Why Daniel Molloy is my fave IWTV/TVL character
This has also been posted as a response to the question what people see in Daniel and why they like his character. I still wanted to turn this into a post of its own.
One reason I love Daniel is that he is, in my humble opinion, the most self-aware character on the show (out of Louis, Lestat, Claudia and Armand). He has done bad things and he knows that he did. There's no pretense about it.
The other characters have also done bad things (and I'm of the opinion that they are all, Daniel included, equally bad in their own ways, there's no ranking necessary), but they are less or not at all honest to themselves about it. The moral complexity this can bring forth is deeply compelling to me, such as when Louis is confessing his sins at church. It's one of his most introspective moments, and it clearly shows the viewers that he is aware of how his actions, like being "the good pimp", are not so much about actual goodness of his heart but more of a way for him to mollify his guilty conscience. I'm not saying Louis isn't capable of honest goodness, but rather that the matter is more complex than that in his mind. He is a man with a moral code that he idealizes but (willfully) fails to uphold, thus making him a very conflicted person.
INTERLUDE: I love Louis as a character for the reason mentioned above, but I do not enjoy how the show goes on to depict his moral failings as less of the falings that they were. He is not just a victim of Lestat and Armand, and even Claudia. He is also capable of being volatile, manipulative and deceitful. And the show does show this. Just not in a way that feels committed to truly showing this complexity. END OF INTERLUDE
With Daniel, there is no such conflict. At least not a noticable one. His code is all about the truth, finding it and telling it, no matter how uncomfortable it makes him or his interview subjects. Throughout the show, Daniel is on a never ending quest for the (objective) truth. He is aware that even when he is being told someone's truth, it is still filtered through their perception of events, yet he is still looking for what truly, objectively happened.
On a show full of liars and manipulators, he is the one in search for the truth. He doesn't care how upsetting or terrible that truth may be, but he wants to dig up as much if it as possible (and no means are too deplorable for him).
As renowned investigative journalist, exposing the (ugly) truth is literally his job. And that is what he did in Dubai and what he does with Lestat. The truth is his obsession, his drug. And he derives value from it too. His whole sense of worth comes from feeling he did a good job. Louis' words made sure of it.
Also, he is the underdog of the show, and I love me a good underdog character. He is constantly belittled, toyed with and has his efforts to do his job thwarted by both Louis and Lestat (who knowingly and willingly hired an esteemed investigative journalist for their own needs and underestimated him to the point of being surprised when he actually proved good at his job). On that note, Armand seemed to be the only one who considered Daniel's professional skills as a threat to his relationship with Louis. He was the only one who didn't underestimate him.
Lastly, I want to note that I do not dislike Louis or Lestat or Armand or Claudia. But Daniel is my favourite for his unwavering search for the truth in a sea of lies (and the liars who tell them) and how despite being the underdog, he never just rolls over and gives in to people who just won't stop seeing and treating him as lesser than.
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