Written by John Edward Betancourt![]()
Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 209 of ‘Reginald the Vampire’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
If there is one particular question that has been hanging heavy over season two of the hit SYFY series, Reginald the Vampire, it would have to be… how is Reginald going to save vampirekind? Because season two has showcased in great detail, the tragedy of the vampire. Of how these creatures of the night hold tightly onto our worst demons and amplify them, giving rise to a sour species that Bolestro has rightfully called selfish and monstrous. But worthy of genocide? Well… nothing is worthy of that, and thankfully Reginald agrees. But he has to date, been unable to figure out how to save vampirekind and bring it into the light… nor has he come up with a plan to save the day. But despite not finding proper salvation for his own kind, the matter with Bolestro came to resolution during last night’s episode. Since ‘The Final Countdown’ saw Reginald and the vampire race survive their final stand against a vengeful angel. But before we break down how that happened, we need to take a moment and talk about the alternate resolution in this tale. The one involving Mike. For Sarah found him in that strange and artful purgatory, and together they worked to get intelligence on whether or not their friends survived… through the recently departed. Which gave them peace and helped Mike decide… to cross over. To a dark future quite literally, but he accepted it none the less and bid farewell to Sarah, but not before telling her… to find her way back. Which was a fine way to send off Mike after his unceremonious end at the hands of Uriel and as they dug into facts… Reginald and his friends made their stand. For they came to the place they were predicted to do so and stood tall against Bolestro and fought… in a unique manner. Wherein they pleaded their case and did their best to showcase that while vampirekind as a whole… was pretty sucky, pun intended, it had glimmers of hope. For there was tiny, tiny growth, and that meant hope. But despite pointing that out and pointing out the hypocrisy of Bolestro’s decision… the all-powerful angel wanted bloodshed and well that’s when a lovely surprise came into play… Claire. Who we learned can see the future thanks to her powers and she informed Bolestro, that eventually vampires will make peace, after great sacrifice and the end of Reginald’s life. That was enough for Bolestro to call the whole thing off, since he relished in vampirekind killing itself because well, the dude simply does not like vampires in the slightest and well, much darkness rightfully hung over the aftermath of this near miss. Simply because, Reginald had to die and so much was lost to get here and because… with worry about being good and being just no longer part of the equation… and with death on the horizon… Reginald decided to go for broke. For Uriel was still out there, and he of course hurt Reginald the most. Prompting our favorite vampire to set forth a plan to find the angel that killed his love, to make him suffer and pay dearly before sending him back into the void of the afterlife. All of which explains… why this episode chose to answer the big question hanging over the season now. Because now we get to see a real test take place, one that will challenge Reginald like never before as we see if he can maintain the best parts of himself with grief and thoughts of revenge surging through his veins and who knows… this could be a test from Bolestro as well. But while we wait to see if Reginald can do the right thing and not succumb to darkness, because we love him and think the world of him and want to see him take the high road as he always does… we can celebrate another brilliant tale from this series. Because this was basically a season finale, done early and that takes guts. But that is what this show has plenty of, and now that the big showdown is complete… we can turn our attention to the season two finale next week, and the battle that will take place for Reginald’s very soul. Until next time. Watch ‘Reginald the Vampire’
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Written by John Edward Betancourt![]()
Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘The Devil’s Bath’.
There is a strange and unsettling movement happening in the world right now. In that, there are a symphony of strange voices that are crying out into the night… for society to return to a more… classical era. Wherein the world doesn’t seem so convoluted and progressive to them, and well… those voices are growing in chorus… and in influence. For they are winning elections around the globe and entrenching similar voices into positions of power to lay down the foundation to turn back the clock, which so many others fear, and rightfully so. Because the past should remain there for a reason and well, what a lot of this voices want to return to… isn’t healthy for all in the slightest. But despite a fair of number pointing out how going to the past will rob people of their rights and bring back measures of hate that were buried for a reason, these voices keep getting others to listen. Leaving all of us to wonder how best to combat what they want and really help others to understand why these voices need to be silenced and/or shouted out of existence, and well… perhaps storytelling can help in such matters. Since it educates in the simplest manner possible, and it just so happens… that a powerful tale about the dangers of going backwards is available to stream on Shudder right now, and that makes The Devil’s Bath an important film. Simply because, it transports us back in time to 18th Century Germany. Where a simple life exists. For there is nothing but the land and community, and religion and family. In fact, when we meet Agnes on the day of her wedding to Wolf, the wonder of this era seems to be genuine. Since there is joy and love between the couple, and hope for a long life together complete with a family. But as married life wears on, and Agnes works to balance her new duties as a wife, alongside the curious nature of her personality… the wonder of the world disappears. For she quickly finds herself under fire for thinking differently, for not waiting on her husband hand and foot and that puts her in a deep depression. One that is of course believed to be related to infection but in reality… relates to the fact that she has no future and no purpose outside of being her husband’s property and that… will drive her to incredible acts to be free of the emotional and mental prison she finds herself within. ![]()
Which at first glance, just seems to be a dramatic story about days gone by and the sorrows of that past, one free from horror and disturbing parallels. But make no mistake about it, this is a terrifying film… one that does showcase how far we’ve come and why we cannot go back. For to strip women of their rights and make them items and possessions is a horrific fate. One where, we see the lights go out of Agnes’ eyes as she realizes that her fate is a void. One without creativity and thought and emotion, just servitude and pleasure for others and that is indeed a disgusting future for anyone to face, and should never be the case, but was and could be again, and if that alone is not enough to hammer home why we should never embrace the past again… the film makes sure to offer up more talking points on the matter… to truly help us understand.
A feat that allows for us to see… what a person of Agnes’ intelligence and desires will do to be free, and how far they will go to find happiness and peace, which is potentially achieved in this instance, through wanton acts of outright violence. So that they can be pulled away from a life that is mundane and awful and find peace of some kind of direction that doesn’t involve staring into the distance and hoping something better is on the horizon. Which brings forth a stunning and shocking downward spiral for Agnes. One that prompts her to do things that are outright unthinkable and awful, and that brings about a stunning conclusion to this tale. One that speaks to how mob mentality helped to keep this kind of lifestyle going and how mob mentality is in many ways, fighting a good fight to bring it back now. Which makes this film a horror story about the ugliness of humanity, and the darkness we are capable of when we embrace stupid traditions and ideologies that do not matter, and it is very much a chilling and cautionary tale. One that showcases a dark era in our history that for some reason, people want to see return and we simply do not know why. Since this story reminds us… that progress matters and that ideologies die for a reason, and to try and keep them alive is cruel and unusual and disgusting. All of which brings forth a powerful story that quite frankly, devastates the audience and leaves them in deep thought when the end credits roll, and that’s not a bad thing. For great horror makes us think and gives us pause and this film does just that by offering up a glimpse of what was… and what could be again. Watch ‘The Devil’s Bath’
‘Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire’ Recap: ‘And That’s The End of It. There’s Nothing Else.’7/1/2024 Written by John Edward Betancourt![]()
Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Two Finale of ‘Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. This article also contains discussions regarding domestic abuse, which may be triggering to some individuals.
Over the course of the past few weeks, we’ve learned a great deal about a dark side of the human condition, courtesy of the hit AMC series, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. For season two of this brilliant and poignant show, has gone where few shows ever will. For this season of storytelling focused heavily on the nature of domestic abuse, and how the people that abuse operate, and what drives them to harm others on a fundamental level. Adding all kinds of context to a topic that remains taboo in our modern world for reasons that no one can speak to, but we should in fact… discuss such matters. Since these stories have informed us of the lasting damage domestic abuse imparts upon a person. But while it has been fascinating and important to learn how men like Lestat de Lioncourt rip minds and hearts apart with their words and their manipulations… there has been one important lesson that the series has understandably kept in the shadows akin to a vampire. In that, those who suffer from domestic abuse, don’t deal with it for the rest of their lives. There comes a point where they either step away from it and reinvent themselves for the better or sadly, tragedy does strike because an abuser crosses the line. Which is also important to recognize since that speaks to the dangers of why we cannot keep this taboo. But for the sake of today’s recap, we can discuss… those who escape and how they do it, and truly, the season two finale of the show was the right time to ponder upon such matters. For ‘And That’s The End of It. There’s Nothing Else.’ was indeed the end of the interview with the vampire Armand and Louis de Point du Lac, and what better place to learn about how people abused by a lover, escape their clutches and find agency and start over. Which was explored in the past and in present and well, the past taught us… that the first step of removing oneself from an abusive situation is to have that person… understand… they are in one. That it cannot persist, or they will suffer worse consequences and well, that means… confrontation. The kind where the abuser must know what they’ve done and must know the abused will no longer tolerate the pain and the madness. Which Louis expressed in the most violent and literal vampirical sense possible. Through revenge. Which he was able to execute through a gift from Armand and wow… did he teach Santiago and his group quite the lesson. Wherein they paid for Claudia’s death and the enabling of Lestat de Lioncourt with their lives and when he was done with them… he confronted Lestat as well and informed him that there would be no more emotional ties, no more power over Louis. And that… is a fate worse than death for an abuser, because their power is everything to them, and to have it removed is the final blow, and the one that devastates them for all time. And it was amazing to see this show, speak down upon revenge in this matter, since it doesn’t accomplish anything, but also speak to the need to stand tall, and say… enough. For that is indeed step one and it took seventy-seven more years for Louis to reach the final steps. ![]()
Which came forth, via a horrifying revelation for Louis. In that, once the interview was done, Daniel and his friends at the Talamasca helped to reveal that Louis did indeed fall into the cycle of moving from one abusive relationship into another. Which can and will happen because of how much work goes into healing even when one has said enough. For it was revealed that Lestat saved him on that fateful night and that Armand was eager to follow through and please his coven, but took credit where possible to gain advantage and power, and that revelation allowed for Louis to say enough again and understand he needed to heal himself internally first before ever being near a lover again and in order to do that… so much must come into play. First is indeed, learning to love oneself again and find that peace within so there are no flaws for abusers to find and exploit.
But also… Louis learned and taught us, that we must let go of the shadow of the past, and those who imparted harm, and one way to do that… is through forgiveness and kindness. Which seems impossible to offer to a person that may have physically beat another or left people in tears over the cruel words they vomited from their mouth. But it is a necessity. Because to see them with fury for all time, only keeps a fire lit within. A fire that does not need to burn forever. It must be extinguished; it must go dark so that the light beyond can be found again. And yes, that does mean… offering forgiveness, so that one can let that pain go. Granted, there does NOT have to be absolution. But one can forgive and never forget and show kindness because that too disarms and removes power from an abuser. Which is precisely what Louis did here, by returning to New Orleans. To reflect upon the journey, and the pain and to confront Lestat at last and do just that. And to also be reminded of the fact, that every abusive relationship does have its moments of honesty, usually at the beginning before the darkness comes and to cherish those moments and to, when the time is right… find the value in the whole experience. Which also sounds absurd. But… one cannot forget that our experiences both good and bad, offer lessons, and without the darkness… we don’t grow. We don’t move forward and sometimes… meeting those awful people push us toward great things for reasons that are personal yet powerful. Ergo, that’s where kindness and forgiveness truly pay off, and now… Louis can enter the next chapter of his life because he healed, he forgave, he moved on and found agency at last. All of which brought forth, a stunningly powerful episode of television. One that truly explored elements that we’ve never seen horror touch before, much less the vampire genre, but it was present, and it was glorious. For not only was it the perfect way to bring home two stunning years of incredible storytelling through and through, but it was the lesson that needed to bring this chapter to a close. The one that so many out there needed to see, for this offered a path to healing and a reminder for those who did heal, of the incredible person they are and the wonder they accomplished by saying, ‘enough,’ and of course… it set the stage for a powerhouse third season. Where we will see more of Louis, the vampire Daniel Malloy, and Lestat and Armand and enjoy a new musing on the human condition and all its glory and folly. Until next season. Watch ‘Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire’
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