After a public shooting, the on-stage ventures of the ‘The Vampire Lestat’s’ titular rockstar seem to have neared their end at least for now. Yet, in the aftermath, the vampire hasn’t ceased his pursuit of the musical arts as an expression of his own centuries-long trauma. However, with Gabrielle at the helm now as his mother, manager, and incestuous lover, this melodic affair is starting to somehow get even more toxic than before. Meanwhile, Louis drowns in his own vices as he deals with the grief of losing Claudia. His latest unhealthy coping mechanism involves spending an inordinate amount of time with Regina, a 21st-century splitting image of the vampire’s dead daughter. Lastly, Armand, never one to stay too far behind, continues to scheme something unknowable and dangerous. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Lestat Goes From a Grave to Akasha’s Bedside
In the modern world, Lestat has faked his death in the aftermath of the unexpected public shooting. However, while his fans mourn him, he has locked himself and his band up in a recording studio with the intention of finalizing his next album, which he plans to release posthumously. All of this is in service of his decision to move forward with the spread of his compelling music at the encouragement of his mother, who is a diligent proponent of the Great Conversion. While the band continues to suffer under Lestat’s perfectionism, the vampire shares with the audience his past, namely, his time with The Queen, Akasha. Centuries ago, after Gabrielle left him alone post-Nicky, the vampire buried himself in a grave, ready to wither away in hunger. However, Lestat was fatefully dug up by Marius, the caretaker.
After feeding the vampire, the older man took him to his lair, which is the home to the near-dead, yet alive, corpses of Akasha and her husband. He tells Lestat about The Queen, the first of the vampires, who must be kept alive in his dark and damp cellar. She likes music and, even in her statue-like state, she has specifically chosen Lestat to take over the caretaking duties from Marius. As such, despite his lack of confidence in his own worthiness for such a job, Lestat spends the next few years taking care of Akasha and partially losing his mind in the process. In his care, the old vampire becomes more and more animated until eventually the two end up drinking each other’s blood. While this marks Lestat’s departure from the duty of the caretaker, it also sets him up for an illustrious future.
Regina Becomes Claudia For a Price
Back in the modern world, Louis continues circling the New York diner, where Regina, Claudia’s contemporary doppelganger, works as a waitress. After the latter had learned about the nature of his interest in her, she had agreed to strike up a deal. Half a million dollars for her to play pretend at benign Claudia, allowing the vampire to get swept away by their father-daughter relationship again. This includes dinners and boat rides in the park, during which Regina plays the part of the lost daughter. The concerning absurdity of the situation isn’t lost on Louis, who starts to become torn between fiction and reality. As a result, he inevitably ends up reaching out to the only person who could understand his hurt: Lestat.
Upon meeting, Louis tells Lestat all about Regina, her almost frightening resemblance to Claudia, and their agreement. Even though he knows that his daughter is dead, on some level, he can’t help but wonder if she has indeed come back to him in the form of this New York waitress. Therefore, he wants Lestat to go into the diner and confirm his suspicions. Despite the animosity between the two and the fact that Louis didn’t even reach out to the other after the assassination attempt, Lestat ends up complying. He is just as taken aback by Regina’s familiarity and tries to convince her to disappear from Louis’ life. Yet, the truth remains that it’s he who is circling around her and creating problems for both himself and her. In the end, the vampire lies to his former companion, insisting that Regina looks nothing like their daughter in the hopes that it would convince him to put some distance between them.
Lestat’s Band Seek Immortality and Death
Following his meeting with Regina, Lestat is compelled to pour out his grief over Claudia through music as he sings a ballad that inevitably catches the attention of his producer, the Vampire Sam. Even though his band, made up of humans, isn’t able to see the depth of the song, it’s obvious to the likes of Lestat, Sam, and Gabrielle. As a result, Larry realizes that the frontman wants to pursue a new vision for the band, one that is unfit for their old songs. Moreover, he realizes that there’s no place in this new sound for him and his talents. Thus, he ends up taking his leave. In the aftermath, Lestat explains to the rest of his band that the new approach he’s taking is something they could never understand on account of their humanity.
Upon hearing this, the band’s response is simple. They want to become vampires as well so that they can follow their frontman into immortality, both literal and figurative, as their music will grant them. Whether Lestat takes them up on that offer remains yet to be seen. On the other hand, Larry ends up at the subway station, where his old life catches up to him in the form of an enthusiastic fan who wants to know the future of the tribute band and the rumors of the posthumous album. Shortly afterward, he’s faced with a stranger, the viewer will recognize as the vampire Armand. The latter ends up using his beguiling powers on the guitarist to get him to end his life by jumping in front of the oncoming train. Between this and his link to Alex, Armand’s intentions regarding Lestat’s music get more and more dangerous.
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