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My now updated theories and speculation about Daniel Molloy, body-swapping, and his turning

So I've been holding off on writing about my updated theories, speculation, and thoughts about what I think is going on with Daniel's character, not only in regards to a possible body-swap plotline, but also in regards to his turning as well, for a few months now. And this was because I wanted to at least see Daniel's appearance in the Talamasca TV show to verify some things that the spoilers about his appearance in the show suggested, and what was, in truth, the catalyst in helping to form my new and updated opinions on these topics.

And, after not only watching the episode in question that Daniel appeared in but the Talamasca show as a whole, I now feel ready to finally openly talk about what I think is going on about both things regarding Daniel's character, and what I think the main show, Season 3 of IWTV/TVL, is setting up for as well. (And yes, even though Daniel was only in the first episode, I watched the whole show, and was always planning to do so anyway, because I had a feeling there would be some relevant lore regarding my theories revealed in it. Which there very much was.)

(Yes, Daniel, I liked -- loved, really -- all the book lore the Talamasca show brought to the table very much. 🙂)

However, now, before I start, let me make it very clear that my theories and speculations about all of this are not about what I want to happen, but what I, at the moment, think is going to happen. Okay? Okay.

* * * * *

So to begin: If some don't know, I've pretty much believed for a while now that something is off with Daniel, and I have thought so since the minute Season 2 first ended, in fact.

And back in June, I received an inquiry about whether I thought a body swap, a la Tale of the Body Thief, was possible with Daniel's character. And in my answer at the time, I said that not only did I think it was possible, but that I believed a body swap had already occurred. And that it happened sometime between when we last saw Daniel in Dubai, and then when we next see him giving a TV interview about the book. Which Rolin Jones confirmed was about a 2-year gap between the end of the interview and the publishing of the book.

Well, I want to officially retract part of that answer I gave back in June to that ask right at the top of this. Yes, I no longer think Daniel has been body-swapped, meaning I don't think Daniel's soul is gone from his body, and another soul has completely taken its place inside Daniel's body, and Daniel's soul is somewhere else, whether in another body or not.

No. What I now think is going on is actually a bit more... involved than just a simple body swap. Because while I very much do think Daniel's soul is still in his body, I do not think Daniel's soul is the only soul in his body.

The simple term to use for it is possession, but in the Anne Rice universe, it is a bit more complex than that when it comes to something like this. Because Daniel -- Daniel's soul -- is still very much active and there in his body, IMO. He is not being fully controlled the whole time or anything -- at least, not when it comes to what I feel I observed with him in the Talamansca episode he appeared in. (We're yet to know for sure right now when it comes to Season 3/The Vampire Lestat. Though I do have an... inkling about something wrt one scene we've gotten a preview of... and it's from that scene that the GIF I used at the top of this post comes from, too. 🙂)

But, at the moment, Daniel is not the only one in control of his body IMO. Control of it, instead, is very much shared IMO -- likely unwillingly, though outside of Daniel's control -- with an invading spirit that is within Daniel's body, along with Daniel's own soul.

And we see that, in particular, when Daniel's eyes explicitly turn to that orange color from his human eye color. Which we saw at the end of the final episode of Season 2. And then see again in the premiere Talamasca episode, when we first see Daniel in the bookstore scene vs the alley scene with Guy right after that.

And let me say, I don't think the spirit that is within him only takes over when Daniel's eyes are orange. But I do think, more often than not, the spirit is very much the main one in charge of things when they are that color.

And let me also say, I have no idea who the invading spirit within Daniel is. I have no theory on that at all. At the moment, the only thing I suspect about it is that it came to be in Daniel's body via something Raglan James did.

And there could be a host of reasons why Raglan did it, as well. From it maybe being due to Daniel being used by Raglan as an experiment, to my main theory of why it was done, which is Raglan -- and probably the Amsterdam Motherhouse in general -- wanting to keep control over Daniel.

Because, again, we know from both Mayfair Witches and the Talamasca show that the Amsterdam Motherhouse -- the Motherhouse Raglan is a part of -- is the one responsible for not only the publication of the IWTV book, but that they even rewrote parts of the book as well.

Rewrites that Daniel clearly did not approve of, as we learned in that first Talamasca episode.

But yet? For some reason, Daniel still went along with the rewriting. And as I've said before, after that episode first aired, Daniel Molloy does not seem like the type of person to just sit back and let some shadow organization run over him wrt something like that, let alone keep working with said shadow organization after them having done so.

Not of his own volition at any rate IMO.

For those who don't know the lore of the Talamansca, one of the three founders of the order was a spirit named Gremt Stryker Knollys. And in episode one, Helen noted that one of the things the order watches is ghosts.

And given the shady things we already saw Raglan involved with in Episode 4 -- the harvesting of ancient vampire blood -- I don't think it's much of a stretch to think Raglan might have worked a way into getting a spirit to set up shop in Daniel Molloy's body.

Especially if Daniel was maybe becoming uncooperative regarding the whole IWTV book thing.

So, instead of just doing a one-for-one body swap, like I originally thought was going on with Daniel's character, and that we saw in the books with David Talbot's character, my current, updated theory about this is that the show, instead, went down this route with it all regarding Daniel's character -- two souls/spirits in one body.

And I think the overall reason the show went this way with it, instead of just a standard one-to-one switch like I, and some others, thought they would, can be summed up with one word IMO: Amel.

Because an invading spirit going into a body and living there in that body within a person is the exact same scenario that we will see with Akasha and Amel's characters, and Amel's specific role in being what is known as the Sacred Core.

And the Sacred Core is a thing that is not only at one of the centers of the upcoming conflict in Queen of the Damned, but also the subsequent conflicts in Prince Lestat and Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis.

For those out there who don't know the lore on this, here's a very, very simple crash course (which contains spoilers from the book, Queen of the Damned): Amel was a malevolent spirit, with a taste for human blood, whom the powerful witch twins, Mahaert and Mekare, could summon and command. When the Egyptian Queen Akasha lay dying (she was stabbed in an assassination attempt), Spirit-Amel -- who had always wanted to be flesh -- snatched up Akasha's soul as it was leaving her body, entwined with it, and forced it and himself back into Akasha's dying body, healing it and creating Akasha as the first vampire. And within that body, Spirit-Amel fused himself specifically to Akasha's brain, and is the source and core of the life and power of all vampires in the world.

(There is a lot more lore-intensive stuff I'm leaving out about all of this right now, which very much also factors into all of this, too IMO. But I'm going to leave that for later in this post, under a cut, because it's stuff I very much don't think the show is going to go into until many seasons later down the road from now.)

So, book-lore-wise, this is the first instance of two souls -- or if you want to get technical, one soul and one spirit, though the term soul/spirit is kind of used interchangeably in the books, in my reading of it -- inhabiting one body together.

And I think this is what the show has done with Daniel here. And they've done it specifically to begin to set up and explain to show-only watchers this very concept, and how it works, within Anne Rice's world and universe. (And specifically so the show won't have to do some big exposition dumping for the audience when we get to that backstory lore part in QotD.)

I don't think Amel is the spirit that is within Daniel's body, of course. Amel's spirit is primarily within and fused to Akasha's brain at the moment, I'm very sure.

No, I think it is some other spirit -- and particually some spirit that has a tie-in with the Talamasca -- that is in Daniel's body and fused within it in a similar way Amel is fused to Akasha. But, again, I have no idea who that spirit could be.

But I do think whatever, whomever, that spirit is inside Daniel's body is, it was somehow placed there by The Talamasca/Raglan James. And done, IMO and theory, to keep control over Daniel, particually wrt the writing and publishing of the IWTV book.

And that invasive spirit is also probably being used to keep some measure of control over Daniel when they made Daniel into a vampire as well.

Because yes, I very much do think The Talamasca/Raglan James are also the ones behind Daniel's vampire state of being currently. And not Armand.

At least... not really.

* * * * *

So, secondly, the subject of Daniel's turning, and my theory about it.

So, to start, this is the subject of a second ask I got around the same time I first got the body-swap ask, which was, since I thought Daniel was body-swapped, would that mean that Armand would have to turn Daniel a second time, later on, or something?

And in my answer to that ask I got, I said that I didn't think Armand had turned Daniel the first time, anyway. So there really wouldn't be a second time wrt Armand turning him if (when) it happened.

And, just recently, I gave a slight amendment to that original answer, in which I said I don't think Armand actively turned Daniel into his current state.

And to that theory and opinion, I still very much hold.

Because, IMO and theory, Daniel was never turned into a vampire in the standard and traditional way.

Meaning, IMO, Daniel never had all of his blood drained from him, and then given back, mixed with the maker's (i.e., Armand's) blood, which allows for a full vampiric transformation, and -- particually -- an expulsion of human features from the eyes of the newly turned vampire.

No, IMO, the above is not what happened to Daniel. What I think is going on regarding Daniel being a vampire is that, while Armand's blood is what helped to make Daniel what he is now, it is the Talamasca who are responsible for -- for lack of a better phrase -- the activation of the vampire blood that was within Daniel's body already before everything went down in Dubai that allowed for Daniel to be turn into a vampire... more or less.

So, to explain how all of this works IMO, first, let's start at the beginning, with the question of how some of Armand's blood got inside Daniel's body in the first place, and the signs that point to that IMO, before everything that happened in Dubai:

Well, IMO, it was through the blood exchanges that happened between Armand and Daniel for -- going by book lore at the moment -- almost a decade in the past, that accounts for Armand's blood having already been within Daniel's body long before he first arrived in Dubai.

Yes, I know there are still those who are skeptical about whether a romance happened between Armand and Daniel in the past. Well, I'm not one of them. At all. I've written metas upon theories since Season 1 about this topic, and every spoiler regarding Armand and Daniel we've gotten for Season 3 just keeps pointing more and more to that chase, and then romance, having happened in the past, IMO.

So I, personally, am not in any doubt about a past relationship between Armand and Daniel having happened. (And I think the specific time period it happened was between the years 1973 to 1985 when it did.)

And I've thought, pretty much since Season 2, Episode 4 of IWTV, that Armand can not read Daniel's mind because of what happened during that past romance between them. Specifically because of the "little drink" blood exchanges that started between them from the moment the chase ended in Pompeii, and did not stop between them -- in the books -- until Armand finally broke down and finally, fully turned Daniel into a vampire.

My feelings about this come mainly from seeing how Armand reacted to specific moments and things with Daniel in episodes 2x04, 2x05, and 2x06.

Starting with Episode 2x04, there is that moment when Daniel asks about the fire in the theater. After Armand mentions that no one provided Daniel with info about the fire, Armand leans forward, staring at Daniel hard, but clearly also in confusion:

At that moment, Daniel had been looking through info about the fire provided to him by Raglan James from the Talamasca archive. The files are open on his desktop. And Daniel is very much not some skilled Talamasca agent trained in blocking his mind.

IMO, everything is there and open for Armand to read from Daniel where he got the info about the fire from.

And yet? Nothing.

(And if anyone is curious, while I do think Louis could have also picked up on it, I think the reason Louis did not do so is because I don't think Louis is as skilled at reading minds, especially not on the level that Armand is. Remember, in Episode 2x02, it was Armand who had to point out to Louis that Daniel's feelings about Paris had something to do with Alice. (Which I, BTW, think is something Armand was feeling from Daniel, not reading from Daniel's mind.) Only then did Louis start sifting through Daniel's mind to the memory of Alice and the pregnancy announcement. And then the second time Louis did so, later in the episode, wrt the failed proposal memory, it was when Louis was pissed off at Daniel for mocking him about Lestat's letter. IMO, Louis' gifts and abilities in using them become heightened and easier to access for him when he's angry/pissed off... which is something Louis himself noted wrt his ability to activate and use the Fire Gift.

Also, it is possible Louis himself didn't remember anything about the theater fire at that moment in time, given his confused response to Daniel's question. But that is a whole other subject and digression that there is no time for here, wrt this meta right now.)

Armand should have picked up on where Daniel got this information, IMO. Especially when you contrast this moment with how very quick and fast, with clear speed and skill, we see Armand read Daniel's mind in the very next episode, in Episode 2x05's 1973 flashback:

Here, Armand had zero problems with reading Daniel's mind when they first met, to the point that Daniel could immediately clock that Armand was reading his mind and memories without having to be told.

Yet, no such mind-reading of Daniel by Armand appears to be happening in Episode 2x04, during a situation where Armand could clearly get the answer to the question he is clearly seeking.

And then, in the next episode after 2x05, Episode 2x06, Armand can very well tell that something is up regarding Daniel after he's come back from lunch at the sushi restaurant. So much so, he directly asks Real Rashid if he was with Daniel the whole time they were there.

But yet? Armand doesn't seem to be able to read either Real Rashid's mind or Daniel's mind to figure out what they might be hiding.

Now, we know Real Rashid is a Talamasca agent, so Armand's not being able to glean anything from his mind is understandable, since Talamasca agents are trained in the ability to shield their minds. On the Talamasca show, Helen tells Guy that she was trained since childhood in the ability to do so in the first episode. So who knows how long Real Rashid has been a part of the organization and trained in such ways.

However, if you also look at some of the images of Real Rashid in Episode 2x05? Real Rashid also might be a vampire, too, when you look closely at his nails:

And thanks to @nalyra-dreaming for pointing this out to me about Real Rashid, which I had not noticed at all before she pointed it out to me. 👍🏾 🙂 (She talks more about this theory wrt Real Rashid here in this post.)

So, on top of being a Talamasca agent, Real Rashid may also be a vampire, which would give a double reason why Armand likely gleaned nothing from his mind regarding Raglan James meeting and speaking with Daniel while they were at the sushi restaurant.

Daniel, however, is not only not a vampire, but also not a skilled mind blocker from all we've seen. Because when Louis has wanted to, he has had no problem reading Daniel's mind.

But Armand, whom we've seen up until this point, is even more skilled at doing so than Louis... doesn't appear to be doing so at a moment when he is highly suspicious of Daniel and what might have happened during that sushi lunch break he took:

Armand, IMO, should be reading Daniel's mind like a book at this moment, just like we saw him do back in 1973 with Daniel in the previous episode. He's clearly suspicious of something, even more than he was in Episode 2x04. Armand clearly knows Louis and Daniel have figured out/remembered what he did back in 1973 to both of them.

And yet?

All Armand does is stare at Daniel, in anger and clear frustration, but apparently not gleaning any info about what happened during Daniel's lunch break down at the restaurant from Daniel's mind.

When he really should have been able to, IMO.

And, IMO, the reason he doesn't is because he can't.

IMO and theory, Armand can't read Daniel's mind, even though Daniel is still clearly human and not a Talamansca agent trained in the skills to block him.

And the only apparent difference between the Daniel we saw in 1973 and the Daniel of the present day is that Daniel is older. That's it. And, as far as we know? Age is not a deterrent to a vampire's ability to read a human person's mind.

Which, again, when Louis focused on reading Daniel's mind, he did so pretty easily.

(And side note: I know there is an argument/theory that Armand was allowing Daniel to do these things to purposely break up his relationship with Louis. But given Armand's reaction to everything, particually in Episode 2x08, I am very much of the opinion that that is not the case. I do not think Armand purposely let everything happen the way because he wanted to end his companionship with Louis. Quite the opposite, as I have argued before here in this ask. My theory is actually that, at that point in time, Armand did not see being with Daniel -- again -- as an option or ability for him to do. And it, in fact, had not been an option available to him for a very long time by that point. And so Armand was very much focused on keeping the house of cards that was his life and companionship with Louis undisturbed and intact because of that IMO.)

So, no. IMO and theory, Armand could not read Daniel Molloy's mind in the present day when they were in Dubai.

I think Armand could sometimes feel things from Daniel, such as Daniel hating Paris because of an Alice-related reason, or Daniel hiding something about how he got his knowledge of the theater fire, or meeting up with someone during his lunch break.

But Armand's ability to read Daniel's mind, like we saw in the 1973 flashback between the two of them, was something Armand could no longer do by the time of the Dubai interview, IMO.

And I very much am of the theory and reason why Armand could no longer do so was because of the blood-sharing exchanges that happened between him and Daniel in the past, during their romance and love affair.

Really, going by the books during that time, the only breaks in those blood exchanges between them were when Daniel would start to run away from Armand again for a period of time. But then, once reunited, the blood exchanges between them would start right back up again.

And, in the books, we're talking about a period of 8 years in which this went on. Even if they didn't do a blood exchange every day, we're looking at at least probably 1000 times or so that it happened.

At least 1000 times when Armand would drink a little of Daniel's blood, and then Armand had Daniel drink a little of Armand's own blood in return.

In the Devil's Minion chapter, Daniel always wondered, but was never sure, if all that exchanging of blood between Armand and himself had some effect on his mind and body:

Well, I think the show has explicitly made there be an effect. And one of those effects is that Armand, likely over time, lost the ability to read Daniel's mind IMO. But, in turn, it slowly, over time, began to forge that cord that connects Maker to Fledgling, which gives them the ability to feel each other.

As we saw in Season 2 with Louis and Madeleine after her turning.

(And why was Daniel so suspicious and even hostile towards Armand sometimes, pretty much from when he first arrived in Dubai back in Season 1? And, given spoilers, why is he so angry at Armand even more in Season 3? Well, I think it's because, while Daniel still can't remember anything about their past together -- which, if Daniel had been turned traditionally, and the show sticks to the book lore about this, he very much would have remembered -- Daniel can still very much feel what Armand is feeling. IMO, he very likely always could, in at least some small way, from the first moment he likely entered that apartment in Dubai. Meaning that Daniel could probably feel, from moment one, that Armand was hiding something. But this is a digression away from the main subject at hand, so let me save it for another time.)

So, it is via the regular blood exchanges between Armand and Daniel in the past, during the Devil's Minion Era romance and love affair between them, that a significant amount of Armand's blood ended up within Daniel's body.

And, given "We Watch and We Are Always There," I'm sure the Talamasca knew damn well all about the little fact that Daniel Molloy was the human lover of The Vampire Armand for a least a decade and that, during that love affair, Daniel Molloy ended up with a significant amount of the powerful blood of The Vampire Armand within him because of a regualr exchange of blood that was directly had between them over the course of that relationship.

And so, when the opportunity finally presented itself, they finally decided to act on that knowledge and use it for their own plans.

(And before anyone asks about the Talamasca files Raglan James dumped onto Daniel's computer... IMO, Raglan strategically left out any files regarding the Talamasca's knowledge of Daniel's romance with Armand in the 70s and 80s with that file/info dump. Why tip Daniel off about anything wrt that info?)

So, did Armand turn Daniel?

Well, no.

But also, kind of yes.

But also, no, he didn't. Not really.

So, regarding whether we, the audience, will see Daniel's turning by Armand this upcoming season... no, we won't. As was pretty much confirmed in this interview. With the "no flowers... yet" comment being a direct reference to the imagery from Daniel's turning in the QotD book:

So we won't see Daniel's turning -- with this imagery from the quote above, or any other -- in Season 3. But that won't be just because we won't see Daniel's turning by Armand this coming season (Season 3/TVL) IMO, but also because... no specific turning event with Armand and Daniel has happened yet in the first place.

IMO and theory, Armand didn't turn Daniel in Dubai after Louis left them alone, or anywhere else. Armand never gave Daniel a vision of Pompeii with flowers around them or anything else from Armand's turning of Daniel in the book QotD because Armand never turned Daniel fully in the traditional way that a vampire is made.

Armand, IMO and speculation, never drained Daniel of all of his blood and then gave Daniel Armand's own blood back in turn, to fully make and turn Daniel into a vampire in the traditional way.

Instead, Armand shared his blood with Daniel for almost a decade in the past, during their romance, but never gave Daniel enough blood to fully turn him. Only enough to affect Daniel in little ways that included -- at some point in time, over those long years -- in blocking Daniel's mind from Armand, but also likely still created a small cord of that emotional connection that happens between a Maker and a Fledgling.

So yes, IMO, this would also mean that Daniel was never turned out of spite or forced non-consent or anything like that. And the blood from Armand that was already within Daniel's body, which allowed for all of this to happen, was there because of love. Every single blood exchange that happened between them during their past love affair was because of that love between them. Willingly given and received.

And once Daniel's memories were blocked (and I am still of the theory that that was Marius' doing and not Armand's), I think the blood exchanging between them stopped.

But none of Armand's blood ever filtered out of Daniel's system after it stopped. It remained there, and so did the small effects from it.

And then, when Daniel arrived in Dubai for the second interview, Raglan James and the Talamansca (or at least the Amsterdam Motherhouse branch of it, which Raglan James also works at) swooped in and took advantage of the situation to not only publish Daniel's IWTV book for whatever reason they wished to -- with their own rewites of it put in it -- but also to create another vampire for their Great Conversion plans.

Because we've seen, via the Season 1 Finale of Talamasca, just what kind of BS the Amsterdam Motherhouse is up to. Which is very much the Motherhouse Daniel would have been at when he was writing the IWTV book, if he was at any of them doing so, given that it was the Motherhouse that had it published (with their rewrites).

So I do not think what I'm theorizing about what I think has happened to Daniel is out of the scope of something the Amsterdam Motherhouse, and those who work there, would do.

So yes, Armand, IMO and theory, kind of turned Daniel. And so, technically, yes, he could be called Daniel's Maker. Because it is Armand's blood that has helped to make Daniel what he is now.

But then again, he kind of didn't turn Daniel, because Armand, IMO and theory, never gave Daniel his blood in a way that would fully turn him, meaning draining Daniel of all his blood first, before giving his own blood back to Daniel in replacement of the blood he took.

So the next question is, then, with this theory, how did the Talamasca do it? How did they, basically, "activate" Armand's blood that was inside Daniel to make him what could be kind of described as a hybrid vampire?

(And yes, I'm using the term hybrid to describe what I think Daniel is, and that is because of this post made by Eric Bogosian himself. Just like with the coffin post that he made before Season 2 started, which hinted at Daniel's vampire status at the end of Season 2, I think Eric's Jackalope post is a hint at the nature of Daniel's vampire status in Season 3. Which, if you don't know what a Jackalope is, just look it up here, as I did. Particularly, pay attention to its grouping name. 🙂)

Well, the one way that I do rule out right now is that they brought in some other vampires to do it to Daniel, like we saw the Talamasca do in Episode 1x06 with Doris back in 1985, and then set up Jasper to do as well to a large group in the present day:

Again, no, I do NOT think something like this, in the above image, happened to Daniel. And that is because I very much think Daniel was targeted by Raglan James/the Amsterdam Motherhouse because he, specifically, already had Armand's blood in his system. And just having some other vampire then come along and turn Daniel would have deluted, if not just falt-out overwitten that.

But there is all that ancient vampire blood, in vials, that we saw Raglan James make a deal about in Episode 1x04. It's possible some of that blood could have been used to do so, with Armand's blood being the base it was built on.

Or, there is the theory I'm leaning a bit more towards at the moment, which has to do with the invasive spirit that I suspect is also within Daniel's body, which I laid out my theory about above.

But how, one might ask, could an invasive spirit have been involved in Daniel's hybrid-vampire transformation?

Well, this is where more lore from the books comes into play. Because, as I explained above, it was the spirit Amel, who had a taste for human blood entering into a human body, that created the first vampire on Earth with Akasha.

So I don't think it is out of the realm of possibility that the spirit that is within Daniel might have had something to do with the activation of the vampire blood that was already within Daniel as well. And is now using those vampire abilities to sustain and feed/nourish itself while in Daniel's body. (There is honestly a lot more geeky book-lore stuff that would go into this theory, but I'm going to save that for the end, under the cut.)

So, it is IMO and theory that one or both of these above reasons, on top of Armand's blood already being within Daniel's body/system, is what accounts for Daniel's vampire state, which is more like a hybrid type of state, specifically because he wasn't turned/made a vampire in a standard or traditional way.

And this hybrid state is mainly shown, IMO, by Daniel's eyes still sometimes having their same human look, appearance, and color. All of which should have 100% gone away if he had been turned in the standard or traditional way.

* * * * *

So what about Armand wrt all of this? Do I have a theory about him?

Well, yes, I do. And my theory is that I think, I feel, that Armand knows exactly what is going on regarding all of this as well.

Or, if Armand really doesn't know, he will by the end of Episode 3x02, IMO.

Look, I have no idea what happened between Armand and Daniel after Louis left them together in Dubai. But given Armand's own, clear hangups about being abandoned, which, if you know the lore, is one of the big things that happened to him very soon after he was first turned into a vampire?

Yeah, I do not think Armand would have turned around and done that exact same thing to Daniel if Armand really had fully turned him.

And especially not after Armand specifically used the word "abandoned" about Daniel in episode 2x06 regarding the time period when he admits to erasing the memory of Louis' suicide attempt.

Because abandoned is a pretty loaded word to use regarding someone you supposedly only met for a few nights back in September of 1973, IMO.

So no, I don't know what happened between Armand and Daniel after Louis left them. But I don't think it was Armand fully turning Daniel and then just leaving Daniel on his own to somehow fall in with the Talamansca to write a book based on that interview.

But I do think, sometime during the two-year-plus or so time gap between Seasons 2 and 3, Armand did figure out/discover what the Talamasca/Raglan James had done to Daniel during that time.

Or, again, if Armand really doesn't know, I think he will by the end of Episode 3x02.

And I think Daniel was told, likely by Raglan, that it was Armand's blood already being in Daniel's body/system that allowed for what was done to Daniel to be done.

But, of course, Raglan didn't tell Daniel how or why Armand's blood was within his body/system.

And I think that is the reason why Daniel has been looking for Armand all this time. Because Armand is, technically, Daniel's Maker since it IS Armand's blood that has allowed for Daniel's weird hybrid-vampire status, and which has helped some invading spirit make a home within his body.

Daniel just doesn't have any memory about how that blood of Armand's made its way into his body/system in the first place. And so, IMO, wants an answer from Armand himself, about that... and rightfully so, I'd say.

* * * * *

And now, if you haven't seen the spoilers for the park bench scene between Daniel and Armand that is said to take place in episode 3x05, and don't want to see possible spoilers for it, then please skip this next part, because this is where I go into those spoilers and how I think they fit into my speculation of the above.

Possible Episode 3x05 Spoilers talk begins here:

So, we know from both the pictures taken and the dialogue spoilers that Daniel and Armand meet up in a park. A park, btw, that appears to be in New York City, given there were NYC taxi cabs placed around the location.

And, in the dialogue between them in that park that was overheard, Daniel mentions it being 52 years regarding something about Armand.

And, if you know of the audition spoilers, Armand talks there about being involved in Daniel's life for 52 years.

And as I said in a post regarding the park bench dialogue, I think Daniel was the one who figured out the 52-year thing, about Armand having been in his life for that long. In fact, I think this is why they are even in NYC in the first place.

Because if you look at the stops regarding Lestat's tour, none of the tour dates have him and his band making a stop in NYC. (The closest stop to NYC is Newark, New Jersey.)

But we know Daniel lives in NYC. In fact, the LinkedIn that the show set up for him lists his residence in Brooklyn, New York, specifically.

What I speculate is going on is that Daniel, after not getting any info about why Armand's blood was in his body and how he got "turned" because of that, in episode 3x02, will spend the next few episodes looking into and trying to find answers about it all himself... via his interview/talking with Lestat to get as much info about Armand as he can, as well as looking into some things on his own.

And I think there will be a key thing Daniel finds when he goes to NYC -- via a hunch or whatever -- that will have him key in that not only has Armand been in his life since that night in San Francisco in 1973, but he's been in Daniel's life for over the past 52 years.

Now, do I know what that key thing is going to be? No, I do not. Though yes, I know what I'd like it to be, and that is the blue-sky frescos that are painted on the ceilings of Daniel's co-op apartment:

Because, if you know The Devil's Minion chapter in QotD, one thing Daniel notes in it about Armand is that "anything with blue skies enthralled him."

And if you've read the book Prince Lestat, then you know that one feature of the ceilings in Trinity Gate, the three-townhouse home that Armand has in NYC, is that many rooms in it have blue sky frescos on their ceilings.

And then, of course, we have Episode 2x06 of the show, where Daniel asks Real Rashid about how the tapes got into his mailbox, given there were no postage marks on the box. Meaning someone likely had access to his apartment.

The show making those blue sky frescos on the ceilings of Daniel's apartment, something that was barely visible in the ONE episode -- Episode 1x01 in fact -- that we saw Daniel's apartment in?

And at the moment, I don't think those blue sky ceilings were just a simple easter egg.

So yeah. This is all nothing but PURE speculation and wishes on my part, but I would love it if Daniel clocked something about Armand loving blue skies and, IDK, having some painted on the ceilings of places he's lived, and then Daniel remembering his own ceilings in his apartment, going back to his apartment and not only confirming it more on screen about his cealing, but also maybe finding other things around his apartment that point to Armand about things as well.

I've said before that Daniel is an investigative journalist. And an invasive spirit within him, or not, I don't think that's going to stop him from trying to figure things out about how and why he is now what he is, and how Armand fits into that.

And then wanting to talk to/confront Armand afterward when he does begin to figure some of it out.

And as for Armand?

Well... I think, by this point in time, Armand damn well knows there is some invasive spirit within Daniel's body.

Why?

Well, because Armand, wrt book canon, is particularly strong at being able to see spirits and ghosts, pretty much right out the gate when he was still just a fledgling. And, at the moment, I don't feel like the show is going to change that detail about him.

And if my speculation is correct, that while Armand can't read Daniel's thoughts anymore, he can -- on some level -- feel what Daniel feels like Makers can with their Fledglings, then I think Armand knew something happened to Daniel in this regard, probably when it happened.

And my speculation is that, when it comes to Armand's modern, present-day storyline, (of which, BTW, we have heard nothing of or about yet) I think one of the things Armand will be doing in the present day will be trying to find a way to get that invasive spirit OUT of Daniel's body... so he can then fully turn Daniel and not leave Daniel in the weird hybrid-state of vampirism that he is currently in.

In fact, by the time of the park bench scene in episode 3x05, I think Armand will think he's succeeded in getting the spirit out of Daniel's body because he will have had someone (a witch, maybe? IDK, but someone) work something to cast the invasive spirit out of Daniel.

Only, it won't have worked. And, if you read over the 3x05 park dialogue that was overheard, I think that is the meaning and context behind Armand's exclamation of "... he cast you out!"

IMO, and spec, during the park scene, Armand will think he's gotten the invasive spirit out of Daniel's body for most of the scene and talk between himself and Daniel. But then, something will be shown or said that will reveal that whoever he got to cast the invasive spirit out failed in their attempt to do so.

And I think it is the invasive spirit -- that has made it clear right before then that it is still there, within Daniel's body -- that is the one noting "we signed a contract" and all of that. (The "we" IMO referring to both Daniel and the spirit together, as one, having signed the contract to do the documentary.)

And Armand will be left with trying to find another way to get the invasive spirit out of Daniel's body.

And the thing that was "received" that "started in Sofia?" My gut is telling me that has something to do with the invasive spirit, too, but I don't have any real idea or spec about it for now.

Possible Episode 3x05 Spoilers talk ends here.

* * * * *

So, those are all my main theories and specs regarding what I think is going on with Daniel currently. It's all stuff I have thought carefully about for a few months now, and at the moment -- with all the current spoilers and info we have -- I feel pretty confident in my theories and specs. At least enough to now write it all up and post it.

Because yes, they are kind of bold theories and specs I have about this, I guess. Which is why I waited so long to write it up and make a post about it. I wanted to have a few more solid-feeling points, which I was hoping the Talamasca show would provide, and I feel it has. As well as other spoilers we've gotten wrt Season 3/TVL before the show aired, too.

Now, before I go into a bunch of very geeky book-lore stuff about my theories and specs below, under the cut, I want to leave this part of my meta/theories/speculations with this quote, which @howfarweseek noted in this post, that the Talamansca website referenced about the character Raglan James. A Biblical quote from Matthew 10:28:

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

A lot is coming up from the books, which are set to be adapted on the show, that are going to reveal and begin to go deeply into the connection between the soul and body, spirits, ghosts, and even about heaven and hell itself.

And what the show is doing, IMO and theory, is that it is using and setting up Daniel's character to be one of the ways for them to begin to go into explaining these things and concepts to a general audience, starting in Season 3.

And so that by the time we start going deep into Akasha, Amel, Body Switching, and possibly even Memnoch, things won't have to get bogged down with too much exposition about the nature of all of those things and situations.

image credits: https://thetvshows.us, @EliNesli on Twitter/X, @nalyra-dreaming.

cbrownjc

Theory: The opening auction scene takes place during Tale of the Body Thief

[Spoilers for EP 3x01 Below]

So the opening scene and the auction. First thing to note is that only two lots are being auctioned off.

Lot #1, curiously, was immediately set on fire after it was presented:

The handwritten scores, session tracks, master recordings during Lestat's time as a rockstar, and one song cycle set to poetry by Baudelaire.

All go up in a blaze of fire, bye-bye!

Wow, Louis. Don't you look very bemused by that action, which is totally something Lestat would set up / have done. You don't look surprised by it having happened at all, either. 😏

I'll come back to this...

So, why do this? Why set all those things on fire, completely destroying them?

Well, maybe because it was Lestat's music that almost caused the end of the world in the first place.

Because, look, if you know the story of Queen of the Damned, then you know Akasha is defeated by the end. But what woke Akasha up in the first place was Lestat's music.

And there might have been some people at the auction who knew that and, for their own reasons, wanted to get their hands on those complete works and recordings for who knows what reasons.

Because it is Lot #2 that tells us that the time period this takes place is for certain after the events of Queen of the Damned have happened.

The music box, which contains the only pressed vinyl recording of The Failures, and are described as --

"[...] an omniscient history of the 2025 album and supporting tour, and the consequential global catastrophes that sprung from said album and tour..."

Meaning point-blank that Lestat recorded The Failures and had them pressed into vinyl sometime after the "global catastrophe" happened, which was clearly the rise of Akasha and her plan to take rule of the world.

So again, a solid clue that this auction takes place some time after Queen of the Damned.

* * * * *

But it was the actions of Louis and Raglan James that had me clocking that this auction was also very likely taking place during the events of the Tale of the Body Thief.

And that Lestat was actually the one inside Raglan James' body, because --

a. Lestat is clearly not dead. That is just not even a remote possibility, given that they are already setting up TotBT, which can only take place after QotD. You can not do that story before QotD, or during it, since the events of TVL and QotD flow and entwine directly into one another.

b. How did this auction... situation... even get access to these two clearly very personal items of Lestat's? Again, they are the only two things that are being sold at this auction.

Raglan in the foreground, also not confused by the burning of Lot #1. It's hard to tell, since he's (deliberately IMO) racked out of focus, but there is a little smirk on his face.

This is the shot. This is when I knew...

Louis was trying not to smile after "Raglan" had turned to look at the woman who bought the ashes of what was burned for one euro.

"Raglan" passes by Louis as Louis gives him a glance.

"... as narrated by The Vampire Lestat himself."

As "Raglan James" stands there, having gone to the back of the room, a very Lestat-like manuver and manner about him as this is said.

I see your hints show! 😁

So yeah. I think in this opening scene, Louis and Lestat are both working together. I think Lestat himself (with Louis's help) put together this auction. That is how this auction even has access to these things of Lestat's, especially the recordings of The Failures.

The body swap with Raglan James has already happened at this point in the opening scene. Lestat is in Raglan's body, meaning this scene must take place sometime during the events of Tale of the Body Thief.

Because no, the show is not going to be replacing Sam Reid with Justin Kirk. Kirk is a phenomenal actor, but he was not hired to take over the role of Lestat permanently (so, I don't know why I saw some people who have actually been thinking this...).

Every interview that Rolin Jones gave where he talked about Tale of the Body Thief always made it pretty clear that it would be a 1-to-1 swap between Lestat and Raglan in the version the show was doing, which is one of the reasons why Rolin said he hired Justin Kirk to play Raglan in the first place -- he wanted a skilled actor to play/mirror Sam's Lestat.

And as for Louis, I think, like in the Tale of the Body Thief book, he did refuse to turn Lestat -- now in Raglan's body -- into a vampire. However, I think, unlike the book, Louis is the one helping Lestat to get his body back, taking over David Talbot's place in that role from the book.

Now, I couldn't begin to guess why they are actually selling Lestat's Failures recordings. It could, in fact, be a fake-out, with Louis bidding to make sure Lestat, in the end, does keep those recordings and music box. That is my running theory about it at the moment, at least.

Because I do think Louis was genuinely annoyed at Armand's continued bidding on it:

Armand ... what's the story, morning glory? Why do you want those recordings? Maybe something in them you're looking for info on, or about?

At least, that's my own guess as to why you are there, and bidding on it.

And I've already speculated about why Armand might have that eye-patch here.

It's also easy to speculate that Louis lost his leg during the events of Queen of the Damned, but... I'm going to hold off on that at the moment. Simply because in my spec about Armand's eye, I actually don't think he lost it during the events of Queen of the Damned and Akasha's rise. Not directly, at any rate. So yeah, I'm going to hold off on saying that is how Louis lost his leg, for now.

* * * * *

But physical status-wise, this scene is very interesting when it comes to our core characters, isn't it? Armand lost his eye, Louis lost a leg, Lestat lost his whole original body, and Daniel...

.... hmmm.

Yeah, I'll save my speculation about him for now as well. (But yes, I have a theory.) 🫣

Anyway, yeah. I'm pretty convinced this opening auction scene takes place sometime during the show's adaptation of Tale of the Body Thief.

I think Louis already knows Lestat has been body-switched, and Lestat was the one who cooked up this whole auction for some reason, though it might have mainly been to publicly destroy Lot #1, i.e., all those music recordings and works of his, since it was his music that led to Akasha's rise in the first place.

And Lot #2? Who knows... maybe it was just a way for Louis to move some money to Lestat undetected in a way to help Lestat while he's stuck in Raglan's body for the time being. We may not get the full context until we finally, fully get to the Tale of the Body Thief adaptation. Which, given my current calculations, wouldn't be until sometime around Season 6 at the earliest. 😬

Yeah. Long game plan this show indeed has. And has always had.

cbrownjc

@anaid-queen

#armand bidding there is really so funny when you think about it#like. the kindest interpretation is that it's all part of the show.#also because... why would he even think he could win this???#And - if Lestat is in a human body now...... how could he *not* read his mind#meaning how could he *not know what's going on*

Oh, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Armand also knows that "Raglan" is Lestat. As it is, I don't think Armand thinks Lestat is dead.

Because the thing is, all the vampires within the Coven of the Articulate (i.e., those who were around personally for Akasha's defeat) knew what Lestat had done regarding switching bodies in TotBT.

Marius even shows up after Louis refused to help and left Lestat alone, and basically also refused to help Lestat as well:

So yeah, Marius knowing what Lestat did -- and refusing to help -- means that Louis' guess that everyone within their vampire sphere also already knew what Lestat had done wrt the body exchange with Raglan:

So yeah, when Marius came to Lestat but refused to help, that was pretty much confirmation that Louis was correct. That all the other vampires, at least in their circle, did know what Lestat had done and were refusing to help him.