Loving Lestat is deadly! Here’s why | The Vampire Lestat

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]Welcome to my channel. My name's Bessie, and Lestat has never loved anybody romantically that he didn't then kill.

[00:00:07]Or should I say that he didn't then end their mortal lives.

[00:00:11]Ahead of the Vampire Lestat, I wanted to discuss Lestat's relationship with love and his appetites.

[00:00:17]To do that, I'll be diving deep into a number of key themes and trying to answer these questions as best I can.

[00:00:25]Is a relationship with Lestat a death sentence?

[00:00:28]Is Lestat truly capable of loving another?

[00:00:31]Why does Lestat cheat? And is the power play a kink for Lestat?

[00:00:37]Please note that I'll only be referring to AMC's series adaptation, not the books, for this video.

[00:00:43]If you enjoy this type of video, please let me know by hitting like and subscribe, and I'll be sure to keep making them. Okay, so with that said, let's get into the video.

[00:00:52]Number four. Is a relationship with Lestat a death sentence?

[00:00:57]Well, it seems that loving Lestat is deadly.

[00:01:00]As I mentioned in the beginning of this video, it seems that every one of Lestat's romantic loves has ended with him ending their mortal lives. Nicolas, Louis, Antoinette, and even Gabriella.

[00:01:12]Now, although we know that they have a physical relationship in the show, we don't know the depth of his romantic feelings towards Gabriella just yet.

[00:01:21]So, why does Lestat seem to end the mortal life of everyone he loves romantically?

[00:01:26]Lestat himself sings, >> [music] >> I'm a little killer.

[00:01:31]I'm a lonely one.

[00:01:34]Now, this being the opening lines to the opening titles of season 3, I think Lestat is reminding us at the very beginning of every episode of exactly what he is, in no uncertain terms.

[00:01:48]So, I think the only sensible thing to do would be to take him at his word.

[00:01:52]Vampirism was forced upon Lestat. He He want it, he didn't ask for it. He didn't even know what it was entirely when it was bestowed upon him.

[00:02:01]But it wasn't long before he began to see it as a gift.

[00:02:04]He learned to use it as a tool very early on. But equally as early on, he learned the dangers of bestowing the gift onto those who aren't truly ready.

[00:02:13]Perhaps the true cost to him.

[00:02:16]But with that said, Lestat is drawn to darkness.

[00:02:19]Is attracted to beautiful disasters.

[00:02:22]To painful relationships, either physically and or emotionally.

[00:02:27]He was attracted to Nicolas' darkness.

[00:02:29]He said that Louis had the most agreeable disposition after seeing him pull a blade on his brother.

[00:02:35]He kept seeing Antoinette despite him being the one to say that he would end it to Louis.

[00:02:41]Through either circumstances or entrenched sadness, Lestat calls the partners who ultimately want and accept the gift that he has to offer.

[00:02:50]Even knowing that he would need to end their mortal lives in order for them to receive it. But Nicolas, Louis, and Antoinette all accept the still.

[00:03:00]So, is a relationship with Lestat a death sentence?

[00:03:04]Well, I think the answer to this is entirely in the hands of his lovers.

[00:03:11]Number three.

[00:03:13]Is Lestat truly capable of loving another?

[00:03:16]To answer this question, I think it would be helpful if we all agreed on the definition for the word love. Now, the OED defines love as an intense feeling of deep affection or a profound tender passionate attachment to someone or something. Now, I agree and accept this definition. However, growing up, I was taught that the opposite of love is not hate.

[00:03:39]The opposite of love is fear.

[00:03:41]And I strongly believe that.

[00:03:44]In season 2 episode 7, Louis and Armand recount to I couldn't force him to love me, and so I broke him.

[00:03:59]So, when it seemed like Lestat's fear of losing Louis almost takes over his love for him, it doesn't surprise me that his next move was to control Louis, to control the environment, and to control the relationship.

[00:04:12]But, the thing is, this was the exact wrong tactic to take with Louis.

[00:04:17]Lestat wasn't able to control Louis, and therefore, out in my opinion and profound emotion, he tried to destroy him.

[00:04:26]To me, this is incredibly sad. It's sad for Louis and Claudia because, ultimately, they suffered because of Lestat's fear.

[00:04:34]It's sad for Lestat because I cannot imagine the anxiety of living with such fear. It must seep into even the good moments during a relationship. Fear that it won't last, fear that they'll leave, being scared to love again because you believe that it will only end in loss.

[00:04:52]This segment is titled, Is Lestat truly capable of loving another?

[00:04:56]And I think, ultimately, the answer is yes. However, that love inherently coexists with fear.

[00:05:04]Louis recounts to Daniel that Lestat said that it took him over a century to try again after Nicolas. And I wonder if [clears throat] Lestat had remained mortal, might he have ever tried again in his lifetime after losing his first love?

[00:05:17]His immortality afforded him the privilege, or should I call it the opportunity, of enough time passing for him to meet someone of whom he would become so enamored that he did eventually try again?

[00:05:30]We know how that relationship ended, but I wonder, where's Lestat at with his fear now?

[00:05:37]Number two.

[00:05:38]Why does Lestat cheat?

[00:05:41]Play Lestat says, "Love has always been difficult for me." And I believe him.

[00:05:47]Love and relationships seem to be painful for Lestat. He seems to be either fighting it or fighting for it.

[00:05:54]But at the same time, I don't think there was enough love in this world for this sensitive vampire.

[00:06:00]Lestat doesn't just cheat emotionally.

[00:06:03]We know of at least two of Lestat's relationships where he cheated physically. We see Lestat's eye wander almost immediately after he turns Louis.

[00:06:12]In season 1 episode 2, Lestat is playfully distracted by a woman in a doorway as Louis talks business.

[00:06:19]However, Louis and their new relationship seem to be satisfaction enough for him in the beginning.

[00:06:25]They're enamored of each other and everything's new. Plus, Lestat has Louis all to himself.

[00:06:31]But it's not long before Lestat's desires overtake his loyalty to his husband.

[00:06:36]He enjoys Antoinette and initially, if reluctantly, Lestat and Louis agree on an equally open relationship. But Lestat very soon expresses his displeasure with their setup in the most dramatic of ways. He admits that he was jealous of Louis being with another man. Him and their hearts dance was just too much.

[00:06:56]But despite this, Lestat continues to engage in his affair with Antoinette in spite of how Louis feels about it. Or maybe because of how Louis feels about it. So does Lestat cheat to get a reaction from his partner?

[00:07:10]At one point, it seemed that Lestat would take any form of attention from Louis.

[00:07:15]It seemed that to Lestat, if Louis is angry or upset about him cheating, at least he cares, right? But does he cheat for the attention? Well, the answer to that's no in my opinion.

[00:07:28]In my opinion, Lestat cheats because it suits him in the moment. Whether he's driven by his urges and his desires or he wants to play mind games with his partner.

[00:07:39]He does it because he It like it.

[00:07:41]Again, this is just my interpretation.

[00:07:44]As I mentioned earlier, his eyes wandered a long time before his and Louis' physical relationship slows down.

[00:07:51]If Armand is to be believed, he also cheated on Nicki with him, right in front of Nicki.

[00:07:57]Now, I'm sure we're going to find out more about this from Lestat's side and very, very soon.

[00:08:02]But if we are to believe Armand, then Lestat has a history of this behavior.

[00:08:07]Now, although Lestat's actions are sometimes confounding, even to himself, it doesn't mean that he doesn't have a conscious about his behavior.

[00:08:16]He often feels shame and the consequences of his actions. Plus, it does seem like he's going to be haunted by 20th century Louis, Antoinette, and Nicholas in season 3.

[00:08:28]And [clears throat] number one, is the power play a kink for Lestat?

[00:08:32]So, given everything we know about Lestat, would it be fair to conclude that power, specifically Lestat holding that power, is something of a kink for him in his romantic relationships?

[00:08:44]Let's look into this a little bit more.

[00:08:47]In every romantic relationship we've seen so far, Lestat holds the power.

[00:08:51]Now, of course, I'm referring to seasons 1 and 2, and I'm aware that this has been all recounted to Daniel by Louis, but for now, that's all we have.

[00:09:01]So, Lestat's relationship with Antoinette is very interesting for so many reasons.

[00:09:07]We know from Louis that Lestat held the promise of the dark gift over for years.

[00:09:13]He kept her close despite her wanting to move towns and pursue her career.

[00:09:17]I believe he did this because he didn't want to give her up for myriad reasons.

[00:09:22]But he also wanted to use her in his mental games with Louis.

[00:09:26]Plus, he left the home that they had shared for years, the very night that Louis took him back.

[00:09:32]And speaking of his relationship with Louis, I believe that Lestat used gift giving as a tool.

[00:09:38]In season 1 episode 1, Lestat describes to Louis' family how his mother used to spoil him with gifts.

[00:09:45]I believe he learned this expression of love from her.

[00:09:48]When Lestat is happy, he buys gifts.

[00:09:51]When Lestat is trying to apologize or to keep hold of Louis, he also buys gifts.

[00:09:56]Although the gifts do appear to be thoughtful, I have to wonder, is the act of buying the gift for the other person or for himself and his own satisfaction?

[00:10:06]Does he hope to erase his bad behavior by replacing negative emotions with feelings of gratitude towards him?

[00:10:13]I ask this as he had spent decades with Louis prior to their big fight. And although Louis had enjoyed the wealth that they had, he worked hard to pay back every penny that Lestat had lent him to purchase the fair play, for example.

[00:10:26]So, knowing this about Louis, Lestat still purchased increasingly expensive gifts for him over 6 years.

[00:10:33]Despite Louis ignoring him. Despite Louis refusing the gifts.

[00:10:37]And whilst we're discussing Louis and Lestat, we can't forget that he withheld his true strength and gifts from Louis for years.

[00:10:45]I'm sure we're going to get an answer as to why very soon in The Vampire Lestat, but until then, I do wonder if him being the only person who truly knew what he was capable of provided him with a certain amount of satisfaction.

[00:11:00]And just a side note, I haven't forgotten that Louis also wielded a huge amount of power in their relationship.

[00:11:06]He had emotional control over Lestat, for sure. And he probably still does.

[00:11:12]But I do question, did he hand that power over to Louis willingly?

[00:11:20]It's okay.

[00:11:21]You can be on top.

[00:11:24]Or was it a completely involuntary consequence of his love for Louis?

[00:11:29]Honestly, I don't know.

[00:11:31]I've been trying to land on one side or the other and I just don't know.

[00:11:35]What do you think?

[00:11:37]Lestat is passionate. Lestat is attractive. Lestat is an enigma, but at the same time everything is always on show. Lestat is confusing. Lestat is engaging. Lestat's charisma can't be understated.

[00:11:51]But ultimately, Lestat is a killer.

[00:11:56]He's told me. He's told you. And I guess it's up to us individually whether we believe him or not. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you've enjoyed this video and if you have, please do think about subscribing and giving this video a like and I will see you in my next one. Not long to go until season 3.

[00:12:12]Thank you so much for watching. Thanks.

[00:12:14]Bye.