Simon and Trevor getting photographed separately before their movie releases then only getting asked for duel interviews or borderline couples-esque photo shoots both as themselves then as WonderMan and Barnaby after the movies immediate success.
And maybe they become Hollywood's "Ben Affleck and Matt Damon" pair where theyre jokingly paired as a couple on social media because of their extreme charisma and charm together at movie premieres and interviews.
Oh yeah. I feel like for the promotional stuff they’d play into it it to the point that it’s like the heated rivalry press tour stuff if you know what I mean
Listen man, regardless of whatever dynamic you headcanon for WonderMan yaoi we all have to accept the fact that Simon is the little spoon when sleeping/cuddling.
Simon and Trevor getting photographed separately before their movie releases then only getting asked for duel interviews or borderline couples-esque photo shoots both as themselves then as WonderMan and Barnaby after the movies immediate success.
And maybe they become Hollywood's "Ben Affleck and Matt Damon" pair where theyre jokingly paired as a couple on social media because of their extreme charisma and charm together at movie premieres and interviews.
Quite the shame this was cut out of the episode.... (re Loumand):
Lestat: And is this right, you had a second home in Sausalito with him?
Louis: I did.
Lestat: Sausalito?! Did you play canasta with Shel Silverstein?
Louis: Didn’t know Shel. Went kayaking once with Julie Christie.
Lestat (cont’d): Did you two have a joint bank account?!
Louis: We shared a frigid, indifferent existence on both sides of the bay.
A conversation between Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson on After Dark reveals The Vampire Lestat deleted scene.
Can't believe the decades that I've been alive will be subjected to the violence and whims of a damn gambling addict. She lost a bet today and now she's being angsty as fuck and terrorizing me and my dad. Saying nothing is better for my health. I just reminded her something and she burst out in anger, questioning me very randomly and on imagined slights.
Can't even be kind. Can't talk, can't ask her shit. Just asked something and she went on a rant, I'm so fucking tired. I seriously am so tired of this shit. I'm so sick of this. I just want to go away from her.
Well, I will say, there are some very well-thought-out post out there that go very in-depth into why some people dislike David’s character so much. And it doesn’t all have to do with just him in relation to Louis’ character.
I, personally, am rather conflicted about David as a character. I do still like his character in Queen of the Damned and Tale of the Body Thief, even if I do understand the really problematic implications (and colonial overtones) of giving a white British man the kidnapped body of a brown Southeast Asian man.
And then, of course, there are the whole grooming/pedophilia instances that are alluded to wrt him, which has him admitting to almost getting him kicked out of the Talamasca at one time. If he is ever brought on the show, I wonder if they’ll leave that in. I kinda expect they will leave those things in wrt Marius, but that’s mostly because of the effect of it all on Armand’s character and backstory. If they bring in David’s character, I don’t know if they’d remove that aspect wrt his character or keep it in.
(The VC characters who seem to get the most hate from fans - at least when talking about the books - do seem to be the ones who have the most grooming and pedophilia instances/overtones to their backstories, from what I’ve seen).
But let’s be real here, the major reason why Anne Rice even wrote some much about David's character in the first place is that she wanted to replace Louis as Lestat’s love interest and David was, by Body Thief, fleshed out to start doing that. And it became very apparent - at least to a large majority of book fandom - that that is what she was doing with his character by Merrick.
And because that was the main reason David was - if not created, but became as prominent a character as he did by his second appearance - then I have to say. I really don’t know how you bring David into the IWTV show - if he does cross over or shows up a lot - and not have that aspect come into play. The love between Lestat and David is pretty much ingrained into their relationship by the opening of TotBT - the second book David shows up in - where Lestat tells the reader within the first few chapters that he loves David.
And you also just really, really can’t have Lestat turning David the way he does at the end of Body Thief unless Lestat does love David. It really makes zero sense otherwise. (And would turn an already problematic scene into . . . yikes.)
So yeah, I can understand why some people are hesitant about David even being brought into this story, for all the various reasons above, including what might happen wrt Louis and Lestat’s relationship going forward. Just like with the books, I don’t think it would change the endgame of them being together. But let's be real, Merrick - as a book - really should have been a Louis POV book. And it being a David POV book basically contributed to the sidelining of Louis as a character, as far as the books go.
I’m not going to worry that the show is headed down that same path, especially if David mainly shows up and sticks around in the Talamasca spin-off or whatever it is. But I can see and understand why some people might be worried given, well, everything bringing in his character could mean.
Do you like David? I always thought he was boring but it was funny when AR would try to subtly push him and Lestat as an ‘otp’ onto the fans and get annoyed over the majority being like ‘no thanks’ lol
I hate David and everything he represents. David Talbot is everything wrong with post-trilogy VC perfectly encapsulated in one fucking guy. I'm so angry I need bullet points
QotD David: a perfectly sufficient character
Totally fine, mildly enjoyable even. I thought maybe he was going to be a good mentor/father figure and mediating influence for Lestat. He seemed capable and stable if a little dry, but nbd.
Body Thief David: Horrible, very bad in many ways
First of all, given the history we learn later about David (pin in that) the fact that he only expresses sexual interest in Lestat once he's been swapped into a young, brown body reads as VERY gross. Immediately no.
Honestly, the fact that he gets involved with Lestat at all is gross and shitty. Lestat is much older in years, but he's operating with the brain of a traumatized, mentally ill twenty one year old who clearly sees David as a trusted authority figure (whether he admits it or not). Lestat strikes me as the type who feels he needs to "earn" love with sexual or romantic behavior or that it's all he's good for, so honestly I just feel sad for him here as this idea gets reinforced by David.
Secondly, there are some serious issues with his body swap itself. AR had an old white British dude literally steal (COLONIZE) an Indian man's body and he seems fine with that personally. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was an allegorical critique of Britain's imperialist exploitation of Southeast Asia, but it's framed as a good thing. A sexy upgrade for David, who has no problem with this. So.
Merrick: Peak Form David (derogatory)
Surprise! David Talbot is a pedophile and admits this without hesitation. Not only has he clearly groomed Merrick from a very young age, but I believe it's in this book that we find out about his involvement with underage boys in South America. With Merrick as a biracial WOC plus the Latino boys, David only becoming interested in Lestat once he's in a brown body feels extra fetishistic
We also find out that he was almost expelled from the Talamasca for his involvement with a young member (not explicitly underage, but MUCH younger and far below him in authority/rank). More predatory bullshit that doesn’t really have any interesting or complex characterization to help carry it and make it feel justified as an element of a guy we’re clearly meant to like.
All of that aside, he's also just a fucking jerk. Unlike the rest of the characters like Lestat, Louis, or Armand, he doesn't seem to think he's done/is doing anything wrong. Like, ever. He trots around like he's a galaxy brain genius and a moral authority when he's...very much not. It doesn't help that he's AR's mouthpiece for shitty mental health opinions and his narration of Merrick (the book) is full of jabs at Louis for his mental illness and painting him as some pathetic loser for being suicidal. It’s unfortunately easy to see why this era of Anne was so enamored with him.
Even with this though, when David can't have Merrick he directs that desire at Louis and pounces on him as soon as they're alone. (Fortunately, this leads to an extremely funny scene where Louis friendzones the hell out of him and is clearly done with his shit. 10/10, someone has to tell David to fuck off).
He has the personality of wet sawdust and does not have nearly enough complexity to even make his flaws interesting. Clearly Anne wanted to him to be a replacement for Louis once she decided she hates him for no reason, but smart + subdued + character flaws =/= Louis. She tried to make it a formula and failed to capture any of what draws readers to Louis or makes us want to see him with Lestat. The dynamic she wrote for them in Interview was masterful and emotional and compelling.
Louis is the quiet horror of grief and mental illness personified and self destruction through flaws so innate they become who you are and David is just Some Guy but shitty. He can barely stand on his own as a character, let alone carry the role of primary love interest, especially when he's trying to fill Louis' shoes. It was never, ever going to work and it's absurd she tried for so long. Literal decades.
David, like I said, represents everything wrong with what VC became. The racism, the abuse of power/privilege, the normalized pedophilia, a lack of empathy for mental illness, and even just the smug, tone deaf certainty that AR self-sabatoged with. He's almost meta in how he well he encapsulates what went wrong with AR as a person and an author. She thought Lestat was her self-insert, but it's really David.
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@sweetazathioprine has some great thoughts about David (and Marius) and what they represent as far as power and privilege in VC, but I couldn't find the post about it. (Sencha, hopefully you wouldn't mind adding that on or linking the post? I don't want to put words in your mouth but I don't remember exactly what you said!)
