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Talamasca: The Secret Order is the latest addition to Anne Rice's Immortal universe, a horror series that brings Rice's The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches to life. The show stars Nicholas Denton as Guy Anatole, joined by Céline Buckens, who stars as Doris, Maisie Richardson-Sellers plays Olive, William Fichtner plays Jasper, and Elizabeth McGovern as Helen.
Under John Lee Hancock's direction, the show brings life to The Talamasca, the secret society in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches, which was formed to study and monitor supernatural phenomena. It is keen on vampires, witches, spirits, and werewolves, who take on the roles of psychic detectives. The society grasps on to Rice's recurring themes, serving as a bridge between humanity and the occult. It functions like an academic institution of the paranormal, offering structure and continuity across the universe while it explores humanity's fascination with the unknown.
With the first episode out, Talamasca: The Secret Order is already creating noise with a newer edge to Rice's iconic horror franchise. Here's everything you need to know about the show's first episode, and more about the Talamasca.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for Talamasca: The Secret Order.
Talamasca: The Secret Order starts with a unique job offer
The first episode of Talamasca: The Secret Order, titled We Watch and We Are Always There, starts with Guy Anatole, a half-broke NYU law grad who shows up for what looks like a standard interview. He sits across from Helen in a glass-walled penthouse and asserts his terms as he tells her,
“I have conditions. You never lie to me. No ‘above your pay grade,’ ‘further down the road,’ ‘all will be revealed’ bullsh*t.”
Helen, ever poised, nods and agrees. There's already a hint that she's lying. Now in the Immortal Universe, having gifts is rarely rare. It's the same for our protagonist Guy, who has spent decades hearing thoughts that weren’t his own, trying to drown out the mental static. Helen offers him five grand and a job with the secret society known as the Talamasca.
From the moment Guy sees her name-card and the space she occupies, he asks himself: Is this just some quirky niche for my gift, or have I been groomed for bigger, darker things all along? But he is behind on rent, and he desperately needs the job. He also has a darker past, having his reading abilities, which he sees as a curse. With all of that being offered, five grand for a job seems like an opportunity, one that he most probably won't miss.
But here’s what Helen fails to mention at first: the Talamasca is no ordinary nonprofit. It spies on vampires, witches, ghosts, and demons, not board-room criminals. Their mission? Keep society’s equilibrium intact. But the atmosphere of Talamasca: The Secret Order suggests they don’t just observe; they intervene.
Guy’s talent, hearing others’ thoughts, makes him uniquely valuable. He’s invited into the Talamasca’s orbit because Helen wants him to fetch an enigmatic object called the Seven Five Two and dig into his own hazy childhood trauma, trauma tied neatly to the Talamasca itself. He travels to London, to the organization’s “Mother House,” which is now under the uneasy control of Jasper, a smooth Texas-raised vampire who lords over the operation with whiskey charm and centuries of hurt.
Suddenly, the hunters are being hunted. The observers are the observed. And Guy realizes the Talamasca has been nudging his life since childhood. His foster-mom, Ruth, relocated to Florida. His old law firm interview turned into a conditioning ground. Helen helped place him in Ruth’s care. Like a weapon being carved, he’s been shaped. The job offer? A late-stage test. And just like that, things get more smoky in Talamasca: The Secret Order, as we scramble for answers that Guy is looking for too.
What happens to Guy in the first episode of Talamasca: The Secret Order?
Of course, Guy’s pathway feels mapped. He’s stood at interview boards, worked summers at a library, paid rent late, and avoided internships. Then the envelope arrives: five thousand dollars and a letter he wrote as a kid, asking Santa for sneakers and a friend. Helen hands it to him like a joke. It stings like a memory. He can read Ruth’s guilt telepathically. Someone paid for everything: her house, his placements, his life. Someone watched him.
Helen then escorts him into Burton’s extravagant Upper West Side loft (Burton is a vampire, yes). Glass ceilings, vintage rock records, rings that open doors to hidden worlds. Guy learns that the supernatural is real. Vampires move at light speed, whispering telepathically. Guy hears Burton’s thoughts: escape. Don’t trust them. Helen stands just behind the opulence. She claims the mission. He reads manipulation.
He pulls off the first big move: he uses his gift on Burton and calls him a snitch. Burton lets him stand on the ledge of a skyscraper in his final test. Through fear and adrenaline, Guy realizes Helen’s right and wrong. She says the Talamasca does good. He sees they might do damage too. The lines between protector and predator blur.
Soon enough, documents surface. A photo of his birth-mother, Anna Leamas, in London. A revised book by Daniel Molloy documenting vampires and edited without his permission. A chapter about the Talamasca’s deep secrets. Guy realizes the Talamasca isn’t just interviewing him. It’s rewriting his history.
On the other hand, there's another secret of Helen's: Mother House 752, the house that might not exist, but the woman is sure it does. Guy stands now in Helen’s doorframe. Suitcase in hand. Rent unpaid. Gift flickering. He wants answers. Helen wants the mission done. Jasper pulls strings from the shadows. Burton shakes his head in the dream. Ruth signs NDAs; she tries not to break.
However, the offer still stands. Five grand for the job, and the only thing Guy wants is the truth. Guy may accept. Or maybe he will run. Either way, the Talamasca’s grip doesn’t loosen. And none of us know if that’s the good part or the scary part. Only time will tell as we move on with newer episodes of Talamasca: The Secret Order.
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You can watch Talamasca: The Secret Order on AMC. The show is also available to stream on Prime Video.
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