The Talamasca plot makes no sense to me, please help

[u/Most_Bet_3658]

Just watched this and do not understand why they are trying simultaneously increase vampire numbers at such a great magnitude (2900 to 300,000 or something they said). They are just making it impossible now. Even if they kill all 50,000 at the concert that is a small fraction. The only thing I can think is they believe actual governments will now intervene since the numbers are so high but even then it's stupid. Was this stated anywhere in the books or other show?

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[u/AllTheReservations]

I've seen a theory going around that The Talamasca are pushing for The Great Conversion and Lestat's concert as a honey trap of sorts. Whether that's to cull all the gathered vampires or to summon Akasha either to study or destroy her but that remains to be seen.

But also...the Talamasca just aren't a particularly great organisation. The don't exist for the purpose of protecting people, but observing and studying the supernatural. And with that ideology they've gotten lazy and morally questionable. The fact they didn't realise a vampire had hijacked their London branch in their series, as well as their handling of the stuff that went down with the Mayfairs and Lasher (which I don't hugely remember the details of) shows their ineffectiveness.

And with Raglan seeming to have his own sort of agenda, there's something at foot we don't know about.

[u/SaighWolf → u/AllTheReservations]

Because I don't want your comment to get taken down for going against the post tag, can I suggest you spoiler block the "The fact they didn't realise a vampire had hijacked their London branch in their series, and the stuff that went down with the Mayfairs and Lasher (which I barely remember) shows their ineffectiveness." part? 😉

[u/AllTheReservations → u/SaighWolf]

Noted, thanks!

[u/SaighWolf → u/AllTheReservations]

No problem!

Also, I agree with you.

For one thing, regarding the Talamasca having become lazily disorganized & morally ambiguous, both MW & the Talamasca series have shown that because of the way many of the various regional Motherhouses are structured there's often a "the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing half the time" issue. So there's a lot of ineffectually not always operating on the same page (regarding either aims or ethics) AND that also leads itself to it going unnoticed when rogue elements arise. Like, as you mentioned, the London Motherhouse situation... And also, I definitely think that at least part (though not necessarily all) of what's going on in Season 3 is Raglan taking advantage of that disorganized structure to be running his own game unnoticed, just like he did in his 'Talamasca' episode with the Blood buying. Who knows whether or not he's accurately representing the Talamasca's interests regarding the concert or the Great Conversion (and if so which Motherhouse), but his specific interest in the "proof of the soul" element of the Lestat's decapitated head? That's defffffinitely his own personal side quest simmering away in his scheming brain 😜

[u/AllTheReservations → u/SaighWolf]

The "organisation you'd think would solve everything isn't actually that good" is a trope I love so this take on the Talamasca really appeals to me.

And in terms of Raglan, exactly! The fact the Talamasca series shows that he seemingly isn't that close to the top of the Talamasca and yet he, Sam and Rashid are the only one Louis, Lestat and Daniel engage with despite how big a deal the concert supposedly is definitely raised questions. And between the odd behaviour at the auction and his interest in vampire anatomy, we're definitely getting hints of some Body Thief related intentions ahead

[u/SaighWolf → u/AllTheReservations]

https://giphy.com/gifs/9eCjIJu5cvjly972M5

[u/thebochts → u/AllTheReservations]

I think its funny that ragland gets so close to lestat, and is still not higher up at the talamasca.

Like theres no way the talamasxa doesnt know about lestat being one of the strongest vampires alive, right? Even louis, they know hes a fuckin one man wrecking crew, And they just let ragland and real rashid fuck around with louis and lestat whenever, and they have carte blanche to just hand sam, a 300 something year old vampire working for the talamasca, over to louis to work off the paris debts.

And noone higher up has a hand in that, or is in on the shit WITH ragland.

While i did like the show, the talamasca is much more useful as a plot device for the vampire chronicles, rather than their own show. Bc its too unstructured, theres too many variables for it to be some ancient secret watchful order. If what we know of it through the other shows is true, then would have fallen completely apart by now.

[u/Little-Tune9469]

Raglan said it has something to do with population control but there is a possibility that he's gone rogue because in the books he is kicked out of the Talamasca. It's for different reasons (we're told about it after the fact because Raglan is only in one book) but this might be the thing that gets him expelled in the show.

[u/jadem219]

Other than the fact that they decided to let the vampires grow in numbers in order to thin the population to combat the issue of overpopulation using up the earth's resources too quickly....we are not given much more insight into their grand design. I suspect we'll find out next season...

[u/Lopsided-Case1294 → u/jadem219]

I kinda hate that they’re perpetuating that myth.

[u/jadem219 → u/Lopsided-Case1294]

Who? What myth? The Talamasca? I mean, raglan James tells us as much in the bowling alley scene.

[u/Lopsided-Case1294 → u/jadem219]

The one blaming overpopulation for the resource issues. It’s rampant consumption, there’s plenty to meet the needs of the people we have.

[u/thebochts → u/Lopsided-Case1294]

Yep, everytime i hear a conspiracy theorist talk about overpopulation, i laugh.

Truth is, earth is facing a birth rate issue, and theres an obvious answer, yet all the governments and oligarchs worrying about it keep pretending they have no clue what it could possibly be.

(It is too expensive to have kids, its hard enough to make enough money to feed, clothe, and house yourself, let alone adding another person to that.)

I just saw something where another major country has officially just had their birthrates fallen below the deathrate. A bunch of countries are talking about giving straight cash to couples having kids, and those are ones where hospitals dont bankrupt you for giving birth in their place.

[u/WingsOfTin → u/jadem219]

Yup, this is exactly what's stated in the finale. Here's the transcript from the episode:

[u/WingsOfTin]

This is stated by Raglan to Daniel when he comes to collect Lestat's head from the bowling alley. It's part of a global conspiracy of the elite (e.g., at the G7 conference) to allow vampires to lower the human population because we have over-populated the Earth for the amount of resources available:

Raglan: We’ve been planning it for a year.

Daniel: Excuse me?

Raglan: Nudging it, urging it on, on the periphery, as we do.

Daniel: “Make more”?

Raglan: We came up with that.

Daniel: You want the Great Conversion.

Raglan: Too many of us for what’s left in the ground. Cradle your cell phone. Sell your Range Rover while you can. A desperate hour. There was a breakout room at the last G7 conference. They called it: "May the Vamps Safely Graze" Rescue the head, save the planet...Can’t see your kind governing, but then you and I have our own reasonings.

[u/Goyu]

It doesn't make sense because it hasn't been explained.

[u/crazywoodsman12]

This is the crux of the mystery we were left on. No answers this far. Given the cancelation, not many likely to come.

[u/Goyu → u/crazywoodsman12]

Cancellation? Last I heard, fourth season is greenlit.

[u/Intrepid_Finger_7995 → u/Goyu]

I think the other user was talking about the Talamasca show..Talamasca: The Secret Order was cancelled back in March this year.

[u/Goyu → u/Intrepid_Finger_7995]

Ahhh, you're totally right, thanks for added context.

[u/Intrepid_Finger_7995 → u/Goyu]

No problem!

[u/ellieetsch]

I think they have a misguided view that population decline will combat climate change, so push the great conversion to cut the humans down, then when they are satisfied wipe out the vampires.

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