🎸The Vampire Lestat Episode One Breakdown and Review

Added: 2026-06-10

[00:00:00]And so I am very curious to see where the show is going to take this plot line and how far they will take it, right?

[00:00:06]Kind of like how they are expanding the rockstar element, which I love. I'm so happy. Hello. Thank you for joining me here at Why the Book Wins, where I compare books with their movie adaptations. My name is Laura, and today I'm talking about The Vampire Leat, which is season 3 of the show formerly known as Interview with the Vampire. So they have officially renamed the show, I guess. So now it is the vampire listat.

[00:00:28]It is no longer Interview with the Vampire, but yeah. So, season 3 of the show will be an adaptation of the book, The Vampire Lasat by Anne Rice, published in 1985. And I assume they will also combine that book with the events from the third book in the series, which is titled The Queen of the Damned, which was released in 1988. And I also assume, you know, the book in Trivia with the Vampire, they spread that out over two seasons. And they also in those two seasons they incorporated things from Queen of the Damned in the vampire listat. But anyway, so they stretched that book out into two seasons. And so I assume the vampire list will also take up at least two seasons because there's even more to get into here in many ways than there had been with the first book. But when I covered Interview with the Vampire, because I reviewed seasons 1 and two about a year and a half ago, but at that point I had only read the first book. So there were certain events that I didn't realize they were taking from later books in the series. And so now I have read the vampire listat and queen of the damned. And so I am more well informed than I had previously been. But if there is anything that happens in the vampire list that they take from later books beyond book three, I will not know because I have not read those books and honestly I do not plan to read beyond Queen of the Damned. I talked about this in the video I released just yesterday, but I am not a huge fan of Anne Rice's writing. I love her characters. Like, I love the characters she creates and the dynamics they have. And some of the lore I like and some of the origin stories, but for the most part, her books just go on for far too long. And so, because of that, I I'm not interested in reading beyond Queen of the Damned, at least not at this point in my life. But yeah, so to talk about the vampire list, episode one has been released. And to be honest, I kind of wish they did what other streaming platforms have done and release multiple episodes on the day of the premiere because this first episode, it felt like it went by so fast and I was left wanting more. Also, I think releasing multiple episodes for that premiere also helps with your audience, too, because it it gives them more of a feel for the show because in just one episode, I don't know, like I I feel like I I was wanting more. And also, I think for audience retention, I think it helps to show them a bit more than just the first episode. So, anyway, I enjoyed it. I liked it. I'm just already wanting more. And it definitely felt like a prologue in many ways. And in the book, the vampire list, the first section when he awakes and makes his plan to become part of a rock band and release his book, all of that, that feels like a prologue, right, before we then get into, you know, his life story and everything. And so, this first episode felt like a prologue in many ways. And I guess that's also why I wish they released more than one episode because it feels like this is just giving us a taste of what we're in for without actually giving us what we're in for, if that makes sense. But I did go into this with very high expectations. Not going to lie, I have been so excited for this show. I mean, seasons one and two together are just I think I called them a masterpiece in my season 2 review because those two seasons again together are just absolutely incredible. And so that's like a 10 out of 10 out of 10 show right there. And so because of that, I had such high expectations for the vampire list. And I also love like where the show was going to go based on the promotional stuff they were showing.

[00:04:01]And so while I had very high expectations, I do think for the most part this first episode also, it's hard to say, right? Because we've only gotten one episode. So I cannot yet say whether it has fully met my expectations because we need to wait for the whole show to come out. But basically any reservations I have in regards to this first episode, I'm not uh going to be too worried because I trust these writers so much based on what we got from the first two seasons. Like those were so incredible.

[00:04:30]So I I don't have any doubts as of right now and I am fully trusting this story in their hands and this being from Lasat's perspective did give it a very different vibe I would say from the first two seasons and I guess I should have expected this in hindsight but yeah I was kind of like wow this feels so chaotic compared to the first episode of season 1 and in so many ways it was not what I expected and felt even overwhelming at times and kind of scattered but stat as a person, you know, he's very unhinged and he does not give an F and he's a rock star. You know, sex, drugs, and rock and roll, baby. And then add some blood in there, too. So, it makes sense that it isn't going to be as organized as seasons one and two were because the format is just so different and the main character is so different. But yeah, all in all, I like this first episode a lot and they did drop a lot of hints into things that are going to happen later in the show, which have me very excited. And uh so yeah, I guess we'll just go ahead and get into the plot details. So there will be spoilers going forward and again I have only read the first three books. So that is as far as my knowledge goes and I will be talking about m maybe some of my predictions you could say at the end of this video. So there will be potential spoilers at that part but I will give you a warning before that happens. So this episode starts out with us in the future at a secret auction where things from the rockstar the vampire listat are being sold. And this was giving me major Phantom of the Opera vibes because this is how that play and movies start out. And when I was reading the vampire list, I did think of Phantom of the Opera at times. And also his manager in the book and the show is named Christine, which kind of maybe is just a coincidence, but I don't think so. And then also this show choosing to begin with an auction. Again, maybe it's a coincidence, but to me it feels like them, you know, nodding to the Phantom of the Opera in a sense. And both of them, you know, there's a lot of differences, of course, but both are about monstrous, seductive men who are musical geniuses who have a strong craving for the love and desire of others. You know, when Leat is saying um something like what he wants and it's like he wants the love of millions of people or it starts out like the love of hundreds of people and then he's like I want millions. I want billions, right?

[00:06:55]Like it's never enough and he always needs more of that. And of course, the Phantom was very depraved of love and attention and so he needed that too. By the way, I also was just talking about The Phantom of the Opera over on Patreon because I covered Candyman and that has like a Phantom of the Opera connection.

[00:07:14]So, head over to Patreon if you want to check out my video for Candyman. But this episode, and I assume the whole season, it is narrated by Lasat, but the narration comes from a record that is being sold at this auction that Lasat recorded as he recounts his life and the events that led to something dramatic that we keep getting hints about. And I will be circling back to this foreshadowing later in the video, but I really loved this narration and it starts out with him saying it was 2025 and America was making itself great again. And I do like this nod to the political climate that America was in at the time this story takes place. And also I vividly remember it was the day after the election or maybe like 2 days after the election. It was very close.

[00:08:01]Right after we found out who won president, I read that the vampire list was to begin filming that day and I was like, man, any Americans that are part of that production? I mean, even not necessarily, they don't have to be Americans, but just like, how are they able to get themselves in their in the headsp space to begin filming after getting such depressing news, right?

[00:08:22]like I was so depressed and angry and sad for quite a few days after the election results, you know, but I was tracking updates on this TV show cuz I was very excited for it. So, I vividly remember reading that they had begun filming and I was like, man, what a time to start filming. So, considering that, um, I kind of like that they reference what was happening in America. And considering a huge plot point in regards to Accasha, I'm curious too if the political climate will like I don't need this show to have politics be like blatantly at the forefront, but obviously you know all art is political and I am curious how much of that might be there in the background. Uh but anyway, another thing I wanted to mention about the narration is later on in the episode he starts to rant kind of like complaining about something Louis had said in his book. And so he is being like, "This is how it actually is with our bodies." And so he's getting kind of worked up about this. And then he pauses and he's like, "Uh, reminder, edit that out before the final cut." And so I love those little moments and I hope we get more things like that in, you know, throughout the rest of the show. But yeah, so the auction is in the future, but we flash back to 2025 in the midst of Lasat's tour. And he is being interviewed by Daniel Mallaloy. And it is being filmed as part of a documentary that Lustat is having made about himself and his band. And he, it seems, hired Mallaloy specifically, which that does make sense given Malloyy's connection to all of this. And in the show, we learned that two years prior, so in 2023, Louis and Lasat were talking on video chat when Lasat saw news of Daniel's book being published. And Lasat knew nothing about this. And so he sees the article and he's like, "Uh, Louie, do you know who Daniel Mallaloy is? Have you heard of him?" And that is when Louis is like, "Oh, I mean, I just barely found out a month ago that this was being published. Like, I swear I haven't known that long." And um and so then we get a scene of Listakat going to the bookstore and he angrily buys a copy of it and we see him angrily reading it and yelling at the book about what Louis got wrong which was fantastic. I loved all of this. And he has a rock band living across the street. And they keep playing the guitar in a way that he hates. And so on Halloween night he has a lot of this stress and anger going on because of the book. And then he hears them playing this guitar and he just can't stand it.

[00:10:49]And so he breaks into their home and he starts playing the guitar in the way that it should be done and chastises them for the way they were doing it wrong. And then he storms out. But then one of the bandmates comes running out after him and he's like, "Hey, that was awesome." And so basically that is how he becomes part of this band. And I also thought it was funny that when he's getting angry at them, he breaks the guitar, but then he's like, you know, sorry I broke the guitar. My assistant will bring you a new one in the morning.

[00:11:17]But then also, like I said, this takes place on Halloween, and he is very angry and stressed out because of Louis's book, but we see him still answer the door for trick-or-treaters and give them candy, which I thought was a nice touch.

[00:11:30]But as far as the book goes, Lasat had been in his like deep vampire slumber, and he had been sleeping for decades. I don't remember exactly how long, but it had been a long time. But he awakes because he hears the sound of rock music in the 80s because that is when the book takes place and he hears the sound of this rock music and that kind of awakes him and he's like wow like I am really into this and he realizes he can hide in plain sight and be part of this band and he discovers Louis book. So he creates this whole plan and so that is how it happens in the book but here in the show he is not writing his own book rather we get this recording right so he is sharing his life story plus we have the documentary going on so he is sharing his life story in his own way but it's not through writing a book of his own the way it was in the book and given the change in medium right like it makes sense for a movie to rather than have him write a book they're going to change it and have it be something more visual and auditory so I I' I'd like that change. But something else I want to mention real quick is that in the show, this was not in the book, this is in the show only, Lasat has a body double who is also played by Sam Reed. And this was kind of giving me prestige vibes with Hugh Jackman playing his main part and his body double character who is, you know, kind of a drunk and a mess. But that's how this comes across. And seeing Sam Reed, we just saw him very briefly, but like just his whole demeanor is so changed as this other character. And so I am so intrigued like where they are going to go with this. Clearly he has been introduced for a reason and so I'm very curious what is going to end up happening with this body double. But also in the show he is touring at small venues which he says he prefers. But one of the reasons he says he prefers it is because he has a fragile ego and if he books a large venue he does he's worried about empty seats. And so he's like with a small venue I don't need to worry about there being any empty seats. Uh but in the book he only did one live performance, one concert and one concert only. And I did like this in the book because you know leading up to that single only show it was very climactic.

[00:13:37]Whereas here yeah we see that he is playing multiple shows and touring like a normal musician. And near the end of this episode we have a scene where they are playing a concert and Leat he has been feeling like they have kind of plateaued and he's kind of like man what's the word? I guess just plot plateaued. He uses a different word like mundane or something like it's become very whatever. And he in part blames it on his lead guitarist who he has always taken issue with, right? Like that's how he started talking to them in the first place. But during this concert, he has had it with his lead guitarist and he is going to kill him on stage when then he sort of has like this weird not out ofbody experience but this weird mental breakdown of sorts where he realizes like wait a minute I'm the one that has been holding the band back and he starts getting flashes of all of these memories of his past and everything leading up to this. And I thought that in this moment as he is having these visions I thought they were going to introduce the twin redheads from the book because in the book the vampire Leat his music leads to a lot of different events but a lot of people his music causes them and Accasha it causes them to start having dreams and visions of these red-headed twins who are crucial to the story in Queen of the Damned. And so I thought in that moment he would start having visions of them, but no, it's just visions of his own life. But I assume obviously, you know, Maharett and you know the redheaded twins, they are going to become part of this show, right? Like they have to be introduced in this season along with Jesse. They are such a crucial part of Queen of the Damned. And so I am excited to see them become part of the show. Maybe they'll wait until like season two of the vampire list, but I hope we see them in this season. But to talk about the climax of this episode. So after Lat has had this like huge epiphany on stage, shortly thereafter, a girl from the audience jumps up on stage, which by the way was reminding me of when Jesse jumps up on stage and Queen of the Damned. But anyway, so this woman, she jumps up on stage and Lat is not in his normal state of mind because of like what's going on in his head right now. And so he isn't thinking straight and he ends up biting her right there on the stage. However, she'd had drugs in her blood system and so he takes her backstage and she is being revived. Meanwhile, he is now under the influence of these drugs and he ends up seeing her spirit and they talk to each other. But then she does she doesn't die though. So her spirit is returned to her body. But yeah, now Lat is kind of tripping and from here he and the girl go on to some other party and it's a very, you know, LSD, fear and loathing in Las Vegas kind of a scene.

[00:16:15]And as a fan of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I I did like this moment. But at this party when he is under the influence, he is confronted by two vampires who are part of the local coven who follow the old rules. And so they want to kill Leat for breaking rule number four. Never reveal that you are a vampire to a human unless you then kill that human. But I love it cuz Lat's like, "You do know it's 2025. Like why are you still following these archaic rubles? get with the times. And I did think that was funny. And I just love Leat's attitude, right? He's such a great character. Also, I loved his outfit. He's wearing this like corset silk top thing, which was a very cool look. But anyway, so he then ends up fighting with these two and their coven.

[00:17:00]It's multiple vampires. And he isn't at the top of his game due to being under the influence with drugs. And he says he had sex legs because he had just been having sex in the elevator. And so, he's not doing great. But then Daniel, who is a vampire at this point, remember that does happen in Queen of the Damned. We get this whole chapter about Daniel and his relationship with Armand. And in the end of that chapter, Armand turns Daniel into a vampire. Anyway, they show up and they help him defeat these other vampires. But then this all culminates with him biting someone's neck in front of other people, including his bandmates. And his band had not known that he was a legit vampire. They thought it was all just a gimmick. And so from here, he's kind of, you know, he has all these eyes on him and he kind of just freaks out and he just flies out the window and goes to this trashy hotel. And throughout the 2025 timeline, he has been texting someone telling them that he wants to see them and he misses them and needs them. And I, along with many other viewers, I'm sure, thought he was texting Louis, but no. In the end, this person shows up for him in the hotel room and it is Gabriella. Although her name was Gabrielle in the book, but this is his mother whom he turned into a vampire shortly after he himself became one. And in the book The Vampire Latin here in the TV show, the two of them had been vampire lovers for quite some time before parting ways. And obviously, I knew that Gabrielle Gabriella was going to be part of this show and I was excited to see her and her storyline.

[00:18:30]And I'm also excited to get into Lasat's past and just see their whole relationship. But I got to say, I was a little disappointed when it was her and not Louisie because as you may or may not know, depending on what videos of mine you have watched, I just love Louis and Leat together. And so I I just I can't get enough of them, right? And so I was a little bummed we didn't get more of Louis. And you know, season two, that was hard because Leat took a huge step back in season two. And so that was hard because I was like, man, I miss Leat.

[00:19:02]But now in season three already, I'm like, man, I miss Louis. So he is in the vampire list and Queen of the Damned.

[00:19:11]He's not like a major character. But like I said, even though he's a side character, he still has the, you know, he still has an impressive presence due to the connection Lat has to him. like he's such an important person in Lasat's life. And so, yeah. Anyway, I mean, season two of the show did a good job at still having Lasat be present in some way or other. And then obviously in the last episode or two, he's in much more.

[00:19:34]Um, but yeah, I'm I'm just already missing Louis. So, I I will try to just appreciate the show for what it is, though, and not get caught up on Louis not being around as much as I would like. But then I wanted to note that in the book Louie in interview with the vampire Louis says how vampires don't have sex and basically drinking blood is their version of sex. Whereas I mean in the TV show seasons one we see that that's not true and sex is part of the story. And then here in this movie we also see Lat having actual sex and he talks about how it's like the fourth greatest pleasure a vampire can experience. So it's not in the top three even but it is something they are capable of. But yeah, in the books this was not the case. And they would kiss, but yeah, actual sex wasn't necessarily something they did in, you know, in the living human sense. But yeah, I say that because in the book he talks about being lovers with Gabrielle once she becomes a vampire because once she turns, their relationship, like their dynamic is very different at that point and they don't really have that mother son dynamic anymore. And so then, you know, they become lovers. And I guess I I bring it up because in the book, I guess I was like, "Wow, that's weird." But I justified it by being like, "Well, they're not having like living human sex, so at least it's not the same thing." But here in the TV show, that's not the case, right? Because they do actually have normal sex, and that is going to be what happens between the Stat and Gabrielle. But I did kind of like in his narration. So, first of all, because his narration, he is addressing whoever bought the recording. So he knows he's going to auction this for a lot of money. And so it's funny cuz he starts out being like, "Wow, you could have spent those millions on like helping those in need and yet instead you chose to spend it on this record collection or you know this music whatever thing he's auctioning off." And so he's like, "Wow, I like you already."

[00:21:27]And so he is addressing a very specific type of person who he knows will end up buying this and spending millions on it.

[00:21:36]And so in the end here, he says something like, you know, I'm sure you enjoy a little dirt in your sandwich because we're going to get into some dirty stuff, which kind of has that gothic vibe to it as well, right?

[00:21:48]Because gothic stories tend to have kind of um salacious things going on, right?

[00:21:54]And that's part of the genre. So anyway, that's what that was reminding me of, I guess. But then I want to talk about some details in regards to the books.

[00:22:03]And so this part right here is where I will say potential spoilers for what could happen in the show because I'm going to talk about events that happen in the two books. So if you do not want anything in the show spoiled, click out now. But the girl who jumps on stage to be with Leat, who he then bites and then she's partying with him after the fact, her name is Baby Jinx. Baby Jinx. Baby Jinx. And she was in the book. We get a whole section from her perspective at the start of Queen of the Damned. And she is a relatively young vampire who is part of this local coven, but like I loved her section, but we quickly don't hear much from her again because she dies in the end of her chapter because Accasha when she awakens, she is killing vampires left and right. And so baby Jinx is one of the ones who dies.

[00:22:51]However, Lestat later on in Queen of the Damned, he does he talks about her like he does see her ghost. And so that scene in the show where he's talking to her spirit before she then returns to her body almost seemed to be referring to that. But the fact that she is a living human here in the show I like. And again she was such a great character in the brief section we got with her and so I do hope they expand her as well. But in the show like I said we have been getting hints to Lasat being to blame in part for something catastrophic happening that leads to a lot of deaths.

[00:23:23]And so I am assuming that Accasha she will begin to actually implement her plan to get rid of the majority of men on earth because in the book when she awakens that is her plan. She she's killing a lot of vampires but the vampires she's keeping alive she tells them like we need to kill the majority of the men and for every 100 women we will only have one man and therefore the world will be a better place because men are the root of all of our problems. And so like in the book, this never actually comes to play because Accasha is killed before she can even begin to implement this plan. And so I am very curious to see where the show is going to take this plotline and how far they will take it, right? Kind of like how they are expanding the Rockstar element, which I love. I'm so happy to see more of that.

[00:24:10]And so I assume they will also be expanding this as well. And so I am just so curious and excited. And Accasha, she is such a fantastic character and so I cannot wait to see her show up and uh just that's the positive thing cuz sometimes reading a book beforehand it can spoil things for you, right? Cuz you already know what's coming and yet at the same time because you know what's coming it gives me even more excitement, right? Cuz there's certain thing things I'm so excited to see. Even if the show makes changes to it, like that's fine. I know some of these core aspects will be the same. And so having read the book, sure it's a spoiler, and yet it also just feeds the anticipation and excitement all the more. So that's the plus side to reading a book before watching the movie or show, right? But also, one other thing I wanted to mention real quick is how in the book, Lestat becomes a rock star in the 80s.

[00:25:01]Even Queen of the Damned, Lestat is a rock star in the early 2000s. And in the 2000s, early 2000s, you know, that type of rock music was very popular. And in the 80s, rock music was very popular.

[00:25:14]And so they even address here how this is 2025 and rock music is not the popular genre anymore. And so the fact that Lestat is choosing to be a rock star when that's not the hot thing, I don't know. I kind of like that aspect as well. He's almost like resurrecting this genre of music that has kind of died. Uh but yeah, I guess that wraps it up for episode one of the vampire list.

[00:25:37]I think that's about all I had to say for now. I am very excited for the upcoming episodes. My next video will be for episodes two and three. And that video will probably be up on the 24th. I have a busy couple of weeks coming. I am moving on the 22nd, but it is a local move. So, I think I should be ready to film on the 23rd and then I'll get the video up by the 24th. But yeah, I am very excited. And uh let me know your thoughts. How are you liking the show?

[00:26:06]Uh, based on Reddit, I was kind of glancing at the interview with the vampire Reddit thread, and it seems like there are some mixed opinions on this first episode. So, I would love to hear what you think. And, uh, yeah, I will see you again in a couple weeks to talk about episodes two and three. By the way, I put some um, you know, shiny sparkle stuff on my face because in the show list at different points, he has, you know, shiny shimmery stuff on his face, but I feel like I put it on kind of weird. So, I hope that wasn't distracting throughout this video. But anyway, thank you so much for watching.

[00:26:38]Don't forget to like and subscribe. And even though my next list video isn't for two weeks, I do have multiple videos for Interview with the Vampire, Queen of the Damned, and a lot of vampire content in general. So, check those out if you have not already, and I will see you next time. Bye.