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I think a lot of people are forgetting that their first meeting in the book was Armand kidnapping Daniel and locking him in a basement, then letting him go and stalking him while Daniel tried to get away. I think the San Fran torture fest totally tracks with that.
And including Armand’s lunch hunt during the episode highlights the established pattern. I wonder if Armand was hoping it would help knock a memory or two free for Daniel.
Yeah, im still of the mind that Armand is intending these memories to resurface. Otherwise why bring Daniel in? Especially if hes editing peoples memories left and right.
Posted this in a different threat about the possibility of DM but posting here too because I'm obsessed with the idea of some form of DM having happened
I reaaaaaally want some form of Devil's Minion to have happened after the events of episode 5 but tbh, the comments from the actors (who all seem to \*want\* DM to happen!) make it seem like it won't? It could be that the writers and producers haven't told them but honestly, I would think that if DM happened, the directors would want Assad to know that for his performance as Armand. I know Rolin Jones has said some form of DM will happen but now I'm starting to think maybe episode 5 was what he meant...😭
it’s all up in the air! I haven’t seen anything from the actors that imply that, so I’m still in my own fantasy world - regardless, they paired up eric and assad consistently for interviews, so that may or may not have meant something! (perhaps it was simply assad on babysitting duty for eric’s spoiler-happy mouth LOL). and if there isn’t any DM, we always have the avenues of fanfiction to escape to :)
They could definitely take it where Armand follows up on him every now and then, simply because he's jealous that Louis found him interesting enough not to kill.
I'm kind of stuck on Dubai Armand and Daniel though. Rewatching some scenes, I don't see anything romantic on Armand's end. It's clear Armand resents him even being there and is still fixated on Louis, and now there's added hatred on Daniel's side because he knows Armand tortured him. I guess we'll see what happens.
I’m a dedicated (delusional) romantic, so I found their scenes to be rife with tension that goes beyond resentment from armand’s end. there are little details (for me at least) that seem too out-of-place to just be indifference to me, especially with the “alice” comment. I don’t think armand IS alice, but I think there’s something else there, some knowledge he has of daniel’s life that he isn’t sharing. also, if armand didn’t want the interview and also didn’t care for daniel, why stop louis twice from hurting him? why even apologize to him? not directing the questions to you specifically! just general thoughts as I try to unravel this mystery haha
Sorry, but I don't see any romantic tension between the two in Dubai, just tension. And in San Francisco, Armand was more than happy to kill Daniel himself.
I don't want to throw a wrench into DM fandom, as it is canon, but I think all of Armand's motivations up to the latest episode revolve around his obsession with Louis and keeping control of the narrative. Daniel is only still alive at this point because Louis is fond of him and wants him alive.
Edit to add: Don't forget that Armand also reads minds like humans breathe air, so he knows everything about Daniel just by getting inside his head. He doesn't really need to follow him around and keep tabs on him.
I agree with you. Like a lot of people, I love the subtle romantic elements in Devil's Minion because we get to see a distinctly happy Armand. Or so it seems. The more I read that chapter the darker it gets. It's not really as romantic as it reads the first time. I was mostly into their relationship because I could see how they click and could work. Sort of how one views friends that would match and you set them up to get to know each other? From a matchmaking angle, when I see them two I go "OH! They work. Why I don't know. Ok hold on let's see why you register this: Balance. Armand's a robot and Daniel's the most loving human. Show Daniel is a serious Golden Retriver while Armand's effectively a Rottweiler. Armand needs how to learn to smell the roses and Daniel needs discipline." But then I see the characters, genuinely look at them, and gather their animosity and disdain from both sides. The tension isn't sexual or anything of the sort it is LOATHING.
Also, looking back into DM, I realized I was seduced by the escapism in it. Daniel gets the "dream" of being flown out to luxury homes, decked to the nines in designer and bespoke, eats like a king, enjoys the high arts. He gets the "Pretty Woman" /"50 Shades" sugar baby treatment where he gets engorged by all this luxury ad serviced by this impossibly handsome boyfriend. Cinderfella. He and Armand are in a honeymoon affair. It's cute until it isn't. The affair does a number on Daniel and results in his becoming a junkie to Armand's entirety more or less, becoming suicidal when they separate despite wanting to separate (but has no goals and dreams except just living forever which is partly why I dislike Book Daniel
He was one note to Armand's 3D printing). I look at them now a little older and think, yeah maybe Daniel should find another bloke to play with as he can't handle Armand. Nor Armand knows how to deal with him. I'm having the guilty feeling that I really don't want them to hook up until both clear a lot of their issues. Daniel brings out the sweet in Armand (so it seems) but Armand breaks Daniel down and leaves him in disarray (hot, bothered, and imprisoned). If they did have something, I want the show to gift Daniel enough logic and self-love to wake up from the lust to actually put a stop to it. That perhaps Armand didn't play with Daniel's wanting of immortality to get him high off blood and force his company. That Daniel decided that's a road he didn't want to take and thus proceeded to live his life to his fullest even if he failed. That eternity wouldn't be worth being tethered to the broken Armand even if he could see a small bit of hope left in Armand. If Armand and Daniel ever got together, I want it to be after a while. Or never. Or just be fuck buddies, for whatever amount of time whenever they have an itch, they meet up at some random place far away from their homes and just hate fuck the other until numb to scratch it; then pretend the other doesn't exist until the next itch. No sweetness, no flowers, maybe a gift on their death day/second birthday, maybe a nice outfit or something if they do want to bond outside to some arts of something but not too deep an emotional connection. Maybe with time they can make a step up and become friends who fuck but that's it Armand's too far gone and not just that but the more I see him the more he makes sense to me. He's despicable but he's exactly what most vampires become. A full blown animal that doesn't stop to think about their actions because he's known nothing but animals. Can Armand be worked with? YES. You just can't commit to him, he more than anyone needs a network. He needs people and things to occupy him, and he needs different escapes from time to time. In the books, I was kinda happy that Daniel was his "Mister-ess"/paramour. Daniel's "job" in Devil's Minion was just that, his lover toy. When Armand wanted to be cute, romantic, and needed a handsome ornament, Daniel was his favorite ornament. Daniel was happy until Armand was wiggy about Daniel's fashion choices (Armand would be Team Tom Ford. BRIONI, Hérmes, and Kenzo for Daniel's physique less Brunello Cucinelli, Loewe, and Tod's which is what shown Daniel would like...well-made pieces that he could throw on a washing machine and account for movement, muscles, maybe a little squish and lets him wear his hair as is as opposed to having to style it). I could see why Armand initiated their arrangement his bad move was letting Daniel taste his blood. I get that part of the biting is sharing, like we people do, when we eat a lot of us get a child-like joy of sharing with our loved ones and watching them eat too. But it brought out the bad in Daniel. I kinda want show Armand to maybe have realized in his likely stalking/seducing of Daniel that his wanting to enjoy Daniel's light wasn't the crime it was being too giving and giving Daniel the wrong bits of himself (the blood). Give Daniel the company, the luxuries, the intimacy but not the blood. Devil's Minion was sort of a snapshot of people who could've had a wonderful thing but did the wrong things. Then, with the show aspect now annihilating or reinforcing Armand's morale on the fledging thing (as in, not eating or turning Daniel), I'd love that if they did hook up that one or both put an end to it.
I am so confused.
Man, you gave a much better book analysis of DM that I could.
I truly don't think Armand is capable of the kind of romantic love human beings are known for because he's so old and so twisted as an immortal being. He's more like a God sitting on an ant hill, bored with existence. I think his love for Lestat and Louis is the closest he's ever been to our understanding of romantic love, but he was still super abusive to Lestat to try to control him, and manipulative to Louis to keep control of him.
I think Daniel is a preferred toy He plays with, although one he is rather fond of.
As for the show, I don't think Armand views him as anything other than another annoying obstacle that mitigates the power he has over Louis.
I used to be romantic and like a lot of people love the escapism of romance but realize it for what it is. Like escape, it is temporary. The more I read Devil's Minion the more I realized I didn't want them together. Mind you, they made Daniel in the show so much more emotionally intelligent and wise but Book Daniel was a bit of a brat. Also weak because he was young so becoming addicted to Armand's blood didn't help. I'm actually hoping show Armand had a small bit of intellect to put the breaks on Daniel's addiction and stop their arrangement when Daniel became dangerously suicidal so that if somehow they decide to entertain each other again that he knows to not do the blood exchange unless Daniel's an immortal as it honestly gets pretty bad in the books.
Given what I've seen of both character so far, it is simply too soon to tell. At the end the show leaves us no further ahead into this puzzle than we were in S1. It seems like while Armand doesn't want Daniel there, he's complied with Louis. My guess is he complied because Louis is fond of Daniel enough to feel some type of way if he turned him, so Armand let Daniel in to use him to keep Louis on a line should Louis push far. The danger with Louis is that if he gets out of control that he could and will eat Daniel no matter how friendly they are or not. The thing with Armand is that he does view Daniel with a certain indifference and at the same time, Daniel has animosity towards him.
I was rewatching Autumn Brown's interview with Assad yesterday and he said something about how he couldn't share "how much we're including of the Devil's Minion storyline". Which to me kinda sounds like they're trimming it down, so episode 5 could be all we're getting.
I hope I'm wrong, this show does character-driven drama so well and that one Armand/Daniel scene we got was so good.
Agree. He stated in this episode he would give Daniel "further investigation". Then there is the whole "Alice" thing. He definitely stalked Daniel afterwards for a while.
Luke Brandon Field posted a story the day after episode 5 on his Instagram story where he is sitting in a bar (that looks like it could be set in the 70s/80s) and Assan/Armand is in the background looking at him with his eyes glowing. Truly hoping this is a spoiler lol. He also had the words "how it started" in the picture. Hoping that it means Armand did in fact continue to check in on Daniel throughout the years because Daniel intrigued him. He clearly was intrigued to some capacity when he stopped telling young Daniel his story whilst interrogating him.
I saw that! what a tease!! at the very minimum they are goofing around, and it’s so nice to see how close the cast gets with each other - but also it would be very nice if that was a “hint” of some things to come 😌
I am pleasantly surprised that it seems I may get my wish for a modern day DM. It really does seem to be setting up a scene where Armand ends the interview by telling Daniel to run, then proceeds to chase him (as his lunch date thing shown this ep) and then becoming obsessed when Daniel is the first one to escape
Does anyone remember what Armand said to Daniel in the scene where he’s telling him to rest? I thought he indicated he’d been watching Daniel over the years, interrupting his sleep…and now here he (Armand) was, he (Daniel)could rest now???
I hope that they do not go to DM, or at least not like in the books. Armand needs to finally love himself before even trying to love someone else. Maybe old Daniel could bring him some nudge in that direction, but what has Armand to offer to Daniel?
This thread is flaired "Book Spoilers Allowed." This means book spoilers **do not require** spoiler tags! If you are concerned about book spoilers you may want to exit this thread. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/InterviewVampire) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think a lot of people are forgetting that their first meeting in the book was Armand kidnapping Daniel and locking him in a basement, then letting him go and stalking him while Daniel tried to get away. I think the San Fran torture fest totally tracks with that.
And including Armand’s lunch hunt during the episode highlights the established pattern. I wonder if Armand was hoping it would help knock a memory or two free for Daniel.
Yeah, im still of the mind that Armand is intending these memories to resurface. Otherwise why bring Daniel in? Especially if hes editing peoples memories left and right.
Posted this in a different threat about the possibility of DM but posting here too because I'm obsessed with the idea of some form of DM having happened I reaaaaaally want some form of Devil's Minion to have happened after the events of episode 5 but tbh, the comments from the actors (who all seem to \*want\* DM to happen!) make it seem like it won't? It could be that the writers and producers haven't told them but honestly, I would think that if DM happened, the directors would want Assad to know that for his performance as Armand. I know Rolin Jones has said some form of DM will happen but now I'm starting to think maybe episode 5 was what he meant...😭
it’s all up in the air! I haven’t seen anything from the actors that imply that, so I’m still in my own fantasy world - regardless, they paired up eric and assad consistently for interviews, so that may or may not have meant something! (perhaps it was simply assad on babysitting duty for eric’s spoiler-happy mouth LOL). and if there isn’t any DM, we always have the avenues of fanfiction to escape to :)
In that fantasy world right with you. Devil's Minion people are my people lol
The charisma of the cast is off the charts!!
They could definitely take it where Armand follows up on him every now and then, simply because he's jealous that Louis found him interesting enough not to kill. I'm kind of stuck on Dubai Armand and Daniel though. Rewatching some scenes, I don't see anything romantic on Armand's end. It's clear Armand resents him even being there and is still fixated on Louis, and now there's added hatred on Daniel's side because he knows Armand tortured him. I guess we'll see what happens.
I’m a dedicated (delusional) romantic, so I found their scenes to be rife with tension that goes beyond resentment from armand’s end. there are little details (for me at least) that seem too out-of-place to just be indifference to me, especially with the “alice” comment. I don’t think armand IS alice, but I think there’s something else there, some knowledge he has of daniel’s life that he isn’t sharing. also, if armand didn’t want the interview and also didn’t care for daniel, why stop louis twice from hurting him? why even apologize to him? not directing the questions to you specifically! just general thoughts as I try to unravel this mystery haha
Sorry, but I don't see any romantic tension between the two in Dubai, just tension. And in San Francisco, Armand was more than happy to kill Daniel himself. I don't want to throw a wrench into DM fandom, as it is canon, but I think all of Armand's motivations up to the latest episode revolve around his obsession with Louis and keeping control of the narrative. Daniel is only still alive at this point because Louis is fond of him and wants him alive. Edit to add: Don't forget that Armand also reads minds like humans breathe air, so he knows everything about Daniel just by getting inside his head. He doesn't really need to follow him around and keep tabs on him.
I agree with you. Like a lot of people, I love the subtle romantic elements in Devil's Minion because we get to see a distinctly happy Armand. Or so it seems. The more I read that chapter the darker it gets. It's not really as romantic as it reads the first time. I was mostly into their relationship because I could see how they click and could work. Sort of how one views friends that would match and you set them up to get to know each other? From a matchmaking angle, when I see them two I go "OH! They work. Why I don't know. Ok hold on let's see why you register this: Balance. Armand's a robot and Daniel's the most loving human. Show Daniel is a serious Golden Retriver while Armand's effectively a Rottweiler. Armand needs how to learn to smell the roses and Daniel needs discipline." But then I see the characters, genuinely look at them, and gather their animosity and disdain from both sides. The tension isn't sexual or anything of the sort it is LOATHING. Also, looking back into DM, I realized I was seduced by the escapism in it. Daniel gets the "dream" of being flown out to luxury homes, decked to the nines in designer and bespoke, eats like a king, enjoys the high arts. He gets the "Pretty Woman" /"50 Shades" sugar baby treatment where he gets engorged by all this luxury ad serviced by this impossibly handsome boyfriend. Cinderfella. He and Armand are in a honeymoon affair. It's cute until it isn't. The affair does a number on Daniel and results in his becoming a junkie to Armand's entirety more or less, becoming suicidal when they separate despite wanting to separate (but has no goals and dreams except just living forever which is partly why I dislike Book Daniel He was one note to Armand's 3D printing). I look at them now a little older and think, yeah maybe Daniel should find another bloke to play with as he can't handle Armand. Nor Armand knows how to deal with him. I'm having the guilty feeling that I really don't want them to hook up until both clear a lot of their issues. Daniel brings out the sweet in Armand (so it seems) but Armand breaks Daniel down and leaves him in disarray (hot, bothered, and imprisoned). If they did have something, I want the show to gift Daniel enough logic and self-love to wake up from the lust to actually put a stop to it. That perhaps Armand didn't play with Daniel's wanting of immortality to get him high off blood and force his company. That Daniel decided that's a road he didn't want to take and thus proceeded to live his life to his fullest even if he failed. That eternity wouldn't be worth being tethered to the broken Armand even if he could see a small bit of hope left in Armand. If Armand and Daniel ever got together, I want it to be after a while. Or never. Or just be fuck buddies, for whatever amount of time whenever they have an itch, they meet up at some random place far away from their homes and just hate fuck the other until numb to scratch it; then pretend the other doesn't exist until the next itch. No sweetness, no flowers, maybe a gift on their death day/second birthday, maybe a nice outfit or something if they do want to bond outside to some arts of something but not too deep an emotional connection. Maybe with time they can make a step up and become friends who fuck but that's it Armand's too far gone and not just that but the more I see him the more he makes sense to me. He's despicable but he's exactly what most vampires become. A full blown animal that doesn't stop to think about their actions because he's known nothing but animals. Can Armand be worked with? YES. You just can't commit to him, he more than anyone needs a network. He needs people and things to occupy him, and he needs different escapes from time to time. In the books, I was kinda happy that Daniel was his "Mister-ess"/paramour. Daniel's "job" in Devil's Minion was just that, his lover toy. When Armand wanted to be cute, romantic, and needed a handsome ornament, Daniel was his favorite ornament. Daniel was happy until Armand was wiggy about Daniel's fashion choices (Armand would be Team Tom Ford. BRIONI, Hérmes, and Kenzo for Daniel's physique less Brunello Cucinelli, Loewe, and Tod's which is what shown Daniel would like...well-made pieces that he could throw on a washing machine and account for movement, muscles, maybe a little squish and lets him wear his hair as is as opposed to having to style it). I could see why Armand initiated their arrangement his bad move was letting Daniel taste his blood. I get that part of the biting is sharing, like we people do, when we eat a lot of us get a child-like joy of sharing with our loved ones and watching them eat too. But it brought out the bad in Daniel. I kinda want show Armand to maybe have realized in his likely stalking/seducing of Daniel that his wanting to enjoy Daniel's light wasn't the crime it was being too giving and giving Daniel the wrong bits of himself (the blood). Give Daniel the company, the luxuries, the intimacy but not the blood. Devil's Minion was sort of a snapshot of people who could've had a wonderful thing but did the wrong things. Then, with the show aspect now annihilating or reinforcing Armand's morale on the fledging thing (as in, not eating or turning Daniel), I'd love that if they did hook up that one or both put an end to it. I am so confused.
Man, you gave a much better book analysis of DM that I could. I truly don't think Armand is capable of the kind of romantic love human beings are known for because he's so old and so twisted as an immortal being. He's more like a God sitting on an ant hill, bored with existence. I think his love for Lestat and Louis is the closest he's ever been to our understanding of romantic love, but he was still super abusive to Lestat to try to control him, and manipulative to Louis to keep control of him. I think Daniel is a preferred toy He plays with, although one he is rather fond of. As for the show, I don't think Armand views him as anything other than another annoying obstacle that mitigates the power he has over Louis.
I used to be romantic and like a lot of people love the escapism of romance but realize it for what it is. Like escape, it is temporary. The more I read Devil's Minion the more I realized I didn't want them together. Mind you, they made Daniel in the show so much more emotionally intelligent and wise but Book Daniel was a bit of a brat. Also weak because he was young so becoming addicted to Armand's blood didn't help. I'm actually hoping show Armand had a small bit of intellect to put the breaks on Daniel's addiction and stop their arrangement when Daniel became dangerously suicidal so that if somehow they decide to entertain each other again that he knows to not do the blood exchange unless Daniel's an immortal as it honestly gets pretty bad in the books. Given what I've seen of both character so far, it is simply too soon to tell. At the end the show leaves us no further ahead into this puzzle than we were in S1. It seems like while Armand doesn't want Daniel there, he's complied with Louis. My guess is he complied because Louis is fond of Daniel enough to feel some type of way if he turned him, so Armand let Daniel in to use him to keep Louis on a line should Louis push far. The danger with Louis is that if he gets out of control that he could and will eat Daniel no matter how friendly they are or not. The thing with Armand is that he does view Daniel with a certain indifference and at the same time, Daniel has animosity towards him.
I was rewatching Autumn Brown's interview with Assad yesterday and he said something about how he couldn't share "how much we're including of the Devil's Minion storyline". Which to me kinda sounds like they're trimming it down, so episode 5 could be all we're getting. I hope I'm wrong, this show does character-driven drama so well and that one Armand/Daniel scene we got was so good.
it makes sense for this season! I shall simply continue to meditate and manifest a larger storyline :)))
Agree. He stated in this episode he would give Daniel "further investigation". Then there is the whole "Alice" thing. He definitely stalked Daniel afterwards for a while.
Luke Brandon Field posted a story the day after episode 5 on his Instagram story where he is sitting in a bar (that looks like it could be set in the 70s/80s) and Assan/Armand is in the background looking at him with his eyes glowing. Truly hoping this is a spoiler lol. He also had the words "how it started" in the picture. Hoping that it means Armand did in fact continue to check in on Daniel throughout the years because Daniel intrigued him. He clearly was intrigued to some capacity when he stopped telling young Daniel his story whilst interrogating him.
I saw that! what a tease!! at the very minimum they are goofing around, and it’s so nice to see how close the cast gets with each other - but also it would be very nice if that was a “hint” of some things to come 😌
I am pleasantly surprised that it seems I may get my wish for a modern day DM. It really does seem to be setting up a scene where Armand ends the interview by telling Daniel to run, then proceeds to chase him (as his lunch date thing shown this ep) and then becoming obsessed when Daniel is the first one to escape
Does anyone remember what Armand said to Daniel in the scene where he’s telling him to rest? I thought he indicated he’d been watching Daniel over the years, interrupting his sleep…and now here he (Armand) was, he (Daniel)could rest now???
I hope that they do not go to DM, or at least not like in the books. Armand needs to finally love himself before even trying to love someone else. Maybe old Daniel could bring him some nudge in that direction, but what has Armand to offer to Daniel?