#tvl speculation

I do not see Armand as out of character or portrayed as a villain in the finale even if his actions are cruel and extreme. I think his reaction/actions are a direct result of what happened in the 70s as seen in 2x05 taken to the most monstrous conclusion. Everyone always asks how Louis and Armand could stay together after what was said, well, this is the consequence of that. 50 more years of resentment and contempt compounding and twisting to hate. Armand does or at least did love Louis until he realized that love would never be returned the way he wanted it to be. It may seem silly but Armand basically wants Louis to apologize for not loving him; it really hurt him on a very deep level that Louis couldn’t love him.

I also think that some viewers really ignore that Louis can be very cruel and he IS cruel to Armand for a long time. We see it constantly in the first two seasons. The way he baits him, dismisses his past and pain, refuses to allow Armand to redeem himself for Paris while still letting him clean up his messes, cheating on him. I know many will disagree but I have always found the scene in 2x06 to be disgusting on Louis’ part, not hot. He straight up treats Armand like he is nothing more than a sex object in front of his coven. He presses him for sex in a demeaning manner after Armand has already said not right now—as a former sex slave he is never going to turn Louis down twice. He isn’t. Not when he is desperate for his love. You can see how performative he becomes. People need to understand that Louis is not blameless in how Armand feels now. He was cruel to him. That is a fact. It doesn’t make his actions right or absolve him of his own crimes and sins, but Louis being cruel to him is a fact.

Moreover, in the 3 years since their companionship ended, all this past history, has festered inside Armand. He is at his lowest, his most miserable. He doesn’t trust anyone to have a honest conversation with him without hurting him more (Lestat) or hurt themselves (Louis in the 70s when he tried to kill himself after they fought and said awful things to each other). Louis being headless and immobile allows Armand a sense of control in how all this goes down. Again, cruel and wrong of him to do, but we have already seen how these situations have played out before.

A couple of thoughts on posts claiming this scene was racist or torture porn. I do not see either. Louis is also a serial killer. If he can dish out gratuitous pain and death to humans, then he can be without his head for a few hours. It should be obvious to everyone that Louis was never going to die and that Armand never would let him die. That is why Fareed was there from the start monitoring his vitals. Yes, Armand applies psychological pressure on him and it is horrible, but I feel much worse for Regina, who is the actual victim in the scheme.

A couple things in the sequence between Louis and Armand that demonstrated that they both have humanity left despite their many years as monsters. 1) Louis’ apology. In this intense and deranged situation, he finds it in his heart to fully feel love and compassion for Arun (and I think Armand too) for the first time, to see that he is traumatized and broken but also acknowledge that he has goodness in him and he is deserving of true love. To me these moments are what turns the tide and returns Armand to his senses. You can see that the acknowledgment does bring him relief and momentary peace. 2) Armand immediately lets Regina go. I love how he immediately releases her and heals her arm. I love how he crouches down next to her to do it. He has regained his humanity. Yes, he threatens her not to talk but it is without any real bite.

Regarding DM and Daniel. What can I say. I’m sad there wasn’t a scene between them but I do not think Armand wanted Daniel there to witness this. This was between him and Louis and very personal. I also think he is very hesitant to show this side of himself again to Daniel, especially since they have just gotten back together again. Even in season 2 he adamantly did not want to show his “shame” to Daniel. He cares about how Daniel see him. So far this season he has presented himself as a guardian angel of sorts.

To me this entire sequence was ultimately meant to resolve the resentment between Louis and Armand (in a horror show way) and set them up for a new more trusting relationship down the road. Not romantic, but meaningful. They are clearly on good terms at the start of season 3 at the auction. It is also setting Armand up for a healing journey in season 4 and beyond. That healing will clearly include Daniel and their romance now and possibly in the past (it’s in the past too!).

besides the whole scene just retconning any information we knew about her (especially her saying she lied abt the threat from lestat??)

I think its very important that Claudias "spirit" DID NOT RECOGNIZE THEM she called Lestat "Daddy Lou" and i dont think that was random it was put in very intentionally. Im not sure who was tricking them, but someone was.