My Coven Is Claudia🥹🌹 | Interview With The Vampire 2x7 | Reaction & Commentary

[@FrankFreezy_]

Here's a virtual hug for anyone who needs it to during this episode🫂🧡

[@lenorawilson2326]

Right back at you.

[@2ndround415]

This is why I love your work! So many people choose favourites and fail to see the nuance as the story evolves. Just because you can empathize doesn’t excuse. I stopped judging ppl for this (mostly) because I see that it’s sometimes a reflection of how people who have accepted abuse rationalize it but for the others they can kick rocks. Making these characters multicultural also makes some of see how the racial dynamics play into it and it offers ANOTHER level of complexity to an already deeply complex story which is why this show has be STUCK ❤! I love how the story tellers just give this depth without trying to make us have the same conclusions but I hate how some in the fandom have taken this gift and try to dumb it down. Anyway love your insight and work!

[@mookieluvsyu]

“Man, ain’t nobody care about Antoinette,” is so real 😭 forgot all about her until Santiago read out their charges.

[@FrankFreezy_]

@@mookieluvsyu 😂😂😂

[@cruxivar6026]

​​​@@FrankFreezy_ And each time I bring Antoinette up, I receive not so good comments.😥 I mean she LOVES Lestat than all of them. That's also why Lestat kept her & turned her. Yes he doesn't have that much feelings for her. But he reads her mind that she's very loyal & in it for love. That she wants to be turned to be with him for a long time. She cut a finger for him, lied for him, spied for him, putting her life in danger. She's treated like a rag-doll used, abused, thrown around & discarded endlessly. She cried when Louis & Lestat got together. But she knows her place & know that she'll never be first. Not even 2nd, 3rd. Nothing. But whatever sort of affection Lestat throws her way, she receives whole-heartedly. Like a faithful abused Dog😢 waiting for scraps from her master😢 begging for an ounce, drop of love😭 & I know I'll receive not so good words bc of this. That I'm siding with a villain mistress. I just hope even just one to understand. Antoinette's just in love & is willing to risk it all for Lestat. And she proved that to the END ❤️‍🔥🗡

[@sassysd1232]

Remember his mother called him a devil, so Claudia calling him an angel in his emotional turmoil really affected him.

[@angelaholmes8888]

You are right Louis was so much turmoil over being a vampire he wasn't thinking

[@FrankFreezy_]

Yes. I definitely recognize that and how heavy that way on him. That "she called me an angel" line and his delivery speaks so much to how much he was seeking for some kind of redemption or even a positive view on himself

[@m-zg9iw]

Ooh I didn't connect that that way. That's kinda a parallel to Claudia's "the first man I killed called me the devil"/"the last boy I killed called me an angel". The most father-daughter ever

[@FrankFreezy_]

@@m-zg9iwyessss exactly! Good one

[@cruxivar6026]

Many of us viewers are with you & feeling how you feel during that moment of Claudia & Madeleine passing.😢 NO words. No words could ever lighten this! Many of us are crying😭😭😭

[@fallingawayfromthenorm]

I’d forgotten some of the details of the 1994 film but one thing I never forgot was Claudia’s death, and it was a moment I was dreading the entirety of season 2. It still breaks my heart, she deserved so much better. Madeline saying her coven is Claudia and choosing death with her over eternal life without her makes me tear up every time.

[@marianavase8805]

Madeleine has also had the opportunity to redeem herself. She was considered a traitor to her country, but deep down she is a loyal person, she has been loyal to Claudia until the end.

[@FrankFreezy_]

"Choosing death with her over eternal life without her" ahh my heart😭😭

[@markwood6056]

Well it's both heartbreaking and beautiful. For Claudia its the one time in her vampire life where she new she came first.

[@Lovelyivy84]

I love the way the show changed Madeleine. If there is salvation for Claudia as a character, it’s that after a lifetime of being ignored or betrayed, she found someone who fully chose her. I’m so grateful that the writers gave us that. Otherwise it’s too heartbreaking.

[@DaysieRose]

Also I love the difference from the movie, where Madeline was shielding/protecting Claudia. Here Claudia is holding Madeline 💔

[@FrankFreezy_]

Shout out to all of you who always understand and recognize that this is my FIRST time watching these scenes. I don't have the luxury of watching the whole show multiple times, watching dozens of video essays, read the books and being in the community for a long time. It's just me and my initial thoughts and yes I'm going to be wrong sometimes. So shout out to all of you who don't try to penalize reaction channels for every mistake / wrong take (this doesn't include kindly sharing extra knowledge to help the person watching enjoy it more - we love that). yall the real MVPs💐💐🧡🧡

[@lynettedevries1824]

I find your reactions quite refreshing. Some women who do reaction videos say a lot of F words and don't try to bleep them out. I called one in a comment POTTY MOUTH. You on the other hand are a delight. I can hardly wait to see you react to the final one of season 2.

[@ratadepao6209]

In case you don't know it yet, Anne Rice wrote the first book of The Vampire Chronicles as a way to process her grief after the death of her 5yo daughter Michele, who died of leukemia. Claudia's appearance in the book is very much the same as Michele's Tragic and infuriating as Claudia's death is, it's also a terrible reality: sometimes children just die and their parents can't save them. In this episode we can feel Louis' desperation as he tries to reach her but is never able to, and all of this shines a new light on his behavior from San Francisco to Dubai

[@FrankFreezy_]

Wow😢

[@tdali8347]

In her 1960s San Francisco years, Anne thought her daughter looked like gorgeous Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, so she and her husband Stan regularly referred to her as "Claudia".

[@ratkid7188]

Dawg this comment made me cry😭

[@melskmelsk]

MY COVEN IS CLAUDIA 😭😭 Those two deserved so much more time together (and I so badly wanted more time with them too)

[@FrankFreezy_]

Same same same🧡

[@itsreeeshaaa7560]

Claudia’s death was heartbreaking in the book, in the movie and in this episode. Poor Claudia should have never been turned. Her whole life was tragic. Madeline chose Claudia when Lestat and Louis didn’t. Madeline was the hero of this sham trial.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yes Madeleine was 💯

[@FrankFreezy_]

100% agree 💐💐

[@squishycoveswena]

This is one of the big moments I've been keeping my trap shut for 😅 it deserves to be experienced raw

[@FrankFreezy_]

Appreciate it. I’m truly surprised and thankful No one spoiled this for me.

[@squishycoveswena]

​@@FrankFreezy_ it deserves to be experienced in its rawest, most un-spoiled form

[@orangemarmalade77]

​@@FrankFreezy_Oh, I'm so glad no one spoiled it for you. I was worried

[@mahitoapologist]

"Thank you to me for sponsoring this video" 😂😂😂

[@FrankFreezy_]

Sometimes you just got a shout out to yourself 😁🫂

[@juliec8090]

This episode was absolutely devastating. The line "my daughter was my sister was my throw pillow" during their fight in ep5 hits different after seeing Louis literally *dragging her across the floor* in that New Orleans flashback, and Louis' guilt is heartbreaking -- and ultimately what made him nearly end it all in San Francisco. No one ever treated Claudia right... not until Madeleine. She finally had someone put her first. And then she died.😭

[@symonew33]

51:54 Lestat cries onstage and everyone feels sorry for him. Claudia and Louis are bruised, battered and hobbled and the audience laughs at them. So many thesis’s could be written about this “trial”.

[@FrankFreezy_]

Real talk💯 “Trial” my ass! They all knew what it was! It’s a lynching

[@tdali8347]

@@FrankFreezy_ Yes. The show's multi-racial, multi-sexual writers knew the storm it would unleash by using the word "lynching". So Claudia said, "stoning". Sure, it horrified the audience plenty enough, but it also exposed the fears producers have about not losing a mainstream audience.

[@katiemcnamara7061]

I hadn't noticed the parallel of both of them (Louis and Lestat) being distracted by the other during their perspective schemes! What a great analysis!

[@FrankFreezy_]

💐💐This show gives us so much to chew on and analyze

[@katiemcnamara7061]

@@FrankFreezy_ So much to chew on!! excited for season 3 to see Lestat as himself and not a recollection for the first time. Sam Reid is going to do a phenomenal job

[@tdali8347]

In 3 weeks of drunken grief in 1973, Anne created this entire tragic world around a daughter who won't die...until she does. Anne subconsiosly took in her supportive gay circle in San Francisco's Castro (collectively, "The Boy" with no name in the first book--later, Daniel), and gave Lestat (her husband Stan) and Louis (herself) her own unfathomable grief. We've been so incredibly lucky to enjoy Anne Rice for damn near 5 decades.

[@evangelinasmusic]

Very well put. ❤

[@maraaeria7054]

I think when Lestat goes on about how "YOU WILL LOVE HER" it's both him being desperate for Louis to love him, and it's also him knowing that when he made her that HE would love Claudia. That he would be destroyed by her own emotional connection to him. That it would be the very thing that destroyed the relationship she had with Louis and Claudia both. He is warning louis that by the nature of creation you WILL LOVE them.

[@manuandrade2484]

19:45 He didn't say it because of jealousy or possessiveness. He said it because it all reminded him of what happened to Nicholas. His words described exactly how HE felt about Nicki; his transformation, his mental illness, his suicide. It triggered his trauma.

[@bzeitgeist]

I really appreciate you sharing about how Louis resonates so much for you, personally. I feel like everyone in this fandom has at least one character we relate to so much that we're always going to be in their corner rooting for them/invested in how they are portrayed and received, no matter what. For me, that character is always Claudia, first and foremost. And this show's version of her is easily my favorite for SO many reasons. You've been very vocal about your own love for Claudia as a character so I'm sure I don't need to expound on all of the reasons why I love her here. (I think if I tried I might break KZbin comments character limit.) But I will say this: When Claudia says, "It's never been about me!" she is totally right, of course, in the context of Louis and Lestat making her a vampire and "a band-aid for a shitty marriage." But in the metatextual context (of Anne Rice originally writing Interview with the Vampire as a means of dealing with the grief of losing her own daughter) this story has ALWAYS been about Claudia and always will be in some sense. And when we consider the impact that Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles books have had on subsequent vampire media (particularly the stories where the vampires are sexy and emote in very human ways), I think an argument can be made that our whole contemporary popular perception of what vampires are stems from Interview with the Vampire: a story about losing a daughter-- about continuing on with life even through grief, suffering, and guilt-- a story about Claudia.

[@murfeel1173]

"Why my souls barks for Louis" - BARS! Frank, you're freaking amazing. Thank you for sharing so much with us.

[@FrankFreezy_]

@@murfeel1173 💐🌺💐🌺

[@SlaySheena]

Waiting for that Louis portrait to drop like a new Beyonce album

[@BG-kn3nt]

I would LOVE some IWTV paintings from Frank

[@tdali8347]

I swear that beautiful man over Frank's left shoulder is about a minute away from being Louis!

[@FrankFreezy_]

lol you a real one💐

[@Obsessed.Since_2010]

The silence after Claudia and mads death is so real, I literally just sat in silence for 10 minutes before sobbing when I first watched it. I always suspected it was coming due to her absence in Dubai but I never ever even imagined it to be so brutal

[@aKitti234]

God your silence at the end really got me. The end of this episode never hurts less. I'm excited to see your reaction to the last episode, but so sad it's gonna be over until season 3!

[@minhanhnguyen2213]

"Being empathetic to character doesn't always mean excusing their behavior", that's the saying but it doesn't show in many ppl's expression as they go off and talk further about it. It doesn't happen in your case tho, Frank. I think your stand is very clear, your word implied clear indication that Lestat's actions was not only bad but also self-destructive. Your framing centers his actions and its effects/its destructive nature which is something I don't find in many ppl's argument...Bcs when you go too deep into "he/she/they had this traumas so they behave that way, it's sad, poor them" without mentioning how destructive it is, you throwing the "not excusing", "nuance", etc is not convincing at all. All of this to say, I really appreciate your take, Frank! It brings real nuance to the conversation. In this episode, we can see the cycle of abuse played out in a reversed chronologically way: Claudia

[@avogrid296]

Thank you for sharing so much of yourself as you react to this story. That's what art is all about. I am re-watching with a friend who hasn't seen it, and we are watching Ep7 and Ep8 back to back because it hurts so much to just sit at the end of Ep7.

[@FrankFreezy_]

Thanks for appreciating that. yall always make it feel safe to share and be vulnerable. Good choice watching both back to back. But I must say episode 8 fucked me up way more than episode 7, emotionally I mean

[@alexandrasloane]

Prepared to cry!! It's crazy to see the difference in how Lestat describes the conversation about turning Claudia and how Lou described it in season one! I love these dummies

[@FrankFreezy_]

Massive massive reveal indeed

[@-Arkin33]

Except Louis didn't "describe" it. Claudia did. So many people somehow forget that, and then they make it a 'how Louis said it happened VS how Lestat said it happened'... when neither one is true. Louis, has not yet given his POV or memory of her turning. We heard/watched, etc. her turning via Daniel reading HER DIARIES, while Louis wasn't even there. From conception, up until Charlie burning, we do not have Louis POV of perception or memory of that entire time-frame. Only Claudias. Louis comes into the room, when Daniel is reading the "bones turned black" etc, part. So, there is no "how Louis described it" because Louis has not (yet) described it. Claudia did. Now, for the Lestat part too, another thing that so many people either don't fully understand, or just completely miss. Something that both Armand and Louis reminded us of, before the re-telling started, and during. Lestat, just like everyone on that stage, except for Madeleine, Claudia and Louis... are ALL reading from a script. They have lines, they're playing a "role". The intention being to, portray Louis in a very specific light. Yes, there are moments where Lestat is clearly interjecting the truth, or at least his truth. Into it. And that's not to say that there isn't any truth in the script he's been given. But the point is that, just like the rest of them, he's saying what he's been told/made to say. So it is not reasonable or logical, to take anything he says as any sort of "fact". So we can't in good conscious assume that everything he said about it, is just the truth, either. Because he's saying lines from a script, written by people who were not there, who have ulterior motives in telling this "story" this way. And this whole thing, this whole play, etc. Is being re-told primarily by Armand, who out of the two of them, is the only one who had been in 'sound mind' at the time. And this is Armand. He can literally say anything, he can change the story however he wants to. And neither one of them (Louis or Daniel) can prove or disprove anything he's saying. So this is almost literally a: Claudia says VS Armand says. About Claudias turning, at this point. Not Louis, or Lestat.

[@maevem316]

​@@-Arkin33 I agree that the rest of the trial isn't necessarily trustworthy, but we have actually gotten Louis' perspective on Claudia's turning: he says in this episode that it happened the way Lestat said it did. You could definitely argue that corroboration is biased by Armand, but I just doubt they'd pull the same reveal on the same memory a second time

[@HuntingViolets]

@@-Arkin33 Except Louis does say he thinks Lestat is right (about that). Whether you want to take that as Armand's interference (I tend to think he wouldn't put any suggestions about Lestat being right in). But, yes, the first turning was from Claudia's hazy memories, as mentioned in the video, at least.

[@tdali8347]

@@-Arkin33 "Except Louis didn't "describe" it. Claudia did. So many people somehow forget that, and then they make it a 'how Louis said it happened VS how Lestat said it happened'... when neither one is true." Claudia's viewpoint. Louis' viewpoint. Armand's viewpoint. Lestat's memories are as true or false as the others because, like diaries, they only tell one side of any story. "Memory is a monster", said Daniel when he didn't know there was more than one memory monster in the room with him.

[@MariaVitoria-me4tq]

28:30 They even gave us a hint about this fight, in season one we can hear the same line from Lestat "Stop Mon Cher, i don't wanna fight-" while Claudia is climbing the stars 😮‍💨 The writers were WORKING

[@PercySnackson]

"I don't know what to say" what CAN you say? Claudia's death is one of the most devastating things I've ever seen on TV

[@yosrafaiz9857]

As usual, you're so observant ! I love how much you pick up on and how immersed you get in the story 🩵

[@FrankFreezy_]

Thank you so much 😀

[@BigFanOfManyThings]

This is the very interesting thing about abused/abuser relationships mixed with victim playing/blaming. the odyssey of recollection and being unreliable narrators. It does come to light that both lestat and Louis has their dark dom sides and that made for a very toxic relationship, but with both finding time to reflect they can find clarity and truth. Just like lestat accepting how he broke Louis, and Louis years later remembering how he hurt lestat too. This is such a brilliant episode coz it calls us back to refresh our own minds and not see this whole relationship in such simple terms. That goes for Louis and armand’s relationship too.

[@erick7895]

When Louis sees red, no one stops him. He only saw Lestat's hand on Claudia's neck lol

[@MG-sv6qq]

I absolutely love your deep reflection on aspects of the show you watch!!!

[@FrankFreezy_]

Thank you thank you. Just doing my job😁I enjoy it a lot

[@symonew33]

I could only watch this episode once it drained me. Poor Claudia just when her life was starting

[@FrankFreezy_]

For real. That conversation they had at the cafe last episode, they moved away, they were gardening and shit. Living their beautiful queer happy vampire lives. Things were really looking up!

[@melissak7406]

When you mentioned that Lestat didn't even look at Louie when he got on stage, all I could think was, hold on to that thought.

[@aKitti234]

One thing that always kills me is RIGHT before Lestat actually turns around to look at Louis, there's a point where he turns his head and you can see him turning his eyes just that bit more to try and see Louis of his own accord before the script tells him to. It breaks my heart every time

[@deeatlman7079]

Listen I am team Louie…nobody can make me hate him. Even though I enjoy Lestat, he is a complex and brilliant character, but for so many reasons I love Louie.

[@Leannbby]

Don’t feel bad for empathizing with Lestat. That was Anne’s entire goal and anyone that says otherwise is wrong. She wanted the reader to see every POV and see the flaws and the beauty in all of the characters. In fact, she even said Lestat is the most reliable narrator.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yep anne did say that

[@-Arkin33]

That's true. But I think people need to also understand that her saying he's the "most" reliable, does not mean he's not also an "unreliable" narrator. Just like every other character, he lies, he embellishes, he doesn't remember or recall exact details, etc. He says one thing than does another, he says he doesn't do something, but then the very next page is doing exactly that. I personally don't think there's any harm with believing Lestat or what he says, over others. But I think the "harm" comes in, when we (generally speaking) forget that him and his story, is not infallible. It is not "fact" simply because he said it...

[@PrometheanFlame]

Anne had a clear bias. Lestat is her most beloved character so of course she put him on a pedestal. That doesn't mean he is more honest or more reliable a narrator than others. I personally did not like the way she sexualized Claudia or Armand in her narrative, considering how young they were when they were turned.

[@erick7895]

I'm not going to say that I love AR, I have complex feelings for her lol ​​​​​but Lestat being her muse spoils TVC direction a bit, it gradually loses tone and quality, ruins even her best work, the witches stories. she had a great universe to explore but Lestat was her blinders. And don't get me wrong i love my blonde little devil, but i have to be honest. I like that the show gives the necessary control, being aware of his power as a character without losing the critical sense is fundamental for the future. Lestat was Anne's therapy, but doesn't need to be for the show, and it shouldn't!

[@mouse2390]

What broke me was when they offered Madeline the choice---she looks back and Claudia nods at her as to say ''Do it--save yourself''. Gut punch.

[@OhDamnItsPhe_]

Remember in episode 1 of season 2 during his "hard words x soft words" speech Louis said something along the lines of "for as long as you walk this earth, I won't taste the fire" . I should've known in episode 5 (when Louis walked into the sun) that Claudia was gone 😭 This public lynching (cause that's what this was to me) had me WRECKED.

[@Phoenixrisen2001]

Armand definitely could sleep the whole theater

[@FrankFreezy_]

Easily!!!

[@mitchmatt6002]

This episode really delivered on giving us drama, tragedy, emotions and a deep-seated need for revenge against the coven! The deaths are heartbreaking to watch, but I'm so proud of the way Claudia made sure to use her fury to threaten everyone present with revenge first, and the way Madeleine publicly declared her commitment to their companionship! Louis admitting that Lestat's recollection of Claudia's turning was how it really happened was good to hear, but it hurts knowing he never told Claudia the truth! 💔 I agree that Sam's performance was worth waiting for, and so was Lestat's heartfelt apology, even if it came too late to impress Louis! I don't know how this show manages to grip me this hard, but I'm grateful for this compelling show! Great reaction and discussion, Frank - good job!

[@janetgriffin7779]

Listen, the end of this episode had us all speechless. Claudia deserved so much better.

[@valentin1402]

19:41 for me personally the "and you will love her and it will spiral beyond your reach" had more to do with the fact that claudia's turning was doomed from the start and Lestat knew, as someone who had previously turned a loved one that didn't take to the gift (nicholas "too fragile"), he told louis all the ways it could go wrong and how much it was gonna break his heart in the end

[@tdali8347]

Can't wait for Lestat to expose "18th century Armand" as Ghost Lestat promised this season. Nicky was always a pawn to Armand, as Louis is, to stick it to Lestat who never loved Arun, Amadeo, or Armand.

[@SaiyanSerenityV]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for speaking on the manosphere. I'm genuinely worried about boys growing up in this world right now with role models like Andrew Tate or Fresh & Fit. Like as a woman I'm afraid for the people they might hurt but you're so right in that it's only going to hurt them too. Empathy is always the way, and we need more people out here like you spreading healthy messaging and promoting looking at situations from all angles. Trained in trauma is a brilliant term too, like they say hurt people hurt people.

[@orangemarmalade77]

Madeleine gets the most romantic line in the whole damn show when she says that Claudia is her coven. This episode is so hard to watch. I cry every time, even when I'm just watching an edited down version in reaction videos, but there is some sweetness in the tragedy because Claudia did find love with someone who chose her. Thanks for all of your connentary with this one and I can't wait to see what you thought of the s2 finale

[@D_Ella1269]

When Louis lashes out, he seems much more like his human self, and as someone in another comment section pointed out, was probably learned from his mother.

[@aimeedinov7029]

I was already a book reader, but the performances and writing still hit me so hard when we got to this part. It is a crime that this show isn’t getting more attention! Both Claudia actresses deserve huge careers.

[@joanavitoria1961]

They way I happily skipped over to my computer to watch this as soon as KZbin warned me it was up (I know I'm gonna suffer. This episode is so sad)

[@FrankFreezy_]

I can picture it in my head haha

[@artistwithaveggie]

Personally, when Lestat says to Louis that he would love Claudia is less about jeloussy and more about consequences. In Lestats eyes Louis is dooming himself, hes gonna turn this child, gonna love her and when this child self destructs because they are too young for the gift Louis is gonna hate himself even more because he loved her. And this is speculation from someone who hasnt read the books but I believe Lestat sees himself in Louis and his first lover in Claudia. If you remember Armand warned Lestat that the violinist wasn't gonna take the gift well and we know he died. I think Lestat thinks the same is gonna happen to Claudia.

[@BG-kn3nt]

27:56 in the original fight, Lestat has no blood on his face until the very end when he’s flying above Claudia and Louis’ broken body. Here he’s such a bloody mess from the fight. I *think* the original is from Claudia’s POV (her diary) which illustrates her own bias towards Lestat

[@mieroth]

This episode is devastating, some of us knew it was coming but it still managed to be worse than we imagined. I think this whole portion is much improved upon from the books, and is made feel far more visceral/devastating since they really spend a lot of time on it and focus on it. And I love the moment of having Madeleine choose Claudia, that was just perfect and I love that Claudia does get her moment of near-happiness. Kind of ironic in a show where everyone is struggling how to love properly, it is really only Claudia that managed it. So that's poetic justice in a way.

[@tdali8347]

"I love that Claudia does get her moment of near-happiness. Kind of ironic in a show where everyone is struggling how to love properly, it is really only Claudia that managed it. So that's poetic justice in a way." Amen!!!

[@DaysieRose]

The SECOND my tax return hits, I'm about to buy one of these paintings. They're phenomenal. And you know what? They make me feel happy. Every time you post I see one behind you and I'm like "Ooh that one" so it's going to be difficult to make up my mind. But I want one. Bad.

[@Obsessed.Since_2010]

5:10 I get CHILLS everytime when I watch this part, it’s so simple yet so beautiful. It’s everything Claudia’s ever wanted

[@xof1013]

Have you heard Sting's song "Moon Over Bourbon Street" - the song? It is based on IWTV. I wish more fans knew about it with the TV series.

[@mouse2390]

Please don't be so dismissive of people who point out that they are monsters--it's probably deliberate in the show and so easy to relate/analyze the characters from a human perspective, but the books consistently make the differences clear and never let you forget that how these beings experience, process and react to the parts of them that carry over from their mortal lives rarely line up with what we as humans expect. Like I said, the show is not the same and humanizes them more--and while I love all of the analyzing and theorizing that goes with it, having read the books I don't see that Santiago saying ''we are monsters'' to be any kind of cop-out. Waiting impatiently for your finale reaction!

[@maevem316]

As a fellow Claudia lover I've been dreading your reaction to this episode 😭 I binged through the show so fast when I watched it but I needed a multiple day break to process after this one. Loved your comments on how you empathize with characters like Lestat while not excusing them. I've seen a lot of people that struggle with that balance for this show but imo it's *heavily* required to properly understand/enjoy it

[@natashablook]

In case you’re interested- one of the lead writers, Hannah Moscovitch, is an amazing playwright, and one of her newer plays, “Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes” is suuuuper heavy into the unreliable narrator/reversed POV thing you’re digging about this episode. Really worth a read if you’re into it!

[@em7890-o7l]

always love your thoughtful, insightful breakdowns - makes me appreciate some of the plot twists and big moments (and the small, tbh) even more :)

[@MariaVitoria-me4tq]

As a writer myself, i have a spot in my heart for characters like Claudia those who are damned from the beginning, (We don't even know her surname as human, even in the books nobody bothered to ask), as sad as it it's, i never could see she having a future, in the book, the movie or the series. She never had a chance, herself said she was "too little". It's a confort that for the first time in her life she was chosen by someone. Madeline chose her for who she was not the daugther born from guilty, not the perfect fledgling, she chose Claudia. That was everything Claudia wanted, such as Louis as a human, she wanted be seen by who she was, too little and everything.

[@AustinSamson1999]

The ending is so brutal but god this is one of the best episodes of television I’ve seen in a LONG time. Great reaction man looking forward to seeing you react to the finale cuz it’s great 😭🙌

[@Elodiron]

I'm sorry to see you suffer through these last episodes 🌻 Please don't mind us viewers, most of us love to just hear you voice your genuine opinions and whatever comes to your mind in the moment 💚

[@booksgurrsandpurrs]

Honestly after this episode I was completely shell shocked. I've watched both seasons several times, but refuse to watch this episode. It's just too tragic. Claudia was so close to a life with a person that actually chose her. 💔

[@FrankFreezy_]

I hear ya. That’s the tragedy. They were SO CLOSE!

[@smolson8471]

I think throughout Claudia's life Louie saw it as raising a daughter and Lestat saw it as raising a vampire. But during her last moments looking Lestat in the eyes, I think for the first time he completely sees her as his daughter... Claudia's death is so difficult to watch your reaction of just being stunned into silence is so relatable

[@tariniagarwal5252]

After everything, and after everything that claudia went through, i feel immensely happy to know that claudia died knowing what love is. But thats such a low bar.

[@moderndaymedusa82]

I thought I was ready but I wasn't. I just loved her so much. I agree with you that I'm glad she finally got to feel what it was like to be put first. Madeline was such a gift.

[@socogirl5000]

Oof! I have been waiting for you to get to 7 & 8 for these revelations!! 😁

[@artdolly]

iv'e rewatched iwtv probably 4-5 times and no matter what every single time I get emotional, especially during this episode. Claudia deserved so much better

[@vento_nei_capelli]

wow I didn't think you'd post a reaction to the next episode so quickly! thanks. yeah waiting for the last two episodes a week apart was fucking torture. and after that episode i was so emotionally crushed that i went for a long bike ride to at least come to my senses. this show does things to you on so many levels! the final episode finished me off and i feel like all of this is just recently let me go. impatiently waiting for the finale! (I hug you because we all need it after ALL of this) By the way, a funny fact: they filmed this episode in two takes, interrupted for 4 months by a strike in Hollywood. Amazing work! and yes, watching how you watch episode after episode and change your point of view on the characters is a separate pleasure. We've all been there. These guys never cease to amaze you with their depth and layers.

[@asteven8]

Btw, Louis was in many ways the reason Claudia got burned and ultimately turned. One of the influential (racist) white men reminded Louis that he was still a Black men. I can’t remember the exact details but it had to do with one of his businesses. Louis in anger killed him and strung up his body for all of New Orleans to see. The racist white people, in turn, set fire to one of the Black neighborhoods in retaliation. So Louis had massive amounts of guilt because people in his community were losing their homes and their lives. He wanted to absolve himself of that tremendous guilt by saving at least one life…and then he heard Claudia calling for help.

[@asteven8]

Addition: I should preface by saying all of them. All of them…Lestat, Claudia, and Louis are problematic and flawed in their own different ways. The issue I have with the more extreme Louis apologists (if it don’t apply, let it fly) is how they overlook Louis’ treatment of Claudia from being the reason she exists to manipulating her to stay to choking her up when it came to finishing off Lestat. I’m talking some of those apologist refuse to acknowledge it. One could argue that his treatment of Black women, and by extension Claudia, is rooted in his not-so-subtle hatred of his mother and her treatment of him. Don’t forget he was a pimp to Black sex workers. So it’s not a leap to say he has a less than stellar regard for Black women.

[@TeaTree75]

Thank you for releasing this early...

[@FrankFreezy_]

You're welcome. Enjoy

[@laurab7049]

Listen to what Lestat is saying during the Claudia scene as a whole, not in pieces. It isn't necessarily that Lestat is worried Louis will love a vampire child more than him. It's that Lestat understands a 14 year old vampire is likely to experience upheaval and mental health issues to the point they end their lives....and Lestat knows what it is to watch your beloved's brain break after The Dark Gift because of Nicki.

[@tdali8347]

This old Army sergeant (and Granny) fell over laughing when you bleeped the word, "foxhole". And yes Frank, my soul barks for Louis, too!

[@FrankFreezy_]

@@tdali8347 lol I’m glad that gave you a good laugh

[@tdali8347]

@@FrankFreezy_ Hey, I also cracked up when Armand said that Lestat had messed with Louis' mind so much until he couldn't tell the difference between what is and what is not, which is Armand's game.

[@Lovelyivy84]

This ep has me in tears whenever I watch it. It makes me want to write about how the creators are pulling from the real life stories of generations of Black women whose lives are constantly defined by their bodies- particularly race and gender. Like Claudia, we spend a lifetime fighting the boxes people put us in, and often we don’t win. The trial was a masterful metaphor for the consequences we face when we lose.

[@FrankFreezy_]

Real talk, I honestly wish they leaned into that more and not just with subtext

[@dspadi1017]

I really like your insight on this, great video.

[@FrankFreezy_]

Glad you enjoyed it!💐

[@dspadi1017]

@@FrankFreezy_I just found your channel but I think I’m gonna have to watch your whole series of this, I really enjoy your take on everything, it’s a little different than other reaction channels I’ve seen.

[@ashs7462]

Yes omg im so early, youtube you wont hide this from me 😈😈

[@FrankFreezy_]

lol😂

[@moderndaymedusa82]

So someone already mentioned it, but the original book was a way for Anne Rice to process her grief. When you and Taco do your discussion of the 2 seasons, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the series through that lens. I think it might be interesting for Taco to look at Louis as an avatar for Anne's grief. He's her depression. Think about Anne as a mother who has no child and you can see so many parallels between her and Louis who struggles with all his identities.

[@evenstarari]

Beautiful reaction to a heartbreaking episode 💔 I really thought Delainey Hayles as Claudia did an absolute amazing job 💐 When she delivered "Never about me! I was just a roof shingle that flew off of your house." That was so devastating! And her final words just gave me chills. It really made me feel if anyone can come back and get revenge on that audience, it would be her❤

[@tdali8347]

When Claudia said that line, I immediately thought of Paul and his birds launching off the roof. RIP

[@evenstarari]

@tdali8347 nooo I didnt even connect that 💔 that is so insightful and heartbreaking

[@asavagegarden]

as soon as you watched episode 4 of season 1 i knew this was gonna destroy you. and i agree that at least claudia had a glimpse of happiness with madeleine and being ultimately chosen for the first time by her. believe it or not, this episode even though it's extremely sad, the end of madeleine and claudia together is much better and nicely wrapped than the book/movie.

[@rogersjgregory]

In the movie, it cuts away as the sun starts to burn them. But they did not cut away here, and I’m glad, because we have to see how brutal it is, so that we can embrace what comes next. Also, it’s very important that we see Lestat’s reaction to it as well.

[@wildflowersinwinter]

Not much to say other than I love your discussions and your progression through this series. Claudia’s death gets me every time. It’s not fair and it always happens and I hate it. She deserved better. I think Madeleine gave her a level of peace she had never had in her mortal or immortal life, but that life was too short. She was only in her forties when she burned on the stage here. Hardly enough time.

[@angelaholmes8888]

I absolutely enjoyed sam reid in this episode as lestat 😘

[@FrankFreezy_]

he was incredible

[@R1GHTTW1X]

Watched on Patreon. This is is the saddest death I’ve seen so far on T.V. I’m still hurting.

[@FrankFreezy_]

🌺❤️ Truly still hurting over this

[@NikFromEarth]

Have you ever seen a show called... Arcane??

[@R1GHTTW1X]

@@NikFromEarth yes actually and I STILL SAID WHAT I SAID!

[@NikFromEarth]

@@R1GHTTW1X what's all the capitalized words about tho. Pipe down

[@SeregilKorit]

This episode broke me in so many ways when I watched it. Thanks for the insight, I loved rewatching this with you.

[@FrankFreezy_]

My pleasure!

[@YNergy]

This ep really broke me. I knew it was coming but it was still heartbreaking.

[@simple_scribe]

Great reaction, thank you. I was looking forward to this.

[@AnxietyRat]

Yeah the actress who plays Madeline has talked about what Claudia and Madeline were saying in their last moments to each other and it was just their last "I love you", basically. Nothing special ...but still probably a very tender and sweet moment.

[@SaiyanSerenityV]

Oh gosh I love that you're selling high quality prints of your art!! When my financial situation becomes stable in the future I hope I'll be able to snag one, I'm always admiring them in the background of your vids 🥹 I can't even comment on this episode it's too raw. I knew Claudia's death was coming, I saw the old film and it was a scene that was difficult to forget but they really went all out. It's beautiful in the most gut wrenching, heart breaking way. She didn't deserve it, man. She didn't deserve any of it.

[@gbekeee858]

i appreciate you discussing how Louis has taken accountablity for his behaviors and actions in the show. Its so fustrating when many ppl comment on how he never takes accountability and plays victim/victimizes himself when he never saw himself has one. He even defended Lestats cheating and other times in during the interview. He knows how he failed Claudia thats why he so torturted after her death

[@kev2020]

I saw Louis and whispered "They whooped his @$$". You had me rolling at 3:47. The dude in the audience thought Lestat was too sad to come up their and put his petty mask on for a second. I hope you'll consider doing a recap of the film before S.3. drops.

[@MariaVitoria-me4tq]

I would be an Armand in this situation. My 200 year old community/family OR a man who i know for barely 2 years that isn't over his ex bf yet? I won't even blink😅

[@IsShamarC]

12:06 that my friend is what us gays call a read

[@beautifulloly]

i was so mad at everybody after this episode for the WHOLE week, i understand you

[@Zlda-uq3pj]

I was in tears when I saw Claudia and Madeleine's death. This episode was amazing but also so frustrating, the trial was so unfair on them :( They deserved better

[@Lovelyivy84]

First: I love your reactions, and how much care you take with discussing this story. The writers did such a good job writing the characters that I almost wish that the show would change Claudia’s fate to give her a happy ending. But it would not only cheapen her deeply meaningful story, it would also be disrespectful to Anne Rice. Don’t know if you know this, but she wrote this book as a reaction to the death of her young daughter Claudia, and it helped her to process her grief. It’s so real and affecting because it came from something real.

[@HuntingViolets]

Her daughter Michele. Saw another video that mistakenly said her daughter was named Claudia the other day. I mentioned it in the comments, but I don't think they read them. But I digress. Just funny to see that again.

[@tdali8347]

Claudia and Madeline were living happily outside St. Denis, in the French countryside where they buried all their city kills while tending the sweet peonies (actual flower name) that grew from their buried corpses. Madeline was wonderful for Claudia. She would be the first vampire who never choked Claudia up and would never. Unfortunately, the adult brain is settled at around age 25 and Claudia is not that. She's pushing 50 with a 14 year old mind. Madeline craved going back to Paris to see Louis, her maker, before they left France altogether to go "wandering". That's understandable but a fully adult Vampire Claudia would have said, "Are you fucking kidding???" Claudia, in love, was as stupid as she accused Louis before. We mourn that vicious baby.

[@murfeel1173]

"Reactive violence," when the abused fight their abusers--THANK you! No one ever mentions how Lestat minimizes the damage he did to Louis downstairs in the fight, to quickly cut to everything that happened upstairs AFTER he had choked Claudia "just like you did to our daughter!" and was punching on Louis and threw Claudia into the furniture and--but we see the cuts & bite marks all over Louis' face, so he couldn't've bitten himself! XD Lestat was beating on Louis too, but these POVs are so skewed, and Santiago was actively minimizing the en tire fight like Lestat was the victim of Louis' abuse. And so many people fall for that narrative since they love Lestat & hate Louis. It's so tiresome.

[@ravenblack942]

Ah, @FrankFreezy, I’m heading to Patreon for the first time ever because of this review. Even the title Madeline’s words “My Coven is Claudia” moved me. Madeline’s loyalty was beautiful At least someone stood by the Black girl. It’s just heartbreaking. I’ve barely been able to rewatch that episode yet seen all the others at least three times. Everything about it mirrors the horrors of misogynoir. Months later, as a reader of the novel and someone who’s watched the movie countless times, I still can’t reconcile with what they did to Claudia. It’s a wound that won’t close.

[@FrankFreezy_]

I'll be happy to have you. It's a party over there But yes what they did to her is so tough to re-experience. I know this fandom can sometimes be ableist to some problematic things, but this is something I've not even seen anyone try to defend or Justify.

[@ravenblack942]

@@FrankFreezy_❤

[@sebastianwhosez4897]

For the algorithm ❤

[@xtxpxhx]

there's also the fandom that knew the domestic violence scene was fabricated for the series who were being called out by ppl watching a few episodes ... i mean, there's a lot of projection going on in such an intense series like this. it's better if we give all of us some grace and discuss about the rl issues the show touches instead of trying to assert some type of moral superiority one way or another... that's why i started following this channel honestly bc it's sensitive to those themes others don't usually talk and tries to ground them to a daily understanding

[@TheCelestialsparrow]

I love how you said you see yourself in Louis so much and I unfortunately see myself in Lestat. To the point where I understand his emotions completely. I dont agree with how he handles himself.

[@ilangal4life07]

10:38 jumping the gun or putting the cart before the horse lol

[@mlandry491]

a gut punch eh? the end? heart wrenching. but claudia was inspired by annes daughter that died. she could not live. when character of claudia is viewed from the lens of a grieving mother, its still more heart breaking. so fucking sad...

[@priscillamcrmy]

I really like your takes about Claudia’s turning. Louis dragging her burning body is one of the most disturbing scenes for me. My girl really had no chance and no agency, really doomed from the start. They did this to her. She was a redemption for Louis and a marriage bandaid for Lestat, never a person. Sure the love was there, but the respect for her as a human being was not. This kind of love can not nourish you, it only keeps you hostage, she was not allowed to grow beyond their ideas of her. I do love the missing moment of their fight tbh. This is Louis totally standing up for Claudia 100%, really the only time he does it. Lestat chocked their daughter, no shit Louis tried to fuck him up. Too bad he had no chance to win that fight. “My coven is Claudia” after Claudia saying nothing is her vampiric life was about her means so much. And it’s heartbreaking how her and Madeleine’s time was cut short by those man, fuck these vampires, but someone finally put her first. She was chosen, at the very end. And she had to watch Madeleine die in her arms??? The only familiar face left the room being fucking Lestat??? There is no justice in this earth. Great reaction as usual, thanks for riding for Claudia