The interview is over, but the aftermath is just beginning. “And That’s The End of It. There’s Nothing Else” was a fitting finale for an emotional and tension-filled season of AMC’s Interview with the Vampire. Louis concluded his interview with Daniel for the final time; he recounted everything from his origin to the final days with Claudia by his side. But the journey during Season 2 exposed the many hidden truths hiding under the surface — the secrets we didn’t realize would cut so deep. Unfortunately for Louis, the end of the interview didn’t mark the end of his terrible journey.
The curtain closes with flames
“And That’s The End of It. There’s Nothing Else” was a strong connecting bridge for Louis’ story after the death of Claudia and Madeleine. The writing perfectly captured his heartbreak and madness after such a terrible event. He didn’t shy away from what he had become. I loved the build-up of Louis’ madness —how he transitioned from a deranged animal to a cold sadistic killer. His movements in the church while mapping out his plan of attack showed just how much the rage inside of him was clouding everything.
Louis’ attack on the Théâtre des Vampires troupe was satisfying from a story perspective. However, the scenes itself were underwhelming. Seriously, that was it?! With all the build-up of his plan and madness, I expected more to come from it. Louis’ revenge on the vampires who brutally murdered Claudia was barely anything more than a voiceover and setting up the fire. Sure, he made bigger moves on Santiago and two other vampires, but anyone would’ve expected there to be a bigger fight at hand. Why not show more footage of Louis chopping down some of the vampires? A few vampires on fire? It’s a rushed sequence not quite worthy of the group’s powerful presence throughout the season.
Even Santiago’s death felt like a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment. Louis teasing and tormenting Santiago was deliciously fun because it gave Louis the power that he had been lacking. Santiago thought he was this big and powerful maestro, especially after murdering Claudia and Madeleine, but he was still just an egotistical performer. I loved how Louis read him to filth and exposed the truth of Santiago’s past; it was a perfect balance to Santiago tormenting the truth of Louis and Claudia’s past. And it added to the build-up of the rage between them. Unfortunately, the death arrived too quickly. The scene would’ve benefited from a little more fun and tension, especially since these were the Big Bads of the Paris story.
The real villain of the story
The big twists of “And That’s The End of It. There’s Nothing Else” can be summed up as the burdens of the past inflicting pain in the present. The first one is the truth of Armand directing the death of Claudia and Madeleine. Did anyone see this twist coming? We theorized a few episodes back how controlling Armand was for erasing Louis’ and Daniel’s minds after the San Francisco interview. He gave off creeper vibes and was hiding something from his story. And throughout the interview, after Armand revealed his identity, Daniel kept picking up on something untrustworthy about him. At least now he can say his intuition was right on the money! Armand wanted to protect his skin and free himself of the burden.
The same goes for the reveal of it being Lestat who saved Louis during the trial, not Armand. This one move goes against the entire story that Louis (and us viewers) were led to believe about what happened in Paris. Armand is no hero; he’s not the caring individual who has loved Louis all this time and fought to protect him. In reality, Armand is the opportunist who seized the chance to get what he wanted with little blowback, and he’s been controlling the story ever since.
Louis did the right thing by fighting back and leaving Armand. There’s no telling what other memories Armand removed from Louis’ mind to keep this story. Plus, he knew exactly how much Claudia meant to Louis. His directing of the play that caused it all essentially puts the burden on him; he could’ve easily stopped it but didn’t. I loved how Daniel easily connected the pieces and dropped the truth of Armand’s treachery. It was a masterclass in investigative journalism and a petty move that he was waiting to dish out against someone he didn’t like.
The pain of the past
Unfortunately, Daniel was turned into a vampire. Sure, he’s a super successful book author now after publishing the interview, but he paid a huge price for it. Plus, he’s the first vampire that Armand ever turned, that is if we believe his story of never turning anyone. Armand got his “revenge” on Daniel, but let’s not forget that it’s all due to Armand’s lies and scheming. Hopefully, Armand will get what is coming to him.
On the other hand, Lestat got a little bit of redemption for his villainy. The combination of him being the one who saved Louis AND his feeling remorse over Claudia’s death gave him some humanity. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still the toxic vampire who caused a lot of pain these last two seasons; that part will never be forgotten. We can all just acknowledge that his reunion with Louis in New Orleans was both touching and heartwarming. And his sadness over the loss of Claudia was needed. I don’t think Louis and Lestat should get back together, but there is some healing in their history for now.
Like it was mentioned above, “And That’s The End of It. There’s Nothing Else” gave us a fitting end to the events of the interview in Dubai. The story of Paris was wrapped up nicely, and several huge truths were exposed that shocked us. However, the climaxes didn’t achieve their full heights based on all the work that had gotten us there. “And That’s The End of It. There’s Nothing Else” could’ve been so explosive for Interview with the Vampire, but it was pretty evenly balanced and tame in comparison. We got the twists, but none of the action to go with the fire. A satisfying finale that left us wanting more.
Interview with the Vampire season 2 is available to stream now on AMC+.
Images courtesy of Larry Horricks/AMC
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Interview with the Vampire Season 2 finale: "And That's the End of It. There's Nothing Else" - 7/10
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Justin is a fun-loving geek living in downtown Toronto, Canada. He’s an avid TV buff, movie fan, and gamer. He’s written for publications like Entertainment Weekly’s The Community, Virgin, TV Fanatic, FANDOM, The Young Folks, and his blog, City Boy Geekiness.
