As Interview with The Vampire: Part II — as the second season’s opening title card calls it — heats up, we not only learn more about Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson), but also his powerful lover Armand (Assad Zaman). Pulling from Anne Rice’s broader Vampire Chronicles, showrunner Rolin Jones brings perspectives from her other novels into Episode 10, “No Pain.” And with them, a hint of the tragedy of Lestat’s first love, Nicolas de Lenfent.
Yes, before Louis, before Armand, Lestat (Sam Reid) was all about Nicolas (Joseph Potter). And while episode 10 abandons the poor violinist in the orchestra pit, readers of Rice know where his story really ends.
Who is Lestat’s companion, Nicolas de Lenfent?
As a sequel to the novel Interview with the Vampire, Rice’s The Vampire Lestat gave the oft-bitter backstory of her titular Brat Prince. Before he was a blood-sucking vampire, Lestat was a humble human actor in 18th-century France, besotted with his childhood friend Nicolas de Lenfent. As young men, the two pursued the arts together in Paris, with the former as a theater actor and the latter as a passionate violinist. That is, until Lestat was unceremoniously abducted by the mad vampire Magnus and turned into a creature of the night. Still, Nicolas and Lestat formed a bond as humans so strong that it lived even after the latter was turned undead.
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Armand paints Nicolas as a dalliance for Lestat.
Assad Zaman as Armand in “Interview with the Vampire,” Season 2.
Credit: Larry Horricks / AMC
In “No Pain,” Nicolas is introduced haphazardly in flashback as Armand recounts his own story to human journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian). When the vampire Lestat rolls into Paris, Armand’s centuries-old vampire blood can sense the debonair fledgling. Ruling over a subterranean coven that believes vampires should hide in the shadows and follow strict codes of conduct, Armand is affronted by Lestat’s returning to the stage, a vampire on display.
“No vampire should ever reveal his true nature to a mortal and let that mortal live,” Armand explains to journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian), “And here he was, prancing and preening in front of 500 mortals every night, like some tarted-up dervish.” (Props to Reid, whose Lestat is resplendent as a capering theater performer with more bravado then sense!)
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Watching Lestat frolic for the human crowd, Armand is in awe and enraged: “I had to bring him under my control by any means.” His efforts begin by taunting the prancing vampire through telekinesis, promising the answers about their kind that Lestat’s sire could not offer. When that fails to bring Lestat under control, Armand kidnaps his human lover, as Armand believes their romance is “more heresy.”
A brief scene of Nicolas and Lestat strolling down the late night streets of Paris is all Armand will offer of their relationship. To rescue Nicolas (or Nicki, as Lestat calls him in the book), the brash vampire not only crashes into Armand’s coven’s dank lair, but also disillusions the lot of them. The cult dissolves, and Lestat escapes with a tortured Nicki in his arms. The next TV viewers will see of the violinist is in the orchestra pit of the Théâtre des Vampires, watching helplessly as Lestat seduces Armand — before abandoning them both. (Or at least, that’s what Armand says.)
What happened to Nicolas in the books?
Lestat (Sam Reid) barges into Armand’s lair, carrying a crucifix to rescue Nicolas (Joseph Potter, lower left).
Credit: Larry Horricks / AMC
After the abduction, Nicolas begged to be made a vampire, and Lestat obliged. But Nicki didn’t take well to the dark gift, which overwhelmed him in despair and madness. For a time, he became an admired member of the Théâtre des Vampires, whose undead ensemble dubbed him “Our Divine Violinist.” However, Nicki becomes increasingly indiscreet.
He has public outbursts, and his skills with the violin become so extraordinary that it’s drawing the wrong kind of attention. Hell-bent on keeping humans clueless about the truth of vampires in their midst, Armand cuts off Nicki’s hands to stop him from playing violin. Ultimately, Nicki exits the metaphorical stage by walking willingly into a fire, much like the Romanian vampire at the start of Season 2.
This dark end could explain why Nicolas isn’t present at the theater when Louis and Claudia arrive. Though it’s hard to say if Interview with the Vampire: Part II will reveal his fate directly, or leave it as implied by the mournful eyes cast from the orchestra pit to the looming balcony of betrayal.
How to watch: Interview with the Vampire: Part II airs Sundays on AMC and AMC+.
