![Interview with the Vampire: Ep. 4, The Ruthless Pursuit of Blood with All a Child’s Demanding [RECAP/REVIEW]](https://thathashtagshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IWTV_103_AB_0225_0233_RT-1280x640.jpg)
This week’s Interview with the Vampire opens on a sunrise with Daniel on the phone with someone. He refuses to tell them anything about where he’s been or what he’s doing other than writing a book. Louis’s assistant, Rashid, lets Daniel know that he will have a doctor in Dubai do his transfusion and that Louis will be resting today.
However, Daniel is given access to archives for him to go through on his own and gain more perspective. While in what I’m calling the library, Daniel sees multiple journals ranging from Paris years 1949 – 1991, discussing POW blood tasting bitter and sickening to drink. Then, he finds a journal with a bow – Claudia’s journal.
CLAUDIA
This week’s episode is told through Claudia’s eyes. She talks about being in the fire and when the “Black Angel” came and saved her and how the “White Angel” and the Black Angel were fighting. We see a muffled Louis begging for Lestat to change her in order to save her. Lestat gives in and turns Claudia.
In this series, Claudia is 14 and full of questions. Just like Louis, Lestat can’t hear Claudia, but Louis can. If you’re familiar with Anne Rice’s vampire lore, this is because he’s her maker. Of course, Lestat doesn’t love this. However, their vampire family is born.
Lestat and Louis take Claudia on her first kill, driving her through the bayou to kill a drunk. But just like any tween, she doesn’t listen, running off to find her own prey. In order to bait her choice, she sings to him and kills him. However, her kill isn’t just a rando on the street, but a police officer. This is a huge no-no because it can bring them unwanted attention. We see Louis lecturing her on her actions, but she’s not really listening. Claudia is still hungry. We learn that she will have a tween’s metabolism forever. So, she’s always hungry and constantly killing people.
Similarly to the book version, the Interview with the Vampire series Claudia is constantly pushing boundaries and is full of energy. Their family dynamic is hilarious with this controversial aging up. Louis and Lestat have a tween. In order to hide their arguments, Louis and Lestat fight in french in front of her. They each have their own names from her, Daddy Lou and Uncle Les. Claudia even gets her own coffin after some time – originally she would sleep with Louis. She even knows her dads are “different.” She sees them sneaking into each others coffins and secretly holding hands.
Even on a trip to the swamp, Louis and Claudia discuss his and Lestat’s relationship and sexuality. They discuss the different ways to kill – quick and painless or extravagant. Louis even confesses that what happened to her home was because of one of his extravagant kills.
BACK TO DANIEL
Daniel likes Claudia – even though she’s a killing machine. After finishing the first journal, he has an odd interaction with Rashid before going back and updating his notes. Then, he moves onto the next journal which is covered in flowers.
1923 – Date with Charlie
Claudia now has her own room and it’s her birthday! Lestat gives her a stunning necklace. Claudia continues to wonders when will she grow up. Of course, Louis and Lestat deflect. After a fun night at the movies seeing Nosferatu, Louis gets a call that his mother has died. Louis takes Claudia to the wake where she meets Grace and Levy. They obviously have opinions about Louis and Lestat having a child. Grace also wants to talk to Louis about the house. She wants to buy it from him and Louis agrees.
Claudia admits that Louis is her favorite, but she and Lestat have a lot more in common. One night, when teaching her how to drive, he takes her to lovers lane to hunt, saying that no blood is sweeter. While lying in wait, Claudia watches a couple having sex before going after the man. Lestat take the woman. Of course Louis fights with Lestat over their actions of the night.
At this point, Claudia is now 18, and while she doesn’t look it, she wants to be more grown. So, she starts dressing older. When shes out on the street she over hears some girls making fun of her. Before she could attack them, she’s interrupted by a horse getting startled and a young man – Charlie. Claudia…has her first crush.
Every night at 9pm she stands on her balcony to watch Charlie drive by. One night he throws flowers from the carriage for her with a note – in case you’re feeling faint again. They go on a date and grab milkshakes. Charlie doesn’t believe that she’s 18, but convinces him with a story about a shop that closed. Claudia wants to have sex, but Charlie doesn’t. So, instead she drinks from him, accidentally killing him.
In a panic Claudia brings Charlie home to her fathers, hoping they can save him like they saved her, but they can’t help him because he’s already dead. Lestat is callous in this moment showing zero empathy, forcing her to burn him herself and watch. This way she will remember this moment forever as a lesson to not get close to mortals.
BACK TO DANIEL AND LOUIS
Daniel asks the question we are all thinking. Where were all these diaries in 1973? Louis answered, “Scattered in New Orleans and Paris”. Daniel calls bullshit and Louis confesses. Claudia was everything to Louis. He loved her unconditionally. Throughout all the noise and chaos she was the silence. Louis read these diaries learning every moment he failed her. So, he wasn’t comfortable sharing them with him then.
1923 – Date with Charlie; this brought in one of the darkest eras of their lives. The fabric of their household was broken. Louis finally admits that Claudia was a bandaid for their shitty marriage. Claudia is now angrier than ever as she ages in years, but her body doesn’t. She constantly contemplates death. At one point even wanting to burn herself with the sun in order to feel something.
Interview with the Vampire – The Ruthless Pursuit of Blood with all a Child’s Demanding REVIEW
I’m not going to lie, this episode was a tough one for me to swallow. Of all the changes to make, Claudia’s origin wasn’t one I was expecting. One of my favorite moments in the book and film is when Lestat shows his blatant disregard for humans by dancing with Claudia’s mother’s corpse. When I asked Sam Reid if this moment would be in the series, he told me no. Disappointed is an understatement. However, I was curious what they would do.
Bailey Bass as Claudia took me a long time to warm up too. I realize it has zero to do with her acting, but everything to do with the age she is portraying. As a 14 year old girl the energy, the angst, the everything is at an all-time high, and having the entire episode be from her perspective was a lot, to say the least. That being said, as she ages and settles down I can appreciate the arc she was given over this episode.
While I know there is a lot of anger about the aging up, I’m fine with it. It would be impossible to find a 5 year old that could play an adult. Then, depending on how long they’re going to have Claudia in the series, we need someone who can look the same age for a couple of years. Casting a 10 year old, like the film did with Kirsten Dunst, wouldn’t work either. Kids age quickly and drastically. So, going with someone who’s already gone through puberty, but looks younger was the right way to go.
In 2012, Ashley Marie Witter release a graphic novel adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire that tells the story from Claudia’s perspective. Personally, I love that the series chose to do this. It’s something the film never did and I think it adds a level of character development we need for a televisions series.
As we continue to watch Louis and Lestat unravel, you can feel the tension brewing between the two. However, I love watching their weird family dynamic. I also appreciate Daniel is continuing to call bullshit on Louis major changes. This way the writers have to explain themselves to viewers on why they’re choosing to divert from the source material. While the Claudia origin change isn’t my favorite, I accept it and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Watch new episodes of Interview with the Vampire on AMC, or stream them on AMC+.
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