I know there are complicated feelings on Armand’s portrayal this season but I personally really love what they’ve done so far.
They did discuss bringing some of the 18th century stuff into present day and I think they have really made Armand feel like that presence Lestat could sense in the book, except he’s that for us as the audience.
And I feel like he’s been brought up constantly. Every single episode he’s been there in some capacity. Lestat mentions him to Sam during the recording. Muse!Nicki says they slept together over 400 times in one episode and implies Lestat loved Armand more than him in another. Lestat made sure we know he mentioned him to Marius and that Marius insulted him. Lestat invited him to the pretend Akasha dinner party despite claiming to hate him. He put him in charge of music and then berated him when he (a loaf of bread) failed at the task. Lestat needed us to know about Armand’s past with Daniel. The diss track. The show. Salamander talking about him in the book. Armand is everywhere.
He’s been so present without being present and I think there’s so much power in Armand’s character in that way. He is, on every level, haunting. A vampire who should never have been made and knows how cursed he is, yet has outlived so many younger than him.
I’ve seen this sentiment echoed by other people, but Lesmand is going somewhere. Not that they’re getting back together, but Lestat loves him so much despite finding him so bothersome. He will not stop talking about him. And he’s angry right now, because this is someone he loves and pretends not to and he can never get past what was done to Claudia. He understands Armand on such an intimate level and that might even be worse than not being able to. The eternal love and the hate should contradict each other, and they do, but they also both persist. Lestat is Armand in so many ways but Claudia is still gone. Armand haunts him and he’s not even dead.
