from a narrative standpoint, I do think it was a mistake to bring Claudia back in the way they did. I think it was partially done so we could see more Delainey, and she acted the hell out of that scene, but it didn’t work for me and felt too heavy handed.

I was especially bothered by the need to have her explicitly state she intentionally lied to Louis about the train scene. while re-emphasizing that Louis and Lestat have always used and idealized Claudia in a way that stripped her of autonomy, a lot of her monologue felt like it stripped all three characters of the complexity we saw in previous seasons.

my hope is that they are still being cognizant of the fact that this is Lestat’s biased retelling of the story and future seasons will offer clarity on where he isn’t being fully truthful, in the way that has been done with Louis’ version. however, that’s putting a lot of faith into a very long term plan.

it’s a shame because I really enjoyed the loustat of the episode and actually some aspects of the Claudia scene, but overall it doesn’t sit right and neither do Louis and Lestat’s reaction to it.

***EDIT***

I do think there is a bit too much focus on the lestat/gabriella incest for me in the show so far mainly because I don’t feel like we’re learning enough from it to justify the gratuity

I understand that lestat is the main character and the narrator of the story but I think we can understand very early on and from very little how he ended up in this situation and why he continues to romanticize what is clearly abuse

but the show, imo, has done very little to explain gabriella’s intentions. why DOES she keep coming back to him?

the narrative has focused a lot on her repetitive abandonment of him, her callous cruelty towards those he loves, and her condescension and control over him… but the “good times” between them offer little insight into what she gets out of it in a way that portrays her as a little cartoonishly villainous in a way that the male vampires in the show have never been presented

maybe I’m just missing something or not jiving with the performance but I am failing to understand and empathize with gabriella while simultaneously feeling expected to

it’s by no means ruining the show for me and someone committing abuse on such an extreme level doesn’t necessarily deserve my understanding, but on THIS show, with THESE themes and moral complexities, knowing what I’ve heard about the books, it feels a bit like a disservice is being done to the character.