Who Is Lestat Texting in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT? Episode 1 Ending Explained Rotem Rusak | usagoldmines.com

The Vampire Lestat has returned to us, and with it a fresh batch of tangled vampiric relationships. Throughout the first episode of the series, we see Lestat texting a mysterious person simply labeled as “Toi” on his phone. These texts take on an increasingly intense urgency, which corresponds to Lestat’s levels of loneliness and distress. Of course, for much of the episode, fans might imagine the person Lestat is texting is his longtime companion and lover, Louis. I was lucky enough to watch the first episode of The Vampire Lestat with 2,000 or so other fans at The Vampire Lestat Concert, and judging by the “awwwwws” that came after some of the texts were shown on screen, Louis was a much-hoped-for “Toi” contender. But in the end, who was the person Lestat was texting throughout the first episode of The Vampire Lestat? Here’s the identity of Lestat’s Toi and the ending of The Vampire Lestat episode one, explained.

The Ending of The Vampire Lestat 1 Reveals the Identity of “Toi”

Moi and Toi, me and you, in French. Moi, of course, is Lestat, and Toi, the end of The Vampire Lestat episode reveals, is the Vampire Gabriella. Alas, not Louis.

Throughout episode one of The Vampire Lestat, Lestat reaches out to Toi/Gabriella by text, asking for her company. At first, when he is merely bored and annoyed (though obviously lonely) on his tour, his texts are idle and more removed. But throughout the first episode of the series, Lestat’s emotional state deteriorates, culminating in something of a breakdown on stage, followed by a rough aftermath. The sound of his own music moves through him, unleashing all the “muses” of his past to swirl through his thoughts, taunting and haunting him. On top of that, Lestat manages to bite his fan Baby Jenks, who is HIGH on “candy.” And if a vampire drinks the blood of a drugged mortal, they’ll overdose as well. Lestat sees visions of Baby Jenks’ soul floating on the ceiling, has a lot of spirited sex, and ends up getting in a spat with the local Detroit coven, the Tooth Team, excuse us, the Fang Gang. After that, he accidentally outs himself as a vampire to his band and flies out the window in a tizzy to throw up blood in a run-down motel.

And then, at Lestat’s lowest, most desperate point, THAT’s when the vampire Gabriella, or Toi, as we know her from Lestat’s texts, decides to finally make her appearance. The Vampire Lestat episode one ends with Gabriella arriving in the hotel room and a very performative Lestat telling her, “I got myself into something I can’t get out of. Music’s opened up the dutch oven, and I’m not sure if I can close it again. I’m not really at my best, but it’s very nice to see you again. I like what you’ve done with your hair, my Gabriella.” Gabriella heals a cut on Lestat’s face and then draws him into an eager makeout. The voiceover from Lestat supplies for us that Gabriella is his “Fledgling, lover, mother.” Welcome to the Vampire Chronicles, new Fledglings.

What Do Lestat’s Texts to Gabriella Say?

Before we get into the full identity of the Vampire Gabriella in The Vampire Lestat and what episode one’s ending means for the show, we thought you might want to read all the texts that she and Lestat pass between one another as Moi and Toi without squinting at your screens. Buckle down, it’s a painful read.

Text 1:

• Toi: Saw a video of your show last night
• Moi: And?
• Toi: Helped my insomnia.
• Moi: Who is this again?
• Toi: At least I’m thinking about you.
• Moi: Ready to drain my fucking lead guitarist.
• Toi: And where are you tonight?
• Moi: Right of Rome, Wisconsin
• Moi: Left of London, Ontario
• Toi: Stuck in the mud again.

Text 2:

• Moi: The Rapture has descended upon Detroit!
• Moi: I’m staying in a hotel called Dracula’s Daughter.
• Moi: The minibar has vodka and feminine products called Vampons.
• Moi: I miss you. Come to me.
• Moi: Typed and erased: It’s been too long… I need you. I’m struggling.
• MoI: It’s been too long.

Text 3:

• Toi: I’ve found myself in Chicago.
• Moi: Still in Detroit. Meert innkallamazzo? 🙂

Text 4:

• Toi: Expectations.
• Moi: None. Nothing. Just sit with me.
• Moi: Please!
• Moi: Please I need you
• Moi: Please
• Moi: Please find me!
• Moi: Starfight Inn, room 12,3664 12 Sandwich St. Windsor. Starlight Inn. I’m not well.
• Moi: I.
• Moi: Love.
• Moi: You.
• Moi: Forget it. I’m fine. Hell with you.

Text 5:

• Toi: I’m here.
• Moi: Where?”

Who Is The Vampire Gabriella?

As Lestat informs us, Gabriella is “Fledgling, lover, and mother” to Lestat. Yes, the vampire Gabriella is literally Lestat’s mother. Technically, though, he’s her Vampiric Maker and she his first fledgling, so their relationship is quite tangled in many different ways. In the Vampire Chronicle books, lover, as we understand it through a mortal lens, wasn’t specifically part of the relationship between Lestat and Gabriella (known as Gabrielle in Anne Rice’s writings). But that’s because Anne Rice’s vampires didn’t have actual sex with one another. But in The Vampire Lestat, they certainly do, and they take great pleasure in it. And that puts lover firmly on the table for Lestat and Gabriella as the end of episode one of The Vampire Lestat implies.

Gabriella’s story in this adaptation will be told throughout this season of The Vampire Lestat. But if you’d like to know more about Gabriella from Anne Rice’s books, you can check out our full explainer here.

What Does The Ending of The Vampire Lestat Reveal to Us About Gabriella?

There’s still much we can glean about Gabriella in The Vampire Lestat from the ending of episode one and the texts she and Lestat exchange throughout it. Namely, that Lestat’s well-being is not her first priority. Despite Lestat’s many and increasingly alarming texts, Gabriella does not come to him when he asks until he is literally at his lowest point. And when she does arrive, it is not with compassion and fear, but with a sort of delight. That doesn’t seem very good from the perspective of a mother or a lover.

And even though he so ardently seems to long for her and calls what’s between them “love,” the uncanny way Lestat changes without warning when Gabriella arrives in episode one is truly unsettling. His face, voice, and body language alter with an alarming speed. Disturbingly, from the depths of despair, Lestat takes on an immediate, coy, simpering flirtation which has all the red flags waving. Our hats are totally off to Sam Reid for this abrupt heel turn, which is SO visceral.

In sum, although Lestat wants Gabriella by his side so much, it feels like she’s not very good for him, and she doesn’t really care if that’s true. And with Lestat and Louis broken up again, and Lestat feeling the weight of his past scars more intensely than ever, that can’t be very good news.

Of additional interest, in the voice-over at the end of The Vampire Lestat episode one, before Lestat reveals that Gabriella is his mother and lover, he says, “It’s not much of a reveal, I guess. I know it’s common gossip now, the first thing one thinks about when my name comes up.” That makes it sound like somehow, the rock star Lestat’s mother/lover relationship with Gabriella becomes public knowledge in the world of The Vampire Lestat. We suppose it is the kind of thing the internet might have a field day with.

Sam Reid on His Relationship with Gabriella and Louis

In an interview about The Vampire Lestat, Sam Reid told us the following about Lestat’s relationship with Gabriella and with Louis. His words are critical to keep in mind as we rewatch episode one’s ending and prepare for the rest of this season of The Vampire Lestat. Reid shares:

How does Lestat’s relationship with Louis and Gabriella define him and bring out different parts of him… I mean, yeah, it’s very different, but I think you get the sense that the relationship with Louis is actually … They’re on a level ground. They accept each other for who they are. They go through hell and fight each other, but they come back to each other. They keep recircling each other, and a lot of the performative nature, particularly of Lestat is kind of stripped away with Louis because he can’t really hold it up. Whereas Gabriella, it’s different. She’s been there in very formative years, and so she has helped build him and kind of build the foundations and the structure that is Lestat. And Lestat has spent his entire life performing and building these characters and these archetypes that are built around the situations that he finds himself in.

And sometimes the suit that Gabriela puts him in, he sort of outgrows and doesn’t really fit anymore and he keeps returning to it because that is unfortunately a very safe space for him because he’s looking for that maternal acceptance and love. So actually the actor, the rockstar, the Brat Prince, the leader, all of these things, that is the kind of vicarious life that Gabriella’s built for him so she can kind of use that as a conduit to experience it himself. Whereas Louis is different.

They call each other out on their bullshit more often than not and also really hurt each other and the hurt is reciprocated. I think Lestat finds it very hard to hurt Gabriella. He wants to hurt her and also he wants to hate her and she won’t let him. She won’t let him go whereas Louis will let him go and Lestat will let Louis go and they’ll have years where they’re not together and they’ll be like, “Whoa, I lost that one.” And then they come back, he’s like, “No, okay, you grew a little bit. I grew a little bit. Who are we now? We’re still the same people. ” Whereas Gabriella won’t ever let Lestat out of her orbit. And just when he thinks, “Okay, I’ve got some time,” She comes right back in. She knows. She’s very clever, but that’s how he learns the great art of manipulation.

We’ll See More of the Vampire Gabriella in The Vampire Lestat

Whatever all of this brings for Lestat in the coming episodes, for now, it feels like the Vampire Gabriella is here for a spell. Of course, we never know when she might ghost again.

The Vampire Lestat airs at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+.

Rotem Rusak is Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist and a huge fan of The Vampire Lestat. She can’t wait for everyone to watch this season.

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