Things that I enjoy

i like camp. i like theatricality, melodrama, tonal absurdity, all of it. camp can be incredible when there’s actual good reason behind it and the writing understands exactly what it’s doing.

my problem is that TVL often feels messy and indulgent.

it wants to be everything at once. funny, tragic, sexy, profound, chaotic, self-aware. and instead of those things elevating each other, they often just clash.

and before anyone comes at me to say “but that’s the point, it’s camp,” camp is not an excuse for weak structure or sloppy writing. camp still requires precision. arguably more precision, because if you’re constantly operating at that level of excess, you need control or the whole thing starts collapsing under its own weight and becomes cringe.

bojack horseman is a good example of media balancing absurdity with emotional depth without feeling shallow or dated and it literally came out in 2014 and is packed with satire and references rooted in a very specific cultural moment, and yet it still works in 2026 because the writing underneath is strong. the references enhance the writing. they never become the writing.

that’s where TVL loses me because a lot of its humor and theatricality feels rooted in current online fandom culture. parts of it feels like it's made for viral clips, gifs, memes, tweets. just for anyone that wants to farm content on how iconic a scene is five minutes after it airs and that kind of writing ages fast.

the first two seasons were camp too, it has always been part of this show’s dna but the difference is in s1 and s2 every ridiculous moment had a narrative purpose.

and yes, i know we’re dealing with different narrators now. i understand that louis and lestat are different storytellers so of course the show was always going to feel different from his perspective, i expected that.

“it’s from lestat’s pov” should explain the tonal shift but not justify weak execution.

and i want to be clear, i’m still enjoying the show and i don't want it to be cancelled, i'm leaving high reviews because i love these characters. i love this world and this is still one of my favorite shows.

which is exactly why i’m being critical.

i actually think a lot of the ideas here could work. i understand what the writers are trying to do but the execution, the pacing, the tone, the way scenes are structured and how the emotional beats are landing is terrible.

i know this show can do better and part of my disappointment is coming from high expectations.

i'm not holding tvl to some impossible standards, i’m holding it to the standard the show itself already established in s1 and s2.

and right now, i just don’t think it’s meeting that standard.

the last four episodes have been passable to me and for most shows, passable would be fine but this isn’t just any show to me, this is a show i genuinely love, and i expect more from it because i know what the writers are capable of.

i’m still hopeful the final three episodes pick up.

because i want to love this season the way i loved the first two.

The beautiful young mortals were all lying about in their rainbow-colored silk shirts and skintight dungarees smoking hashish cigarettes and complaining about their rotten luck getting “gigs” in the South.

It wouldn't have made sense for Louis to use expressions such as pussycat orserving cunt in S1 and S2 but are we going to pretend that a flat, no-nothin' ass should have landed as an insult during the flapper years? Of course not, but there will always be concessions to be made in order to comunicate with an audience. Also, were you there when people were making fun of Daniel's telenovela comment in 2x02, or saying the pacing was too fast but nothing happened in the episodes or that Claudeleine story was so glossed over?

Every anti LGBTQ+, every homophobe,transphobe is reeling about how dangerous queer people are for the kids.How they are potential abusers. It's beyond bullshit considering the actual child abuse happens in religious places, homes if you look at the statistics.

Saying Gabriella had no other choice like sitting down and talking to her kid (which Lestat would respect btw) , drawing a line, if not anything going to her own way. Op's take excuses Gabriella's ongoing grooming and sexual abuse.

This is the boy still worships the mother whom couldn't even bothered to look at or protect him from violence happening in front of her, takes care of whole house and village (book canon) mostly bc of/ for her. Because she lives there.

Now we can make so many comments on show's choices, lengths they went from source material. There is clear Oedipus complex tones and even G being vocal about her penis envy.All that aside I think show is very clear that Gabriella is the predator in her relationship w her son. One of the perpetrators that ruins Lestat's sense of self. Him perceiving himself as being sexually desirable core of him, most important part about him to the outside. Parental sexual abuse is ultimately about power. Oh Gabrielle desires power like nothing else! Show leaned into her canonical desire and connected it w Akasha's awakening.

Gabrielle loves having sexual power over her son. She already had every other form of power anyway.She jokes about him making her mama come,come and come. Lestat clearly uncomfortable,squirming.

She gets annoyed when Lestat doesn't want to engage incest sex and immediately crosses the line, by questioning him about his sex life and by drinking from him(which is a form of rape in vampire world) We keep hearing Lestat trying to excuse her but we never hear or watch that he in fact feels sexual desire for Gabriella. He just wants his mother to be by his side and for that he caves in to anything she wants from him. She requires sex from him, she says that she loves her knowing how Lestat needs love and to hear these words. Events happen following Nicki's death, Lestat is the most broken he has ever been. And Gabrielle was disturbed about anyone who she had to share Lestat in some way. Armand,coven,Nicki... Lestat is clearly upset, he cries as Gabriella starts touching, kissing. Lestat gives her what she wants as always, "he does as his mother asks". Even after that Gabriella leaves w/out a goodbye. Still she abandones him whenever she feels like it, whenever Lestat doesn't do as she please. I can add her unannounced departures also included her having the ultimate power over Lestat. You don't bother to say goodbye to someone you see less than you.

One time, one time she sits down and talks to Lestat which again comes down to her desire of power in final stage of it (power of ruling the world), her needing Lestat to do something she wants him to do.Direct connection w the sequence; "Be a man." and her touching Lestat w sexual innuendo for the first time. Lestat desperately pleads, "Why don't you leave, why don't you let me hate you?" That would shatter her power over you Lestat. She is not gonna do that.

There is another side to Gabrielle 's qender fluidness in the source material. I don't read this character as transmasc. It's more results of gender politics she has been forced to suffer. Does Gabrielle wants to be a man? Or she longs for the autonomy, power, freedom men have in the society? This take also alligns w AR's answers to questions about why she positions herself as Lestat or why she wants to be Lestat. It comes down to society giving men free reign while shackling women completely.

I read a brilliant take about AR, Gabrielle and how their idea of being men pretty much equals white supremacist male freedom. Now if I were to bring every single instance AR being her usual -yt supremacist ultimate democrat hilary clinton- self in her books this take would take 50 pages at least.

Back to the character Gabrielle loves being a vampire bc now she has power over men. Literal psychical power she reels from. Shackles society put on her broken. She suggests Lestat that he comes w her so they can "rule" over the savage tribes. Be their Gods. What is this if not definition of colonization? Add AR insisting calling countries like Haiti and Palestine by their occupied,colonized names.

Gabriella being abusive doesn't mean that her actions and character aren't worthy of analysis. She absolutely "resorted to the horrors of incest" and MURDER to sever the ties she had to wifedom and motherhood and her former imprisonment as a woman by literally eliminating and corrupting those relationships.

This isn't the reasonable people sit down and have healthy conversations show. She went to the most extreme ends possible to free herself in the show, and she was willing to hurt Lestat to do it. I absolutely believe she felt the desperation and in her mind needed to resort to these ends. This is very much how many characters in the show behave, and that's what makes it interesting.

I think it's dangerous to talk about abuse like it's somehow separate and isolated from love because that's how abusers can point to love and act like they can't possibly be abusers. And that's how I've seen a lot of talk about Gabriella unfold. Abuse and love can coexist, and I do think that Gabriella loves Lestat, and I think that love disgusts her, while also tying her to him. I think she resents him and loves him and hates him, and all of those things are tied to her abuse of him.

Every anti LGBTQ+, every homophobe,transphobe is reeling about how dangerous queer people are for the kids.How they are potential abusers. It's beyond bullshit considering the actual child abuse happens in religious places, homes if you look at the statistics.

Saying Gabriella had no other choice like sitting down and talking to her kid (which Lestat would respect btw) , drawing a line, if not anything going to her own way. Op's take excuses Gabriella's ongoing grooming and sexual abuse.

This is the boy still worships the mother whom couldn't even bothered to look at or protect him from violence happening in front of her, takes care of whole house and village (book canon) mostly bc of/ for her. Because she lives there.

Now we can make so many comments on show's choices, lengths they went from source material. There is clear Oedipus complex tones and even G being vocal about her penis envy.All that aside I think show is very clear that Gabriella is the predator in her relationship w her son. One of the perpetrators that ruins Lestat's sense of self. Him perceiving himself as being sexually desirable core of him, most important part about him to the outside. Parental sexual abuse is ultimately about power. Oh Gabrielle desires power like nothing else! Show leaned into her canonical desire and connected it w Akasha's awakening.

Gabrielle loves having sexual power over her son. She already had every other form of power anyway.She jokes about him making her mama come,come and come. Lestat clearly uncomfortable,squirming.

She gets annoyed when Lestat doesn't want to engage incest sex and immediately crosses the line, by questioning him about his sex life and by drinking from him(which is a form of rape in vampire world) We keep hearing Lestat trying to excuse her but we never hear or watch that he in fact feels sexual desire for Gabriella. He just wants his mother to be by his side and for that he caves in to anything she wants from him. She requires sex from him, she says that she loves her knowing how Lestat needs love and to hear these words. Events happen following Nicki's death, Lestat is the most broken he has ever been. And Gabrielle was disturbed about anyone who she had to share Lestat in some way. Armand,coven,Nicki... Lestat is clearly upset, he cries as Gabriella starts touching, kissing. Lestat gives her what she wants as always, "he does as his mother asks". Even after that Gabriella leaves w/out a goodbye. Still she abandones him whenever she feels like it, whenever Lestat doesn't do as she please. I can add her unannounced departures also included her having the ultimate power over Lestat. You don't bother to say goodbye to someone you see less than you.

One time, one time she sits down and talks to Lestat which again comes down to her desire of power in final stage of it (power of ruling the world), her needing Lestat to do something she wants him to do.Direct connection w the sequence; "Be a man." and her touching Lestat w sexual innuendo for the first time. Lestat desperately pleads, "Why don't you leave, why don't you let me hate you?" That would shatter her power over you Lestat. She is not gonna do that.

There is another side to Gabrielle 's qender fluidness in the source material. I don't read this character as transmasc. It's more results of gender politics she has been forced to suffer. Does Gabrielle wants to be a man? Or she longs for the autonomy, power, freedom men have in the society? This take also alligns w AR's answers to questions about why she positions herself as Lestat or why she wants to be Lestat. It comes down to society giving men free reign while shackling women completely.

I read a brilliant take about AR, Gabrielle and how their idea of being men pretty much equals white supremacist male freedom. Now if I were to bring every single instance AR being her usual -yt supremacist ultimate democrat hilary clinton- self in her books this take would take 50 pages at least.

Back to the character Gabrielle loves being a vampire bc now she has power over men. Literal psychical power she reels from. Shackles society put on her broken. She suggests Lestat that he comes w her so they can "rule" over the savage tribes. Be their Gods. What is this if not definition of colonization? Add AR insisting calling countries like Haiti and Palestine by their occupied,colonized names.

Gabriella being abusive doesn't mean that her actions and character aren't worthy of analysis. She absolutely "resorted to the horrors of incest" and MURDER to sever the ties she had to wifedom and motherhood and her former imprisonment as a woman by literally eliminating and corrupting those relationships.

This isn't the reasonable people sit down and have healthy conversations show. She went to the most extreme ends possible to free herself in the show, and she was willing to hurt Lestat to do it. I absolutely believe she felt the desperation and in her mind needed to resort to these ends. This is very much how many characters in the show behave, and that's what makes it interesting.

I think it's dangerous to talk about abuse like it's somehow separate and isolated from love because that's how abusers can point to love and act like they can't possibly be abusers. And that's how I've seen a lot of talk about Gabriella unfold. Abuse and love can coexist, and I do think that Gabriella loves Lestat, and I think that love disgusts her, while also tying her to him. I think she resents him and loves him and hates him, and all of those things are tied to her abuse of him.

Agree. Why do you think people target Gabi and Marius specifically? Why do you think Marius has become the designated bad guy forever in the fandom? And I say the fandom and not the show-only fandom because I've seen books fans do it too.

i have a sympathetic answer to some specific kinds of marius hatred as well as a much less sympathetic answer