Random thoughts and musings, including about season 3 and the finale below. I had many alternating feelings, as being an IWTV/TVL fan can be one thing or it can be many things (snort) so I guess we can consider this both a TVL critical and a TVL positive post. Spoilers galore! And I'm starting with the rant but! I really do still love the show! And I have good things to say too but I need to gripe a bit.
I've been struggling with is how to articulate my feelings about season 3 and the finale. Overall, I liked season 3, even loved parts of it.
i did not like the finale. There were pieces that I enjoyed, but overall I did not think it was a good way to end the season - of course I didn't expect everything to be tied up, there's way too much plot left for that but I wanted it to be left in a way that I'd be super excited for the next season and instead we get Lestat looking out at a destroyed city and all I could think is, 'we don't need to go out for dystopia! We have plenty of dystopia at home!'
So many things left hanging. Is Alex a zombie now? Was he aware of his actions at all? Does he even care that Armand killed his brother? Up until this ep I thought he was teaming up with Daniel/Armand because he thought Lestat was responsible for Larry's death; now apparently he's just a braindead puppet that can explicably walk in the sun? Oh Alex. Oh Larry. You both deserved better.
You know who really deserved better? ERIC FUCKING BOGOSIAN. If that was it, that little nothingburger of a scene in the bowling alley, if that's how we see off Old Maniel to make way for NuDaniel (because I'm still convinced they're swapping him out for the younger version) I will never forgive the showrunners. Bogosian is such a powerhouse and all he got to do this season was get bullied by Lestat and be confused by Armand. As for Devil's Minion, on paper it was great - we got a love confession, we got confirmation that past Daniel/Armand did happen at least in some fashion (tbh I wasn't totally for that storyline happening), we got the Rapture/everyone disappears but them scenes which I did really love but it was just so rushed and emotionless and felt like they were all like 'fine here's your crumb, now let's get back to Gabrielle, you know she's Lestat's mom, and Lestat is doing her, did we mention that LESTAT IS HAVING SEX WITH HIS MOTHER, in case you've forgotten we will remind you every 2 to 5 minutes and don't forget the eyeblinding flashback and makeout session in every episode!' OK I get it!
I guess that leads into the Gabriell(a) of it all. I just...ok...I don't even know how to express it. I love Jennifer Ehle. I got used to the very exaggerated accent. But like I've said before, it felt like they turned her into an elevated soap opera villainess and for someone who valued her freedom and independence above all things, she sure turned into someone whose entire life revolves around manipulating Lestat. Book Gabrielle would fucking kill her. And like I said before, they spent SO much time on her and Lestat's incestuous relationship, to the point where I was just like why are you all so HYPED about this? I mean yes it does explain quite a bit about why Lestat is the way he is but we get it we fucking get it, and the fact that they totally retconned his first love Nicholas into being a temporary infatuation and now it's Gabriella who is the great love of his life and the real reason why he buried himself for 80 years - I mean I get where they were going with that but it felt like a lot more tell and most of the show consisted of making at least some of us wildly uncomfortable while they groped each other.
Another thing I could have done without the repetition of was calling Louis a pimp. Yes, he was a pimp, we all know he was a pimp, you don't need to say it like it's his fucking defining trait, we heard you the first time. 5 or 6 times later and it stops highlighting a point and instead becomes the point and it was really starting to piss me off. He's been so many things since then and there is so much more to why he was in that position; it wasn't exactly out of choice. It felt so reductive.
I will say the Regina/Louis storyline didn't bother me as much as the other stuff. At first I wanted to tear my own skin off, I was so uncomfortable, but first of all I thought we were only going to get one or two Delainey flashbacks so to have her onscreen so much - omg yes I was so happy. Plus Regina (why the hell did they name her Regina if she had nothing to do with the Queen, Akasha??? Please tell me that's going to come back around) gives the show the perfect excuse to bring Delainey back again, especially if they vamp her next season and I'm HERE FOR IT.
Speaking of Akasha...no Akasha in the finale? Not even a glimpse of her waking up? Nothing? NOTHING???? Just 45 minutes of characters calling Lestat a failure? Whhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyy next season is her season, right? Can we set that up a little more PLEASE??
I don't even know how to feel about the Loumand of it all. I've been fucking dying for a confrontation between these two and they both killed it, especially Assad but...at what cost? Poor Regina! And Armand is just ruining things to ruin things? OK? but the whole trying to prevent the Great Conversion was such a perfect setup for his religious fanaticism and the coven leader coming back into play but no? OK then. And NO Armandaniel in the finale? NONE? 'with my companion' um...ok sure I still am honestly not sure about their status and if they are companions I kinda WANTED TO SEE THAT not hear about it happening off screen! Like someone making you a beautiful creme brulee and taking it back to the kitchen where you get to hear them all eating it and talking about how delicious it is and you're at the empty table going ok I'll just take your word for it...THE FUCK.
Anyway, back to Armand though; I'm glad that he got acknowledgment of what he went through though I can't say I truly believe Louis is being sincere since you know his FUCKING HEAD WAS REMOVED FROM HIS BODY and he was watching poor Regina being tortured so is he really 'seeing' Armand/Arun? Or is what he really seeing is that Armand is willing to put him and anyone he cares about through anything at all to get the barest of acknowledgements? I don't exactly hate that portrayal of Armand, it does goes with the Armand of the books, but I still thought his explanation of why he did what he did at the trial was weak at best and I don't know if I buy it.
OK, ranting over. I loved the hell out of a lot of things this season and overall, I love this show, I love this cast, I want to see more (I really hope they don't go down the alien/Amel route too hard because that shit was stupid AF but that's a rant for another time) and I did overall like season 3 despite my grumblings above. So what I loved:
The humor! The show was always funny but they really let it be camp this season; Sam Reid is so fucking hilarious. Still not over the 'Armand told the truth? Have you met him?!' line delivery. The bit with the cop on the bus. Christine overall.
The five seconds of Daniel being a badass: "Heard there was an afterparty on the asshole floor!' Yes, Daniel! Fuck their shit up! (Also he and Armand chopping off Lous and Lestat's heads -LOLOL)
DEE PHARMA. I need her back. I want her to be revealed as Jesse Reeves, that would make me so damn happy. I loved every second of her on screen and the motivational affirmations while Lestat fought the Tooth Fairies was so damn funny.
Christine was also very funny but if I can only have one I want Dee. Sorry, Christine.
The Lestat of it all. Lestat Lestat Lestat Lestat...I know centering him this much wasn't everyone's favorite choice but the book is called The Vampire Lestat and Sam Reid took what could have been a wildly unlikable and obnoxious character and gave us the Lestat that I've known since I was 11. Lestat was my favorite character going into the show and while he's battling now with Louis/Armand/Daniel/Claudia I still can't get enough of him. He did it all, he made me laugh, he pissed me off, he broke my heart - this was Sam's season and he ROCKED it.
Lemuel - ok so someone, and I'm sorry that I do not remember who. was theorizing that Lemuel could actually be Seth from the books in disguise and I totally believe it because why would they waste that extraordinarily beautiful man and actor to just be Louis's rebound? Plus he and Fareed would be off the charts hot together.
Also Fareed...god he's so beautiful. A walking HIPAA violation with no ethics whatsoever, but what a beautiful beautiful man.
Assad Zaman, of course - he was criminally underutilized but he rocked the little he did get, and his breakdown in the last episode was so poignant and so good and why the hell did they keep shoving his face to the side and off screen the more emotional he got?? I wanted a full up close view to every single emotion on his face but his eyes still told a thousand stories. Assad. I cannot wait to see you in season 4.
The LOUSTAT of it all! Episode 6! I could snort that episode like a drug. I loved every single second of it. Yes, I definitely had mixed feelings about the bench scene and the way they hand waved off Claudia's trauma. However I loved that episode an incredible amount. We got to see them together and being happy for so much longer than I anticipated, we got Lestat's breakdown, Louis comforting and accepting him, both of them admitting some of their biggest flaws and being honest with each other, planning a future together...
plus I LOVED the seance. Not to know that Claudia's suffering but I already knew that. We got to see Claudia put a voice to it, she got to rip them to shreds as they deservedd, Delainey deserves every award and I'm so glad we got to hear from Claudia herself. FINALLY. We so needed that! I do not at all believe that Madeleine went to 'heaven' while Claudia suffers; I believe they are both being punished by being separated and I need Loustat to try to fix that in season 4! Bring Merrick back and bring those two together!!
AKASHA! I cannot even explain how many times I rewound her monologue. It still plays in my head randomly on a loop. Just the tiniest glimpse of her but her words were so powerful and she rocked my entire world. Hence why I was SO disappointed we didn't get more of her in the finale.
And in the last episode, despite my general disappointment, I truly loved that scene between Paul and Lestat, though I wish Louis had gotten a scene with Paul instead. Louis could have had his own near death experience and reckoning with his past while Lestat did and I think that would have been a fantastic episode instead of Louis's journey having to be about Armand instead. OK, I'm not trying to slip back into rant territory but yeah, I really do wish they had done it differently.
Overall, Louis. I loved every single minute Jacob is on screen. I love the way Lestat sees him. I love him being a badass. I love his growth. I love his weaknesses and his selfishness because at least he can acknowledge it. I just. fucking. love. Louis. And this is all down to Jacob. He is AMAZING.
I also loved Lestat calling Gabriella a fucking monster. FINALLY!!! Apparently it doesn't stick though because we all know he still does the concert and then apparently everything is all his fault forever and he's all alone and...fine, whatever, bring on season 4!!
So many more moments and things I loved but this post is already so damn long. At the end of the day, I may grouse but I am grateful, so grateful, for this show and I know the cast and crew gave it everything they had and I love them them all for it.
