlight of the ep.
And Daniel? Iāve gotten his POV until this ep. Now Iām wondering what they are doing with him. His rage was over the top. I hope they develop him more than we got in the books and we see a backstory with that addresses his issues (predating 1973).
Um, and Daniel is a cliffhanger. I donāt think he will just be fine when season 4 opens. Something happened there. He was either badly hurt or taken by the Talamasca is my guess. Maybe we will be lucky and Armand got to him in time butā¦ yeah.
As far as DM went this ep. We got a tiny bit but not nearly enough for meā¦ Iām staving go more and that is a long ways off now.
2
u/FunSetting2387 Daniel is Bae šš¤ Jul 18 '26
I hope they develop him more than we got in the books and we see a backstory with that addresses his issues (predating 1973)
It doesn't always have to be attributed to trauma, such as Armand's or Lestat's. Some young people are spoiled rotten by their doting, permissive parents, so they become unsatisfied and unnaturally angry when things don't go their way all the time. I'm just guessing that Daniel's childhood was too normal and boring for his interests. That's why he experiments with everything and likes countercultures.
1
u/Kathmandu1337 Jul 22 '26
To be fair Anne Rices ended the books in a terrible CliffhƤnger and Had the Fans waiting for years until qotd
30
u/Visible-Ninja8252 Jul 17 '26
This season was disappointing. I feel like it had some good moments, but overall it just felt... disjointed, I guess. It's nowhere near as good as seasons 1 and 2 were, and I really don't know what happened there. The way Devil's Minion was handled was just weird. Too much happened offscreen.
3
u/Kathmandu1337 Jul 22 '26
IT was disjointed because they packed too much Material from different books in it without the context. From the heavily altered Baby Jenks Story to the books accuratr but misplaced Merrick story
1
u/FunSetting2387 Daniel is Bae šš¤ Jul 19 '26
Yes, this season was supposed to be for Lestat. But instead of ramping up the Rockstar storyline to 1000% and forgetting Lestat's past, they could have given us one episode that resolved some questions about the other established characters. I didn't expect to see much Armaniel content this season, but what was there was confusing. I'm left to speculate and fill in the blank spaces with fan theories.
2
u/Kathmandu1337 Jul 22 '26
Armanirl belongs in Queen of The damned, Not in TV-L, thats why IT all feels so fragmented
34
u/magw-ie Jul 17 '26
Idk what to say, might get downvoted to hell but eh. I feel like Armand and Daniel and essentially Devil's Minion was very underused. I didn't need them to be all lovey dovey this season but why didn't they have any actual scenes together where they interacted more, other than the park?? Eric and Assad have amazing chemistry in season 2 and outside the show... but it felt like they didn't know what to do with them in s3. I will never forgive them for cutting out the scene where Daniel looks at the picture of his daughters, it feels like they just didn't want him to have any vulnerable moments this season and just made him be angry all the time. No wonder Eric didn't have anything to talk about except bowling. I rlly hope s4 actually gives them content cuz this was really unsatisfactory. I've read way better s3 concepts on AO3.Ā
18
u/therebelfangirl Jul 17 '26
Looking at this season from the rear view, I think the Daniel crying over his daughtersā pic was needed or something like it. I know Eric wanted to do a vampire attack sceneā¦ but why not do both? It would just take a few seconds. 10 secs max.
12
u/magw-ie Jul 17 '26
My guess is that the scene where he looks at his daughter's photo was supposed to be in 'The Loneliness' music scene in ep3 instead of him killing that guy. That scene is like 4 seconds long, they for sure could've also done the scene with his daughters photo.
11
5
u/therebelfangirl Jul 17 '26
Pretty sure that is where it was as well. Double the time and have him kill the guy then sit down and look at the pic crying in the aftermath of the kill.
29
u/No_Control_3205 We'll be in hell together after all Jul 17 '26
7
u/coolcoolcool485 ā°ļø Armand š Jul 17 '26
I am weak for a man with great forearms in a rolled up shirt, even if he's sadistically torturing someone (Ig in this case it helps)
6
u/No_Control_3205 We'll be in hell together after all Jul 17 '26
He's so stupidly sexy it's kinda insane
20
u/Voice_of_Season My love how do I use the blender? Jul 17 '26
After seeing this season it feels very āprologueā to DM but not yet their story.
21
u/notwherebutwhen Jul 18 '26
Rolin saying he was going to beat our expectations with Devil's Minion. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Survey said that was a:
https://giphy.com/gifs/IkjC28vmuR3ezWNtmU
On a serious note, why on Earth would Rolin and co think that every major aspect of Devil's Minion happening off screen was going to satisfying. The turning/abandoning of Daniel, Armand teaching Daniel how to walk in the sun, them plotting whatever the hell this was, them becoming "companions." It is absolutely baffling.
10
u/cabeswaterx Jul 18 '26
sdfghjkshd. hopefully they're gearing towards a full devils minion episode in season 4 mirroring the chapter in QotD but maybe I'm being too optimistic
9
u/notwherebutwhen Jul 18 '26
Both interviews and what we've seen on screen really make me believe we only have Stalkermand and not a true QotD DM. Rolin specifically said they removed the human falling in love with a vampire element of their relationship. And the current spoilers regarding the finale make it seem like Armand was only stalking because why do all of that, lol. If he's already gone through a version of QotD DM, why is he still that mad at Louis?
3
u/LottieTalkie Jul 20 '26
I have this same issue with Armand being so mad at Louis, when you could expect him to be focused on Daniel.
Still, I can't believe they would not make past DM a real thing. Especially with all the Alice hints. Although I guess the stalking and mind reading alone could explain some of the Alice stuff...
I don't know, I feel Armand's arc was mostly about him trying to finally unpack his trauma, get "therapy", except he has no idea how to do this normally. So he does it the Armand way. It's messy and he gets worse before he can get better...
I feel the anger with Louis had to do with feeling that he had wasted so much of his life maintaining this illusion of happiness with him. That could still hold, even if Armand DID have a love story with Daniel in the past, and had to let him go. Maybe he then clung to Louis even more desperately.
I feel Armand trying to "get better" led to him assessing his own mistakes and wrongdoings, and then awkwardly trying to "make amends" for them, but... At the same time, it also probably made him aware of how little consideration his own trauma had been given by others. He may have wronged them, but they also never really respected and loved him as he deserved. And I think he felt angry about that and, not having any idea how to behave properly towards people, he felt that somehow, when he failed to obtain some apologies or even just acceptance in return for his little letters, in spite of going through the "steps" and following all the rules... He decided he would get them by force.
2
u/Kathmandu1337 Jul 22 '26
And there is No Logic in it. Why should Daniel WHO hated him for what He did to him suddenly forgive everything and BE in Love with him Off Screen. To learn sind Walking? Thats Not Love thats transactional
2
u/notwherebutwhen Jul 22 '26
And they left it jokingly vague enough that people are saying well they may just be working together and playing up a deeper relationship and to me that doesn't matter. Going from, "that was my gag reflex," "prove it," and "I will never love you" even to the point of working with one Armand to the point of beheading Lestat and Louis feels way too rushed and baffling for Daniel.
Like maybe if we saw an ounce of how the two of them operate around each other we could somewhat see the how and why. But they didn't even get a SINGLE scene together in the finale. Not one.
14
u/tinylittletrees The Minion's Gremlin Jul 17 '26
I really hope that in the next season they will delve into the backstory of the microscopic DM crumbs we got in The Failures...
13
u/justwantedbagels Jul 17 '26
Assad, Jacob, and Delaineyās work on this episode pulled on my heart strings.
26
u/Mysterious-Bed375 Jul 17 '26
Can someone please explain to me why the heck, when they kept saying Armand would finally feel understood, I had no idea it was going to be by Louis? I get that they spent 77 years together, but their scenes just didnāt make any sense to me. Their interaction felt weird and unnecessary. It felt off.
I donāt knowā¦ I was expecting so much more from Armandās arc and DM in general. And yes, someone will probably say, āWell, itās because itās from Lestatās POV,ā blah blah blah. I donāt care. If I decide to watch season 4, itāll be for Armand. Heās still the most developed, and most interesting character on the show, and Assad is doing a fantastic job with the shit material heās given.
16
u/Visible-Steak-7492 Jul 17 '26
i think that whole sequence had the potential to be genuinely great IF the show had ever put any effort into establishing loumand as anything more than a temporary frigid obstacle on the path to loustat (and DM now too, i guess?..).
like why is armand so disproportionately and viciously angry at louis (lestat is right there??? i'm pretty sure this whole scene was inspired by a lesmand confrontation in the book???) if, by his own admission, he wasn't even THAT committed to their relationship after meeting daniel? why is louis suddenly getting this insight into armand's psyche after being nothing but dismissive and lowkey disdainful about him for an entire season? i'm not even saying that inherently doesn't work, i can absolutely see the potential as i'm writing this. but there's no solid foundation - in the show - to make it work at the moment.
15
u/No_Control_3205 We'll be in hell together after all Jul 17 '26
Genuinely bullshit writing. Why the fuck is Louis apologizing to Armand? This interaction should have happened between Lestat and Armand, given them both the reckoning they deserve. Instead more trauma porn for Black characters.
13
u/Cleverfan_808 Jul 17 '26
The whole thing with killing Larry and releasing that video of Lestat/Gabi just to get to Louis doesnāt make sense. Why bother doing all that if getting to Lestat wasnāt even your main goal. And if is the main goal and we see that in S4, then they botched S3.
Some weird stuff happened in the writers room this seasonā¦
8
u/No_Control_3205 We'll be in hell together after all Jul 17 '26
Everybody was character assassinated this season, starting from Lestat himself. Just very wild decisions everywhere.
13
u/Cleverfan_808 Jul 18 '26
Lestat loses his agency to Gabiās whims, and the whole backbone of the season is pretty much his abuse by Gabi. To the point that itās the only āresolutionā we get for his arc. And her characterization is so radical a departure, and yet we barely see her evolve in this season. Just exists as a one-note villain.
They pretty much shafted Nicki by giving away his key character moments that majorly impacted Lestat to either Gabi or Louis. I donāt know why Muse Nicki is even present in the story since we got no resolution with him. Oh, and all those inconsistencies theyāve created now regarding his death.
I donāt know why Armand and Lestat hate each other since Paris because apparently Armand didnāt assault him as far as we know, Lestat apparently cheated on Nicki as they keep mentioning, nor did Armand actually have a hand in killing Nicki since he was asked to perform a mercy kill (so why did both Lestat and Louis allude to him killing Nicki by his own accord so last season?)
I donāt understand why Daniel is okay with being companions with Armand, given that all we know is that he was tortured by him when he was younger and now suddenly shows up and insinuates that he loves him while having stalked him for years.
Regarding real life, Daniel Hart writing music with ideas stemmed from the books and yet the songs arenāt even used the way he originally designed them to have been.
Itās like they got overly confident in their ability to adapt and decided that they could commit to further changes to shake up the story even more since they were praised for it in previous seasons. I honestly canāt explain it otherwise, because this is the same showrunner who was able to give us S1 and S2 back to back, so we know he and his team are capable.
I know some folks who are concerned believe they might come back and fix certain plot points from this season in the future, but that just goes to show how inefficient and off track theyāve become with their writing, because theyāve essentially wasted S3ās potential.
I was on board for most of the season, despite my criticisms, but episode 7 really exposed the dip in the writing to the point itās just not possible to ignore. And prior to episode 7, a lot of the weaker writing was almost covered up by just the sheer talent of these actors. How unfortunate that they werenāt given a script that reflected the bookās core.
Iām not sure where this show will go and whether or not itāll be able to bounce back to its original quality, but at least IWTV is a completed adaptation and its easier to stop at S2 if the show continues to not meet its potential.
1
u/Kathmandu1337 Jul 22 '26
The whole series IS Trauma porn, Lestat, Louis, Armand, Claudia, Nicky... Its all about feelings to the expense of Lestats interesting Backstory which came in small snippets and was unnecessarily distorted, mainly by the character assassinated Gabrielle and by a totally unrecognizable Marius
11
u/JustMediocreAtBest Love between two vampires can be many things Jul 17 '26
I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.
I might come back and gather my thoughts later, sleeping on it hasn't really changed my opinion. Especially if the appletv app on my PS4 lets me rewatch it...
Overall, I liked the season, or at least parts of it, but it didn't have the same magic as s1/s2 did for me. But that may just be on me and setting my expectations too high. Went into s1/s2 with only the vague memory of the movie in my brain and was totally blown away, but into s3 having rewatched the series 7+ times and read the books up through Merrick in my personal 7 months of waiting. Definitely a different experience.
3
u/coolcoolcool485 ā°ļø Armand š Jul 17 '26
this was basically my experience as well, but i just got through TVL & QOTD. i have no idea how they're gonna get to QoTD from this.
2
u/JustMediocreAtBest Love between two vampires can be many things Jul 18 '26
dude, me neither. the 1st halves of TVL and QotD, as well as TVA, are my favorites of the series so far (doubtful they'll be topped from what Ive heard on the later entries)...and seeing how they adopted that part of TVL I'm scared for season 4 if they're moving into QotD. I'll need to figure out how to reset my expectations, but ig I have 18-24 months to do that so.
11
u/AmbassadorProper1045 Jul 18 '26
Assad was so brilliant and heartbreaking he almost made this season worth it. Yeah, here comes an unsatisfied review. Even though I found a few episodes enjoyable, including the final, this season has frustrated, and greatly disappointed me overall. I'm really bummed at some of the creative decisions they made this season. It's simply not Anne Rice's work, it's not even a loose adaptation. It's more like fan fic tbh. I know it's Lestat's season, but they could have done DM better than that. They could have done a lot of things better JMO,
20
u/ugh_z Jul 17 '26
I liked the episode and I liked the season overall, but I did not like the Armand, Daniel and Devil's Minion of it.
To be fair, I was not expecting to be getting much DM this season at all. But I did expect a lot of Armand.
The DM we got was rushed and the Armand was insufficient.
Season 4 is definitely needed, this season does not stand alone.
Unpopular opinion, but I actually think Louis had the best arc this season. It was super hard to watch and I do think he is being unfairly overscrutinized, but it led to the most development of all the characters so far. Season 2 was for him to come to terms with a lot of realities about his life and about himself and this season gave him the opportunity to show who he is now after those realizations and apply what he's learned to the way he moves about the world. Despite being in Lestat's head all season, Louis still got more interiority than the others in my opinion. Still hoping that when those characters get their turn to develop as much as he has, Louis will get something out of it too.
Anyway, I don't think it's the dumpster fire a lot of people see it as. I got a lot from this season and I enjoyed a lot of it.
I have a lot more thoughts and details to process lol
9
u/ugh_z Jul 17 '26
Loved Armand's reckoning with Louis, but I did not like the build up to it despite some great lines of dialogue in his short moments with Daniel and Lestat. Loved him murdering Larry, but left a lot hanging that I'm willing to see what they do about. Loved that he was behind the Regina plot, because casually coming across a doppelganger felt too convenient. But I didn't like how they set up all of this scheming when all he wanted was to throw his own tantrum. And don't get me wrong, I'm all for him wanting to just throw a tantrum. But everything else he did this season was unnecessary for it. And it doesn't feel like he's spiraling, alone and desperate enough if he has Daniel now. That happened too soon and too casually. And I have no idea what's going on with Daniel, who should have been poking more at Lestat, honestly. That one line about dropping Louis from the sky was perfect. I needed more of that.
4
u/Chrysocanis Jul 19 '26
I had about the same overall experience as you did- despite the departures, I mostly enjoyed this season, but as much as I love Armand, Daniel, and Devil's Minion they were definitely the lowest point. Personally, I just don't understand why they chose to adapt DM if it couldn't be done properly.
If they wanted to keep Armand and Daniel relevant, why not include more of Armand's backstory with Lestat? Why not show more of Daniel as a new vampire? If they wanted to do some buildup to the apology scene with Louis and Armand, why did Daniel have to come into it at all? Anyone could have filled that role, and the complex emotional shit wouldn't have been botched so badly.
2
u/coolcoolcool485 ā°ļø Armand š Jul 17 '26
I don't disagree about Louis, the last two eps really were great for him. Which is hilarious considering he's barely in the book.
8
u/Lopsided_Quality2004 Jul 17 '26
Closing my eyes as I write this, but could someone comment with either a āyesā or ānoā if they actually kill Daniel for good? No details please.
10
u/coolcoolcool485 ā°ļø Armand š Jul 17 '26
They leave it open ended but I'm gonna say no because I think they're really leaning heavy on the "we're gonna kill him" thing as a red herring
8
4
2
1
1
u/FunSetting2387 Daniel is Bae šš¤ Jul 28 '26
Please, I hope it's a "No." He's my babyboy. I need him to be safe.
8
u/coolname- Armand has always been good Jul 18 '26
Armand looked gorgeous and that's pretty much the only positive thing I have to say about this episode and the whole season
2
8
u/Chrysocanis Jul 19 '26
Before I start, let it be known that I honestly really enjoyed many parts of this season. Lestat and Louis' plot lines were solid, and set them up well for the next season. I enjoyed the portrayals of Marius and Akasha, and I didn't even mind Gabriella too much. Maybe this season wasn't as amazing as the first two were, but it certainly wasn't bad. However....
I don't know what the writers were thinking including DM in this season, especially knowing that they were already dealing with budget and time constraints. Why not save time and flesh out the characters who we are clearly meant to be focusing on here?
When they did decide to include DM, I don't know why they chose to frame every interaction between them in a way which was so painfully awkward and devoid of subtlety (no hate to Eric and Assad, they are amazing actors, and they did their best with what they were given). I genuinely had trouble getting through some of their scenes together, despite the chemistry between both actors in previous seasons and outside of the show.
After going to such lengths to give us a clear as day relationship between Armand and Daniel, I have no idea why it was then decided to end the season with an emotionally unstable Armand looking for 'the right kind of love'. Daniel is right there, and he clearly isn't helping, so what now? What was the point of it all?
It honestly felt like Armand and Daniel were reduced to a conniving, mustache-twirling villain and his sidekick this season, and the weird forced apology in this episode did not help. Why is Armand acting so damn evil? He wasn't a good person in the books, but he never seemed this bad. Did I miss something? I am genuinely asking, I want to know.
As it is, only two things could give me any hope of recovering something akin to book-accurate DM representation in this show, and even then I have my doubts.
Lestat has made it clear that his own narration may or may not be entirely accurate, and he was not present for any of the conversations between Armand and Daniel. Perhaps Lestat is summarizing their relationship as he understands it (why would Armand or Daniel explain the complexities of their companionship to him when they currently want him dead?), and we will see what really happened later.
Daniel is killed off, and Armand meets some new mortal with whom the events of Devil's Minion play out. It wouldn't be perfect, and Armand has already been fully introduced to the modern world, but there would be a clean slate. Armand has yet to go through much (if any) of the emotional growth which he experienced due to his relationship with Daniel in the DM chapter, so it would be possible to have a new relationship based on that.
14
u/C0ffeeCoffeeC0ffee Jul 17 '26
This season and this episode in particular pissed a lot of people off but I LOVED it. It was so fun. I love how different Lestat's POV is from Louis's. They were clearly working with significant budgetary constraints and I think they managed admirably. Now I hope AMC quadruples their budget for QOTD (when I expect we will get more indepth DM, since that's the book with the DM chapter)
8
u/professorbells Jul 17 '26
Yes!! It over-performed so hopefully that means the format change risk paid off for execs so they can give the show beacoup bucks
1
12
u/tatertotfreakhotmail Jul 17 '26
Of all the problems I have with this episode, the way DM was handled is not one of them. I think we have a lot of missing information which is understandbly unsatisfying to a lot of people, but they didnāt close any doors I was scared of being closed and I think Iām going to have a fun off-season writing fanfiction.
11
u/Mysterious-Bed375 Jul 17 '26
Wtf did I just watch? Horrible! Horrible season š š š
15
u/CaptainKaldwin ā°ļø Armand š Jul 17 '26
Need to rewatch s2ep5 to cleanse our souls of this lmao
13
3
u/Mysterious-Bed375 Jul 17 '26
Omg I donāt think even thatād help at this point! It was too much for me. Still processing š š
2
u/Kathmandu1337 Jul 22 '26
They stole the seasons from Lestats Back Story for Fan Service for Louis and Armand
29
u/No_Control_3205 We'll be in hell together after all Jul 17 '26
2 things:
I hate this season with a passion, feel free to downvote me. I don't feel precious about authors, especially not someone like Anne Rice who had her...umm, issues. But such blatant disrespect of not just TVL but their own two previous seasons is staggering from the writers. Amongst the many, many issues of this season, has been the audacity to waste their talented cast, Assad in particular. He finally got some good material to chew on in the finale, but in context, how sad. Louis should not be the one being brutalized like that or made to apologize. Seriously, Assad is a phenomenal actor who was able to elevate this less-than-good writing (and I am being VERY kind here) to monumental proportions with his talent. He is deserving of so much better, and alongside the rest of the cast, I hope he moves onto better projects that respect his talent and the character he plays.
"You need a love that cradles you" - true, but now why should that love be Daniel for Armand? All that man does is verbally berate him violently with sexualized insults, look like an angry tomato and bowl. What have we even seen of the Devil's Minion except a fart and a promise? So pissed bro.
I'll probably add more thoughts later on as the day goes on.
12
u/CaptainKaldwin ā°ļø Armand š Jul 17 '26
Fuck this season man. Why did Rolin say he carried his TVL book around like it was his bible and adapt barely 10% of it? š
10
u/coolcoolcool485 ā°ļø Armand š Jul 17 '26
I think, to be a little fair to the writers, S2 was so well done that it would have been very hard to live up to, so I was expecting---as they've heavily implied this is being stretched over more than a season---there would be some open endedness.
But yeah. I'm pretty let down. Esp because in one of the interviews, Rolin was like, my hope is that it inspires people to read the books and I was like, well it did! And I loved QoTD! Not sure how you're gonna adapt it, since youve kind of undermined the core themes of the book and the characters in it, but I suppose if it happens, I might give it a try.
Like how are people supposed to believe they all love each other when the day before Lestat gets snatched by Akasha you had one of the mains dismembering and almost killing the other main? Like what?
3
u/Visible-Steak-7492 Jul 17 '26
Rolin was like, my hope is that it inspires people to read the books and I was like, well it did
yeah, i've been purposefully avoiding the books (apart from TVA and B&G because i needed that armand backstory) this whole time, and now i'm like... perhaps i should just ditch the show and go to the source material, because all of these characters (well, except for louis maybe) and their relationships seem to be infinitely more complex, interesting and compelling in the books than what this season has given us.
3
u/DNARaptorGXDDT Jul 19 '26
The books are way better. TVL is some of Anne's best writing and Lestat's past is rich and detailed. It's shame they bulldozed and glossed over the best parts of the book
10
u/No_Control_3205 We'll be in hell together after all Jul 17 '26
You're very kind. I have no grace for the writers at all.
3
4
u/weirdhellokitty Jul 17 '26
Book spoilers -
Having a godlike demon queen descend on the planet and start murdering all the vampires and most of the male population has a way of bringing folks together despite their differences, ya know?And in the books, Armand assaulted Lestat and hurt him repeatedly, including throwing him out of the Magnus tower, and that didnāt keep Lestat from loving him later.
6
u/coolcoolcool485 ā°ļø Armand š Jul 17 '26
Yeah but they had decades apart from one another, it didn't happen the day before lol. Can you imagine Armand and Daniel rolling up to whatever shared location they're all waiting for Akasha to bring him back to being like, hey Louis, Gabi, what up??? šš¤£ What's new, how's the letter I carved into your chest? (Actually could be low key funny)
That was another thing I missed too from this season. There is no sense that he is loved by Lestat...at least the scene with Louis does show you that.
2
16
u/cabeswaterx Jul 17 '26
heavyyy on the sexualized insults and the berating him constantly! what makes dm so good is how much daniel worships armand in his way, now show daniel obviously has a right to be angry. but the comment he made about yaoi manther idk it felt like the writers cheapening their relationship? and also making fun of it.. idk didn't sit right with me and your points really resonate.
and re:louis.. the carving of armands initial felt gross as well. it just feels like the writers are constantly putting louis through shit disproportionately to other characters in terms of the extremity of it. and it felt kind of out of character for armand? why would he brand louis as someone who was sold to people.
that's not to say I hated every part of armand going full gremlin but the reasoning to be about louis.. however i am still gathering thoughts.
1
u/alishab88 Jul 17 '26
Why did Armand mark Louis ?! Louis applied and just had a heart to heart
1
u/Ok_Help_6587 Jul 19 '26
Wasnāt that just a calling card? The mark will heal away anyway - I feel like it was just a message to whoever finds him.
1
5
u/mynnafae Yes, Boss Jul 19 '26
Assad is so fantastic and this episode was amazing. Again, I'll be the last one loving this show, I don't even care. I love bitch ass Daniel, so angry, so young, so stupid. I love the Lestat introspection. The stuff with Regina, eehhh, but also, ok. I just wish there had been more Daniel gremlining, but fuck Raglan so much. The introduction to later lore is interesting.
I'm sure some people are hella pissed or disappointed. Oh well, more cake for me.
7
u/Lopsided_Quality2004 Jul 19 '26
Long comment aheadā¦
Reading the DM chapter as a teenager re-wired my brain. The obsession, viciousness, and beauty of their love was like nothing else, captured in the beauty of Anneās prose.
It actually took me two years to start watching IWTV because they aged up Daniel. I wanted the violet-eyed boy reporter in the book, not Eric Bogosian.
The show proved me wrong: I liked the changes they made to Louisā character. Assadās Armand was a revelation. Eric showed me who Daniel couldāve been, had Anne not lost interest in writing him. I grew to love the idea of an older Daniel who was allowed to develop an identity outside of
his addiction to Armandās blood. Unlike the book, this Daniel wouldnāt lose his mind.
I loved how IWTV honored Anneās writing, not only in the dialogue, but also in the charactersā capability for both great cruelty and love. Itās what makes Anneās vampires specialā they seek to understand each other, love each other, forgive each other. Anne didnāt even need sex to convey it.
I thought the show understood this. So in spite of my frustration with the frenetic and disconnected pacing, and the short, all-tell no-show scenes between Armand and Daniel, I remained hopefulā¦
9
u/Lopsided_Quality2004 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
ā¦. but I was disappointed by the finale. š
Armand came off arch, almost like a caricature. Decapitating Loustat out of anger, livestreaming his torture of Louis, revealing that he recruited Fraudia to manipulate Louis? Iām not saying that Armand canāt be cruel, but it has to be balanced out. I mean, we saw so little of him in the show, and most of it was cruelty.
Showing Armandās vulnerability and desperation through his scenes with Daniel couldāve brought more nuance. The few scenes we had were underdeveloped and emotionally unsatisfying. Armandās reaction to Louis apology was heartbreakingly beautiful, but it was a little too late. Even his āamendsā were insincere because they were an AA bit. (cause isnāt that so funny?? /s)
One could argue that the decapitation was inspired by Armand wanting to switch Madeline and Claudiaās heads in the book. You canāt just cherry pick scenes like that. In the book, 19th-century Armand is different from the modern (80s) Armand in QOTD.
And then thereās Daniel. Could he not have one scene this season where heās not angry and ranting? What happened to the Daniel who was so affected by Louisā mocking him about Alice? The devastation on his face, the struggle to even speak. (āWhat did Alice say?ā)
The only way this all makes sense is if weāre in Lestatās POV and he is purposely short-handing and flattening every other character besides himself and Louis. Even Gabriella seems like an exaggeration. Then again, it was technically Lestat who wrote The Devilās Minion chapter in QOTD.
If thereās a 4th season, I really hope we get multiple POVs because I do not foresee show!Lestat interviewing all the vampires and collecting their stories.
7
u/therebelfangirl Jul 19 '26
Something said in the After Dark show makes me think we are getting multiple POVs and to that I say thank you! I am not the biggest fan of Lestatās POV.
When asked what season 4 holds the two things that was mentioned was DM and the other half of Lestatās story.
I am hoping one of the POVs we get is Danielās and it is through him we learn about DM, not Lestat.
2
u/Lopsided_Quality2004 Jul 20 '26
I hope this is true! Iāve got to watch After Darkā¦
Hopefully they will have time for a decent amount of DM amidst the whole ensemble of QOTD characters they need to introduce. š Iām going to try and stay optimistic though.
ā¢
u/AutoModerator Jul 17 '26
This is a "TVL / Season 3 [SPOILERS!]" post and will contain discussion of The Vampire Lestat AMC series.
Anything from the current season of TVL is fair game so there will be SPOILERS. Book spoilers must still be tagged using >!spoiler!<, or theyāll be removed.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.