The Vampire Lestat: Lestat’s Memory is a Monster, Too

One of the themes of Interview with the Vampire season 2 was “memory is a monster.” Now, in The Vampire Lestat, we’re seeing that theme play out in a different way as other characters call out the truthfulness in Lestat’s (Sam Reid) recollections.

Memory is indeed a monster, and for vampires, that monster is constantly nipping at their heels. They can’t escape their memories…unless they choose to do so, or if Armand (Assad Zaman) has been poking holes in their brains. Interestingly, though, Lestat is narrating his story in The Vampire Lestat yet there are moments when other characters seem to contradict what he’s saying. This makes us wonder what’s true and what isn’t true…and why Lestat “allows” the audience to see those slip-ups at all.

In episode 3, the story Lestat tells Daniel (Eric Bogosian) about how he became a vampire is drastically different than what actually happened. In this case, the audience learns of it through memories playing through Lestat’s mind as he sings “Your Biggest Fan” toward the end of the episode. While this isn’t an example of another character calling Lestat out, it does serve as an important reminder that we’ll never know what the real truth is because these stories are being told by a group of very unreliable immortal narrators.

It’s also important to note that if we’re seeing everything from Lestat’s perspective, it’s interesting that he’s allowing us to see any challenges to his memory at all.

Who Asked You, Daniel?

In the season premiere, Lestat and Daniel are on the bus and Daniel is trying to ask questions of Lestat, who isn’t paying much attention. He accuses Daniel of having “transformational trauma,” which Daniel denies, and then Lestat adds “that’s why these movie producers hired you, Daniel Molloy, Vampire Slayer.” Daniel doesn’t flinch. “They said you requested me,” he says. “Absurd,” Lestat replies, returning his attention to his phone.

The tete a tete is interesting because we know the Talamasca published Daniel’s book and in “Toledo” we learn that the Talamasca is producing Daniel’s documentary.

Why would Daniel say he was told that Lestat requested him? Lestat can read Daniel’s mind and determine the truth. Instead, Lestat’s glib response actually makes us wonder if it’s Lestat who’s not being truthful. But why would Lestat lie about requesting Daniel to put together the documentary? It’s possible that Lestat wants Daniel to be in charge of his “rewrite” because he’s the one who published the book in the first place. At the same time, though, we also know that Lestat is a vampire who speaks his mind and doesn’t hold back.

If Daniel was confused or even lying about being told that Lestat requested him, then Lestat would have called him out…right?

Meeting with Louis

In episode 2, Lestat and his lawyer, Christine (Jeanine Serralles), meet with Louis (Jacob Anderson) and his laywer, Lemuel (Moses Sumney). Louis is looking to recoup damages after the Fang Gang fight at his hotel.

This is the first time Lestat and Louis have seen each other since Lestat started touring. Lemuel notes that it was Lestat who called the meeting with “Thomas Pitt.” Christine quickly says that Lestat “did no such thing,” but it’s interesting that Lestat remains mum on the subject.

It’s entirely possible that Christine doesn’t know that Thomas Pitt is Louis. Maybe Lestat did call Louis to meet with him, but the lawyers got into the mix so it turned into Lestat meeting Mr. Pitt and not the long-awaited-but-also-twisted reunion between Lestat and Louis. Louis thinks Lestat’s songs are a cry for help, so he came to the meeting because he cares about Lestat.

Did Lestat orchestrate the meeting, using the Fang Gang’s destruction as a front to get Louis into the room? It’s hard to see this being the case because Lestat claims he didn’t know it was Louis’ hotel and he certainly doesn’t know that Louis owns 45% of Lestat’s merchandise sales.

Why, then did Lemuel say that Lestat called the meeting? And why didn’t Lestat dispute it? Once again, there’s a lack of clarity about Lestat’s truthfulness.

Is That How It Really Happened?

Lestat actually confirms that everything we’re seeing, especially things that happen when he’s not in the scene, are all based on his interpretations. This idea shows up a bit later in episode 2, when Louis and Daniel meet after the concert to reconnect.

In his narration, Lestat acknowledges that he wasn’t there so he doesn’t know what the hotel looked like. It’s all how he pictures it. And if everything we see is how Lestat pictured it, then we don’t really know that what was discussed actually happened.

There is an argument to be made that if Lestat is with Akasha (Sheila Atim) as he’s making these recordings, then he might be able to see into every vampire’s mind and see what was happening at any point in the story. The auction at the beginning of the season premiere gives us reason to think he might not be around, but we don’t know what any of that means yet.

In truth, it’s really hard to tell what to believe anymore. Is Lestat playing fast and loose with the truth?

These are but a few examples of moments when Lestat’s storytelling is either challenged by another character or challenged by the fact that he wasn’t there to witness it. What other examples have you found in the series so far? Let us know in the comments!