Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Episode 7 Review: I Could Not Prevent It

Most of us knew this was coming. Yet the events of Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Episode 7, “I Could Not Prevent It,” are beautifully haunting and somehow still shocking, even if you’re someone who’s familiar with the source material. 

The way this episode takes its time to focus on every detail and every complicated emotion involved in Lestat’s return and Claudia and Madeleine’s deaths is remarkable.

This is, of course, the advantage of using television to adapt this story because there’s time to relish in every moment. Add to that, being able to consider Anne Rice’s works as a whole adds new layers and new perspective.  

The entire episode centers on this “trial” of Louis, Claudia, and Madeleine after the three of them are kidnapped along with Armand. The first three are put on a stage at the Théâtre Des Vampires while Armand is forced to watch, and Lestat is brought up as a special surprise for the audience.

It’s the voyeurism of the whole thing that makes it so much more cruel. The audience claps and laughs and plays along while Claudia learns devastating details about how she was made, and Louis watches the return of the lover he thought was dead. 

Meanwhile, Lestat tells the story from his point of view in a way that turns just about everything on its head. The way he recalls everything, all the way back to the first time he met Louis, reveals new complexities of details we saw in Season 1. 

Sam Reid’s performance here is stellar. He embodies Lestat naturally, perfectly, and with the right amount of power and tragedy.

His love for Louis is evident, yet everything is nuanced as he tells his story to the audience — pausing, even, to deal with a man making homophobic comments in the back. 

And as Louis recalls everything now, in the present time with Daniel and Armand, he suggests that perhaps, at least in one case, Lestat’s version of the story is the one he ought to go with. It’s amazing how perspective can change after so many years.

Armand’s guilt is obvious both in the present as they tell the story to Daniel and in the past, where he summons every bit of energy he has to help keep Louis alive. He can’t, or won’t, do the same for Claudia.

Even in Claudia’s demise, by the way, she is no victim. She forces herself to stand despite the injuries they’ve all sustained, and she says her piece, making a case for fairness and proving her strength.

And when sentenced to death, she shields Madeleine (who chooses to go down with her) and sings that creepy “Windows” song as she and Madeleine burn in the sunlight. 

The song in itself is one heck of a detail here, too.

Everything about this episode is perfect, and it’s probably the best of the season so far. More than that, I’m in awe of the storytelling and the way Anne Rice’s works are being honored so beautifully as the series continues to unfold.

The upcoming season finale is bound to make me feel the same way.

What did you think of this episode of Interview with the Vampire? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Interview with the Vampire airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.

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