Draft:I Could Not Prevent It
7th episode of the 2nd season of Interview with the Vampire
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"I Could Not Prevent It" is the seventh and penultimate episode of the second season of the American gothic horror television series Interview with the Vampire, an adaptation of Anne Rice's novel of the same name. Written by Kevin Hanna and series creator Rolin Jones, and directed by Emma Freeman, the episode first aired on June 23, 2024, on AMC, and received critical acclaim, with praise for its writing, direction, and Reid's performance.
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| "I Could Not Prevent It" | |
|---|---|
| Interview with the Vampire episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Emma Freeman |
| Written by | |
| Featured music | Daniel Hart |
| Cinematography by | Earle Dresner |
| Original air date | June 23, 2024 |
Plot
The sham trial continues with Santiago serving as the "ringmaster", riling up the jeering human audience, charging Louis, Claudia, and Madeleine with violations of The Five Great Laws, and reading out Claudia's diary, while Lestat testifying as the victim and Armand is being forced to watch from the balcony. Claudia and Louis try to speak in their defense, but the coven cripples their feet and uses their collective power to disorient them. Lestat reveals that Louis demanded him to turn Claudia despite being fully aware of the plight of a child vampire, and he goes off script to apologize for beating Louis up to a pulp. Claudia and Madeleine are condemned to death by a burning ray of the sun, which is carried out on stage, but not before Claudia threatens to kill every audience member post-execution and Louis is shoved into a coffin, filled with gravel, and locked in a crypt to die from starvation.
Production
Writing
"I Could Not Prevent It" was written by Kevin Hanna and series creator Rolin Jones, and directed by Emma Freeman. Sam Reid recommended Freeman to Jones after having worked with her on the Australian television series The Newsreader (2021–2025),[1][2] in which all of the episodes were directed by Freeman.[3] Earle Dresner, who had worked with both Freeman and Reid on The Newsreader, served as cinematographer, replacing the show's longtime director of photography, Stuart Howell. Dresner was called a week before filming began to help Howell on episode six of season 2 after he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, before taking over on episode 7 by himself.[4]
Jones wrote Lestat's line "I have a box at Rolland-Garros for the Men's Doubles. I'm gonna drain the Australians if they win"[5] as an inside joke, because Reid, Freeman and Dresner are all Australians.[6]
Filming
Principal photography began in Prague, Czech Republic in June 2023, but it had to be interrupted due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming was resumed in October 2023.[1] Shooting for the trial scenes required long takes, sometimes 10-minute long takes. Reid said those were some of the longest takes he did with Freeman since working with her on The Newsreader.[2]
Casting
The episode stars Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac, Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt, Assad Zaman as Armand, Delainey Hayles as Claudia, Ben Daniels as Santiago, and Eric Bogosian as Daniel Molloy. The recurring cast includes Suzanne Andrade as Celeste, Esme Appleton as Estelle, Jake Cecil as Gustave, Roxane Duran as Madeleine Éparvier, Christopher Geary as Samuel Barclay, and Bally Gill as Rashid.[7]
Release
Reception
Critical response
The episode was met with critical acclaim.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 100% based on seven reviews, with an average rating of 9.6/10.[7]
Manuel Betancourt of The A.V. Club rated the episode with a "B+".[17]
Accolades
TVLine named Reid as an honorable mention as the "Performer of the Week" for the week of June 29, 2024, for his performance in the episode. The site wrote, "Interview With the Vampire fans were still on a high after Lestat's jaw-dropping return at the end of Episode 6, and [Reid] made sure they stayed there with his captivating, unflinching performance at the [trial scene]. [...] The despair in Lestat's eyes as he recalled the pain he inflicted upon Louis, and the vulnerability he displayed as he revealed his truth, were impossible not to feel. The entire proceeding may have been a miscarriage of justice, especially for poor Claudia, but we the jury find Reid guilty of devastating us with an unforgettable performance."[18]