By: Mariah Thomas
The cinematic world based on Anne Rice novels continues to expand with “Talamasca: The Secret Order.” The Talamasca is an organization in Anne Rice’s book universe that monitors and highly keeps tabs on supernatural creatures, including vampires and witches. The popular show Interview With A Vampire (2022) highlights the creation of the Talamasca while “Mayfair Witches” (2023) shows a modern day glimpse. In the world of “Mayfair Witches,” the Talamasca still has so much mystery surrounding this secret organization. This new show will take viewers directly into their world from their point of view.
The first episode opens up with heightened fear when an associate for the organization is caught on a mission. While leaving after finding what she wanted, the woman is fearful she is being followed. Once she confirms she is, she runs for her life and stumbles into a train yard. She is cornered by a man with piercing blue eyes and at the snap of his fingers, his own associates go to attack. The woman says a small prayer before jumping in front of a moving train to prevent them from killing her themselves. This sets the tone for the show in such a fundamental way. Who is this mystery man? Why was death the better option?
In New York, we follow Helen (Elizabeth McGovern) as she arrives to work at the Talamasca headquarters. She is informed of a package that has arrived from London. Inside is the eye of the woman seen earlier. Helen reveals the man with the blue eyes is Jasper (William Fichtner). When it is suggested to her to stop their current efforts into investigating him, she says the eye was a warning and means they are close. She intends to replace the nameless woman instantly.
Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton) waits in a busy sitting area for a job meeting at one of the city’s most established law firms. He is interviewed by some of the heads of the company and it is clear he is from a lower social class. As he is questioned, we learn he has the ability to read minds. The interview is average and as it wraps up, he is able to read the mind of one of the paralegals (Jean-Pascal Heynemand) who wishes he would stick up for himself. As Guy goes to leave, he pivots the conversation. He flips the cards on them in the best way and shows why he is a great asset to the company. In the bathroom long after interviews, the paralegal praises his performance and assures him he got the job. He comments it is as if he read his mind and delivered what he wanted.
As Guy is joyous and leaves the building, Helen slowly follows behind him. He eventually senses her and stops in an alleyway prompting her over for a conversation. She is vague in her delivery but says her organization is interested in hiring him. When he rebuttals how much he would be paid at the law firm, she assures him money is no issue. She offers him $5,000 to simply hear her out. She gives him a card with an address and time to meet her.
Guy returns home to a crappy apartment building filled with chaos. We learn he is three months behind on his rent. It becomes clearer why his focus is on having a good job. Needing the money, he heads out to meet Helen. The address takes him to a beautiful, private library. Helen is very nonchalant with the luxury surrounding them. Keeping to her word, she slides him the money. She nonprofit Talamasca to him as an organization that has bases all over the world and a nonprofit, though they are well off. She says they chronicle historical notes and keep tabs on certain groups. He is jokingly convinced she is part of the CIA. Helen laughs it off and finally tells him the name. Talamasca means “animal mask.” Guy finally asks the golden question, “Why me?” With a tone of amusement, she tells him she can feel him trying to read her mind and it won’t work on her as she has been trained since childhood to block others out. Conflicted and confused, Guy leaves. Once home, he discovers the money is wrapped in a letter he wrote to Santa as a child. He immediately begins to sleuth on the internet to find information on the organization but comes up empty handed. He books a flight to Florida to meet up with his foster mother. He asks how she came to foster him and she is filled with fear. When he says the word “Talamasca” and the recognition on her face tells him everything. She tells Guy that he was not an easy kid with his gift of reading minds. When he was younger, the Talamasca stepped in and helped. She prompts him to let them help. She is terrified to reveal too much, and comes up with an excuse to head home from their beach meet up.
Once back in New York, Guy waits for Helen to leave her office and follows her. She, of course, is aware of this and leads him to a secluded area in Central Park. He inquires about his foster placement and she confirms she was the one to place him and has been involved in his life since his mother died. She reveals he turned up on their radar through a school counselor’s report on his behavior. He ticked all of the boxes for the perfect future candidate. She tells him there is not much more that can be revealed now with what they want his help with. Helen can see he still has lingering questions, so tells him they are going to meet up with a friend who can settle some of that tension for him.
He is shocked to see they have walked to an established and well known luxury apartment building. The two ride the elevator up to the penthouse. At this point, Guy grapples with not fully understanding what the Talamasca does. Helen tells him they keep tabs on the immortals of the world and they are about to meet a Vampire. He is in immediate disbelief. They enter the luxurious red and black themed penthouse and are greeted by Burton (Jason Schwartzman). He is a clear moment of comedic relief. He reveals to Guy his own ability to read minds as the two have a purely mental conversation. Burton is not sold on the idea of Guy just yet. However, when Guy is able to push back into his mind once he puts a wall up, he can tell just how powerful he is. With the simple flick of his hand, he is able to pause everyone else in the room. He tells Guy how dangerous it is to have a gift that powerful and not understand it. Though he will be more forgiving of what just happened, other vampires and other creatures would not be. A gift Burton possesses is the gift of manipulation and is able to make Guy do whatever he says. He shows him just how sinister others could be. He reveals he is impressed and sees why Helen has an interest in him. Before snapping them out of the paused moment, Burton says, “They’re lying to you.” Once time is unpaused, he is visibly shaken and flees the apartment. Helen chases after him and attempts to soothe whatever Burton may have told him.
That night, Guy has a dream about Burton. Waking in a panic, the spinning chair across from his bed moves with a new book open to a specific page. The book is called Interview with the Vampire and his mother’s name is circled listed with other victims. Guy finds a live reading and signing with the book’s author, Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian). Guy waits in line to have his book signed. He prompts Daniel to open to page 227, which is the page with his mother’s name. Daniel is slightly off balanced before quickly writing a message. He tells Guy to meet him out back in 20 minutes. He inquires about what he knows about his mother. Daniel quickly realizes Guy is reading his mind and charges at him. He tells him the Talamasca wrote page 227 and made him include it. He tells Guy the Talamasca is using him and that they’re always watching. He airdrops a photo to Guy’s phone of his mother. What she wears indicates she is still alive. He now has a reason for being interested in working with Helen. To find his mother. The episode ends with Guy waiting outside of her office.