Do we like Armand?
A character from Interview with the Vampire (2022–)
Our score: 3 out of 10. Charming, wounded and fascinating, but he lies, manipulates and controls the people he claims to love. Enjoy watching him, but don't trust him with anything.
Armand is a centuries-old vampire in AMC's Anne Rice adaptation. The show follows Louis de Pointe du Lac, who tells his life story to the journalist Daniel Molloy. In the 1940s timeline, Armand leads the Théâtre des Vampires, a troupe that performs for humans and hides what it is.
He is slight and gentle on the surface, and he stays powerful without making a show of it. Assad Zaman has said that Armand's quiet manner is part of why he makes a convincing leader. Parade describes him as calculating, cruel and conniving, but still somehow cute. That mix is why he's so watchable. It's also why we can't give him a high score: he is most dangerous when he seems most sincere.
The show first introduces him as Rashid, a figure who is always at Louis's beck and call. His true identity is only revealed in the first season's finale. In season two we learn how far his dishonesty goes: he deliberately distorted the truth about the original interview and its aftermath, and changed what Louis and Daniel remember.
Our verdict is 3 out of 10. He has real feeling and a sad history, which earns him some sympathy. But he keeps choosing control over honesty, and the series keeps showing that his love comes with strings attached. Season three, The Vampire Lestat, has him digging his heels in further.