The Vampire Lestat Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Detroit
This is Lestat’s era now, and it’s going to be a wild ride. The Vampire Lestat Season 1 Episode 1, “Detroit,” wastes no time in setting an entirely different tone for what’s to come. The opening theme song itself — and there is a full one — is sung by Lestat. It’s energetic and voyeuristic, featuring him in his rock star persona.
This is a shift from Interview with the Vampire, and while in some ways it works well to think of it as Interview with the Vampire Season 3, the transformation is important. There are clear differences in the way this story is being told as it picks up with the next novel in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles.
The tone is wildly different from those first two seasons of Interview with the Vampire. The Vampire Lestat is boisterous and unapologetic.
Lestat is our narrator now, and we’re hearing the story from his point of view. That includes his reaction to Daniel Malloy’s novel, which he insists is full of lies. He also notes inconsistencies with how he’s described, which is a clever way to explain small differences the audience sees, such as a change in Lestat’s hair length.
Lestat’s narration is markedly different from Louis’s, as it should be. Louis’s narration was nostalgic and poetic — almost melodic. Lestat’s narration is confident, snarky, and occasionally erratic.
Fittingly, Lestat’s story is bawdier and more vulgar. Lestat describes things Louis left out altogether, including how a vampire pees. The approach embodies his character perfectly.
“Detroit” opens with a secret auction, where bidders have gathered in hopes of gaining access to Lestat’s albums and recordings. While there is spectacle in this itself — one box burned on site — one lucky bidder gains access to his entire story. This is where the narration begins.
Within that narration, Lestat describes his time as a rock star — now in the year 2025, which is, of course, an update from the novel. During that time, he was also filming a documentary with none other than Daniel Malloy. The documentary offers opportunities for additional flashbacks and plenty of chaotic twists and turns.
It’s brilliant, really. Not only does it offer a chance for some excellent banter between Lestat and Daniel Malloy, who is a vampire now, but it also allows the audience to see Lestat through a different lens.
This is not just Lestat telling the story as he remembers it; it’s also how the documentary sees him. At one point, Daniel asks Lestat, “Why music? Why now?” and Lestat responds, “We’re doing a rewrite.” He also adds, “The songs are my story. Your documentary: the liner notes.”
Much like Louis was doing a retelling in the two seasons of Interview with the Vampire, rethinking and reconsidering his memories of the events in the process, the same is happening here. That theme of memory and how it can change what we see as truth is a common thread that connects these two series beautifully.
Louis is still very much a part of the story in The Vampire Lestat. During a flashback, it’s made clear that Lestat and Louis are still in touch — via FaceTime, which is a nice detail — and that there is still a love between them.
Louis is also present at that auction that opens the episode, as is Armand. Every detail is connected.
The real draw here, and the thing everyone has likely been most excited for, is seeing Lestat’s rock star persona. And my friends, it couldn’t be more fantastic.
Sam Reid’s performance as Lestat the rock star is absolutely captivating. Reid already embodied Lestat perfectly, but this version of him allows Reid to shine even further. He commands the stage with raw energy while keeping the nuance of his vampire nature and deep emotions.
The original songs written for the series add an extra layer to the story and the production that takes it to the next level. And those songs are very important — they aren’t just there to show Lestat on stage. They’re part of the storytelling itself.
Of course, Lestat’s presence on stage does pose a problem for other vampires. While the schtick is that he’s “pretending” to be a vampire while on stage with his band named ‘The Vampire Lestat,’ other vampires see it as too risky. The law among vampires, after all, is that they can’t reveal themselves to humans and let the humans live.
It stops being as much of a schtick and becomes more overt, though, when Lestat has an almost spiritual moment on stage. He describes the music as wrapping itself around him “like a jungle snake constricting its prey,” with muses then appearing in his mind.
He sees a vision of Louis in the crowd, then a montage — flashes of his past, of moments that made him who he is now. This is followed by the band’s best performance yet, and an impulsive decision to feed on an adoring fan, right in front of everyone on stage.
The fan, Baby Jenks, is later revived backstage and is thrilled to be a part of the documentary. She also becomes part of a threesome with Lestat in an elevator, and is the reason Lestat becomes high as a kite — her blood was full of drugs.
These events put Lestat at a disadvantage when he’s forced to deal with “The Fang Gang,” a vampire coven in Detroit that’s been concerned about his presence.
He’s still powerful when they attack him, and had it not been for his vulnerable state, he might have been able to handle them on his own. In this case, he’s lucky enough to be saved by someone else, and it’s one of the highlights of the episode.
Joined by a familiar face from Théâtre des Vampires, Daniel Malloy comes to Lestat’s rescue in all of his powerful, vampiric glory. It’s a wildly satisfying moment, especially considering how we came to know the older version of Daniel during Interview with the Vampire.
Proving that the series premiere is putting everything on the table, the episode doesn’t end there. Instead, it introduces the highly anticipated character of Gabrielle/Gabriella.
Rather than making the audience wait to see how the series will handle Lestat’s complicated relationship with his mother, it establishes immediately that this adaptation won’t shy away from the taboo aspects of that dynamic.
It’s Gabriella who Lestat has been texting with all throughout the episode. They kiss, and he describes her as “fledgling, lover, mother.”
The Vampire Lestat really is going for it. As an adaptation, the series continues to have the right balance of staying true to the heart of the story while making changes that weave everything together with a fresh take for a modern audience. It is incredibly entertaining to watch.
What did you think of this episode of The Vampire Lestat Season 1 Episode 1? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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The Vampire Lestat airs Sundays on AMC/AMC+.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.