ianthe the first

Assad Zaman as THE VAMPIRE ARMAND

I fully agree, and YET they are still fucking that one up! Because s3!Lestat has never been less complex or likable or interesting to follow! In a season supposedly all about him, he is actively stripped of agency and an actually detailed backstory, both of which were central to the source material. He is given trauma that is fully made up for the show (and in parts just cannibalized from other characters' stories, mostly prominently Armand) as if that inherently balances out the lack of care given to the flashbacks, because trauma=character depth shortcut that you as the audience just cannot argue against, I guess. Flaws and admitting (or denying) fault? That's for suckers, too - clearly, it's an external force as nebulous as Akasha's blood that is truly to blame!

And then there is the cringe memeification of his base speech patterns. Louis is defined by his reflective, lyrical monologues. Lestat, meanwhile, is "serving cunt".