this was SO GOOD oh my god i've been picking this show and its themes and dynamics apart for months and still you really brought up perspectives and points that really change everything. beautiful work.
Lovely video I enjoyed watching it, I need to read sweetgrass after my girlfriend is finished with it. Anyways, I know capital is a long read but I think you would find interesting concepts in Marx and Engels at least regarding commodities and natures relation to humanity. Just the thoughts of a person you will never cross paths with, but I mean it, I think you might really enjoy it and find something meaningful, I definitely have.
In my mind, Vesta is the planet of amorphous flesh, in my mind I named it this long ago. It is inherently adaptable by circumstance of its own nature. Different from that of earth, yet equally willing transmute it and co-habitat with for the sake of complexity, which it knows and desires. The creature's here, they're flesh is amorphous, it can seal back up like playdough, you can cut an animals abdomen open and it will not bleed out. Parasites tamper with DNA and anatomy itself in technological fashion to suit their own purposes. The life of vesta is inherently adaptable and aware, it is amorphous in every sense of the word.
"Gay people can never just flirt normally" This is one of the things I did not know existed. Thank you for bringing it to me. I Will watch it immediately.
This was lovely. Thanks for posting it. Such a beautifully messy series and so unbelievably complex. I loved the point where we have to admit that nothing recalled might be true - and so we must step back a stage, and instead try and read what we are told not as events, but as tells of a writer - and see if we can determine some kind of unintended truth of things. I am very cautious about the coming season because I feel that the meta-textuality of the interview gave it some strong thematic bones. I worry that the richness of Louis' telling may overshadow the tonal changes to come. But the writers and the directors and the actors have earned my trust so I will eagerly let them cook.
Honestly it's the way the show producers twisted the original book to fit the modern times.. All rhe contrasts Of What Anne was conveying in the first book was adapted and expanded that really makes me salivate. So to put it simply from the books to modern tv time...Louis point of view was warped. Whether it was from something miniscule that he got similar to his brother, to his life before being turned. Louis was the toxic one. Lestat wasn't supposed to tell Anyone of what he knew from Marius. So Lestat was tight lipped. And Lestat is a very fly by the seat of his own whims guy. He is labeled as the brat prince So the patients Lestat showed waiting for Loius to come around and embrace who and what he is. I find remarkable. Most everyone wold have left or been way more toxic then what Lestat did. And the Producers hinting at the reason Lestat was having this Trial was so all Three would be judged and They would all die together is exactly what Anne wanted to convey. So it wasn't abuser forgiveness...It was coming together and holding themselves accountable for their actions. And the Last minute of those two together on screen Saying in character dialog that they have chosen to keep a secret from everyone, as to respect for Roles,or Anne,or Anne's daughter who past or whatever.....was beautiful and that scene and what it stood for and everything should be felt around the world.
I prefer asexual, agender vampires. Specifically, where sexuality is used exclusively for hunting and where sexuality and gender cease to mean anything as their humanity ebbs away.
"The difficulties of inmortality consist of living past the end of one's own era, that eventually the world becomes so changed from how it was when you were human that life ceases to have any meaning and sooner or later one succumbs to dispair. " This right here is how you grow as a person. This is why every Anne Rice's vampire was chained to their era and all of her older ancient originals vampires are devoid of an urge to live rather than a deathwish. Awesome video, thank you for including book references.
Punishing Claudia, a beautiful woman for getting in the way of lestat's perverted sodomite attraction to Louis, because she actually wanted him is the point of the show. It's designed to say that when a sodomite wants your man, ladies get out of the way. Now whether or not viewers will buy that trash is a another matter. Only the ratings will tell.
beautiful, beautiful essay! and the ending! it was indeed raining, cause that scene was not a recollection, it was in real time. real life lestat and louis in real time. gosh im SO excited for next season!!!!
such an interesting reading!! also im so curious how you'd factor in potential of the whole devil's minion situation wrt armand's motivations and daniel's queerness.
I am so extremely picky when it comes to video essays for things I genuinely love analyzing, and this video was blew right past that barrier very quickly!! Fantastic work! 👏
this video is incredible and so well put-together! i'm also researching iwtv in relation to george haggerty and laura westengard's books, so i'll definitely be adding the other books you mention to my tbr! the concept of queer villains and especially vampirism as queerness are so fascinating, and i love how you tied those into your other points on community and especially hierarchy within the queer community. i would recommend you check out the edinburgh companion to queer gothic fiction as well, if you haven't read it already; it just came out last year so it has lots of great points on fandom culture and modern queer representation in the gothic/horror genre :)
Read the books (yes, I know you took quotes from it but... it feels like a google search for convenient, flashy quotes (and not only from those books), and I apologize if it is not the case., but it is how it comes off). And if you have read the books and do your research, please, let, it show (it would make your case more impactful and grounded), and if you do not think they are relevant, you're misplacing intention, context, and yet a lot problematic conflict by default, or worse by design. Either hold yourself accountable to the limits of your analysis (content-wise) or alternatively do not frame it as a comprehensive view. Because it honestly feels like you took some piece of media and shoehorn a lot of your beliefs and points, without even trying to understand it. Which again it may be lost in translation, but it is definitely not here. Your analysis is at best superficial and shallow and at worst misguided. If you are going to ignore context and analyze it as an individual piece (completely legitimate) make that argument, do not weaponize the source material, and establish and good framing. Just saying.
honestly after all of this, I could never get over to actually watching this show because of the racial aspect of it. This white gay man abusing a black gay man, no matter how well they execute it or if (I am looking too deep into it) the fact that they had that dynamic annoyed me. It technically make sense considering the time that they are in. But, I don't like the image of the gay black man, being on his knees for a white guy. The implications of it often reflect real life. There is a real issue of race in the gay community for so many reasons. Anyway, that's my two cents, love this analysis, and thought the script and everything was great, subbed😊❤
god I wish I was eloquent enough to express how good this video essay is but instead I'm just going to say. I feel like I'm chewing glass (complimentary)
i was waiting for this exact essay even though i didn’t even follow you before it was suggested to me ❤️ thank you, it was amazing, it made me feel so many things 🥲
i'd wondered if some part of armand may have subconsciously wanted louis to know the truth too, and you articulated the case for that theory so well! there's so many little moments where it seems like armand is onto daniel but doesn't do anything about it, it definitely feels like a bit of self sabotage. has to be exhausting lying for 70 years, it would make sense if a small part of him wanted it to end even as he was still scrambling to keep the pieces together. anyway, great analysis!
What a *FASCINATING* view of Armand that I hadn't taken into consideration, but feels so obvious now looking back at his motivations in latching onto those who hold an incredible amount of burning passion. Another interesting thought is that of Daniels turning- which I believe Armand had planned at least as far back as the 1970's. We hear him hint at this- and we also have to remember that Armand has never made another vampire in all his tumultuous and emotional vampiric life- so in the last episode when Louis suggests Daniel was turned out of reactionary spite, I think he is missing something. I see it as the way Armand wants to 'end' his relationship with Louis. After all, Louis is doing another interview, which Armand understands as another cry for Lestat, so why wouldn't he want to attach himself to someone who captivates Louis, perhaps is even more interesting in some ways. This Armand quote from episode 5 speaks to this motive: "If you want the insanity back- If you wanted escape from this prison of empathy I've locked you away in, all you had to do was ask, Louis." Your essay has given me so much to chew on, love it!
This was an engaging watch, thanks for taking the time to create it. I won't say that I agree with every point, but I do love how other people can read media. Part of what makes written and visual medias so engaging is how we all will filter it through our own lens and life experiences. Sometimes we even create narratives that the creators didn't mean to overtly, but we can recognize the signs through experience in one way or another. I enjoyed every second of this and look forward to more of your creations.
