Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Interview with the Vampire Season 2 and light plot spoilers for The Tale of the Body Thief.
The Big Picture
Raglan James first appears in
Interview with the Vampire
Season 2, giving Daniel access to the Talamasca’s files.
Raglan James has a significant role in Anne Rice’s books as the antagonist of
The Tale of the Body Thief
.
Raglan James has a mysterious background, and his appearance in
Interview with the Vampire
Season 2 hints at deeper connections within the Immortal Universe.
With AMC’s Interview with the Vampire already halfway through its phenomenal Season 2, the audience has now seen many boggling twists that ultimately change how they perceive the characters — as well as the overall story moving forward. One can look back on Season 1 and see certain scenes that did not seem so important at first now hold a different and deeper meaning, such as how the vampires Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Armand (Assad Zaman) treat Daniel (Eric Bogosian), both in the present day as well as their fateful interview in the past. Another rather interesting thing that happens in Season 2 is the appearance of a mysterious man named Raglan James (Justin Kirk). Though he has only appeared in one scene (so far), book fans certainly know just how big of a character he is in Anne Rice’s extensive universe. Considering his role in some of Rice’s books, it’s safe to say that Raglan James is someone to look out for.
Interview with the Vampire
Based on Anne Rice’s iconic novel, follow Louis de Pointe’s epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to the journalist Daniel Molloy.
Release Date 2022-00-00
Creator Rolin Jones
Cast Sam Reid , Jacob Anderson , Eric Bogosian , Bailey Bass , Assad Zaman
Seasons 2
Raglan James’ Journey in Anne Rice’s Books Is a Rollercoaster
AMC’s Interview with the Vampire is based on a series of books by Rice, collectively called The Vampire Chronicles — and considering that it consists of 13 books, crossovers are more than likely to happen as the Immortal Universe continues to grow on screen. As a matter of fact, this had already happened thanks to the spin-off Mayfair Witches, which first aired back in 2023 starring Alexandra Daddario. Plus, with the recent news of AMC greenlighting yet another show set in the same universe, currently titled The Talamasca, it will only be a matter of time before certain characters appear in any of the shows and interact with each other. Interview with the Vampire has already given the audience a bit of a tease of what it would be like thanks to a Season 2 appearance by Raglan James. Knowing his rollercoaster of a story is important, as he has connections with many beloved characters. The question is: just how important of a role does Raglan James play in The Vampire Chronicles?
Raglan James is first introduced in The Tale of the Body Thief, the fourth book in The Vampire Chronicles, in which he is the body thief in the title. This book is narrated by Lestat (played by Sam Reid in the show), who is going through depression and doubt about his vampire nature as well as Claudia’s (played by Bailey Bass and Delainey Hayles in Seasons 1 and 2, respectively) death. Along the way, Lestat meets a mysterious man who goes by Raglan James. It turns out that James has psychic abilities and is apparently able to switch bodies with anyone — from humans to supernatural creatures. Knowing how fragile Lestat’s mind is, Raglan takes it as an opportunity to ask him if he would like to switch bodies for one day, just to change things up a bit.
This idea is something that Lestat’s human friend, David Talbot, is completely against, and he reveals that he actually knows who Raglan is and his reputation within the psychic community. David explains that Raglan used to be a member of the Talamasca, a secret organization focusing on keeping track of all things supernatural to maintain balance within the world. However, Raglan was kicked out of the Talamasca because of his kleptomaniac tendencies. Everything that he owns is stolen — even bodies — so he isn’t exactly welcome in the organization anymore.
Despite David’s adamant advice, Lestat agrees to switch bodies with Raglan, though things turn sour when the vampire realizes that Raglan is not planning to return his body anytime soon. The body that Lestat is stuck in, he learns, is actually suffering from pneumonia, which nearly results in his death. After a surprising recovery, Lestat enlists David’s help to get his body back. By the end, with Raglan attempting one last trick, the vampire kills the body thief, putting an end to the character’s rather chaotic journey.
Raglan James Makes an Appearance in ‘Interview with the Vampire’ Season 2
Image via AMC
Raglan James first appears in Interview with the Vampire Season 2 in the episode “No Pain” — specifically in the opening scene. He approaches Daniel at a high-end restaurant in Dubai, inquiring about his interviews with Louis and Armand, and the journalist grows curious because this mysterious man seems to know a lot about vampires and the supernatural world as a whole. Raglan does not disclose how he came by this knowledge, leaving Daniel theorizing about who he works for (with his best guess being MI6).
Later in the same episode, Raglan suddenly gives Daniel extensive access to the Talamasca’s archival files to help with his interview, particularly files about Louis, Lestat, and Armand, which changes everything for the journalist. These files later turn out beneficial in “Don’t Be Afraid, Just Start the Tape,” as Daniel uses them to uncover the truth about what happened to him in San Francisco during his first (failed) interview with Louis.
Raglan James may only have one scene in Interview with the Vampire so far, but based on what we’ve seen so far, he is going to prove very important in the future. With the greenlighting of the upcoming Talamasca series, which is set to air on AMC next year, chances are we’ll come to know even more about who this man is, as well as the truth about the secretive organization he works for. In the books, Raglan is a powerful and smart man who uses his abilities for selfish reasons, and right now it’s unclear what his motivation is for feeding Daniel all this information about the vampires he’s interviewing. Hopefully, we get to see more of Raglan James in the future — whether in future episodes of Interview with the Vampire or any one of the shows that make up AMC’s Immortal Universe.
New episodes of Interview with the Vampire Season 2 premiere every Sunday and are available to stream on AMC+.
Watch on AMC+