Draft:I Could Not Prevent It

"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 Sam Reid's performance.

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.

Critical response
The episode was met with critical acclaim. 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.

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."