Interview with the Vampire season 2 ending explained: What happens next?

That final episode, titled And That's the End of It. There's Nothing Else, picks up after the horrifying death of Claudia (Delainey Hayles), and has a very big twist in store for Daniel.

Here's everything that went down during that season 2 finale episode as fans look forward to season 3.

Interview with the Vampire ending explained: Who saved Louis?

The episode begins with Louis reflecting on Claudia's death, opening up about his raw grief and recalling how he was withering away in his coffin. Armand, meanwhile, is being punished by the coven for his role in Louis's life being saved (although not all was as it seemed here - more on that later!). We see Armand tortured by Santiago and the coven.

Armand says he saved Louis by switching his coffin for one of the ones holding the human sacrifices, and we see Armand waking Louis with his blood. Back in Paris, Louis goes on a rage-filled killing spree and he plots the deaths of those at the theatre. Armand attempts to call telepathically to Louis but he ignores him - however, he does warn him not to be at the theatre the next night.

Back in the present, Raglan James is still messaging Daniel - and it seems Daniel's asked him for something. Louis explains that he planned to die and to take as many of the coven as he could with him. We see him pour petrol across the theatre and light the place on fire, before taking Claudia's diaries. He calculates that four out of 13 of the vampires have escaped but had already planned for contingencies, as we're shown Estelle and Celeste's fiery deaths as they attempt to flee. Louis taunts Santiago (or Francis, as he calls him by his real name), luring him in. Louis decapitates Santiago with one slash of his knife.

Still in the past, Louis confronts Armand, asking how long he's been lying to him and when he knew about the play. Armand admits he saw a script, and could not count the love of the coven as less than Louis's. However, he claims he never rehearsed the play with the coven (which we later find out is a lie). He says he'll spend his life making it up to Louis but Louis insists he can't. He asks if Lestat is still in Paris, which Armand confirms.

Louis and Armand confront Lestat and threaten him with fire but Lestat insists he can't burn because of his blood. Louis kisses Armand in front of Lestat, declaring that the pair of them will spend the rest of their lives together, and that that is Lestat's death. In the present, Louis recalls telling Armand they should travel together, and claims to Daniel that that's the end of the story. But, oh, we have half an episode left. That's not the end.

Still in the present, Armand tells Louis that Lestat loved him dearly. Daniel turns off his tape but starts grilling Louis on conflicting details in his story - including the fact that he has the vampire Sam in two places at once. Louis shrugs off the details, saying he must have got small things wrong, before changing the subject to their dinner plans.

Daniel then comes in with a bombshell and points out that Armand isn't the only person in the theatre who could have saved Louis that night. Armand shuts down the question, saying Lestat would have made it known if he'd saved Louis. Daniel fishes out a copy of a script from the night of Claudia's death (which is clearly what he'd asked Raglan for) and reads out stage direction notes from the margins - made by Armand - before offering it to Louis.

We go back to the night in question and see that Armand was in fact very involved in the rehearsals with the coven - to the point that he directed the play. It's revealed that Lestat was in fact the one who controlled the crowd and saved Louis's life. Armand attempts to claim it's a forgery but Daniel confirms the veracity of the script - and leaves Louis, understandably, enraged.

What happened to Louis, Armand, and Lestat?

Louis storms out and Armand follows him. Meanwhile, Daniel receives a message from Raglan telling him, in all caps, to GET OUT OF THERE NOW. Wise words - but before he can, the ceiling crashes down around him and everything goes silent.

Looking for Rashid, Daniel finds Louis standing over an injured Armand. Louis orders Armand not to touch Daniel, and leaves, telling Armand he needs to be gone when he gets back. He says he'll wire $10 million into Daniel's account, before setting his laptop on fire - and leaving the journalist alone with the vampire he just sold out. Not a great move.

Louis's busy though, as he gets a taxi back to a hurricane-struck New Orleans.

He finds Lestat, telling him that he and Armand are no longer together. Lestat tells Louis he's going on tour, very much setting up season 3 (which is set to introduce rock god Lestat). Louis asks him why he didn't say it was him that saved his life, and Lestat says he knew he'd figure it out. Louis thanks Lestat and things get emotional.

They talk about Claudia, with Lestat saying she looked at him like a child looking to her father in her last moments - and Louis embraces Lestat as the hurricane finally hits.

What happened to Daniel?

Meanwhile, Daniel's memoir, of course titled Interview with the Vampire, has taken off and he's being interviewed on the news. Plus, he has a new look - a leather jacket and dark glasses - and a bolshy attitude. Surely there's no particular reason for that?

Elsewhere, Louis hears other vampires planning his death after he broke the Great Laws - before Daniel's voice cuts through, nagging him about an address for his royalty checks. It looks like Daniel's on the phone to him - but Daniel hangs up the phone and keeps chatting to Louis telepathically. Yep, telepathically.

Confirming exactly what's happened, Daniel takes off his dark glasses and we see those unmistakable eyes, revealing he has been changed into a vampire. Daniel asks about his "maker" (who we have to assume is Armand) and Louis says he never should have left him alone with him.

Daniel pitches a sequel or spin-off to Louis, who's in Dubai and admits he still hasn't read the book. Even there, Louis still hears the other vampires plotting to kill him. He broadcasts a message to them, telling them his address and revealing his door is always unlocked. In a final shot, he challenges them and offers them an ominous message: "I own the night."

What happens next?

We know that Interview with the Vampire season 3 will follow Lestat and will see Daniel interviewing him while on tour.

The series is reportedly set to lean into a more comedic tone, as it follows Lestat as a rock god. However, we're still expecting to see glimpses of Louis here and there.

As for Daniel? Actor Luke Brandon Field, who plays young Daniel, exclusively told RadioTimes.com: "I think there's so much to explore with Daniel Molloy, old and young. We've got so much literature in Anne Rice's wonderful books, certain chapters, certain things that can be explored, so I would be over the moon to explore it.

"Eric and I have discussed things about the character, which I know that we would love to talk more about or show more in an upcoming season, whatever that looks like. But Rolin [Jones, showrunner] is so amazing, I'm sure whatever he decides to do, it'll be great. And if that includes me, then, gosh, lots to happen maybe."

He also teased that an iconic chapter in Anne Rice's novels, The Devil's Minion, could be explored in future seasons.

Interview with the Vampire season 2 is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

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