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.
-
@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!)
