Talamasca: The Secret Order Episodes 1 & 2 Overview

Warning: SPOILERS forward for Talamasca: The Secret Order episodes 1 and a pair of!AMC’s Immortal Universe has been hit-or-miss for me because it started in 2022. Primarily based on The Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches guide collection by Anne Rice, the shared universe began off on the suitable foot with Interview with the Vampire. The compelling reimagining of Rice’s novel stayed true to the supply materials, with Interview with the Vampire season 2 being the very best entry within the franchise to this point.

On the opposite facet of the coin was Mayfair Witches, which began off with a compelling premise earlier than diverting from the books. Whilst somebody who hasn’t learn Rice’s authentic trilogy, the collection was nowhere close to as compelling or intriguing as Interview with the Vampire. Nevertheless, Mayfair Witches season 2 did provide some extra perception into the Talamasca, the secretive group observing and interfering within the supernatural.

So, going into Talamasca: The Secret Order, I used to be cautious about how it could form up. Would it not treatment the considerably goofy first impression Mayfair Witches had provided on the Talamasca? Or wouldn’t it squander the intense setup Interview with the Vampire had supplied for the group? Fortunately, episodes 1 and a pair of leaned extra towards the latter. Regardless of an initially rocky begin, I am satisfied this third collection within the Immortal Universe has what it takes to turn out to be one of many franchise’s most compelling installments.

Talamasca: The Secret Order Has A Generic Setup — However It Works

Talamasca: The Secret Order‘s story is not something new: after a discipline agent dies investigating why the group’s London department has gone rogue, the New York department, led by Helen (Elizabeth McGovern), recruits a newcomer. Getting into the fold is Man Anatole (Nicholas Denton), a legislation college graduate wrestling with powers of mind-reading and clairvoyance. The execution is somewhat uneven, but it surely’s quickly revealed that his household had a secret connection to the Talamasca since he was little.

Regardless of setup that is been carried out to demise, I used to be intrigued by how the items of Man becoming a member of the company in episode 1 got here collectively. Our protagonist is not a philanthropic hero or somebody who essentially desires to assist the company. At first, he is in it for the cash they’re providing. Then, as he learns extra about them, he joins so he can study what occurred to his actual mom, who he discovers is alive regardless of having supposedly died when he was a toddler.

It helps that episode 1 made nice use of the Immortal Universe‘s established supernatural parts. Eric Bogosian’s return as Daniel Malloy was not solely enjoyable however a needed step in Man’s journey and his final resolution to hitch the company. It additionally readily ties the story into Interview with the Vampire with out compromising the individuality of the present.

The true standout, nevertheless, was Jason Schwartzman’s Burton. A vampire working with the Talamasca, Burton acts as an ideal instance of the supernatural as Man steps foot into this new world. Pleasant but snarky, he firmly ensures Man is aware of the boundaries of his powers, however does in order a warning for his safety. He additionally seemingly factors him within the course of discovering his mom, making him a pleasant face I would not thoughts seeing extra of because the collection progresses.

Man’s Quest In London Builds Suspense In (Principally) Intriguing Methods

Episode 2 is when the meat of this two-part premiere arrives. Man’s activity is to collect intel in regards to the Talamasca’s London department and uncover their connection to the mysterious 752 group, of which little or no info has been revealed. Nevertheless, the viewers — and the New York Talamasca department, to an extent — know William Fichtner’s vampire Jasper is secretly taking cost from the shadows. He has a bunch of monstrous humanoids in a basement as properly, although whether or not they’re vampires or one thing extra sinister stays unknown (we had been already instructed zombies aren’t actual).

Man’s London mission feels lifelike as a result of he is pressured to mix in, handing out flyers for a strip membership whereas ready for a Talamasca sign. I appreciated the best way the collection leaned into its spy attributes, serving to differentiate it from the opposite two Immortal Universe shows. Nevertheless, I used to be taken out a bit by the odd nightclub sequence, the place he dances with two women. Whereas considered one of them has an outlined function in a while, the exactness of what is going on on is unclear, and it did go away me questioning what I’d simply witnessed.

Nevertheless, the suspenseful ending greater than makes up for any oddities, as Man enters a criminal offense scene with two our bodies. There’s additionally a guide that he fails to take on the finish of the episode, an odd resolution, however one which telegraphs a deeper thriller nestled within the background of the present. Given how likable and everyman Man is portrayed, it is simple to root for him, even when he makes apparent errors.

With its first two episodes, Talamasca: The Secret Order delivered a considerably inconsistent however general compelling begin to the Immortal Universe‘s growth into TV present originals. Whereas it is elevated by what got here earlier than, the collection can be aided by originality, making its mysteries unknown to everybody watching. I am excited to see the place its subsequent 4 episodes go, and the way it expands Rice’s work on the small display screen.

New episodes of Talamasca: The Secret Order air Sundays on AMC and AMC+.

Launch Date

October 26, 2025

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  Nicholas Denton

  Man Anatole

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Professionals & Cons

• Compelling thriller and lore are enormous attracts for Talamasca: The Secret Order.
• Man’s everyman standing makes him the proper vessel for the viewers.
• Budding thriller is intriguing, particularly after episode 2’s ending.
• Good use of established Immortal Universe lore to uplift the collection’ authentic story.

• Rocky presentation weakened some setup in episode 1.
• Odd nightclub encounter in episode 2 felt fully misplaced.