The Vampire Lestat Recap: Episode 6, “Montreal”

The Vampire Lestat continues with episode 6, “Montreal.” We’re one week away from the season finale and all bets are off after this week’s shocking episode. Here is The Vampire Lestat recap of episode 6.

The Vampire Lestat recaps and photo galleries:

The Vampire Lestat episode 1 recap and photo gallery
The Vampire Lestat episode 2 recap and photo gallery
The Vampire Lestat episode 3 recap and photo gallery
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The Failures, Album 52, Side A

We see Lestat’s (Sam Reid) coffin back in Montreal, at first in the sun and then again as night falls. A hand reaches out to grab the phone on the coffin-side table as Lestat, in narration, talks about the “intersections” of his “many selves.” There’s the Stutterer, the Ape, the Actor, the Keeper, the Tourist, the Recluse and the Rockstar. 

He looks on the Billboard charts to see where his album landed and it’s in the middle of the list. He’s in the same house across the street from his vampire band, preparing for his memorial concert after releasing the album he produced for his vampire familiars. It’s Halloween again, two years to the day this journey started. However, Larry’s (Noah Reid) death has cast a pall on everything, straining their relationships. 

Alex (Seamus Patterson) is down on the street outside the house, wearing a mask. Lestat sends him a message about being an early riser, urging him to go hunting ahead of the masses of vampires gathered in the city for the concert. Alex walks away. 

Lestat focuses his attention on a voicemail from Mary Rick, who says she’s on her way. She tells Lestat to let her know if he’s having second thoughts before she goes through security. The phone rings and it’s her, almost as if she knew he was listening to the message. She’s still in customs and wants to know if they’re still on at midnight and if he has the items she needs. He does, in a paper bag. Before she hangs up she asks for two hours alone in the room beforehand. 

In narration, Lestat says the album didn’t perform well for mortals but it’s a big hit with vampires, rallying them together in the Great Conversion. 50,000 vamps are in Montreal preparing for the concert where he’ll perform the songs live. It’s his final gift to Gabriella (Jennifer Ehle).

As he talks, he flips through a series of passports with his photo and different names on them: Sheridan Blackwood and Clarence Oddbody. He was tying up loose ends, feeling alive. Or maybe, he says, “it was him.”

“Him” is Louis (Jacob Anderson), who walks out of the next room buttoning his shirt and saying that he doesn’t think they should be doing this because it’s a very bad idea. “It’s a terrible idea,” Lestat agrees. Lestat asks if the coffin was comfortable and Louis says he doesn’t sleep in coffins very often anymore, which seems to offend Lestat because it’s an expensive coffin. Louis thinks they should cancel “her” and they should cancel the dinner and they should cancel the concert while they’re at it. Lestat comments that Drake “dropped 50 songs today” and Louis admits he saw that as Lestat looks on in disgust. Lestat sarcastically admonishes Louis for not thanking him for his hospitality, suggesting he use one of his new names. But Louis prefers Lestat. 

They continue to debate the merits of the “bad idea” as they leave the house. Lestat is wearing a cloak and carrying a sickle while Louis is dressed in regular — though clearly expensive — clothes. It’s Halloween again and the streets are lined with children and adults in costumes. Lestat leaves a note on the door, presumably for the candy-seekers. 

Louis insists that no good can come from this plan, to which Lestat says that you never know what can come from it because people get different things out of it. Some feel a twitch in their eye or a chill moving through the room. Then nothing happens, and “the witch or medium” blames the guests for the lack of action. 

They hit the streets. Louis says he doesn’t like witches. “I don’t get on with them,” he says. “You reached out to the worst kind of witch.”

“Merrick is different,” Lestat replies. He insists that she’s nothing like the rest of the family, though she’s like “the uncle.” Louis wants to know how Lestat knows “the uncle,” who would of course be Cortland Mayfair (Harry Hamiln). Lestat explains that they were in a book club together with Merrick and James Carville. 

In narration, as they pass a 12-foot skeleton (like the one that’s currently in my front yard in the middle of July as I write this recap!) Lestat explains that months have passed since Louis called about “Fraudia” as he called her. Louis was still upset about it all but he was staying away from her. That’s where the bad idea came from. 

Lestat says they read Interview with the Vampire in the book club. Everyone loved Tom Anderson’s character. Louis tells Lestat that he’s going to get a lot of people killed. Someone wearing a sheet covered in black spots walks by and hands them a leaflet, telling them to “obey the five laws.” Louis says that “Charlie Brown gets rocks” agrees with him. Lestat says that they’re all coming to see him and he’d think Louis would be happy for him. 

When Louis’ phone rings and he answers, Lestat teases him over how he talks to “Lem.” And when Louis ends the call with “you too,” Lestat wants to know what he was responding to but Louis doesn’t want to do that with him. Lestat asks if Louis is going to keep on sending money to Fraudia, or answering when she calls. Louis insists that only happened once, but Lestat knows better. That’s why they’re doing the thing at midnight, giving Louis a chance to say a proper goodbye to Claudia. 

“Why are you being nice?” Louis asks. “I don’t like it.”

Lestat points out that they could talk about why Louis’ restaurant is so close to Lestat’s home. When they walk in, the host is stunned to see Lestat and says it’s an honor. Lestat hands off his sickle and removes his cloak. Inside the dining room, the vampire patrons stand up and cheer for him. 

They’re led to a private dining room where a tan Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) greets them. “Taylor and Travis. Congratulations. Have you set a date yet?” he asks. 

After the opening credits, Daniel proceeds with some follow up questions about their reunion during Hurricane Odette. Lestat and Louis play coy as Daniel asks them for something to use as an ending for his documentary. “It was enough that he showed up,” Lestat says. Daniel hits the button and ends the recording, much to Louis’ surprise. 

Daniel does have a question, though. He wants to know if “the fog of vampiric love” between Louis and Armand kept them from seeing his “gotcha” moments. Louis insists he tried to respect Daniel by not going into his thoughts. Daniel wonders how Lestat is preparing for the concert. Will Sheridan Blackwood (“dumb name,” Daniel adds) rest after disappearing from the public eye? Lestat says he’s been dreaming of forests, of a cabin near a forest. He wants to walk the forest transcribing bird song. He could do that for a whole decade before returning to the modern world to work in a hotel. He asks Louis if he knows anyone who owns a hotel, which makes Louis smile. 

They’re interrupted by the staff, who present a gift from the chef: Francine, a mortal woman and descendent of the Lioncourt line. Lestat gives Louis an appreciative smile for the consideration. Her wrist is cut and the blood flows into a vessel, which pours blood into three glasses. 

As they watch, Daniel asks if Lestat is still with Sofia and whether Louis has met her yet. Louis confirms that he’ll be meeting her later that night. Lestat wants to know what’s going on with Daniel’s tan. Daniel says he’s dating someone, which piques Lestat and Louis’ interest. 

Louis offers a toast to Daniel. “Our biographer, our documentarian, our shared ex’s abandoned offspring.”

They clink glasses as Lestat watches Daniel closely. “Ready to eat your own?” Daniel asks. 

Later, in the car, Louis notes that Daniel seemed off. Lestat says he’s always off. He’s always awkward, with a chip on his shoulder. But Lestat owed him an ending. Lestat asks if Louis could feel Daniel trying to get into their minds.

A car pulls up next to them full of screaming vampires. Louis urges Lestat to give them a taste, so Lestat rolls down the window and starts singing for them as they scream. Louis sits and watches with a look of pride in his eyes. Once they drive off, Lestat falls back into the car and laughs as Louis congratulates him on everything he’s built. 

Lestat has a question for Louis about the book. He wants to know about Louis seeing him as an apparition while he was in Paris. Was that his psyche? Louis says it was guilt, it was a lot of things. He wonders if Lestat saw him, too. Lestat initially says no, but then he admits that the songs brought some memories back. Louis can’t believe Lestat never shared his past with him. Lestat wanted to live for Louis only, keeping his past in the past. He brings up how the book made Antoinette smaller than she was. “Justice for Antoinette,” he says. Louis accuses Lestat of “dangling” Antoinette, but Lestat says he used her to punish Louis and bring him out of his funk. Louis wants to know why Lestat does what he does. “Because, Louis, I’m a monster.”

They arrive at the studio and Louis sees Gabriella, whom he knows as Sofia. He says hello and she greets him but never stops walking toward the stage. “The infamous Louis,” she laughs, to which he says it’s all a “quarter-half lie.” But that means there’s some truth in there, too, she says. They take their seats for the rehearsal.

Lestat and his vampire band start singing “Dancing with Myself.” Gabriella says he’s shy, which makes Louis laugh. He asks her about putting the show together, which makes her wonder why he keeps telling Lestat not to do the concert. She thinks it’s Louis who shouldn’t go, reminding him that he has a lot of enemies out there. She tells Louis to stay close and she’ll protect him. 

Lestat tells Louis that they’re debating whether to do this next song. When he starts singing, he sings to Louis. But Gabriella is watching him, too, thinking that he’s singing to her…until she sees how Louis is responding to Lestat. 

The Failures, Album 55, Side A

Louis checks his phone during the rehearsal. Lem sent a text asking if he’s seen a video going around about Lestat.

When Lestat finishes up, he calls out Louis for being rude. Louis says he was checking on the restaurant, but he quickly apologizes and congratulates Lestat. He still thinks the concert will be a bad idea, but there’s no question Lestat has done something special with his music. They have an hour before they have to be home. 

Gabriella interrupts, asking for a moment with Lestat. Louis says he’ll wait in the car. Lestat asks his mother why she left her scarf in his apartment. She stopped by to visit, she says, and saw that he was still sleeping and that he had a guest. Lestat presses her on leaving the scarf there. When she asks if he’s packed, revealing that they’re going to Cadiz after the concert to watch everything burn during the Great Conversion. She kisses Lestat passionately, but he pulls away from her. “Armand’s in town,” she says. Lestat is aware. She thinks he’s going to cause problems. Lestat sees Alex walking by and he tells Gabriella to show her new fledgling some love. She brushes off the suggestion. 

In the car, Louis is watching a video on his phone and says they need to cancel. He shows Lestat a video featuring Lestat and Gabriella having sex. It’s a link someone sent him. Lestat calls it a fake, but then Louis pulls up the full video. Daniel is there, in the sun, promoting his documentary. He’s talking to Armand (Assad Zaman), asking about Sofia. Armand reveals that he knew her as Gabriella. Daniel says that two months after his fake death, Lestat can be seeing boning his mom on the studio couch. 

Lestat is at a loss for words. He laughs uncomfortably, then says that this could be the reason why Daniel was off at dinner — he was waiting to release the video. He calls it an AI deepfake. 

Louis asks if he just met Lestat’s mother. He wants to know if Lestat is sleeping with his mother. Lestat tries to explain, but he’s so overcome with conflicting emotions that he starts vomiting blood. Louis tells the driver to stop the car, jumping out with Lestat on his heels. Louis can’t believe Lestat is having sex with his mother, even as Lestat says he saved her from dying. Louis calls it “Armand-level deceit.” It’s a century-long lie. They had her photo over their coffins in New Orleans. It’s sick. 

Lestat, on the verge of a breakdown, tells Louis that he’s the one who called out of nowhere saying that he’s paying a girl to act like Claudia with someone else pretending to be Madeleine. He spent almost two months bringing Louis back from the brink, never once saying that he’s sick. He did it in the middle of his “own fracturing.” He offered Louis a place to stay, a way to reckon with his guilt. 

As Lestat collapses, Louis embraces him and apologizes over and over again. They hold on to each other before walking away. 

Later, at a bar, they share drinks. Louis tries to start over, asking about Sofia. He’s trying to reset. Lestat says she was born in the wrong century. She was not a doting mother, but she’s the only one who ever showed him affection. Louis offers that the cousin who stuck his fingers in him gave him a dollar, which Lestat does not appreciate hearing in that moment. Lestat insists that nothing happened until she showed up in Paris. Nothing happened before. Lestat reminds him of the tension between Louis and his own mother. 

They share beers flavored with Lestat’s blood. Louis points out that Daniel was in sunlight in the video. Lestat’s phone is still in the car so he asks Louis to check to see what people are saying. Louis says it will all blow over in a week, especially because Lestat is “dead.” But Lestat knows it matters to Louis. Louis tells him he has his own mess and he’s sorry for how he just acted. They agree that they should cancel. “Or….” he says as they look at each other. 

Back at Lestat’s house, Merrick Mayfair (Sarah Afful) has made herself at home. After introductions, she tells Louis that her great-mama says hello and recalls the du Lac boys walking past her house with their heads held so high you’d never know their money came from the family brothel. Her great-mama is there in the room, by way of the skull sitting on the table. 

Merrick tells them to sit down, keeping their feet outside of the line drawn in salt on the floor. Louis thanks her for being patient, but Merrick is more concerned about bringing a dead burned girl back to life. She asks for the personal items. Louis presents her journal and dress. Merrick lays them on the floor and returns to her table. 

As she begins chanting, she senses the tension between Lestat and Louis and tells them to move their chairs. When she starts again, she offers some blood and asks for the spirit of Claudia. Lestat and Louis watch as things start to happen. 

They hear voices. “What the fuck you yanking on me for, you dumb bitch?” comes Claudia’s name. Suddenly, Merrick’s head is pushed into the table so hard that her front teeth break. “She did not like that,” Merrick says. Claudia has rage. Lestat wants to get her back again. Merrick says they’ll need to add more money to the envelope and get her a good dentist. 

Louis is on the edge of his seat. “Bring her back.”

When Claudia starts to talk through Merrick, Louis says he wanted to say goodbye and that he hopes she found “a bit of quiet.” Lestat watches as Merrick focuses her attention on him. “You back with him?” she asks Louis. There’s a pause. Louis apologizes. 

Merrick passes out and the yellow dress flies into the air. Suddenly, Claudia (Delainey Hayles) is there. She looks at the dress that Madeleine made her and recalls how she said Claudia looked “splendid” in it. She asks why Louis put the dress on the wall, and she’s not satisfied when he says he meant to honor. 

She brings up the time Louis tried to burn himself 50 years prior so that he could be with her and she says she would have tripped Armand going up the stairs. She didn’t want Louis there. She points to Lestat and says the truth is that she always preferred Lestat because he knew who he was. He’s her maker and her blood. She thought about poisoning Louis instead, but she didn’t because she saw the slave brand on Louis’ flesh and knew that she could convince him to follow her like a puppy. 

Louis asks about the thing she should be thanking him for, referring to what he did to Bruce in Detroit. Lestat has no idea what she’s talking about. Claudia is furious that Louis and Bruce both used her. She taps Louis’ forehead, which sends her back into Merrick’s body. “I hate you!” she screams at Louis. 

Lestat watches in horror as Louis suffers through Claudia’s torrent of hateful words. “Burn the diary. Burn the dress,” she yells. “Stop saying my name!” Merrick collapses as the circle is broken and Claudia leaves. 

Louis looks to Lestat. They look at each other for a long moment. 

Suddenly, Claudia appears again at the piano. Now her vengeance is focused on Lestat, who welcomes her “malice.”

Claudia says she takes joy in knowing how bad she humiliated him in New Orleans. She knew what she was doing when she told Louis that Lestat vowed to do more than rape her. Realization dawns on both Lestat and Louis as they see that Claudia was playing them both. Claudia goes on to say that the train, Antoinette and Tom Anderson were all moves she made to drive them apart. Eventually she took Lestat’s “Black queen” across the ocean and it led to revenge. Claudia says she never would have saved Louis so they could hug it out in the storm. 

And what about Madeleine, Claudia asks. The one bright thing in her life. Why isn’t she there with her? Claudia screams Madeleine’s name as the house shakes. 

Merrick urges the spirits to close the gate as Lestat and Louis sis in silence. 

Later, they walk along the path in the park. They look like they’ve seen battle. They try to form words.

“Pretty much closes the door on that,” Louis says. 

“She spared us the ambiguity,” Lestat agrees. 

Louis laughs without humor. He’s thinking about the moment he brought up Bruce and admits he’s got some work to do on himself. Lestat agrees that working on yourself was never something that was done in the past. They come to a bench and sit down to share their troubles. 

Lestat muses that Claudia doesn’t have Madeleine. She doesn’t have any rest. 

Louis asks if Lestat thought he would get away with the Sofia/Gabriella thing. Lestat doesn’t know. He had her on the bus, he brought her together with Louis, he hung her portrait in New Orleans. Somewhere deep inside he must have wanted it known. But the timing is so weird. Why now, the night before his concert?

“Why do I actively and manically pursue failure?” Lestat muses. 

Louis wonders it it’s a vampire’s burden. Lestat agrees he has some work to do on himself. Louis asks about he songs being about him. “Most of them” Lestat agrees. He asks about Louis opening restaurants near his house. “Yeah,” Louis agrees. 

“If it was just the two of us again, cause who else is going to have us?” Louis muses. He proposes a trailer park in Nevada with lawn chairs and flower boxes. And birds. “Could be nice,” he says. 

“Could be,” Lestat agrees. 

Their pinky fingers touch as they look at each other. 

Louis notices a “thrift store Dracula” watching them. Lestat recognizes Alex in his costume from earlier. 

They barely have time to register the footsteps as their heads are cut off. They tumble to the ground as their bodies stay put. 

Alex covers his face again. Behind them, Daniel and Armand pull their masks off and walk away. 

Stay tuned for the season finale coming up next week!

The Vampire Lestat airs Sundays at 9pm ET/PT on AMC, with episodes available to stream the same day on AMC+.