AMC’s The Vampire Lestat Episode 3 “Toronto” ends with Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) finally exacting brutal revenge on a villain whose actions have been haunting the show since Interview With the Vampire Season 1. However, what should feel like a moment of triumph is in fact the “antithesis of cathartic” for Louis, according to actor Jacob Anderson.
**Spoilers for The Vampire Lestat Episode 3 “Toronto,” now streaming on AMC+**
The Vampire Lestat Episode 3 “Toronto” ends with Louis tracking down and murdering Bruce (Damon Daunno), the leader of an erratic vampire gang terrorizing Detroit. But more importantly, Bruce, or “Killer” as he’s known as now, was the vampire who seduced and sexually assaulted Claudia (Delainey Hayles) all the way back in Season 1.
Last week’s episode ended with Raglan James (Justin Kirk) of the Talamasca asking Louis to dispatch with their little problem in Detroit, noting that this particular coven was responsible for all manner of misdeeds, from dealing fentanyl to attempting to decapitate Lestat (Sam Reid). Louis is completely unmoved by Raglan’s pitch until it’s revealed that the coven’s leader, Killer, is also Bruce. That revelation stops Louis cold and leads to the bloody ending of The Vampire Lestat Episode 3.
So who is Bruce? And will this particular kill impact Louis for the rest of the season? Here’s everything you need to know about the end of The Vampire Lestat Episode 3 “Toronto”…
The Vampire Lestat Episode 3 Ending Explained: Who is Bruce? Does Killing Bruce Help Louis Mourn Claudia?
Don’t remember who Bruce the vampire is? That’s okay. We haven’t seen him since Interview With the Vampire Season 1 Episode 5 “A Vile Hunger for Your Hammering Heart.” When Claudia (then played by Bailey Bass) left New Orleans to strike out on her own, she met the charming Bruce on her travels. However, he does something awful to her that Louis can’t bring himself to discuss with Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian). It’s obvious that he sexually assaulted poor Claudia.
Since Claudia was killed by the Théâtre des Vampires, Louis has been consumed with guilt and grief over her loss. It would make sense that he would want to kill Bruce as an act of vengeance for her. The problem is — as Jacob Anderson explained to DECIDER — killing Bruce only amplifies the emptiness Louis feels inside.
“I think it’s like the antithesis of cathartic. It’s like completely empty,” Anderson said. “It’s what really sets in motion Louis’s particular madness in the rest of the season, I think. This idea that this is like the missing piece, this is the final revenge. And he’s been on a bit of a [revenge streak].”
“You know, like Raglan James says something about like the amount of kills he did in Dubai and Paris and blah, blah, blah. I think he thinks that he can get something intangible back by tangibly killing a lot of vampires that were directly or indirectly involved.”
According to Anderson, The Vampire Lestat showrunner Rolin Jones hyped this week’s big kill as a “final boss,” which Anderson initially pushed back against.
“This is a thing that I’ve been saying to Rolin, because Rolin was always saying to me like, ‘That’s the big thing. He’s going to get Bruce, he’s going to get Bruce!’ And I was like, ‘Why? Like, why does it matter? Like killing Bruce is not going to bring her back,’” Anderson said. “And he was like, ‘Exactly.’ Like, that’s exactly the point.”
“So, yeah, I don’t think it’s cathartic at all. I think it’s like all build up and then emptiness, more grief.”
New episodes of The Vampire Lestat come out on Sundays on AMC and AMC+.