Lestat is my favorite character.
Preface: I am not excusing what he did to Louis. It was 100% abusive and his attempt to love bomb him with gifts was wrong.
If any of you have been in an abusive relationship
(hopefully you haven’t, I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy)
Lestat snapping after giving his love and devotion to Louis to only be met with detachment and silence is hurtful and abusive itself. It’s a level of stonewalling and exhausts all effort from the other partner.
Seeing Lestats side of the fight from season 1 episode 6 in season 2 episode 6. I can resonate with Lestat.
Unfortunately I’ve been in a similar situation to Lestat with my own version of Louis.
I put so much into that relationship, I was the shoulder to cry on, the one to ease emotions and build them up just for them to pick something/someone else and throw the blame onto me.
Blaming me for not doing enough, when they shut all of my attempts down… years of trying, years of taking the silence and passive aggression… years of taking the snide remarks. Years of dropping everything for them because I wanted nothing more for them to get better and being patient with their inner turmoil hoping they see the light. Staying committed to them.
I’ve taken the verbal abuse of being told I was nothing, they took pleasuring in hitting me, spitting on me, saying the most vile things to me… me having to hold back, not wanting to stoop to their level.
It became too much. They beat me down with their words and their hands when all I ever wanted to do was love them and be loved in return. To see the joy they had destroying me… then I snapped….
Im not proud of it. Im not defending it.
But, I do… deeply… understand it. I understand Lestat.
To be abandoned and ridiculed your entire life and wanting to be loved. Wanting to love, only for it to be thrown in your face.
I love all of the characters in IWTV because they show the complexity of being a beast (human).
Lestat was and is the only one who is honest up front when it comes to their mistakes…
I respect Lestat for admitting when he’s wrong, I respect him more for not broadcasting his good deeds because, that’s when it becomes superficial.
It’s a hot take, I know. I’m a deep defender of the complexity of Lestat in the book and in the show. He doesn’t lie, and when he loves, he loves deeply.
