ive already talked about them overloading lestat with non-canon trauma in s3 and how theyve transferred a big narrative element from armand over to him
ive mentioned this goes against the way lesmand are set up as foils in the books because they contrast intensely and are basically diametrically opposite
i also said before i think the writers knew they amped up lestats abusiveness too much in s1 and thought well ppl sympathise with armand bc of the csa so we'll make grooming and abuse by a caregiver a big lestat thing so ppl ~understand
but they made lestat not want to talk. like armand doesnt want to talk. of course armand does eventually in the books for benji & sybelles sakes. but in the show? armand dissociates. he separates his past identities. he has traumatic amnesia. he made louis forget a traumatic episode (according to rolin) on his request. he thinks an inability to dream is reassuring, because its like the sleep of an infant: tabula rasa. book armand feeds by letting the suicidal walk out of their homes and into his waiting arms.
lestat talks. he loves to talk. he loves to regale you with accounts of himself as an affable gentleman devil. he freely lets the mask slip to show something darker underneath. he loves to perform. he loves to narrate. hes the brash, confident day to armands quiet, cynical, fatalistic night.
but not in the show. in the show hes lost all the warmth and openness of his book self and this is attributed to a bunch of random shit the authors introduced. they took the golden boy who was a natural on the stage fron day one and made him the stuttering ape from auvergne, and completely broke the way his character works
and thats why lesmand doesnt work anymore either. we have the bullishness of lestat without his romanticism to balance it. no sleeping beauty, no cinderella at the ball, just furtive blowjobs and degrading dismissiveness.
