I've seen a lot of people who hated The Vampire Lestat this season... seems most of them aren't fans of character driven stories vs. plot driven. It also strikes me that they're mostly Show Only people - like... they've never interacted with the book.
Interview (S1&2) are told through the eyes of someone much more - I don't want to say honest - much more open about their flaws. Maybe a bit more self aware.
TVL (S3) is a story told by someone who used their (subconscious/unrecognized) trauma as an excuse for absolutely everything - until it explodes in their face. That explosion is the end of that season.
i just think that people who never read them were kind of lost trying to put this season together - i'd go as far as to call tvl & qotd required reading to really understand the show.
i'm not trying to claim the shows are in any way 1:1 with the books - they never will be. they aren't supposed to be.
that being said - i loved the season, the frantic pace, the styling, the music - i am super behind anything that pulls so much from glam. The first riff played really reminds me of the stage production of Hedwig (Sugar Daddy lead-in specifically), & the Magnus track/visual treatment felt so very Velvet Goldmine.
I definitely need to rewatch e7 again, just to get everything.
someone on reddit said this all a ton better than i can, although this post is a post-finale breakdown.