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I saw a post on twitter about the mental gymnastics the After Dark was giving for the finale that inspired me to try to find a possible reason for Armand's actions against Louis specifically, but the more I typed, the more I realized that it just didn't make sense. At all.

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One thing the season finale confirmed for me: When I Call Out Your Name would have worked much better thematically in place of those two times we heard what should have been Nicki's song in Episodes 1 and 4, provided the third instance was saved for the finale. Can you imagine the crescendo it would be, the build up to that song throughout the season, culminating in that moment in the finale where we hear that song, and then Lestat wakes up and actually stands up to his mother for once? I would have preferred they not hijack Nicki's song, even if it meant that it didn't play in the show, rather than them just throwing it in for no deeper purpose or meaning when the lyrics don't fit Gabriella at all. Yet another much better choice could have been made this season that the writers someone refused to capitalize on to the detriment of the season as a whole. Edit: Whoops, got the name of the song wrong.

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One simple change. One simple change and everything would have been so much better and make so much more sense. Have Lestat be Armand's target. Have him torturing Lestat, not Louis. Think about it? Everything falls into place if all roads lead to Lestat. You could still have the mind palace stuff if it was Lestat's head on a pike. You could! You could even have Daniel there too for the people into Devil's Minion. (I guess you wouldn't have that reference to that comment in season 1, but do you really need to be "clever" to the detriment of the rest of the story and characterization? Not every line needs a payoff in some way - signed a Nicki fan who has had nearly all the references to him in seasons 1 and 2 ignored or retconned) The band; the reborn Children of Darkness; the Lestat glory hole shrine; "Armand Told the Truth"; the apology; getting close to Alex; killing Larry. Armand getting close to Daniel after having left him high and dry, when Daniel is supposed to be doing a documentary WITH Lestat. There was even some confusion who hired him, right? Daniel says Lestat requested him, right? What if ARMAND was the one who discreetly moved Daniel into this position in order to be close to Lestat? What IF? Probably more I'm forgetting as I've only watched the episodes once. (feel free to add them into the comments if you think of any) Regina didn't need to be there again either. Just have her be a woman who happens to look like Claudia. The season 5 scene was a perfect closure to her arc with Louis, plus Stained-glass Eyes. Remember that theory that Louis was in on Armand and Daniel's plan? They could have had Lestat think that Louis had betrayed him again (even though he hadn't) and that could have tied into the trust issues he has related to the publication of the book. Plus, Lestat is supposed to have a much longer history with Armand than Louis does; it would tie into so much more of the overall season if it was Lestat. I can't speak for the racism allegations as I am white but I know that fans of color have spoken out about the dangerous implications this choice has made that COULD have been completely avoided when there was a CLEAR better choice for this plot point and that is 100 percent Lestat.

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So... Louis was the real target by Armand. Lestat's head was cut off... because he was there? As collateral damage? Or was it because Daniel was pissed off at him for the documentary? Was it the telepathic prank? Why did Lestat even do that to begin with? It seems like he ultimately didn't care that much about Nicki. The show keeps implying over and over and OVER again that Lestat hooked up with Armand. Armand, the man who kidnapped Nicki in the FIRST place. Armand was the ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. So why does Lestat show so much animosity towards past Armand pre-trial? Is it his own misplaced guilt? It THAT what the takeaway is supposed to be? "Sorry, not sorry Nicki. I slept with the man that kidnapped and drained and tortured you. Totally not my fault though." Why didn't Lestat just piss off to nowheresville with his mommy after being turned if he didn't actually love Nicki? Hey, is this another Maria Antoinette parallel? Lestat wanted to "have his cake and eat it too" at the expense of Nicki? Was Rolin not actually trolling, and Lestat really didn't love Nicki like Nicki loved him? Nicki clocked it but Lestat was still too cowardly to come out and say it so that Nicki would know to get the fuck away from him? Is that what this is all about?! Is that supposed to be another "parallel" to the drop? Why does it feel like those episode 3 tears were crocodile tears now? "Poor me, I destroyed him because I was too much of a lying, selfish coward"? Does he also wear the ring because of how "boo-hoo sorry" he feels about what he did to Nicki? In the books I understood why things went sour between Lestat and Nicki. Circumstances beyond their control fueled resentment, transforming love into hate and bitterness. Here, it just seems like Lestat really was a selfish dick. I don't want to think that, but there was zero resolution/payoff to anything Nicki related and it makes me think that all the things we thought were evidence towards something larger were just accidents. Sometimes you write things and themes emerge by happenstance. Is that what happened? Really? They accidentally made it seem like there was a pattern of Lestat deliberately downplaying his love for Nicki by way of Gabriella, only for it to be a big fat COCK of a nothing burger? He actually DOESN'T consider Nicki one of his great loves, and just a pathetic first love? Really? I mean, they did just throw Hit the Lights in there with no care or thought or RESPECT for the man that fostered Lestat's love of music. In the season based on MUSIC. Nicki was just 'mad' and a 'waste'. Well, I'm mad and this season was a waste.

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I wish I could go to San Diego Comic Con just so I could ask Rolin Jones why the fuck he hates Nicki so much.

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I guess I didn't realize just how much of Nicolas and Lestat's relationship they incised and gave to Louis instead until Rolin just came right out and said it. It's a shame they weren't confident in their own writing ability to give Louis his own unique relationship with Lestat, and keep the heart of Nicki and Lestat's relationship (our conversation) alone. Apparently he can't even comfort Lestat anymore, as he does in the books, because I guess only Louis can do that now. But I guess I can take comfort in knowing maybe show people would have liked Nicolas if he had been allowed to exist as a character in an adaption actually interested in the material. As sad as it is, it does explain why they had to keep the Nicki stuff so shallow, since they already striped so much of him away. But the real shame is that he isn't even allowed to keep his music anymore. Oh well. The book exists. And the musical legit treats Nicolas better, lol Maybe that'll get revived! LOL

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Literally skipped to the end because that's all I cared about. Looks like my (very obvious) theory was almost correct. Although it was Armand and Daniel and not Alex like I originally thought.

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For the people that are so shocked that Hit the Lights was originally written as a Nicki song, the show did the EXACT SAME THING with Why Do I Have to Feel? The CONTEXT was Lestat singing it to LOUIS. But then the very next episode Daniel says that it is for NICKI. So why wouldn't people think the same thing with Hit the Lights, when the lyrics so obviously fit Nicki and NOT Gabriella. (and if you really think they fit Gabriella... well, it is in those moments I am reminded that Americans are lucky to read at a 5th grade level)

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Maybe this has been said before (in fact, I would be surprised if it hasn't), but here is my crazy theory for Episode 7! We see this image in the opening sequence. Clearly a neon sign depicting Lestat's decapitated head at a bowling alley. Who have we seen bowling? Daniel. We know Armand is going to pick up a machete. We have yet to see the big fridges we were promised, right? (unless I missed something which is possible because I suck) I propose that either Armand, or someone Armand adjacent (probably not Daniel himself, but maybe Alex?), is going to lop off Lestat's head with a machete, put it in a big fridge, and THAT is how Daniel is going to interrogate Lestat (leading to the long table sequence, etc.) I'm sure this is totally wrong but it was fun to think about. But I'd love to hear your thoughts! EDIT: And actually, wasn't something said about a bowling bag at one point? The could be how they transport Lestat's head to the big ass fridge! 🤔

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RJ saying that Lestat didn't love Nicki as much as Nicki loved him is deeply concerning because it suggests that he doesn't understand these characters or books at all.

You do know that Rolin Jones has been known to throw things like this out to ... not spoil things, right? There's precedent.

That said, they do see the characters in their own way, and they DID put Gabrielle saying "you used up your affection for him, you know you have" in there. (And, mind you, she could NOT read Lestat's mind, so that is HER stating what SHE thinks.)

Whether that is the truth or not... might be up for discussion, because I do think that Lestat's behavior, his treatment of Nicki, and the way he protects the memory? (And how Armand reacts to it all?) Speaks quite the different language.

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It's interesting to me that he said that because I feel like most of the time i see people, especially people that don't seem to care for Nicki, come off the book thinking that it was NICKI that didn't love Lestat as much as Lestat loved him, or worse - that Nicki didn't love Lestat at all and always hated him. (And I definitely have thoughts about Gabriella purposely antagonizing Nicki in that scene...)