Interview With the Vampire Season 2 Episode 3 Recap: ‘No Pain’

Hey there, coven! It’s a new week, which means it’s time for another recap of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire Season 2. This time, we’re diving into Episode 3 (or 10, if you’re keeping track of the show’s timeline), titled No Pain. 

Picking up right where Do You Know What It Means to Be Loved by Death? left off, in No Pain, we find Daniel (Eric Bogosian) trying to piece together those hazy memories Louis (Jacob Anderson) triggered in their last session. On top of that, we also learn—via a sketchy stranger at a Michelin restaurant—that Daniel’s computer has been hacked to provide him with some classified information that Louis and Armand haven’t shared with him yet. Yeah, the plot thickens!

No Pain also treats us to yet another version of Lestat (Sam Reid), this time narrated not by Louis or Claudia (Delainey Hayles), but by Armand (Assad Zaman) himself, who takes advantage of his alone time with Daniel to share his “version” of events with the French vampire. Not to mention that we continue with the Théâtre des Vampires arc. So there’s a lot to unpack! 

But anygays, if you missed our recap of Episode 2, Do You Know What It Means to Be Loved by Death?, you can catch up here. Also, don’t forget to check out our spoiler-free review of the first six episodes of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire Season 2 here.

Just like in our previous recaps, we’re keeping it simple. We’ll start with Armand’s and Louis’ recount of the past before jumping into all the juicy details of the present-day interview. So hold on tight cause this one’s a doozy.

PSA: If you haven’t caught up on the third episode of the second season of Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire titled No Pain, you might want to hit pause on this recap and come back once you’re ready. From this point forward there will be a lot of spoilers for the episode. You’ve been warned, so tread carefully.

In the Past: The Vampire Lestat

In No Pain, the flashbacks start with Armand telling Daniel —in a very fan-fiction-writer way (if you’ve read the books, you get why we say this)—how he first met Lestat and his story with him. Armand begins by saying it was 1556 when the Roman coven sent him to lead the chaotic Paris coven. For Armand, this move meant being far from home and speaking French, a language he wasn’t very good at. Plus, back then, he had no experience leading anything.

The Paris coven, known as the Children of Darkness, lived in squalor, hunted in shame, and strictly followed medieval laws to protect humanity. Armand kept up this discipline and humility for 239 years as Satan’s fool, but by the time Maximilien Robespierre was beheaded, he realized he was failing as a leader. Then along came Lestat, becoming the spark that changed everything.

Lestat was sired by one of Armand’s deserters, Magnus, so Armand felt his presence even before he saw him. But that wasn’t what had Armand so curious about the new vampire in town, no. Here’s the thing, the fourth of the Great Vampire Laws says, “No vampire shall ever reveal his true nature to a mortal and let that mortal live.” But Lestat was prancing and preening, acting on stage in front of 500 mortals a night since he arrived in the city. 

Although we know from Louis’ narration that Lestat becoming a vampire was a horror show (and it was), in Armand’s memory, he got over it quickly enough and used his Dark Gift to his advantage. Armand was completely fascinated by him—his presence, his essence, everything. To put it simply, everyone loved Lestat; he had that effect on people, including Armand. 

Lestat knew how to command the stage, putting every soul in the theater under his spell. Now, was that because he was a naturally gifted actor? According to Armand no, quite the opposite actually. Lestat was using his Dark Gift for his vanity and heresy, making Armand determined to bring him under control by any means. And he tries. He even dares to call him an “enfant” (French for child) while Lestat is performing, offending him. 

But Lestat is a hard nut to crack and refuses Armand’s offer to teach him what Magnus couldn’t. So what does Armand do? He follows him for weeks, but Lestat rejects him again and again and again (lol). The thing is that Lestat’s attitude only makes Armand more determined to control him. And it’s not just because of a wounded ego, but because the more Armand lets Lestat operate outside the coven, the more restless Armand’s coven becomes. 

In fact, the coven starts to watch Lestat in secret, fascinated by his blatant disregard for the laws Armand had told them could never be broken. Because Lestat does it all, he exposes himself, he roams around Paris unsupervised, and he even has a mortal lover. Yes, book fans, Nicolas de Lenfent (Joseph Potter) has entered the chat! 

During a stroll one night, Lestat senses Armand’s presence—he’s been following him and Nicki. Naturally, the two vampires exchange heated words. Armand says that Lestat only keeps Nicki around as a reminder of his mortality and that the loneliness he feels won’t be filled by the mortal—Lestat needs to be with his kind. But Lestat quickly dismisses it, not wanting to end up like Armand and his coven, living like grubs.

Nicki, who’s watching the whole exchange, asks Lestat what’s happening. Lestat dismisses Armand’s presence, saying, “It’s nothing. He’s nothing.” Armand takes offense and shows his strength and power to demonstrate Lestat who he is. Being an ancient vampire with incredible power, Armand can even freeze time, which surprises Lestat. 

During the entire exchange, Armand realizes Lestat hasn’t told Nicki what he is. But Lestat isn’t particularly paying attention to Armand’s words, he’s confused about the vampire’s powers and asks why he doesn’t have them. Armand tells him that he will because he has Magnus’s blood, Lestat has potential but wastes it with his lifestyle.

Offended, Lestat demands Armand to release Nicki and taps into his vampire instincts to defend his lover, but he’s not strong enough to go against Armand, who sends him flying and crashing against a wall as if Lestat was nothing. Lestat wonders who Armand really is. Armand introduces himself as the leader of Lestat’s coven and takes Nicki with him as a show of power.

After Armand takes Nicki, Lestat dramatically bursts into the coven’s lair carrying a cross, scaring the vampires who, thanks to Armand’s sheltering, fear certain religious symbols. Armand tells Lestat that Nicki is unharmed, but Lestat isn’t buying it because Nicki clearly bled and isn’t waking up. 

The coven tells Lestat that they serve God through Satan under Armand’s guidance. Lestat challenges their beliefs and invites them to break free from the prison Armand has created for them. He tells them they—the vampires—are the Gods, not Jesus, Satan, or Armand. Lestat grabs Nicki’s body and leaves with him.

After that, the coven leaves. Armand narrates that they wreak havoc in the streets of Paris. Some can’t reconcile the life Armand made for them with the life Lestat says is possible, and end themselves. The only thing keeping Armand from the fire is the old rituals he cherishes. That day, Lestat seeks out Armand to ask how he makes fire from thin air and moves objects with his mind. Armand discovers that Lestat turned Nicki into a vampire, but the boy isn’t handling the transformation well. Lestat is confident Nicki will get over it, but Armand knows better.

Lestat takes Armand to the theater and explains why acting is an opportunity to protect their secret and kind in plain sight. Armand considers it but thinks he has no coven to do so. Lestat shows him some are in the theater, contemplating the idea of exposing themselves on stage too and so, the Théâtre des Vampires is born.

It’s been 100 days and the play is a success, Lestat and Armand are watching it proudly from their VIP box. And while Lestat is bored of acting, he’s not bored of Armand, and according to Armand, they love each other. What happens between Lestat and Armand after is later narrated in the present-day section by Louis, but yeah, we’re not buying any of it. Does anyone have Armand’s AO3 pen name? Asking for a friend.

Anygays…once Louis joins the interview again, we return to the Théâtre des Vampires arc with Louis and Claudia plotting their backstory to hide Lestat’s involvement in their making and cover up the fact that they killed him. Claudia is finally working backstage at the theater and is thrilled about the opportunity they’re giving her. Louis and Armand are getting closer, with Armand even ditching the theater and asking Louis to show him where he goes at night while all the rest are on stage.

Meanwhile, in the Théâtre des Vampires, Claudia says her favorite part of the play is when Santiago (Ben Daniels) makes their victims beg for “no pain.” Now, Claudia isn’t part of the company (yet), but she works in the wet room, aka the room where they keep their sacrifices until showtime and dispose of the bodies. In the same room, there are burial places for past coven members—some who perished, some who broke the laws.

During their date, Louis shares with Armand that he walks to a new part of the city every night, trying to get lost but somehow always ends up back by the Seine. Armand tells Louis the coven talks a lot about his photography—they think he’s obsessed with humanity, stealing their private moments with light and shadow. The coven even pesters Claudia about it, and Louis says they should ask him if they’re curious. 

Armand points out that Louis is rarely present. Louis says he saw enough theater back home for several lifetimes. Armand, knowing they’re talking about Lestat, tells Louis there’s nothing worse than being dragged unwillingly to the theater by a partner. Armand confesses he likes Louis but suggests they work on blocking his thoughts since he can sense “Bruce” on his mind right now, and sure enough, Dream-stat is there, walking along with them. 

Armand tells Louis that the coven is envious of his independence, and Louis says that that’s Armand’s problem, not his. He’s not going back to his old life—he’s finding himself in the streets of Paris. Armand asks what’s left for him if Louis hasn’t found himself yet, but Louis reassures him there’s still room. 

Back in the theater, Claudia asks Santiago how he makes their victims ask for no pain willingly on stage. He explains that he prepares by poking into the victims’ minds, tapping into their shame to make them surrender. During their conversation, Claudia discovers that Santiago has used different names to be on stage and that his maker is buried in the walls downstairs. 

In turn, Santiago asks about her life, and she sticks to the story she and Louis created. Santiago shares that thanks to his maker’s blood he can fly and asks if Claudia’s maker had any gifts, and she replies, “He taught me how to lie well.” Santiago laughs and says Claudia will be a great actor then. But when asking for details about her and Louis’ elaborated backstory, he realizes she still has to work on it and tells her she’s almost there and should stick with it.

Meanwhile, Louis and Armand are on yet another date, now discussing evil and what makes one evil. A man interrupts their conversation, saying that evil is the product of humans’ ability to make abstract what is concrete, then asks them to shut up so he can hear the music. Using telekinesis, Armand and Louis continue their discussion. Armand says Louis’s arguments would require God to exist, but after the war and what he saw, Louis isn’t sure God exists. 

As Armand rambles on about the levels of evil and goodness that should coexist, Louis’s mind wanders to Lestat, and Dream-stat crashes the date. The vampire is by the piano, playing and singing “You little whore you only want him cause you’re feeling blue.” Let’s all remember that Dream-stat is Louis projecting his guilt, so the song selection is intentional and we find that extremely funny, but we’re digressing. 

Armand feels Lestat’s presence again to which Louis confesses he was with “Bruce” for 30 years. Armand, tired of Louis lying to his face, asks when they will stop playing games and admit Louis’s maker is Lestat. Louis confesses that Lestat was his companion in America and that he’s dead because he had it coming.

Armand admits he has known for a long time, and Louis asks what that means for him and Claudia. Armand asks if Claudia helped kill Lestat, and Louis lies to protect her. Dream-stat who’s there to haunt Louis, pushes him to confess the whole truth and admit that they both did it. That makes Louis lose it, storming out of the bar. 

On his tormented way home, Louis sees Dream-stat again and succumbs to the allure, kissing the projection. Dream-stat says that after everything, Lestat is still the only person Louis trusts. Dream-stat asks Louis to kill him again to show him the only way he knows how to love him. Louis then smashes Lestat’s skull against a wall until it cracks, but it wasn’t Lestat he was killing, just an innocent man. 

Louis is tortured by this memory as he develops his pictures. Claudia warns Louis they need to stick to their story and be very careful. As they go to bed, Louis and Claudia finalize their backstory, plotting what they’ll say when asked about Bruce’s death, how they met, etc.

As they lie in their coffins, Claudia tells Louis that Lestat could have told them about the coven in Paris (which he helped co-found), but instead, he said that vampires out there were vicious. Claudia recalls meeting that vampire from Season 1 and agreeing with Lestat, but things are different now. She tells Louis that the coven will let her join by the end of the week, and she’d love for him to be there. Louis says he wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Claudia’s ceremony to join the coven starts, but Santiago takes the opportunity to tell Armand (via telekinesis while he’s on stage) that he’s surprised to see Louis in attendance. Armand says Louis is there to support Claudia. Santiago tells Armand about a body the police found three days ago with clear marks of a vampire killing, wondering if it was him. Armand denies it, and since it couldn’t be any of the other vampires who were under curfew, that leaves Louis as the culprit. 

Santiago says Louis will be their ruin and speaking for the coven, demands Armand kill him. Armand agrees to do it after the ceremony, once Claudia has committed to them. The show ends, and the coven welcomes Claudia into their ranks. Armand offers her a gift, a flea circus, to remind her of her humble beginnings. Santiago reads Claudia the Five Laws of Vampires.

Just for shits and giggles and in case any of y’all are considering turning into vampires, here are the laws so y’all know what you’re getting into:

1. Each coven must have its leader, and only he might order the working of the Dark Trick upon a mortal. 
2. The Dark Gifts must never be given to the crippled, the maimed, or the children. 
3. No vampire should write about the history of the vampires. 
4. No vampire shall ever reveal his or her true nature to a mortal and let the mortal live. 
5. No vampire may ever destroy another vampire, except that the coven master has the power of life and death over all his flock. It is his obligation to finally seek the destruction of all who have broken these laws.

While Santiago reads the laws and Claudia agrees to them, Louis tells Armand he’s leaving Paris for London, or maybe Dublin. Armand tells Louis about the body and blames him for exposing them. Louis knows Armand is going to kill him, so as a last resort, he uses Armand’s first words to him: “I will not harm you.” Armand fires back with Louis’ first words to the coven, which were all a lie. 

Louis, resigned to his fate, asks Armand to remove his head, as he doesn’t want to go by fire. Armand asks if he has any other requests, and Louis asks him to look after Claudia. Armand says she doesn’t need looking after and won’t be there long anyway. Armand says Louis made her at 14, the most turbulent age and her mind will eventually break apart. Louis refuses to believe it, but Armand is sure—he’s seen it before.

As a surprise, the coven gives Claudia a dress and tells her she will join them on stage as part of the company. There’s a new play for her and the ladies, and she’s playing a child. Seems she won’t be taken seriously any time soon. The infantilization of this vampire, we swear. Poor Claudia.

Anyway, Louis resigns himself to death but keeps asking Armand to not give up on Claudia, to tell her every morning that she’s beautiful. When it seems Armand will kill Louis, he uses his power to open the street sewer and lets them out. Turns out Armand just walked Louis home. 

Armand asks Louis if Lestat broke him–if he’s broken. Louis says he’s not, but he carries him [Lestat] and doesn’t know if he will be able to get over the man and the pain he inflicted. Armand says he will because Armand did. That’s when Louis learns Armand and Lestat were together a century ago. And so Louis and Armand kiss for the first time. It seems shared trauma brings soulmates together or something. Toxic love triangle, anyone? Louis invites Armand in.

In the Present: Friend or Foe

No Pain kicks off with Daniel trying to make sense of the memories Louis triggered in their last session. He’s at an upscale restaurant, presumably in the hotel where he’s staying or the building where Louis and Armand live. A man (Justin Kirk) approaches him, saying he’s read Daniel’s books. 

Initially, Daniel thinks he’s just a fan, but it turns out this man is more interested in the interview Daniel is conducting with the two vampires. Daniel suspects the man might be with Mossad, but the stranger reveals he works for a different, unnamed organization that keeps a watchful eye on things.

The man tells Daniel they’d been tracking 900 [vampires] a month ago, and now there are 1600 of them. He refers to this surge as “the great conversion,” emphasizing its reality. Daniel, unimpressed, asks for the man’s name. 

The man warns that Daniel isn’t the first to attempt to tell these stories; he knows of four others who tried and ended up dead or undead. He introduces himself as Reglan James. Reglan claims they’ve hacked Daniel’s laptop and placed files on it, which are primary sources that Louis and Armand have hidden from him. This revelation agitates Daniel, who starts exposing Reglan at the restaurant.

Meanwhile, while Louis is peacefully asleep, Armand, who is in their library, welcomes Daniel back to their luxurious apartment. Daniel is extremely suspicious and asks Rashid (Bally Gill) how many Rashids there have been. In his notes, Daniel suspects that Reglan might be with MI6 or another intelligence agency and knows they’ve hacked his laptop. 

Rashid becomes defensive of his masters, but when he starts revealing too much, Armand quickly dismisses him. Taking advantage of the moment alone, Armand apologizes to Daniel on Louis’s behalf for entering his mind, acknowledging it was wrong since Daniel is a guest. 

Daniel starts grilling Armand, questioning how they manage to avoid modern technology like cloud storage and surveillance cameras. Armand suggests waiting for Louis to join them, hinting that he and Daniel don’t see eye to eye, but clearly, Armand has his own agenda.

Before Louis wakes up, Armand answers Daniel’s question by talking about Lestat and his prophetic vision of vampires living openly among humans while humans remain ignorant of their existence. When Lestat’s name is mentioned, Daniel asks if the man Armand is talking about is THE Lestat de Lioncourt, prompting Armand to recount his encounter with the vampire. Daniel listens intently, even expressing a desire to meet Lestat someday. 

As Armand narrates how Lestat challenged the coven’s beliefs and dissolved them, Daniel realizes that Armand orchestrated the entire scenario. Armand confesses that Lestat’s words had echoed his own thoughts for half a century, but Armand couldn’t voice them himself. He needed Lestat to do it. And so he used him.

Anyway, since the interview jumps back and forth between past and present in No Pain, the next time we see Daniel and Armand is when Armand recounts the time he and Lestat confessed their love to each other. To be honest, Daniel is all of us at that moment—he’s not buying anything this vampire is saying. ANYTHING. 

When Daniel asks Armand if he’s just going to end his narration about his “love” story with Lestat there, Louis joins the interview and continues Armand’s story. Louis explains that after their love confession, Armand and Lestat had sex on the floor, then Armand taught Lestat the mind trick, and a week later, Lestat was gone.

Daniel, staying focused, reminds Louis that the original question was about how vampires hide from Google, not how Lestat broke Armand’s heart. Louis, switching gears, explains that when Armand went to open the theater, he was met by a lawyer, waiting for him with a trunk full of cash and instructions to cover the theater’s cost in perpetuity. 

Louis criticizes Lestat for abandoning Nicki, Armand, and the coven, emphasizing that Lestat is, was, and will always be for Lestat. Daniel quips, “Never say I love you to a raging narcissist.” Armand adds that he didn’t say those words again until Louis arrived. 

As Armand and Louis narrate the early stages of their relationship, with Armand spending less time at the theater and more with Louis, Daniel discovers a new disk on his computer with his name on it, containing the files Reglan mentioned before.

Distracted, he tries to maintain his composure and continue the interview, but Louis notices. Daniel, struggling to stay cool, ends up asking where Claudia was during this whole courtship. Their story is interrupted by Rashid, who informs his masters that the lawyer for the buyer is ready for a teleconference about the Bacon triptych—the painting they have in their living room (Three Studies for a Crucifixion).

While Armand and Louis handle the call, Daniel browses through the files, discovering that a fire ended the Théâtre des Vampires!

We’re gonna be honest, No Pain left us with a craving for a third season to see Lestat tell his side of the story. So far, every version we’ve seen of him has been constructed from Louis, Claudia, or Armand’s memories, and we know those can’t be trusted. We’re also intrigued by the organization Reglan is part of, but we’ll hold off on discussing that for now to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read the books. If our hunches are right, it promises to be quite the revelation.

Stay tuned to our website for the recap of episode 4 (episode 11) ‘I Want You More Than Anything In The World’ airing this Sunday on the East Coast. Until then, keep your senses sharp, and don’t let Dream-stat crash your dates with that new toxic flame!

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The third episode of the second season of Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire “No Pain” is available to stream exclusively on AMC+. Interview With the Vampire airs every Sunday on AMC. Follow us on X and Instagram for all queer stuff!

Featured Image: Courtesy of AMC.