The more I read about the seance, the more horrific it seems.
With Adam O’Byrne in the Backstage Pass referring to it as Loustat “dealing with the problem” and with Jacob in the After Dark saying Louis’ arc this season has been about humbling himself, and now with Sam’s words here. It really does seem like the biggest narrative reason behind the seance is to whack Louis down so he would be open to getting back with Lestat. That that is the primary intention behind the scene. That Louis has…. been too uppity by refusing to get back with one of his abusers, so the narrative uses Claudia to beat Louis down enough so that he would.
(By the way this is not me coming at Sam or at Jacob. They’re only explaining how they were likely directed to treat the scene.)
Both Loustat abused Claudia, but Lestat abused both Louclaudia. So, in what way does the seance “even” the playing field? How does it “deal with the problem”? Because they were both horrible to Claudia? What about Lestat being horrible to Louis? Why does Louis need to be “humbled” into re-entering a relationship with one of his past abusers, who hasn’t shown much change since that period of their lives?
Season 3 was supposed to be about getting to know Lestat and contextualizing who he is. He, understandably, hasn’t come anywhere close to growing as a person yet. I was prepared to not get any real Loustat (outside of Dreamlou) until Season 4. But they’re already seeming to come back together. Am I supposed to be happy about this, or am I supposed to be alarmed?
As they are now, Louis is the only one who’s actually grown since their lives on Rue Royale. Is the implication here that Louis was the problem when they were together? And now that Louis has changed, Loustat have a chance again?
This only makes sense if you interpret S1 Loustat as either A) the “mutual abuse” myth or B) not abusive at all and Louis’ pride being the biggest issue in their relationship.
Season 1 was clear on Lestat’s patriarchal / marital abuse and Season 2 only reinforced that. So this switch to the 2 options I listed above make no sense. How do you give us the Santiago-Lestat meta criticism that abuse shouldn’t be excused, only to arrive to shaming a victim?
UNLESS they’re trying to pull a “Lestat doesn’t view himself as having abused Louis” and that’s why this is all coming off like this, since it’s from his POV. Why Louis has been saying sorry nonstop and why he’s been getting whacked so much. That the writing is saying that Lestat, himself, views the only wrong that deserved apologizing for was the drop.
And, alarmingly, this actually makes sense if you interpret Lestat as being truthful and not lying (like I had assumed he was!) the multiple times he’s said he did something to punish Louis & make him miserable for not being happy with him. That would actually fall in line with Louis’ treatment this season. That the “Louis humiliation ritual” could, terrifyingly, be a continuation of that given this has all been from Lestat’s POV.
But if this is the intention, then it just frames all of Loustat’s romance this season as nothing but a horror story. As a Lestat who hasn’t really changed and a Louis forever stuck in a cycle of abuse.
Is that what I’m supposed to be taking away from the season? That they might be doomed to repeat Rue Royale over and over again? I really don’t want to view Loustat or Lestat in this negative of a light, but what else am I suppose to be taking away from all this? Either the writers want to torture Louis or Lestat does.
