‘Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire’ Recap: ‘I Want You More Than Anything In the World’

6/3/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Jacob Anderson as Louis De Point Du Lac in Episode 204 of ‘Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire’ – ‘I Want You More Than Anything In the World’. (Photo Courtesy of Larry Horricks/AMC.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 204 of ‘Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

It is definitely safe to say, that the vampire elicits a great deal of emotions from readers and viewers of their stories. For instance, there is a sense of awe and romance that accompanies these creatures, since they tend to be refined and magnificent individuals, who seem to have come to understand the wonder of projecting class and virtue. Yet at the same time, they elicit fear since they can go from refined and bougie to bloodthirsty nightmares that will tear someone’s throat out since they are in fact, a monster through and through. But what they rarely evoke, is a sense of pity, since those elements make it hard to feel that for a creature of the night. But that is starting to change. For the longer we watch Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire on AMC, the more pity we feel for these beings.

For this series is quickly establishing the fact, that the vampire’s journey is one of pure tragedy. One where they lose more than they gain by becoming immortal. For with their humanity gone, and their sense of time skewed, they detach from their emotions while desperately trying to hang onto them, giving rise to ugly and cruel moments that only add to a mountain of trauma that has built up over decades. The kind that they seemingly can never escape and being trapped in a body at a specific age, that oft seems to remind them that they are in fact frozen in time with their worst memories and moments. Making them sorrowful beings that we should only feel pity for, and all of these elements are top of mind today, because they were all put on display in the next episode of the show.

A feat that ‘I Want You More Than Anything In the World’ accomplished by taking us into the salad days in the world of vampires. After all, Claudia was now the star of a hit skit at the Théâtre des Vampires, and Louis was able to move as he pleased and continue to indulge in the wonder of his love of photography. Making this story seem less about such issues, and more about the dapper lifestyle the vampire leads. But soon, cracks formed in the foundation of joy both Claudia and Louis thought they had built. After all, Claudia soon began to lack in her performances, to the point where she was punished and threatened. All because… the luster faded over being a star was replaced with a cruel reminder of the fact she was a 14-year-old girl for all time now and that was getting harder and harder to reconcile and she wasn’t alone in struggling with the wonder of immortality.

Delainey Hayles as Claudia in Episode 204 of ‘Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire’ – ‘I Want You More Than Anything In the World’. (Photo Courtesy of Larry Horricks/AMC.)

Because Louis was frustrated over the fact that he wasn’t learning new skills fast enough and wasn’t seen as much more than an amateur photographer that would likely never find the wonder of the eye that so many famous photographers enjoyed. Not to mention, the ghost of Lestat continued to haunt and terrify him, to the point where he felt the need to finally let go because of the pain Lestat brought him, so he did not end up like Armand. Who spoke to the pain in his heart that never left him. Courtesy of a powerful moment where he explored his backstory with his new love. One that spoke to the horrors of his youth and how the moment his life changed forever locked that horror in place. Speaking to a real trauma that vampirism creates, and to top it all off… trouble arose in this tale. Since Santiago worked to turn the troupe upon Armand for his own power play, and Daniel of course… has more questions in present day regarding Armand’s intentions.

All of which made, for a grand tragedy of a tale. One where all we could feel for these creatures… was outright pity. Because all of those elements we discussed were put on display in full and that really did showcase, a miserable group of creatures here. Trapped in their past, stuck with their sour memories and they cannot move forward because they are trapped in an endless cycle of violence that ruins them for all time. Which made for one powerful episode to say the least. One that informed us that being a vampire wouldn’t be cool, it would be pure hell on Earth. Wherein there would be no peace and power, just real suffering and a desperate search for the next meal while keeping a close eye over one’s shoulder for the next usurper desperate to take one’s place in the name of agency and to desperately feel something outside of the suffering.

Which also makes this… a game changing tale. One that finally showcased the horrors of vampirism in a manner that felt realistic and poignant. All by informing us that our worst demons would linger because we would no longer have anything to work for or a clock to race against. And all of this came forth via some stunning performances. Since everyone here turned in their A-game and expressed their internal torture with a gravitas that worked and added to the pity surging in our stomachs, and this truly motivates a viewer to continue the journey. For this is indeed undiscovered country for vampire stories, since we’ve never seen the horrors of becoming a bloodsucker be put on display in this manner and that will make the wait for next week’s episode as painful as can be. For now, and we must know if these creatures can be saved or if they will use reinvention to bury their trauma further to find a reason to go on… when they have in many ways, given up on what really makes life worth living… that growth that truly defines us. Until next time.

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