Nerd News

⚡ Quick Take

• Jacob Anderson’s Louis has a storyline in AMC’s The Vampire Lestat that is unique to the series.
• Louis was the main character of Interview with the Vampire seasons one and two.
• His storyline in The Vampire Lestat is not from Anne Rice’s books.

The principal star of Interview with the Vampire seasons one and two was Jacob Anderson as the undead Louis de Pointe du Lac. After all, he is the titular vampire being interviewed. But he takes a back seat for season three, now re-titled The Vampire Lestat. And this is in keeping with Anne Rice’s series of novels, as Louis just makes a minor appearance in the second book in the series. However, the AMC series gives Jacob Anderson as Louis a whole new storyline, one not from the novels. And they tie it to a plotline from IWTV season two, a story point also created just for the AMC series.

The Talamasca Recruits Louis to Take Down the Fang Gang AMC Networks

At the end of episode two, the Talamasca convinces Louis to handle a problem for them, essentially cornering Louis after a hotel meeting with Daniel Molloy. The vampire coven in Detroit that attempted to kill Lestat, the Fang Gang, has been making undue trouble. They’ve been selling fentanyl, keeping humans prisoners as a food supply, and just overall wreaking havoc. The Talamasca does not want to get its hands dirty, so they try to convince Louis to take care of its problem, just as he did in Paris with the Theater of the Vampires decades prior. They flatter him, telling him he’s quite good at dispatching those who trouble him.

AMC Networks

At first, Louis says “no thank you,” until Talamasca agent Raglan James mentions the leader of the Fang Gang, a vampire named Killer. But he used to go by another name, many years before. He once went by Bruce. And Louis instantly realizes who this Bruce is, especially after Raglan James shows him an old photograph. Once he hears that Killer is really Bruce, he agrees to take care of the problem for the Talamasca. Because this Bruce (Damon Daunno) is the same vampire who once tortured Claudia for weeks, then seemingly disappeared. Louis has waited a century for his revenge.

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THE VAMPIRE LESTAT’S Backstory, Explained in Linear Fashion

In season one of IWTV, we learn that Claudia attempted to leave home, where she met the first vampire outside her family, a man named Bruce. He charms her at first, but later brutally sexually assaults her, and keeps her prisoner for weeks. She writes about the entire harrowing experience in her diary, which Louis reads from. He eventually abandons her and takes off for parts unknown, leaving Claudia traumatized for the rest of her life. In the present day, Louis learns Bruce survived until the present day, and now leads the Detroit coven. This is in keeping with Rice’s novel The Queen of the Damned, where Killer leads a motorcycle vampire gang.

Louis Gets Revenge for Claudia AMC Networks

We see in episode three, “Toronto,” Louis goes full vampire slayer mode, and goes to the vampire coven house in Detroit. He dispatches all of the vampires providing security, decapitating more than one of them. Louis then frees their human prisoners. Covered in blood, he waits for Killer to get home. He finally arrives with his new bride, who we recognize as Baby Jenks, the vampire groupie from episode one. Louis pushes Baby Jenks out of the way, and cripples Killer. He then reads the passages of Claudia’s diary to him, detailing her harrowing ordeal with him that nearly destroyed her psyche. When he’s done, he lights the pages of the diary on fire, sets them on Killer’s head…and watches as the vampire once named Bruce burns to death after 100 years of causing so much pain.

Louis Meets Regina, Claudia’s Human Doppelgänger AMC Networks

Afterward, Louis tells his new lover, Loumel, that he feels better after having done the deed. However, his somber facial expression suggests otherwise. Getting rid of Killer and his coven (except for Baby Jenks, who survives) didn’t bring Claudia back. So Louis goes to an all-night diner in New York, where he’s been following a young waitress who works there. Turns out, this waitress is an exact doppelgänger for his lost Claudia, only human. And British. This is how actress Delainey Hayles returns to the series, as a waitress named Regina.

Louis (and Claudia’s?) Future in The Vampire Lestat

Could Regina be Claudia reincarnated in human form? And can Louis ever forgive himself for everything that happened to her? None of these story elements, such as Louis’ revenge on Bruce or Claudia’s human doppelgänger, are from Rice’s novels. AMC’s The Vampire Lestat is truly going into uncharted territory for the character of Louis this season. And we can’t wait to see what his future holds. Judging from the opening moments of episode one, which take place in a future where Louis is crippled, it’s going to be a harrowing journey.

The post How THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Gives Louis All New Storylines appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Fans have been wondering where Magnus got his Lestat fan art painting from.
• Magnus actor Damien Atkins shares that he thinks the vampire drew it himself.
• We guess it’s an artistic bloodline.

The Vampire Magnus is a terrifying figure. On a dime, he can turn from campily pathetic to an aggressive monster. One truly twisted facet of Magnus is revealed to us during The Vampire Lestat‘s “Your Biggest Fan” song sequence. There, we see that Magnus is having a slew of imaginary romantic overtures with Lestat. And that includes setting up a candlelit dinner, complete with wine, candles, and… a fan art portrait of Lestat. Of course, “Your Biggest Fan” is largely a figment of Lestat’s imagination of Marius. But, in some ways, we understand it to have a more omniscient view of what really happened with all the characters it showcases. And so, fans had to wonder, where did Magnus get his fan art portrait of Lestat? As part of a larger conversation with Magnus’ actor Damian Atkins, coming soon, Nerdist inquired about the provenance of the Lestat portrait. And Atkins thinks Magnus drew this Lestat fan art himself.

AMC

Atkins laughed and shared the following about Magnus’ Lestat portrait, “Oh, that’s so great. I think I drew it myself. I love that. Yeah. I think there’s a lot of discarded, terrible versions of it.” And when we suggested that he was after one perfect drawing. Atkins agreed, “Yeah. I took my time.”

So there you go, everyone. Magnus didn’t commission anyone to make Lestat, who could do it as well as he could? There’s also something eerie and shudder-inducing to the vision of all the dead blond men in the tower hanging next to all the crumpled up versions of the Lestat portrait on the floor. It casts an even darker light on the whole scene… and on how Magnus sees the world around him.

It also occurs to us that if Magnus is an artist, that does reveal quite a creative bloodline: Magnus with his (creepy) fan art portraits, Nicki with his violin, and Lestat with his singing. It’s too bad Magnus couldn’t have found more solace in making art and less in tormenting the objects of his twisted affection.

The Vampire Lestat airs on AMC and AMC+, Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT and midnight, respectively. You can snag The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice to read, if you’d like to know a little bit more about what’s going on.

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The post Where Did Magnus Get His Lestat Fan Art Portrait? Damien Atkins Says ‘He Drew It Himself’ appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The third episode of The Vampire Lestat introduced viewers to Magnus, Lestat’s sadistic maker.
• Magnus is an ancient vampire who becomes obsessed with Lestat and is determined to pass on his vampirism to him.
• After turning Lestat, Magnus casts himself into the fire and dies. This means Lestat never actually knows his maker. But in the AMC series, Lestat imagines Magnus through his song, “Your Biggest Fan”

Episode 3 of The Vampire Lestat, “Toronto,” finally shows us the vampiric transformation of Sam Reid’s Lestat back in the 1700s. At last, we see how his maker, Magnus (Damien Atkins), turned the young stage actor into the glamorous immortal we all know today. But who is The Vampire Lestat‘s Magnus, and what is his relation to the other vampires in the series? Here’s everything we know about Lestat’s centuries-old sire.

AMC Networks Who Is Magnus, Lestat’s Maker, in The Vampire Lestat?

Magnus is an ancient vampire with dark hair and unsettling features. A French alchemist in the 15th century, he was denied the supernatural blood by the ancient vampire Rhoshamandes for being too physically unattractive. So he found a vampire named Benedict, made by Rhoshamandes around 800 AD. While Benedict was hibernating, Magnus stole the blood from him and turned himself into a vampire. He was an outcast from the local covens, who considered him a heretic for living outside their rules. Over 300 years, he accumulated vast wealth from his victims, which he hoarded in a tower outside Paris. But as the centuries passed, the immortality began to drive Magnus insane.

How Does Magnus Find Lestat? AMC Networks

Magnus becomes fascinated with the mortal Lestat in the late 18th century, when he’s a young actor playing Lelio in a local Paris theater—a tale which Lestat recounts to readers in Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat. Magnus reads his mind and sees that Lestat killed eight wolves back home and barely survived. Fascinated by his bravery and tenacity, Magnus begins to stalk Lestat, telepathically calling him “Wolfkiller.” Also, Magnus finds Lestat physically beautiful, citing his blonde hair and blue eyes. One night, he pulls Lestat through the window of his home, while his lover Nicki screams, believing Lestat died in the attack.

Why Does Magnus Choose Lestat as His Heir in The Vampire Lestat?

Magnus mainly picks Lestat as his undead heir for his looks; that’s true. But that was not the only reason. After Lestat was transformed, he found the decomposing bodies of dozens of identical blonde men in Magnus’ dungeons. Clearly, Magnus meant to turn them, but ultimately chose to just kill them, for not being up to snuff to receive the Dark Gift. Lestat made the cut because of his innate bravery and his irreverent personality.

How Does Magnus Turn Lestat Into a Vampire? AMC Networks

Unlike what Lestat will eventually do with Louis, Magnus did not give Lestat a choice in becoming his fledgling. Magnus essentially assaulted him and forced him to become a vampire, even though Lestat resisted and said no with his dying breath in The Vampire Lestat. Even though Lestat relishes his vampire nature, it was done to him completely against his will.

What Happens to Magnus After Turning Lestat?

After Magnus turns Lestat, he gives him a quick rundown on what to do (and what not to do) as a vampire. With his heir now fully a vampire, he sets a funeral pyre and ends his undead life. Before Magnus dies, he warns Lestat to scatter the ashes, or he might return, in a nightmarish form that he can’t conceive. He leaves Lestat his tower and his vast wealth. In Anne Rice’s 2014 novel Prince Lestat, Magnus actually does returns as a ghost, who now looks like the blonde beauty he always coveted. But occasionally, his ghostly form flickers back to his old self, which is a shock to those around him. We’ll have to wait and see whether Magnus in The Vampire Lestat series is able to achieve this ghostly status.

AMC Networks How Old Is Magnus in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles?

Magnus was made a vampire about 300 years before the events of The Vampire Lestat, somewhere around the late 15th century. Thus, the ghostly form of Magnus we meet in Prince Lestat is about five centuries old.

Is Magnus One of the Oldest Vampires in the Series?

While Magnus is old, he’s nowhere near the oldest vampire in Anne Rice lore. He’s roughly the same age as Armand. Marius is over 2,000 years old, as are the vampires Pandora and Mael. And of course, Akasha, the Queen of the Damned, is 6,000 years old. So are the twins Maharet and Mekare.

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Major Changes AMC’s THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Makes to Anne Rice’s Books What Powers Does Lestat Inherit From His Maker Magnus?

Because Magnus never sired another vampire in his 300 years, his blood never became diluted. So Lestat inherited a full array of vampire powers from his maker. Lestat gained telepathy, called the Mind Gift, from Magnus, could set fires with his mind with the Fire Gift, and was much harder to kill thanks to his maker’s age when he transformed him.

AMC Magnus in AMC’s The Vampire Lestat Series

In the AMC series, we don’t get much of Magnus’ backstory. We know he’s old, not very attractive, and is an outcast from Armand’s coven. We see him stalk and kidnap Lestat, just as in the book, and we see glimpses of the other blonde men he killed in his tower. However, we don’t see him throw himself into the flames. Instead, Lestat describes the event to Daniel Molloy. A version of Magnus haunts Lestat in the present day, but we assume it’s not a real ghost, but a manifestation of Lestat’s trauma.

Lestat’s Song “Your Biggest Fan” Is About Magnus

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Daniel Hart Talks Crafting Lestat’s Magnus in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT’s ‘Your Biggest Fan’ Song

One of the songs in The Vampire Lestat, “Your Biggest Fan,” written by Daniel Hart, is sung by Lestat. But it’s told through what Lestat believes is his maker’s POV after he gave him the Dark Gift. Since Magnus kidnapped, assaulted, and transformed Lestat against his will, leaving behind no guidebook, the song is his way of reckoning with what Magnus did to him centuries ago. Despite the torture Magnus put him through, he now romanticizes it all (to a degree). He sees Magnus as “his biggest fan,” who gave him a powerful gift in the worst possible way. It’s pretty twisted, but Lestat uses music as a coping mechanism when dealing with what Magnus did to him in The Vampire Lestat.

The Vampire Lestat airs on AMC and AMC+, Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT and midnight, respectively. You can snag The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice to read, if you’d like to know a little bit more about what’s going on.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

The post Who Is Magnus, Lestat’s Maker, in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT? appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• It’s a bloody world out there, so strap in. We’re keeping track of all the major character deaths in The Vampire Lestat.

Even amongst immortal vampires, deaths can occur. And in The Vampire Lestat, it’s shaping up to be a fairly violent season already. Some deaths, we know are coming from Anne Rice’s books, while others might take us by surprise. Join us as we keep track of the bloody business of being a vampire. Here are all the major character deaths we’ve seen so far in The Vampire Lestat. Warning for some discussion of dark themes below.

Lestat’s Maker Magnus Throws Himself Into the Fire AMC

This The Vampire Lestat series death comes right from Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat book. After stalking Lestat, kidnapping him, and turning him against his will, Lestat’s Maker, Magnus, throws himself into the fire and dies. Granted, we don’t actually see this moment in The Vampire Lestat, but Daniel confirms it is so. Thus, Magnus leaves Lestat totally alone to navigate being a vampire and Lestat never even truly meets his Maker. But in The Vampire Lestat, we get to see Lestat reckoning with Magnus after his death in the song, “Your Biggest Fan.”

Daniel Hart told Nerdist about the song, “I thought, well, if he’s going to write a song about his transformation, then he should write it from the point of view of the person who transformed him. And since it was basically abduction and then abuse, and a rape of sorts, then that would be Lestat’s experience of it.”

And continues:

But the person who did those things, as can often be the case in real life, the person who is the tormentor, the predator, the abuser, doesn’t view themselves that way. And for Magnus, I don’t think he viewed himself that way at all, and either because he himself was so dark and twisted or because by that point in his own life, he had just basically lost his mind. So I thought, yeah, he wouldn’t think of himself as doing something terrible at all. He wasn’t torturing people. He was loving them. So I thought, oh, it’s a love song. Obviously, it’s a love song. So then I started writing a love song about abducting someone and then torturing them, and then it became the thing that it is.

But, [of course, the song] is really about Lestat’s version of what he thinks Magnus thought was happening. Since he barely knew him. The guy transformed him and then threw himself into a fire, and that was that.

Lestat’s First Love Nicki May or May Not Have Been Killed By Armand AMC

In The Vampire Lestat, the readers learn in an “off-screen” scenario that Lestat’s first love and fledgling, Nicolas de Lenfent, cast himself into the fire and died. It’s implied that Armand drove this suicide by tormenting the already unstable Nicki, by, among other things, cutting off his musician hands.

In The Vampire Lestat, Nicki’s death remains off-screen, but its narrative changes from Anne Rice’s books. Lestat recounts Nicholas’ final moments to Daniel in The Vampire Lestat, narrating that Armand pushed Nicki into the fire and held him there until he died. Notably, in this version of events, Nicholas cuts his own hands off, and Armand isn’t responsible for, at the very least, that part of things.

But, as Joseph Potter, Nicholas’ actor, cautions us about the current iteration of Nicki’s death, “We don’t see it.” Make of that what you will.

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Major Changes AMC’s THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Makes to Anne Rice’s Books The Vampire Bruce Meets Death at Louis’ Hands in The Vampire Lestat AMC

The Vampire Bruce does exist in the world of Anne Rice and appears in Queen of the Damned, but he’s a very different character in AMC’s Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat. Primarily, we know Bruce to be Claudia’s torturer. When Claudia briefly leaves Lestat and Louis, Bruce kidnaps her and does unspeakable things, which make him worthy of way more than death.

In The Vampire Lestat, the Talamsca want Louis to destroy the Detroit coven that’s plaguing them. Louis refuses until they reveal to him that Bruce is the one running it. Like in Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned, Bruce is now the leader of the Fang Gang coven. And that’s enough to convince Louis to destroy them all.

After demolishing the coven and freeing their human “food,” Louis handily cracks Bruce’s spine and forces him to listen to everything he has to say. In a truly harrowing scene, Louis reads the missing pages from Claudia’s notebook to Bruce (as we also get images of Lestat’s torment at the hands of Magnus). Then, using the fire gift, Louis sets the pages aflame, drops them on Bruce’s head, and that’s it. Bruce, as we said, deserved more than just death in The Vampire Lestat, but we’re glad he got that much.

We Don’t Want Any More Deaths on The Vampire Lestat

Ultimately, we’re scared for our favs, and we don’t want any more death and destruction in The Vampire Lestat. Can’t we just have cheery, sweet vampiric times?

The Vampire Lestat airs at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to air.

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The post THE VAMPIRE LESTAT’s Major Character Deaths appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Delainey Hayles returns to The Vampire Lestat as new character Regina. But who is Regina? Is she related to Claudia? And how does Louis fit?

We’ve known for quite some time that Delainey Hayles would be back in The Vampire Lestat. But we didn’t know what character Hayles would play in her return. In Interview with the Vampire, we witnessed the death of Delainey Hayles’ original character, Claudia. Claudia was the vampire daughter of Lestat and Louis, and she was murdered by the Paris Coven for “breaking the Great Laws” of the vampire, while Louis was just barely spared. Uncovering the truth of her death was a core part of Louis’ journey in Interview with the Vampire, and no doubt, reckoning with the grief of losing her will continue to be a major part of his story in The Vampire Lestat. But does Delainey Hayles actually return as Claudia in The Vampire Lestat? In The Vampire Lestat episode three, she comes back to us in the form of someone else, a human. But who is Regina, Delainey Hayles’ new The Vampire Lestat character? Let’s take a closer look at what the series has revealed to us so far about this familiar face with a new name.

AMC Who Does Delainey Hayles Play in The Vampire Lestat?

Delainey Hayles plays Regina in The Vampire Lestat. We meet Hayles’ Regina in The Vampire Lestat episode three, but we hear Louis talking about her as early as episode two.

Who Is Regina in The Vampire Lestat?

So far, all we know about Regina is that she is a human who works as a waitress at a NYC diner called “Brick and Bacon.” Louis describes Hayles’ Regina to Daniel as follows: “I saw Claudia in New York, coming out of the subway… Someone who looked like her, but in her twenties, if she’d made it to her twenties. So I come up, I watched her turn the corner. I saw her walk into a diner. I couldn’t help myself. I go inside, I grab a booth. It’s not her, she’s not there. Chased a ghost, I guess. I ordered a donut and coffee, just to pass. And she comes out the back in uniform. It’s not her. This one’s got a different walk, accent. I’m not in her section. I walked out.”

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But indeed, when we see Regina in The Vampire Lestat episode three, played by Delainey Hayles as she is, the character is an exact copy of Claudia. Her accent is British when she speaks to Louis and she’s aged to Hayles’ age at the present. But we can see how intense this might be for the character.

Is Regina Related to Claudia at All? AMC

For now, we don’t know if Regina and Claudia have any kind of cosmic connection on The Vampire Lestat. Anne Rice’s universe is full of all kinds of magic and powers, though, so we guess we can’t entirely rule it out either.

Nerdist Take: What Role Will Delainey Hayles’ Regina Play in Louis’ Story in The Vampire Lestat?

What we can say is that Regina’s resemblance to Claudia is likely not good for Louis if Regina is, indeed, not at all connected to Claudia in The Vampire Lestat. Louis already went to the diner once to see Regina, as he told Daniel. And now we see that he’s returned again. The idea of seeing someone we love come back to life is, of course, a temptation that no human and vampire could withstand easily. But if Regina is truly just some human person, then she likely cannot actually help Louis with his grief over Claudia. In all likelihood, she would just make it worse if she is not actually Claudia in any way. And, especially for a vampire, intense grief can be a dangerous thing. We want healing for Louis, but we’re not sure this is the path that brings it.

Will We See More of Delainey Hayles’ Regina in The Vampire Lestat? AMC

Given that The Vampire Lestat episode three concludes with Louis meeting Regina at her diner, we feel like the answer is definitely yes—Delainey Hayles will be back as Regina in at least one more episode. What will that bring, though? Only time will tell.

The Vampire Lestat (or season three of Interview with the Vampire) is currently streaming on AMC and AMC+. New episodes arrive Sundays at 9 pm PT/ET on AMC and at midnight on AMC+. You can also read Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat book today.

Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She cannot take any more Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat devastation for Louis or anyone else.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

The post Delainey Hayles’ New THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Role, Revealed appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• House of the Dragon is back and bloodier than ever for season three, which features a lot of major deaths in a battle for the Iron Throne.

House of the Dragon is back for season three and whoa did it not waste any time diving right into the action. Rhaenyra’s continuous quest to sit upon the Iron Throne and claim her place as her father’s rightful heir and Alicent’s cold, villainous decisions to attempt to clean up her royal messes are at the forefront of this season as battles rage on. As is customary with any story of war and revenge, there will be a lot of bloodshed and big deaths in House of the Dragon season three. So, who ends up losing their life in this conflict between Team Black and Team Green? Here is every major death that happens in House of the Dragon season three. 

Note: We are only counting main and important named characters. Sorry to all the ancillary soldiers and random people who are caught in the line of fire between Rhaenyra’s rage and Alicent’s boneheadedness. 

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What Is HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’s Battle of the Gullet? (Spoiler Free) Prince Jacaerys Velaryon and His Dragon Vermax HBO

Believing in Alicent’s offer to let her come into King’s Landing and take power, Rhaenyra sends her naval forces, led by the Sea Snake Lord Corlys Velaryon, in that direction to control the city. Her wise son Jace strongly advises against this, saying that it is likely a trap. This decision leads to the Battle of the Gullet when the Triarchy shows up and Admiral Sharako Lohar is determined to take the Sea Snake down. Rhaenyra gets word of this and hastily decides that she will ride Syrax into battle; however, Jace comes up with a plan to protect his mother’s life. 

He conspires with Sir Lorent to lock Rhaenyra in her room, and Jace instead rides off with Baela on their respective dragons, Vermax and Moondancer. Unbeknownst to them, Rhaena rides a very untamed Sheepstealer into battle, who begins to burn everything and tries to attack the other dragons. This leads to Vermax being harpooned for a second time. Vermax drowns and Jace manages to unhook himself, but is shot down with several arrows, ending the first episode of House of the Dragon season three with a very major and sad death. Now, Rhaenyra will have to deal with losing two sons in her journey towards the Iron Throne. 

Admiral Sharako Lohar  Ollie Upton/HBO

Sure, she’s not necessarily the most “major” character in this show. But Admiral Sharako Lohar made quite the splash with her appearance at the end of season two, and fans were ready to see more from her. The Battle of Gullet features much bloodshed and fire, much of it fueled by Admiral Sharako Lohar’s hatred of Lord Corlys. She wishes to exact revenge on him, saying that he led the persecution and slaughter of her mates for 20 years. She doesn’t care what the King’s mission is, nor is she Team Green. She is driven by hatred, and after much tense battle and chase, finally gets her one-on-one fight against Lord Corlys.

Interestingly, Lohar’s drowning at the hands of Alyn of Hull was a creation of the show. In George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, the Lyseni admiral survived the Battle of the Gullet. His ship was one of the 28 out of 90 not to burn or sink. Lohar’s survival, and the fact that 25 in total hailed from Lys, helped lead the three Free Cities of the Triarchy to go to war with one another two years later.

As the ship splits, it throws Corlys into the sea, a sight that makes his illegitimate son Alyn of Hull incredibly angry. Alyn tackles Sharako into the seas and attempts to drown her before finally stabbing her in the neck. It’s kinda sad because she was lit but she also dug her own grave by going rogue against the Sea Snake. Right now, we won’t include Corlys in our death breakout because it is not clear if he’s dead or has washed ashore somehow.  

Let’s see what other demises await us in House of the Dragon season three.

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The post Every Major Character Death in HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Season 3 appeared first on Nerdist.

This post contains major spoilers from the House of the Dragon season three premiere and its major character death or deaths. If you haven’t seen it yet and want to avoid them, you can instead check out our pre-season coverage, like what you need to know ahead of The Battle of the Gullet.

Ollie Upton/HBO ⚡ Quick Take

• House of the Dragon‘s season three premiere featured the death of Rhaenyra’s eldest son, Jacaerys or Jace.
• Jace flew into battle unprepared and ended up dying in a way similar to what we read in G.R.R. Martin’s books.
• Jace may have won a battle for Rhaenyra, but he did her incredible damage. Jace’s death will be a great wound to her going forward in House of the Dragon.

George R.R. Martin readers have long known why the Battle of the Gullet was a Pyrrhic victory for Queen Rhaenyra. Despite losing many sailors and ships, the Velaryon fleet defeated the Triarchy and maintained its blockade. It won thanks to a big, fiery assist from the Queen’s dragons. But Rhaenyra had no reason to celebrate. She lost something far more precious than an armada. Her son and heir, Prince Jacaerys Targaryen, died after his dragon Vermax fell. Jace’s House of the Dragon season three, episode one demise was a shocking death straight from the books that forever changed the Dance of the Dragons.

HBO Jace’s House of the Dragon Death Comes Straight From G.R.R. Martin’s Books

In the end, Jace didn’t survive the Battle of the Gullet in Martin’s books or HBO’s House of the Dragon series. Martin’s history actually posits a few versions of Jace’s death, but most accept that the end began when a grapnel hook took down Vermax. HBO’s adaptation changed some of the details of how that worked and where Vermax crashed (into a boat versus being dragged by an anchor into the sea), but House of the Dragon‘s version was the same in spirit.

Then, it’s onto Jace’s actual death in House of the Dragon. Prince Jacaerys also died the same way in both the books and series. For a brief moment, he clung to a piece of wood from a wrecked ship. But before his allies could save him, archers from a nearby Triarchy ship riddled his body with arrows.

HBO How Did Jace End Up Dead?

Rhaenyra lost her second son, Luke, at the start of the Dance. Since then, she kept her eldest Jace by her side. She even told him about Aegon the Conqueror’s Song of Ice and Fire, the prophecy about the White Walkers that led him to unite Westeros under his family’s rule. Now, Jace, a good, smart, well-intentioned young man, is dead. He was his mother’s fiercest protector and confidant.

Jace’s desire to protect his mother led to his House of the Dragon death. Rhaenyra wanted to answer Ser Corlys’ call when the Triarchy launched its sneak attack. On House of the Dragon, Jace conspired with Queensguard knight Ser Ser Lorent Marbrand to keep Rhaenyra locked up so she couldn’t fly into battle. It was the most recent example of her allies stopping her from doing so, as they believe her death would instantly end the war, which would likely mean their own heads on spikes. Jace always agreed with keeping his mother safe and far from direct conflict. His protective nature was not the only reason he fell. And we don’t mean because House of the Dragon made a major change when it came to the Battle of the Gullet and the number of dragons who fought there, and why.

HBO Jace Won a Battle, But Lost a War for Rhaenyra

While Rhaena’s wild Sheepstealer contributed to Jace’s demise on House of the Dragon, his own overeagerness to fight was as responsible for his death as anything else. Jace went headfirst into battle after reaching a frenzy talking about what victory would mean with his bethrothed, Baela. “We are ready. We can win this victory for her. Was this not always our purpose?” said Jace. He then flew too low amid ships full of seasoned sailors who had long fought dragons in the Stepstones.

Neither Jace nor Vermax were prepared for the Battle of the Gullet. By keeping his much smarter mother out of the fight, Jace’s naivety, inexperience, and bad luck got him killed. So while he did win a victory for his mother, he also ensured that Rhaenyra lost.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He thinks Jace with age and wisdom Jace would have been a good King. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

The post A Major Death Rocks HOUSE OF THE DRAGON in Season 3 Premiere appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Here’s what House of the Dragon kept the same, what it changed, and what it omitted entirely from the books with the Battle of the Gullet.

This post contains major spoilers for House of the Dragon‘s season three premiere. If you want to avoid them until you watch the episode, check out our pre-season coverage instead. That includes learning everything you needed to know before The Battle of the Gullet.

In Westeros, the Battle of the Gullet is remembered as one of the deadliest, most consequential sea conflicts in the Realm’s history. Now House of the Dragon viewers know why. The series brought to life a deadly and destructive fight between two massive fleets. While HBO’s adaptation kept the broad strokes of the conflict between the Triarchy and Rhaenyra’s forces the same, it also had a lot of room to fill in many gaps. George R.R. Martin’s recorded history of the infamous fight in Fire & Blood only covers a couple of pages. But even then, House of the Dragon made some major changes to its version. Here’s what House of the Dragon kept the same about the Battle of the Gullet, what it changed, and an important development it omitted entirely.

What Stayed the Same in the Battle of the Gullet From the Book HBO

The Lyseni Admiral Sharako Lohar did split up the Triarchy’s 90 ships during the surprise attack on the Velaryon fleet. Lohar sent some to the northern part of the waterway to hit the island of Driftmark (but not the neighboring Dragonstone). It was the seat of the Triarchy’s old nemesis, House Velaryon.

In the books, the Triarchy entered the harbor of the nearby Driftmark city Spicetown, setting both it and ships located there on fire. The show (in a deft bit of storytelling) focused on the Triarchy’s other main point of attack, as Lohar specifically went after Corlys Velaryon’s personal castle of treasures, High Tide, burning it to the ground. Ultimately, despite claiming many lives and many Velaryon ships, most Triarchy boats burned in a doomed effort to break the blockade.

HBO

In each Battle of the Gullet, Prince Jacaerys arrived on his dragon Vermax to turn the tide of the war, which the Triarchy waged in close proximity. Ships of the Three Sisters rammed and boarded the Velaryon fleet’s boats, making it harder for dragons to burn enemies since they were so close to Rhaenyra’s forces. The Triarchy was also well-prepared for dragons, as it had plenty of experience with the creatures thanks in part to wars in the Stepstones against Prince Daemon and his dragon Caraxes.. The show captured how the ships of the Three Sisters came equipped with plenty of archers, scorpion bolts, and grapnel hooks.

Like in the book (though there are differing, less convincing accounts from history), a grapnel hook took down Vermax. The most oft-repeated story is that a single grapnel tied to a ship’s mast tore through the young dragon’s belly, its own speed adding to the hook’s effectiveness. That caused the creature to crash into a ship where it got tangled up and drowned. House of the Dragon version of Vermax’s death was mostly the same, but instead of a whole ship dragging down the dragon, it was an anchor attached to the grapnel. It brought Vermax to the water where the dragon drowned.

Ollie Upton/HBO

HBO’s series also kept Jace’s death the same (after faking out readers by having him and Vermax escape a grapnel hit earlier). Archers killed Rhaenyra’s son and heir as Prince Jacaerys clung to a piece of wreckage.

The Changes That House of the Dragon Made to the Battle of the Gullet HBO

The biggest change House of the Dragon made to the Battle of the Gullet—besides time, as the TV conflict did not last many hours into the night—was its dragon participants. While Prince Jace first answered the call in both versions, Baela was nowhere close when the fighting began. She never arrived with Moondancer and was never part of the Battle of the Gullet, let alone a reason for victory.

Sheepstealer was part of the fight, but not because Rhaena arrived on the wild dragon. Instead it was a young girl named Nettles who took to the skies that day. The show has cut her from its story. In the book, Nettles claimed the wild, sheep-eating dragon who lived on Dragonstone (and not the Vale, which is a whole thing) as part of the book’s very different Red Sowing. Nettles and Sheepstealer did not attack Jace or any other of Rhaenyra’s dragonriders, either. That was wholly a creation of HBO’s adaptation, which made Sheepstealer’s presence and indiscriminate attacks partly responsible for Jace’s death.

HBO

In George R.R. Martin’s history, Nettles and Sheepstealer came to Jace’s side along with Ulf the White on Silverwing, Hugh Hammer on Vermithor, and Addam of Hull on Seasmoke. On House of the Dragon, those three were instead far away at Dragonstone awaiting the arrival of Prince Regent Aemond, which Alicent told Rhaenyra was the Greens’ plan. (Aemond threatened to ruin Alicent’s doublecross when he decided to stay in King’s Landing before his mother manipulated him to leave.)

The appearance of four more dragons was too much for the Triarchy forces, which did ultimately break into chaos. (On the show, Corlys made that happen by luring Lohar away, leaving the Triarchy without its leader.) Before that the fleet had bravely stood up to the inexperienced Jace and Vermax. Once the five dragons brought fire and blood to the Gullet the battle was lost. The fact the Triarchy held out for as long as it did shows how formidable it really was. The Gullet was not a total victory for Rhaenyra’s side. It lost 1/3rd of its ships, a dragon, and its heir.

There’s also no indication from recorded history from Fire & Blood that anyone stopped Queen Rhaenyra from fighting, either. With five dragons ready to defend the Gullet for her, it seems unlikely she would have needed to put her own life at risk.

HBO

Lohar only died on HBO’s prequel. In the books, the Admiral survived alongside 28 of the 90 Triarchy ships that sailed into the Gullet. Of those, 25 surviving boats were Lyseni boats. Myr and Tyrosh did not respond well to that peculiar fact. The other two Free Cities accused Lohar of protecting his own men at the cost of their forces. That ultimately led to the dissolution of the Triarchy. Two years later, the three cities went to war with each other.

Tyland Lannister was also not with Lohar during the attack. The Greens’ Master of Ships wasn’t even on a boat he could then be tossed off of. He was in King’s Landing while the Battle of the Gullet took place. (To avoid spoilers, we won’t discuss the fate of Corlys from the book. The show clearly left that ambiguous during its battle.)

HBO What the Show Omitted Entirely

In House of the Dragon‘s second season, Princess Rhaena ran away from her protectors in the Vale to pursue Sheepstealer. Rhaena was supposed to accompany her half-brothers—Rhaenyra and Daemon’s sons Aegon and Viserys—to Pentos. Just like in the books, the young princes were traveling their on the Gay Abandon.

In Fire & Blood, that boat and its Velaryon escorts ran right into the Triarchy fleet. Aegon, who’d never ridden his dragon Stormcloud before, barely escaped the sailors who fired heavily on him and Stormcloud. He made his way back to Dragonstone to warn of the fleet, but Stormcloud died. Aegon also never forgave himself for abandoning his brother. The Triarchy (ultimately Lohar) took the boy and his dragon egg captive.

HBO

Rhaenyra’s side thought Viserys died in the Battle of the Gullet since no one knew what ship he’d been on. The loss of two more sons only made Rhaenyra more protective of her two remaining boys, Joffrey and Aegon.

For now, we have no idea what House of the Dragon plans to do with little Aegon and Viserys. We do not know the fate of the Gay Abandon. But no matter what happens to that cog, Jace is gone. As is the Triarchy fleet and many of Corlys Velaryon’s men and ships. Because while House of the Dragon made big changes to the Battle of the Gullet, it was just as deadly as ever.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He would simply never fight a dragon. No chance. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

The post The Biggest Changes HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Made to the Battle of the Gullet appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• House of the Dragon season three’s Olivia Cooke and Ewan Mitchell talk about Alicent, Aemond, and TV’s most awkward kiss ever.

Listen, there’s something in the television air. And that something is… incest? We didn’t really see that one coming. But we have two major series on the air right now, House of the Dragon and The Vampire Lestat, that are both serving us some strange mother/son interactions... By which we mean kisses. And you’d think we’d be a bit inured to this by now, given the strange propensity for incest we’ve seen in recent times. But NOPE. House of the Dragon season three’s kiss between Aemond Targaryen and his mother, Alicent Hightower, is probably the most awkward kiss we’ve ever seen on television. And, as we mentioned, that’s SAYING something. We’re glad it’s cringe, but we’re a bit less glad to have to watch it.

HBO

It’s a difficult life for a woman in Westeros. It’s triply difficult if you’re just trying to run away from your terrible family and prevent all-out war. Alicent did her best to get the rightful queen on the throne when she went to Rhaenyra at the end of House of the Dragon season two, willing to sacrifice her terrible son Aegon for some peace. But in House of the Dragon season three, nothing is going as planned. Aegon is missing, and Aemond (and his vicious dragon Vhagar) refuse to leave King’s Landing to make way for an easy Rhaenyra takeover. So what is Alicent to do? Well, on House of the Dragon season three, episode, Alicent deftly manipulates Aemond by offering him what he wants most… her love… and a kiss… A really bad one. Eeps.

HBO

In order to get Aemond out of the castle, Alicent finally tells him what he most wants to hear. That she loves him and that while she “strove tirelessly to put Aegon on the throne,” Alicent truly believes, “You should have been King. If you’d only been born first, then perhaps we wouldn’t be here.” And, of course, these are the words that mommy-issue-riddled Aemond has always wanted to hear. And as she continues to speak, Alicent moves closer to Aemond, taking his hand and telling him, “That is why you need to go to Harrenhal. It is a stronghold. One that has withstood dragonfire once before. You are no longer safe here in King’s Landing. You are the crown now. And Rhaenyra will send her new dragons here for you.” But, of course, nothing actually sways Aemond to leave King’s Landing until Alicent offers, “Perhaps I could even meet you there… I cannot lose you.”

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Ewan Mitchell Says Aemond and Vhagar Are HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’s ‘Power Couple’

And that, to Aemond, is the opening for the world’s most uncomfortable kiss ever. Alicent’s eyes are fully open, and her whole body conveys disgust as Aemond kisses her on House of the Dragon, but he doesn’t seem to notice. Instead, he very sincerely tells her, “I shall host a feast there in your honor. In Black Harren’s hall. Whilst my uncle’s head looks down from a spike.” Well… that’s charming.

We can see Alicent regret all her life choices after her kiss with Aemond and his bloodthirsty proclamations. Of course, the whole thing is also a bit sad. We know that, on some level, as we see from his interactions with Sylvi, the madam of the aptly named brothel, Mother’s, Aemond just wants to be held, loved, and listened to by a maternal figure. Alicent clearly did not give him much in the way of motherly affection. And, in the world of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, that dearth has gone very wrong.

HBO

Speaking to both Alicent actress Olivia Cooke and Aemond actor Ewan Mitchell, Nerdist learned more about the awkward kiss between them in House of the Dragon.

Cooke shares, “She thinks it’s really hot.” Only joking. In fact, Alicent finds it incredibly disturbing. It’s completely out of left field. I think she is like, ‘Great, another failing as a parent,’ because something has been confused. Something has been tragically confused along the way. And she’s in a really dangerous position now because any seeming rejection will get her killed, and will mean that Aemond is still in the castle when Rhaenyra comes, and so she’s got to play body chess at the same time as trying to survive.” ‘Body Chess’ is a phrase we might have done without, but it does get the point across.

Meanwhile, Mitchell offers an empathetic view of Aemond’s actions in House of the Dragon and his desire to kiss his mother, Alicent, “Aemond, he kind of grew up feeling like he never had that much love as a child, and he really had to learn to love himself. And so that’s where his ego and his vanity stems from. If a child isn’t embraced by the village, they’ll burn it down to feel its warmth. He’s kind of on this war path. He’s finding his power through using Vhagar and really making a name for himself. A notorious kind of name for himself. And I think Aemond, in that moment, he’s kind of risen to a position where he can comfortably call himself the king and the leader of Team Green. And with that, maybe he feels like he can shoot his shot with Alicent in a really weird way because his perception of love is so skewed. He doesn’t necessarily know how to show it since he never received any. What you’ve seen in that moment is kind of a combination of both of those things.”

HBO

Well, as awkward as it was, Alicent’s shared kiss with Aemond on House of the Dragon episode one did, indeed, achieve her aims. What will happen between the pair in the long run remains to be seen. But hopefully… no more kisses.

House of the Dragon season three is now airing on HBO and HBO Max on Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT.

Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She’s seen a lot on TV, but that kiss between Aemond and Alicent on House of the Dragon was one of the worst things ever.

The post HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Cast Talks TV’s MOST Awkward Kiss Ever appeared first on Nerdist.

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⚡ Quick Take

• The Vampire Lestat’s Rolin Jones, Assad Zaman, and Eric Bogosian gave us a TON of Devil’s Minion teases about Armand and Daniel.
• When asked about the state of the romance, Rolin Jones confirmed, “We have been writing it from the beginning. We are continuing to write it, and we’re right there now.”
• Assad Zaman and Eric Bogosian also noted that it was “a work in progress.”

It might not come as a surprise to many of you, but here at Nerdist HQ, we’re particularly interested in what The Vampire Lestat has in store for Armand, Daniel, and, of course, the romantic relationship between them, known as Devil’s Minion. Devil’s Minion is a romance that’s canon to the Anne Rice books. And so, after two seasons of meaningful gazes, surprise flashbacks, and one vampiric turning, eager fans have been patiently hoping to see the love between Armand and Daniel bloom in full force on our screens this year. But what does The Vampire Lestat have in store for DM? The showrunner of The Vampire Lestat, Rolin Jones, and stars Assad Zaman and Eric Bogosian, who play Armand and Daniel, respectively, gave us a SLEW of insights. And these teases of what’s to come have us feeling pretty excited for the future of Devil’s Minion. You can check them out below.

Nerdist: We know the love between vampires can be many things. Or it can be one thing. As far as a romantic thing, where are Armand and Daniel (or Devil’s Minion) this season?

Rolin Jones: I think we’re in a very good place. That’s what I think. The old DM, right, has been hurtled at me right from day one at Comic-Con. When we were first coming out, even, and nobody had seen anything yet. People were coming to the microphone, going, “Where is this?” We have been writing it from the beginning. We are continuing to write it, and we’re right there now. And so, just like everything else, have patience; we will try to beat your expectations.

AMC

Eric Bogosian: Romantically? It’s problematic.

Assad Zaman: Problematic is the word. Problematic. It’s just problematic.

Eric Bogosian: We’ve come up with a lot of different metaphors for what it could be. One of the ones I like currently, that I’m sort of meditating on, is when you have a thing for somebody a long time ago, let’s say in high school, and then you run into that same person decades later, and you still feel that way, but they’re not the same person. They’re a different person. This is at the core of this whole show, and all the characters, the question of, “What is a person? A person is their history, or what they think their history is, and doesn’t everybody rewrite their own personal history? There is no objectivity. It’s this constantly changing thing, and definitely, Daniel is going through a changing thing in this season. How does a love manifest itself? Well, we’re working on that.

Assad Zaman: It’s a work in progress.

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Assad Zaman on What Love Means to Armand From THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Nerdist: In the times between when we see Armand and Daniel overtly come together, do you think there were instances when Armand and Daniel were in one another’s orbits that we haven’t seen on screen yet?

Assad Zaman: It’s always possible. There’s a long 50 years between San Francisco and where we are. There’s always that possibility. Armand, his elaborate lies are often always laced with some truth. If you sort of listen to him, there’s something honest kind of coming out there, shrouded in manipulation and lies. And then in San Francisco, his fascination is real. His fascination with Daniel Molloy is real and way stronger than Louis’ fascination. And so then, why wouldn’t he?

Nerdist: Eric, outwardly, Daniel refuses to acknowledge his “transformational trauma.” But how do you really think he feels about Armand abandoning him to his vampirism?

Eric Bogosian: Well, it does start out with raw anger, but just as we saw when we ended the second season, there’s more to be learned when it comes to Armand; there is a lot more to be learned. As he learns it, he’s really put on his back foot. It’s something that just keeps moving along through the season.

AMC Nerdist: What can you tell us about the Vampiric Bond between Armand and Daniel?

Assad Zaman: Well, from the perspective of Armand, things have shifted quite a lot since season two. He’s no longer part of the status quo of creating this world that he tried to maintain for so long, and he’s very much in a more vulnerable place and self-reflective and on a new mission to redeem himself in some ways and also explore what he did to Daniel and sort of trying to take… I’m struggling because I’m trying to say he’s trying to take blame, but he’s also not, because there’s always something else with Armand. But yeah, that’s where he’s at.

Nerdist: Eric, the show discussed Daniel’s sexuality a little bit in the prior seasons, but I think really confirmed it more as firmly in a queer place in The Vampire Lestat. I know we talked before about sort of the importance of representing queer generations that may have been a bit more lost on our screens. Did you think about that any more while you were all were creating this season?

Eric Bogosian: Well, I mean, Daniel and I have roughly the same timeline. So anything that has to do with queer stuff back in the ’70s has to be also rebellious if it has any sort of public aspect to it. He wasn’t in the closet. He was hanging out in gay bars. He’s not strictly homosexual, he’s kind of like everything. And that is also of the boomer ’70s. If it feels good, do it. That’s pretty much Daniel’s thing. So I think that is a part of Daniel is like he’s against the status quo. The status quo is a straight breeder world, and he’s always been ready to walk into any doorway and taste any flavor. And if it feels good, do it.

To that we say, Amen! The Vampire Lestat airs on AMC and AMC+, Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT and midnight, respectively.

Rotem Rusak is Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She is waiting for Armand and Daniel to finally get together so one of her canon ships can finally sail on The Vampire Lestat. Amen.

The post All the Devil’s Minion Teases We Got From THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Cast and Creators appeared first on Nerdist.

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