Special Episode 39: The Vampire Lestat

Much like the opening pages of Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat, the new season of the show formerly known as Interview with the Vampire immediately punches you in the face with a wild new tone—one perhaps best summarized as LESTAT. Fresh off recapping TVL for Fansplaning, Gavia Baker-Whitelaw joins Elizabeth and Flourish to discuss the season. Topics covered include that notable tone shift, audience expectations and the writers’ somewhat combative approach to storytelling, and specific elements like Gabriella’s presentation, Lestat’s music, and the Regina storyline. And, as you probably could have guessed, despite promising non-book-reader Gav not to talk too much about The Vampire Chronicles, Elizabeth and Flourish continue to do so, with a focus on the season’s unorthodox approach to adaptation.

Show Notes

[00:00:00] As always, our intro music is “Awel” by stefsax, used under a CC BY 3.0 license.

[00:00:39] Continuing the disclaimer we’ve put on all our TVL coverage so far: 

One of our editors, Lin Codega, worked as the Writers’ Room Assistant on this season of The Vampire Lestat. They’ve had no editorial input on or interaction with these recaps, or the decision to cover the show. 

[00:00:58] If you are somehow unfamiliar with Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, she is a critic and journalist who, among many other impressive bylines, is Fansplaining’s first staff writer. She first came on the podcast in 2016 to talk about reccing fic, as a sort of crossover event with “The Rec Center,” which she and Elizabeth make together; she came back on the regular podcast in 2020 to talk about social media fic. Her special episode appearance was indeed entitled “The Marvel-Industrial Complex.”  

[00:01:58] Our previous special episodes on IWTV: season 1 & season 2.

[00:03:58] Gav’s interview with Daniel Hart. 

[00:06:00] Our TVL recaps: written by Gav, nit-picked edited by Elizabeth. 😇 

[00:09:26]

[00:11:38]

[00:13:09] “do we think he took the time to write out some loustat smut scenes…” 

[00:35:53] In a fantastic interview with Margaret Hall in Playbill, Sam Reid explains, “‘The language of that Psalm, if you’re a real nerd about it, is not exactly period accurate.’ … he’s reciting how he had seen it performed from a pulpit, paraphrasing and all.” He continues with further thoughts about Lestat and religion:

“Lestat is not a believer in God at this point in his life, and all of a sudden, he is a believer in God. He calls to God in his last moments, which is how it was originally written in the book. I felt like it was really important that he did cry to God, and he does scream for God. He says he will fight for him and build an army on his behalf, he says he’s going to change the entire way he’s lived, he’s going to leave the stage and fight for God if only he will save him. But salvation never comes.”

[00:50:47] Our special episode about The Odyssey! 

[01:01:38]

[01:05:37] Elizabeth apologizes: it’s INTERROGATING the text from the wrong perspective. 

[01:23:04] Our outro music is “Extreme Velocity” by Universfield, also used under a CC license.