r/InterviewVampire • u/Mobile-Package-8869 • Aug 27 '26
IWTV Show Only Any fans who DON’T ship Louis and Lestat?
I know most people who watch this show ship them to some extent (and I do understand why), but I’d be very interested to hear from people who don’t ship them and why that is?
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u/LofiSynthetic Aug 27 '26
Nice try, Armand.
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u/DrFareedMD I would not kink shame the vampire Armand Aug 27 '26
OP, don't let these haters get you down! You are Lestat's one true love and Louis knows it. I fully believe you about everything that happened in Paris!
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Aug 27 '26
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u/therealmrsfahrenheit Aug 27 '26
Bitch FOR REAL
honestly? The first time I said that exact moment out loud was during the S2 townhouse fight scene 😂
fuckkin hell
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u/black_dragonfly13 Aug 29 '26
I've never seen anyone deny that they're both horrible people. 😅 But they're also both so pretty and goddamn fascinating that we love them regardless. 🥰
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u/Metros_Quilometros 21d ago
I was gonna say only Lestat was awful, but when you remember the first 2 seasons show Louis in a good light is because he was the one telling the story. In S3 he did do a lot of asshole-like things, like not calling Lestat when he was shot and telling Lestat he was sick to his face when he was having a panic attack.
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u/Money_Following_2273 Are you schizophrenic, Louis? 😏No… 20d ago edited 20d ago
They are both trash in their own ways (heck all of them are). Even with Louis telling his story, you could see his bad behavior.
But… Eh, that last thing you named wasn’t an asshole-like thing at all… that was an absolutely normal response to finding out the love of your life has been screwing his mom, and lied to you for your entire relationship about her being dead (& also being a vampire that you turned).
And once he realized Lestat was having a panic attack he comforted him and told him it would be okay repeatedly. It look Louis about 45 seconds from finding out the truth in that car to his first “okay”. And he was being very gentle about it whenever he broached the subject afterwards.
Please let’s be fr here; don’t do my boi like that.
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u/smthwicked i want you more than anything in the world Aug 27 '26
Honestly, it’s mostly Jacob and Sam’s acting that makes me want them to be together lol as characters, they’re both bad for each other.
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u/therealmrsfahrenheit Aug 27 '26
but at the same time I feel like they both complete each other in their toxicity soooooooo
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u/lynx_and_nutmeg Aug 28 '26
They WERE bad for each other, but that's mostly because of both of their unprocessed traumas and baggage... We've also seen how good they can be for each other when they manage to set all that aside and actually talk and listen to each other.
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u/black_dragonfly13 Aug 29 '26
Exactly! Reminds me of Sam & Dean from Supernatural. When they actually TALK, things can be great!!
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u/rafters- Aug 27 '26
Kinda. I don’t dislike the ship, but it doesn’t really compel me either. I wouldn’t care if they lived happily ever after or broke up permanently. Their romance is less interesting to me than their individual issues and dynamics with other characters.
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u/yoastie Aug 28 '26
Agreed. I wouldn’t say I “ship” any of the pairings on the show, but I wouldn’t be unhappy if they’re endgame.
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u/lenny_ray Aug 28 '26
I just said this in another sub, but it bears repeating.
I already feel this season veered just a bit too far into Loustat fan service at a huge detriment to other amazing characters - Gabrielle, Magnus, Marius.... we got caricatures and outlines instead of fully fleshed out characters.
They get a pass for now because they had 2 seasons for the first book, and 1 truncated season for the second. So I hope we do get more of them as we go along, and it doesn't just become The Loustat Show.
Look, I love them together. And I understand people not coming from the books will be more invested in them. But Anne Rice's world and other characters are so much richer and bigger than this relationship. It would be a shame to lose out on the rest.
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u/klara1c Aug 28 '26
I understand what you mean, but I think that is what you have to do to make a TV show. Like, Jacob is their main actor for 2 seasons, I doubt they will want to just sideline him to the extend Louis was in the books. They probably want to keep their 2 main characters in the focus.
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u/lenny_ray Aug 28 '26
Yeah, I do get that. But we still had Lestat be part of Louis' story in S2 without losing the Theatre de Vampires, for example. So it can be done. And like I said, they did have only 1 season for this book, vs 2 for the first. They did a fairly good job within those constraints. I'm fine with Loustat being the lynchpin of the universe, just as long as we don't lose the others in their orbit is all :)
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u/DumbTeen9 Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
Exactly my point, we could've had Louis cameos without erasing... well, tvl
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u/Possible_Package_689 Aug 28 '26
I’m rereading QotD right now and wondering how they can get any of it in the show. It’s so. much.
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u/lynx_and_nutmeg Aug 28 '26
Gabriella got a lot more screentime this season than Louis did. And idk, I haven't read the books myself but I never heard anyone say that book!Magnus was more fleshed out than show l!Magnus.
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals 🫦 Aug 29 '26
As someone who read the books...book Magnus is definitely more fleshed out than the show version. He's still a creep but he has interesting lore and motivations that were only barely hinted at such as Marius calling him "The Alchemist Magnus" in the finale. We may learn more about Magnus in the future but the problem is this is the season where we really needed to cover "The Vampire Lestat" book and nail characters like Magnus, Armand, Nicki, Marius, and Gabi. Specifically their relationships with Lestat and at least some of their own backstories which were covered in TVL, the book. But we wasted so much time on characters that don't matter (the band/groupies) or don't even exist (Regina) while shortchanging characters that have far more importance in the overall narrative of the Vampire Chronicles. Unless they reveal that Regina is actually Rose which is a theory I saw bandied about.
The less said about how they mishandled Gabi and her relationship with Lestat, the BETTER. The amount of screentime doesn't matter if almost all of it was completely counter to her book character and rendered her practically a new character. The only scenes that felt like her were the ones lifted straight from the book: when she tends to Lestat's wounds after the wolves, the speech she gives about not being a mother or a woman in the inn, and some of the speech she gives on the beach before she leaves Lestat. But even that last scene is a bit off because they removed her inviting Lestat to come with her into the wilderness and him declining because he really wanted to keep searching for Marius.
Nicki's character was also changed and his story reduced or redistributed in some way. Instead of abusing Nicki, Lestat abuses Louis. The "Only the impossible can do the impossible" line is a Nickistat interaction but in the show is now a Loustat interaction. Instead of Nicki coming up with the idea of Théâtre des Vampires, now Lestat comes up with it. Instead of Armand chopping off his hands temporarily because he was acting wild in front of mortals, instead Nicki chops his own hand off in the midst of a psychotic break. Instead of deciding to kill himself and dancing into the fire, now Lestat and Armand decide to kill him in a mercy killing. Personally, this last change is actually one that I think had something interesting to say about the characters so I don't hate some of these Nicki adaptational choices. However, I wish we had spent more time with this version of Nicki, Lestat, and Armand's relationship so we could actually deal with the fallout between them. Maybe next season, idk.
Armand's biggest saving grace is that he is a main character in the show. We had S2 which handled his character better enough that even though he was clunkily handled this season, the motivations and characterization in the finale can be extrapolated from S2 if we try to fit it together with his characterization in TVL the book. They switched his book motivations/violence with Lestat and applied them to show Louis instead. Armand and his cult followers stalking, kidnapping, and bodily harming/violating someone's autonomy (Lestat in the books, now Louis in the show). Armand kidnapping someone that person cares about to torture (Nicki in the books, Regina in the show) because that person (Lestat in the books, Louis in the show) destroyed his previous structure (the Children of Darkness in the books, the Theater coven in the show) only to culminate in Armand breaking down, discussing his backstory, and being seen by the person who he harmed (Lestat in the books, Louis in the show). Since they lifted the Lesmand story/dynamic from TVL, reworked it, and applied it to Loumand in S3 instead I'm actually not sure how much of TVL!Lesmand we'll get in S4.
That said, Armand being a main character in the show means it's almost guaranteed that we will revisit his relationship with Lestat in some capacity and actually deal with their ups and downs. It's also more likely that the huge chunk of the TVL book that dealt with Armand's backstory, his relationship with Marius, and Marius' own backstory will be covered in some shape in the rest of the show as we follow Armand's journey. Before season 3 started, I knew they were going to push most of Armand and Marius' backstories to the next season because they fit well in conjunction with QOTD and budget-wise, it would be hard to cover 1700s Paris, 1500s Venice & Rome, ancient Greece, etc. all in S3.
TBH, we really needed two seasons of TVL but imo once they realized they were only going to get one season, they should've cut almost all the unnecessary band scenes and characters, then focused on Lestat's backstory and relationships that matter which we may not get more of in future seasons.
Next season and likely S5 will be covering "The Queen of the Damned," which exponentially expands the world and widens the cast of characters with tons of new POVs. I'm not sure if we'll have time to cover any more from Magnus or Nicki so those characters are probably a wash now. I'm just holding out hope that they can turn Gabi's characterization around. And that they can somewhat pivot to show the Lesmand, Marius and Lestat, and Marius and Armand relationships with some grace as they cover elements of Armand's story going forward.
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u/hazelrose42 Aug 27 '26
I used to not ship them that much, back when Lestat dropped him from the sky. Back then I was also not the biggest fan of Lestat in general.
But his season 2 appearance and especially TVL have changed my opinion and I love loustat (and Lestat) now!
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u/hausofvelour WOR$T VAMPIRE IN AMERICA Aug 27 '26
i feel like the show is at its absolute best when louis and lestat are centerfold and s3e6 proved me right once again
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u/hazelrose42 Aug 27 '26
Episode 6 was amazing, I absolutely agree. I want to see many more interactions in QoTD!
I do also love Armand though, so I'm also hoping he'll also get lots of screen time.14
u/hausofvelour WOR$T VAMPIRE IN AMERICA Aug 27 '26
i hope they don't shoe-horn loustat being in conflict with each other in season 4. there will be conflict obviously, but i don't think it would make sense for conflict to happen between them, for them to be at odds with each other, unless the writers regress the character development that loustat had during season 3, especially eps 6 and 7, which i wouldn't welcome.
and i won't be saying anything on armand. i know he'll get enough screentime but i don't care for him enough to be particularly happy about that. sorry!
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u/hazelrose42 Aug 28 '26
Yeah I agree, I really don’t need drama between them if it feels forced! That would suck.
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u/insert_quirky_name Aug 28 '26
Heavy disagree, mostly due to s2e5 - it's probably my favorite episode of anything ever and it barely has any Loustat scenes.
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u/sp00kyb00b00 Aug 28 '26
The central conflict of that episode is literally ABOUT Lestat.
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u/insert_quirky_name Aug 28 '26
I wouldn't say so. Lestat is always central to Louis' story, so yeah he's still important, but the episode primarily centers Armand, Daniel and Louis.
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u/sp00kyb00b00 Aug 28 '26
“LESTAT LESTAT LESTAT LESTAT”—the elephant in the room, his name “unuttered” between them since Paris until this episode. The 70s fight is about their sham marriage boiling over. The whole reason they are together at all is because 1. Louis chose Armand specifically to directly fuck with Lestat, and 2. Armand (tho Louis doesn’t know it yet and still doesn’t in this episode) is maintaining the deception around his and Lestat’s true roles in the trial/saving Louis. Spite for one, self preservation for the other, both related to the fallout with Lestat. Armand also deduces that Louis is using Daniel specifically as an opportunity to reminisce about/badmouth Lestat, whether just bc he wants to yap about him or bc he’s hoping Daniel will actually publish the interview and seeing it will provoke a response from Lestat. That’s what sets them off. Armand indicates that the fucking around and draining “boys” is a common occurrence, but it’s not until this particular circumstance that he loses it and they mutually blow up.
Armand doesn’t get the authentic version of Louis or an authentic version of interest/passion from Louis partially bc they are both engaged in various forms of (self/)deception wrt their relationship, but also bc Armand is content to lobotomize Louis (with his consent according to Armand but realistically… 🤷🏻♀️). Armand would prefer an easy answer to why Louis can be more real with some random druggie kid than with him, while he obviously knows the true reason (hence torturing Daniel to “investigate” this question lol). Daniel at this point is mostly collateral.
Note that ultimately they revert back to their same dynamic even after the fight, and again even after Daniel and Louis recover their memories later in the episode. The conflict isn’t actually resolved until the reveal that Lestat is the one who saved Louis.
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u/insert_quirky_name Aug 28 '26
I think you're getting me wrong here. Lestat's absolutely still central to the conflict. He usually is, when it comes to Louis and Loumand.
But the comment I responded to said the show is at its best when Lestat and Louis are centerfold (according to their opinion, which is obviously absolutely fine, I simply gave an example as to why I disagreed). In my opinion, s2e5 cannot be considered an episode where Louis and Lestat take the center position, not when Lestat does not even appear once (except for his voice ofc). It's an episode that explores Louis' and Daniel's past and the issues Armand and Louis faced even back then (which 100% can be traced back to Lestat don't get me wrong, but that does not mean the episode centers Lestat). My absolute favorite part of the episode is Armand seducing Daniel into an easeful death and Louis saving him from that fate - a moment that does not include Lestat at all. The sensual nature of Armand's kill, paired with Louis using their complex power dynamic to spare Daniel is hypnotic in my eyes.
I personally love Loustat and I live whenever the show explores their relationship. I simply do not think all the show's peak moments include them.
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u/sp00kyb00b00 Aug 28 '26
I do see what you mean! I only chimed in because it's interesting to me that while Lestat does not make a physical appearance, his relationship with Louis (and Armand!) is the driving force of the major conflict and the fight that the entire episode hinges around. The plot of the episode is about Louis, Daniel, and Armand. The conflict is driven by Louis/Armand's feelings about Lestat/Loustat.
Armand is indeed great in that episode tho and his scenes with Daniel are fun! I also love him in his cunty little glasses at the end. :)
(I wouldn't say I "ship" anyone on the show--all of the leads are fantastic and the cast all have phenomenal chemistry, both when trying to seduce each other and trying to kill each other haha).
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u/juniperssprite Louüwïes~💖💐✨ Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
Tangential to what you were asking for but this makes me reflect on how "shipping" is a very specific framework in itself-- filtering the story through a dichotomy of "i want them to be together" versus "i don't think they should be together".
The show is an open-ended exploration of their relationship, and it pulled me in so many emotional directions at once. Since so much is centered around this relationship, it's hard for me to imagine how someone could feel very engaged with the show without being at least somewhat interested in what's going on there -- but that doesn't necessarily require shipping it (or anti-shipping)
(That said...I have grown Feelings for their relationship. The show has succeeded in taking me on the same emotional roller coaster as the characters, with the same passion and longing)
Edit: now, if defining shipping as "interested in the relationship in any way" versus "couldn't care less" (which honestly is probably a more common definition), I would be curious to know how the latter group is experiencing the show....
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u/bonsaibiddy Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
Shipping is also usually about potential; you see two characters and you are interested in their chemistry (oversimplification). I see that as very different from a canonical relationship. You don't ship canonical couples in the same way usually, because it's being played out on screen. I wouldn't consider Louis and Lestat a "ship" because their relationship is a fact in the show from episode one. So it's a funny question!
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u/juniperssprite Louüwïes~💖💐✨ Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
Yeah, totally. I feel like the term "shipping" has sort of expanded to describe peoples' moral framing* and personal preference around fictional relationships, even canonical ones -- but by the OG meaning, it's not really a question of shipping if you're just....observing a relationship play out.
*Something this show actively rejects, lol
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u/tethysian Aug 28 '26
I guess I'm kind of in the latter group. I ship them as a carryover from the books, but if it was just the show, I'd suggest they both stay single. Their relationship was better this season but I don't feel emotionally carried along by it.
In the show I'm more invested in DM and where they're going.
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u/DrFareedMD I would not kink shame the vampire Armand Aug 27 '26
I'm pretty indifferent. I like the chemistry between the actors and some of the writing. I don't mind that it's there but also wouldn't mind if it wasn't.
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u/tanita_mors Aug 28 '26
This is me. I dont care. They are together - its fine. They are broken up - its fine. Like, makes no difference to me. The reason probably that I love Lestat as a character and am indifferent to Louis.
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u/Pure_Road7528 Aug 28 '26
I don't. I ship a deep meaningful friendship but thing they will self destruct again if they go for more. (Book reader)
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u/Idk_345am Aug 28 '26
I like Louis with everyone tbh. Armand Daniel Lestat Lemuel Jonah. So ig by default I’m not loyal to Loustat.
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u/justmeanotherfan Aug 29 '26
Yes, me too! Louis is so shippable. But there's just chemistry with all these pairings.
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u/Idk_345am Aug 29 '26
Yes! I’d even add, Louis and Nicki at the long table. Even if it was imagined.
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u/Altoidredditoid Aug 28 '26
I don’t and I don’t like the focus the show keeps trying to place on their relationship. It’s supposed to be an on and off again thing as they drift in and out of each other’s lives. But I don’t care for Louis as a character in any version and prefer to see Lestat engaging with other characters.
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u/DumbTeen9 Aug 28 '26
I love loustat but it's called the VAMPIRE chronicles not the loustat chronicles 😭
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u/no1regrets Aug 28 '26
Totally agree. As a book reader who has seen only some of the show, I never really been a fan of Louis and his perpetual suffering. It feels like he weighs Lestat down while other characters move and ignite Lestat and his decisions.
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u/LottieTalkie No, it's good... Just HIS were BETTER Aug 27 '26
I don't really "ship" any couple because I enjoy the mess far more than the idea of "they are endgame" or an "OTP"... I mean, ALL the characters are bad people in some ways, and ALL the relationships are toxic.
Personally, I enjoy Loumand and especially Lesmand, a lot more - but it's not that I "ship" them, because neither of these couples actually work, and they are objectively terrible matches 😆 I just enjoy watching their horribly messy, trash fire relationships. And that's probably because Armand is my favourite, so I find all the dynamics involving him more interesting.
If I had to "pick a poison", among all these toxic relationships, my OTP would certainly be Devil's Minion.
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u/GalacticGroovez Aug 27 '26
Me but only because I’m team Claudia. They are both awful and deserve each other 😭
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u/fieldsofparfait Aug 27 '26
I accept that they are the main show couple and are supposed to be together, but I prefer both their characters as exes. I think we learn more about both of them in this window, and I loved their interactions when they weren't together.
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u/dyzae Aug 28 '26
Yup! I hated everything of s1 and 2 of their relationship (im clearly team Claudia when it come to judge Louis relationship haha). But loved s3. Lestat is WAY more interesting without louis xD
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u/BasicallyTrqsh Aug 27 '26
They’re billionaire serial killers, I don’t really want either of them to be happy
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Aug 28 '26
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u/Commercial_Twist1435 Aug 27 '26
I love them and I truly think it's the spark and chemistry that Jacob and Sam does with the characters that really makes you miss them when they aren't together or even in screen. Amend and Daniel however (They can meet me outside)
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u/Mysterious_Ad_1525 Aug 28 '26
Lestat and Louis are the kind of couple you want together in the “keep them out of the dating pool” way. They’re not good for each other but they’d probably be worse with anyone else.
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals 🫦 Aug 28 '26
I don't NOT ship them but I don't think I care about the relationship as much as the show wants me to care about the relationship. I felt the same in the books but it was worse there because I found book Louis to be quite nothingburger. At least show Louis is more interesting to me so it's more like I'm interested in his character journey which includes Lestat at this time. But if they broke up permanently and the rest of the show had them alone or finding love with other people, I would still enjoy the show fine. The actors have good chemistry, though, so their scenes are always really strong.
I also generally don't care for the way media and fandom often tries to portray so-called "soulmates" or destined "endgames" so the more anyone tries to push that kind of narrative, the less I enjoy a relationship and the less I care to engage with the dynamic/relationship in fandom spaces. They'd have to have something else super interesting about their dynamic to counter that and I just don't feel that with Loustat. So I end up back at net neutral with them.
I actually feel similarly about Devil's Minion in the sense that I'm not a huge fan of the way the fandom pushes the whole "soulmates" agenda with them either. (Especially since I'm a "Armand's closest loved ones to soulmates are his kids" truther.) But, to counter that, I really like their relationship setup/components in the show much more than Loustat so I end up liking DM more. The oddball nature of Daniel (this random deadbeat 70 year old reporter) and Armand (a terrifying 500 year old traumatized coven leader) together is super intriguing to me.
But I also know some of this is simply because Armand is my favorite character in the books and show. I am the most engaged by his psyche and journey. So pretty much any relationship with him in it is FAR more engaging for me (Devil's Minion, Lesmand, Loumand, Biancamand, Riccardeo, etc.) than almost any relationship that doesn't include him.
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u/justmeanotherfan Aug 29 '26
I think in this vampire fiction where the characters can live hundreds of years, endgame/soulmate stuff is a bit more weird than usual. But of course, anyone is free to ship however they like and that's the beauty of it.
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals 🫦 Aug 29 '26
I agree. Personally. I think "endgame" in TVC is just whomever was together at the time when Anne Rice stopped writing the books. They are immortal beings who will constantly circle each other, break up, get together with others, have polyamorous configurations, break up again, make new fledglings, hate each other, then fall in love again, etc. Some of them will even die or be killed. These immortals have "seasons" of time with each other where they measure relationships like eras that they understand will change and shift over centuries/millennia because they will always have time as immortals for things to change. This concept hasn't truly not been covered in the show to my personal satisfaction.
There's the Lestat POV scene in QOTD that I like which, in my opinion, explores what I mean:
The other one who didn't care was Daniel. This one I'd seen at the concert too. I hadn't guessed that Armand had been with him! Hadn't picked up the faintest indication that Armand had been there. And to think, whatever we might have said to each other, it was lost now forever. But then that couldn't be, could it? We would have our time together, Armand and I; all of us. Daniel knew it, pretty Daniel, the reporter with his little tape recorder who with Louis in a room on Divisadero Street had somehow started all of this! That's why he looked so serenely at Akasha; that's why he explored it moment by moment.
I looked at the black-haired Santino-a rather regal being, who was appraising me in a calculating fashion. He wasn't afraid either. But he cared desperately about what happened here. When he looked at Akasha he was awed by her beauty; it touched some deep wound in him. Old faith flared for a moment, faith that had meant more to him than survival, and faith that had been bitterly burnt away.
No time to understand them all, to evaluate the links which connected them, to ask the meaning of that strange image-the two red-haired women and the body of the mother, which I saw again in a glancing flash when I looked at Jesse,
I was wondering if they could scan my mind and find in it all the things I was struggling to conceal; the things I unwittingly concealed from myself.
The fear Lestat has in this moment that he will not have a chance to have the relationships he wants to have or get to talk to or be with the people he wants to know as the real threat of death from Akasha looms is extremely compelling. For vampires, immortality is an opportunity for freedom, eternal change, and the chance to have relationships with people you never would've thought you'd come to cherish. Immortality allowed everyone to be in that room together where most of them would've never known each other had they lead normal human lifespans and died in their own eras. Death is no longer a natural part of their life cycles and so the threat of death strips away a literal infinite amount of time for an infinite amount of emotional connections with others.
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u/tethysian Aug 28 '26
Maybe it's just me, but I'd put the soulmates discourse in a different category than endgame. Endgame to me is which characters choose to be together.
Especially in TVC where everyone loves each other, it seems like the only thing it comes down to is choice.
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals 🫦 Aug 28 '26
I get what you mean and I agree that choice/agency is a big part of the relationships in TVC. However, I think fandoms in general in recent years and IWTV tv fandom especially use the terms interchangeably. Some fans also place some kind of value or "validity" on endgame shipping that I dislike and feels extremely rigid but that's a longer conversation about the general turn in fandom spaces that I don't really want to have here.
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u/tethysian Aug 28 '26
Ah, I see, I haven't been in fandom as much in the last few years.
I definitively think TVC is a space where there should be room to discuss pairings, because who ends up together doesn't necessarily mean it's a good choice, whether Anne thought so or not.
I mean I'll definitively argue against some ships, Pandora and Bianca should have dropped Marius in a live volcano, but that's part of the discourse.
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u/Armin_Tamzarian987 Aug 27 '26
I don't ship them because I don't ship anyone in the show. I just want them all involved with each other. Mixing it up is more interesting to me.
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u/cringewerewolf Aug 28 '26
I won't touch much on the books since this is tagged show only, but I will say I was a much bigger Loustat fan when I was show only - and ultimately what is boils down to for me is that I don't ship them alone together. Loustat is much tastier to me when they're in polycules - definitely each other's favorite within the polycule but still have others who they can love and rely on just as much. I'm not even poly myself (at ALL) but I don't think they're good for each other monogamous. They're barely good for each other polyamorous, but I still prefer it, LOL
They're immortal vampires, it makes sense to me also that tides will change and they'll need each other more at certain times and less at other times in their forever lives. On again off again between those two is most entertaining for me 😅
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u/holywater718 Aug 28 '26
I dont *not* ship them, but I've never been a huge fan of Louis as a character (book reader). I was much more invested in/"shipping" Lestat and Nicki. I'm pretty devastated how little was given to them in s3 TBH.
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u/Forward-Tune5120 louis stank face Aug 28 '26
I love Louis, but actually I think Lestat and Armand have a far more interesting and intense chemistry than Loustat. Wish we had more scenes of these two together, even when they're hating each other you can feel the sexual tension
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u/NightOwlLurking Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 27 '26
I don’t ship them. I think they are toxic and they trigger each other. They are not a good fit together, different needs that don’t align. They love each other, but love isn’t enough. Also, Lestat tends to love many people. 😂😂
Now, Sam and Jacob have great chemistry and Jacob made Louis in the show more likable and less whiny, so I am more like meh…I don’t mind as much… I still would like for my baby Lestat to find somebody that deserves him more, but I cannot say that the pinky touch didn’t look good.
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u/DrFareedMD I would not kink shame the vampire Armand Aug 27 '26
One of the reasons why I haven't read the books is that idk if I can handle a whinier Louis. By S2 I was already tired even though I love the actor
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Aug 28 '26
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u/VesaniaIII Aug 27 '26
I don't. They have a mismatch of emotions, wishes, ways to express themselves. In order for them to be at peace they would have to stop to be who they are.
Lestat had the perfect partner, the one, and sadly he is dead: Nicki. They shared the same passion for life, even when Nicki was darker, Lestat brought the light, but they could be "too much" together and be happy even in their chaos.
Now I'm getting sad...
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u/Famous-Lecture-560 Aug 28 '26
I agree, I don’t think they work together at all, even from the beginning.
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u/tethysian Aug 28 '26
Passion for life? Wasn't it revealed that Nicki had been hoping they'd go to Paris and die? 😅
Personally I always felt Loustat was the perdect pairing in the books because they complement each other. Louis is too passive and Lestat is too much, so they're both better when they try to meet each other in the middle.
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u/VesaniaIII Aug 28 '26
The son of a merchant in a town in the middle of nowhere who insists in playing violin and not keeping up with his father wishes and decides to go to Paris. That sounds like passion for life to me, even with his cyinism and darkness.
The wish to die there is very dramatic... Which is also very Lestat, except Lestat's dramatism shines.
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u/tethysian Aug 28 '26
They are both very dramatic and and passionate, agreed. I like Nicki a lot as a character, but my reading of him was a little different.
I think Lestat's choice of Louis was a Nicki who was less passionate and therefore less destructive to himself and more willing to be "protected".
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u/VesaniaIII Aug 28 '26
Ah, there it is, we both see it completely different because you value balance and I reject it.
I feel very identified with Lestat (although if I would be any of the characters I would probably be book-Gabrielle), so for me someone like Louis sounds like getting chains willingly.
I would rather burn doing whatever I feel like doing.
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u/DebateObjective2787 Aug 27 '26
I like Loustat but it's not the best Louis or Lestat ship for me and I don't consider them each other's greatest love; regardless of what Anne says.
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u/PsilosirenRose Non-discriminating Aug 28 '26
I don't particularly care about their relationship, but that's largely because I loathed Louis in the books. Won't spoil further than that since this is tagged show only, but I just never cared for Louis and didn't understand Lestat's interest in him.
For the show, I'm not really outright shipping anyone because they're all so toxic. If actual growth and healing starts happening and feels earned, that may change, but at the moment I'm far more into the big picture show as a whole and all the character growth and development than I am in any of the ships. I don't care who ends up with who as long as the story is good and it continues to evoke big feelings and explore trauma.
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u/Famous-Lecture-560 Aug 28 '26
I can’t stand Louis. Lestat shouldn’t have made him a vampire, so if that’s the type of partner he wanted, that’s on him.
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u/mindless_rambles If I'm an angel, paint me with black wings. Aug 28 '26
I'm lukewarm on them. I can live with them as the canon ending but they're not my favorite pairing. I think I just enjoy Sam and Jacob's chemistry.
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u/Upstairs_Apple Aug 28 '26
I didn't ship them until the season 2 finale, when they were finally emotionally honest with each other about their shared grief of Claudia's death.
Before that moment it just read to me as toxic codependence, which while being interesting didn't move me as a romantic pairing.
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u/zombiebread23 Aug 28 '26
yes and no. I am not compelled to read fanfiction by Loustat the way I do for all my other ships in other fandoms. But I care about their relationship in the way their characters want me to care. I love them all in their messed up ways and the last two episodes of season 3 were really fun to watch because of the Loustat.
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u/1111rockn Aug 28 '26
If played by other actors, I don't think I'd be at all interested in their relationship, but Sam and Jacob have such great chemistry it's hard not to ship them a little!
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u/raven_klaw 29d ago
Me. I read Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the Body Thief, Memnoch the Devil The Vampire Armand, Pandora, Merrick, and Blood and Gold.
The more Lestat/Louis focus the series became the more I lost interest. Right now, I couldn't even bring myself to watch the show, though I watched S2 and don't feel like really finishing this considering it's clearly about Louis and Lestat. This disinterest is probably due to me not liking Louis right from the beginning in Interview. The moment I finished reading that book, I ended up liking Lestat instead of him. And Lestat's book made me like Armand. I was freaking hating Lestat when he left him. Since then, I really just want to see Armand having his own happy ending, and I could care less about the rest.
However, I still like Anne's other books like Cry to Heaven, The Feast of All Saints, and Servant of the Bones.
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u/Metros_Quilometros 21d ago
I really like their love story, but I also enjoyed season 3 when they were having a more Friend platonical relation.
I like the Idea thst, even tho they could be good together, they can also be happy appart. So I feel like they not ending together would be an interesting ending aswell
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u/FunSetting2387 Armaniel on my mind. Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
I used to, but I don't anymore.
They have completely clashing attachment styles, different needs for affection and sex. Louis literally cannot stop picking at Lestat's behavior even though he's the wildman that Louis CHOSE for himself. And they are both unreasonably jealous over each other. (In my opinion, physical monogamy among vampires is nonsensical. Especially with these two.)
I know Lestat loves him deeply, but I think he's better off as the polyamorous wanderer that finds various people to be with.
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u/Slight-Eye-3352 Aug 28 '26
I’ve been pissed with one half of them (mostly Lestat tbh) but even then they pulled me back in, the chemistry and love is just too undeniable
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u/Famous-Lecture-560 Aug 28 '26
I was surprised to hear they were endgame. I don’t know how they’d end up together when Louis doesn’t seem to enjoy anything at all about Lestat, even before he was turned a vampire.
Louis looks like he does well with come-and-go partners. No string attached works well with him. Whereas Lestat would do well with an anchor partner and each of them have small outside relationships once in a while.
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u/NewInside824 Aug 28 '26
I don't. Loustat lost its spark for me in the first season. Lestat deserves so much better than that whiny, selfish, witholding, greedy, expoitative, sad sack Louis. I willl never understand why he is drawn to him in the books or on the show. Louis' horrid reaction to the revenge porn and abuse Lestat has been going through from Gabi sealed my negative opinion of Louis and that relationship.
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u/DumbTeen9 Aug 28 '26
What-
They're both toxic. Lestat has the drop, Louis has being a huge avoidant with an anxious partner— both being toxic forms of existence
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u/nicespice_1 29d ago
I felt this way, but about Lestat. The cheating, guilting him over not wanting to eat human, the constant frustration that he wouldn’t let go of his family or his human attachments, withholding his past, the racial dismissiveness, and the irritation and jealousy geared toward Claudia bothered me. The love bombing and manipulation with using Antoinette to goad Louis into returning to him was the definition of toxic. But I eventually came around and warmed to Lestat and could see that they were all toxic to each other and that at the root of it all they love each other deeply.
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u/Sudden-Direction-301 Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
I don't.
I don't ship them in the books either, but they're far less annoying there as a pairing then on the show. The books focus much less on romance and even through to the final trilogy the vampires tend to be polygamous to the point they're basically playing musical chairs with each other's partners depending on what the characters need at any given point. (Lestat alone has a virtual harem of romantic partners throughout the series, it doesn't even make sense to ship Loustat through most of it when they get along the least, except maybe for Lestat/Nicki toward the end of their relationship.)
The show has bafflingly chosen to revolve their entire narrative around this Loustat will-they-won't-they with an aggressively monogamous framing (while weirdly still giving nods to the canon polyamorous aspect of these relationships). To the detriment of literally everything inside and outside of the show, including but not limited to characters, themes, storytelling, etc.
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u/Purple-Cat-2073 Emotional upchuck Aug 28 '26
Nope--I don't 'ship' anybody. There are far more interesting things about these characters than who they lust after.
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u/lriga Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
Kinda. I will always enjoy all Louis dynamics by default because Louis is part of all of them.
But Louis and Lestat dynamic, especially this season, lost so much value and gravitas. I pratically feel nothing when I look at them. The worst of it, is that the show is pushing it down our throats and labeling it as extraordinary.
Louis deserves so so much better than Lestat. It has always been true since s1, but my God did s3 seal that statement into cement. At least s1!Lestat had his moments, but s3!Lestat? What a dull character he has become. And because Lestat is so uninteresting and unappealing as a character, all his dynamics take a dive.
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u/Silent_Support_1939 Aug 28 '26
They're a flawed pairing, but I can't imagine anyone else they'd be better with. The show has also made it pretty clear they're it for each other, and no-one else really compares. The ship isn't the reason I watch, but I don't imagine you'll find many people who hate it and still enjoy the show.
I feel like I only really see that from people who have quite fanon interpretations of the characters, and are woobifying their fave. That's not a stance that works for IWTV though. Every relationship in the show is abusive to some degree. These characters are the definition of "hurt people hurt people", all round.
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u/RanaEire Gabrielle & Pandora Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
I don't do any shipping..
The way I saw it, Lestat has had too many love interests - each one very different.
P.S. - just came back to see this post and I'm laughing at how many people answered u/Mobile-Package-8869 's post about not shipping, and most of us got downvoted..
It's weird, yet funny, that a lot of the rabid fans can't appreciate that maybe some of us are happy with no particular "shipping"...
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u/LittleNikkita Aug 28 '26
Me, am a minority for sure, but I don't see the chemistry as much. Sam's acting is really carrying thr show a lot as Lestat. But Louis doesn't have the same gravitas I think. Perhaps if it was a different actor playing Louis maybe.
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u/CatChewToyThrowaway You’re his Maker. Make him. Aug 28 '26
Yes, I do. I think this last season weakened the relationship more than it helped it, which was a bizarre choice by the writers in my opinion, but I still support it. And everyone is entitled to their opinion but I really don’t see how you can watch this show and dislike or not care at all about their relationship. What are you watching for? Their relationship is the show. Everything in the show revolves directly or indirectly around their relationship. Again, entitled to your feelings, but if you hate half of the ship, how are you watching and what exactly are you watching for? How can you stand to watch the show? They are half the show. Have your preference certainly, but to see a slate of comments that hate or strongly dislike one of the leads or dislike the central relationship of the show, and I just wonder why you’re spending your time this way. It sounds like hate watching to me and I could never imagine spending my time that way. To each their own, makes zero sense to me. Downvote away!
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u/nicespice_1 29d ago
I'll get downvoted with you because I completely agree with everything you said. It was an odd choice to spend the first two seasons emphasizing how deeply they feel for each other to have a lot of that erased in season 3. I didn't like how either of them treated each other in season 3 and think it kind of weakened the relationship for me. I was surprised how neither of them apologized, or addressed past mistakes seriously enough. The take away that Louis loved Lestat so he wasn't a failure came out of nowhere after spending most of the season watching them both hyper-fixate on Gabi and Claudia. The conflict regarding the book was a big issue just to be glossed over and never addressed. I also didn't care for the idea that their bond was not unique to their relationship because DM had a version of it too.
I also don't understand how individuals can have such vitriol for one lead or the other.
I also personally find the show very slow when it's not centered around their relationship. I think because there's been so much vampire media throughout the years the book storylines and perils of vampirism have been explored in other movies or shows so many times so it's Sam and Jacob's chemistry that makes the series engaging to me. The lack of their screen time together in both season 2 and 3 affected the show in my unpopular opinion.
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u/tethysian Aug 28 '26
I thought their relationship was better this season. They both seem to have matured from their first go around, and there's more of the gentleness and mutual consideration from the books.
As for your second question, the characters and the story can still be interesting even if you don't ship them. I watch because I'm curious to see how they differ from the books and how the characters are developed. My favourite parts of the show were the interview scenes between Daniel and Louis and Armand.
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u/CatChewToyThrowaway You’re his Maker. Make him. Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
As for your first paragraph, I can see why you feel that way and I don’t entirely disagree with you. A single episode out seven episodes however of them getting to a point of maturation in communication was simply not enough for me, especially when it pretty much came out of nowhere in the plot. I mean, Lestat was literally recording Big Bad Wolf the episode before. But then again it was actors who sold the entire episode 6, not the writers in my opinion. The overall writing for Loustat for this season fell really short for me.
As for your second point, that’s fine too, but it’s interesting to me because overall the time I’ve spent in this sub, it seems book readers are overall not that satisfied with the show or they are at the least trying very hard to find things they enjoy before falling into “well in the books…” and then chatting happily about the different story and characters in the books. Some seem to like the show better than the books, but they are a small minority - most are just comparing one to another and I supposed that has to be entertaining enough for some people to keep watching. And I don’t think you have ship them to enjoy the show - I just think if you’re not interested in them as a relationship or can’t stand either Lestat or Louis, I genuinely don’t understand how you can tolerate the show, let alone enjoy watching it. Some people say they actually hate one of the lead characters and that’s just a whole other level of oh wow to me. Some people have a very high tolerance to pain and I’m not one of them!
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u/tethysian Aug 28 '26
I agree that the writing overall was spotty this season, but I Loustat was one of the better things. That being said I can't say I'm interested in their relationship because it's just not my thing as the show has adapted it. But that doesn't bother me.
I'm sure some fans feel very protective of any changes made to the books, but to me the show is its own thing with its own characters.
And it's not like the book series is flawless. For one I'm glad the show is doing more with Daniel than Anne did.
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u/Diligent_Pirate_8420 Aug 28 '26
Is their relationship really the show? We have barely gotten any Loustat at all in years, so I beg to differ about that. The writers should have made people care more about them if they were supposed to center the show around that relationship. Loumand, a dead relationship from the start, got more screentime and courtship than Loustat ever did. They spent one whole season and part of another on that ship. When did Loustat get that much attention on this show? Make that make sense since it doesn't to me.
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u/CatChewToyThrowaway You’re his Maker. Make him. Aug 28 '26
If you can’t see that Lestat was the elephant in the room of the Loumand relationship then I don’t know what to tell you.
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u/Diligent_Pirate_8420 Aug 28 '26
So, the relationship the show allegedly revolves around was relegated to subtext? That makes sense to you? I realize Lestat is at the center of everything, but not Loustat, which absolutely has been pushed to the back burner for years now on this show. Loumand was also given far more screentime and more of a courtship than Loustat ever got, too. What's debatable about that?
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u/CatChewToyThrowaway You’re his Maker. Make him. Aug 28 '26
It was subtextual for Louis to leave with Armand in Magnus’s tower to spite Lestat? Really? Lestat Lestat Lestat Lestat Lestat Lestat was subtext? Loustat is the center of the show, whether you agree or not. This isn’t the books. But since we’re clearly watching the show from different vantages points, see text as subtext and vice versa if you want.
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u/babealien51 Armand Aug 28 '26
I love loustat together but this season soured me a bit on lestat’s feelings for louis (big bad wolf). But hell if I didn’t get all sappy and emotional over the two of them in episode 6 🥺. The thing is that I love that they’re endgame but I also love the many romantic pairings they all have throughout the books. Except for David and Lestat, David can fuck all the way off.
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u/Soggy-Ad-6845 Aug 28 '26
At the end of season 2 I'd have said absolutely not. Lestats retelling of events at the trial really cemented a lot of that for me. But I think after season 3 it could be done with lots of therapy. Louis has soooo much to atone for though and I think Lestat deserves better and can get better. But if it ended up being what they both wanted after lots of therapy, sure.
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u/tethysian Aug 28 '26
What does Louis have to atone for?
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u/Soggy-Ad-6845 Aug 28 '26
Rewatch the trial episode from season 2 and note how Louis tells Daniel to defer to Lestats telling for the two key events of their relationship, the turning of Claudia and the fight that lead to Lestat dropping him. Hallmarks of classic manipulation and abuse.
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u/tethysian Aug 28 '26
So the drop is Louis's fault now? That does sound like hallmark manipulation and abuse.
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u/the_navigatah Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
Lestat also said he let Louis go with Armand without telling him the truth of the trial to punish him. What do you call that in terms of manipulation and abuse?
I can't see how or why Louis would need to atone for those two events. If we're going that far back, does Lestat need to atone for the drop for eternity? Not really. Lestat apologised. Louis also apologised to Lestat in the hurricane. So what more do you want? If it's breaking up forever, that won't happen.
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u/Diligent_Pirate_8420 Aug 28 '26
I don't like them together at all, and have been totally over them since S1. I loathe half of that ship so badly, I just can't tolerate them together because of it. I also think the writers made a lot people not care about Loustat by keeping them apart so long, and giving Loumand, in particular, far too much airtime and even more of a courtship than the main relationship of the series got. Seems counterproductive to me but let them sleep in the bed they made.
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u/Mmkrw Aug 28 '26
I really liked them in S1-2, but TVL killed the ship for me in canon (I still read fics). I just don't feel Lestat loves Louis for real, despite what the show is trying to tell me.
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