‘Vampire Academy’ Episodes 1-4 Ending, Explained: Politics Can Be Lethal, Even for Vampires
Welcome to the Ending Explained for Episodes 1-4 of Vampire Academy, the new TV series based on the popular series of books. The series has found a home at Peacock, as the streaming service is trying to use all possible methods to bring an audience to the service. The series stars Sisi Stringer and Daniela Nieves in the main roles, and it jumps straight away into a world ruled by vampires and how the different factions inside vampire society interact with one another. Things become dangerous quite fast when the vampire society begins a transition of rulers.
The show is based on a popular series of books, and yet it fails to bring what makes the books popular to the screen. Vampire Academy is clearly a show that is running on a low budget. Because of it, most of the visual language of the series seems diminished. The sets, costumes, and even the way the series is shot scream of rushed schedules, and also a lack of vision to give the show any sense of personality. More than a series that looks cheap, Vampire Academy feels dated, and it might not be hot enough to bring a new audience to the streaming service.
The following paragraphs include spoilers for season 1 of Vampire Academy. Read at your own risk.
What Is Happening With The Guardians In Vampire Academy?
Vampire Academy has two main storylines that run parallel to each other. The protagonists of each of these two main storylines are Rose and Lissa. Rose is a dhampir, a race that is both part human and part vampire. This means that, because they are a mix of the two races, they take characteristics from each one. A dhampir has superhuman strength and stamina. They have superior senses, and they are able to walk in the sun. However, they lack in other areas, as they cannot use the most powerful magic that only pure vampires can.
Rose is a guardian. The guardians are an institution that is focused on serving the vampire elite and protecting them every waking hour. Rose is Lissa’s guardian, and throughout the years, they have become best friends. However, after an incident involving the death of Lissa’s family and the rise of the Strigoi menace, the entire guardian system has been making some changes on the run. Rose is demoted and sent to the barracks with the rest of the guardians, and she is placed on benchmark tests so she can regain her position back next to Lissa.
During the series, Rose meets another guardian named Dimitri Belikov, a high-level guardian that has come to the academy from Russia. Dimitri has a reputation as one of the best guardians, and he and Rose make a connection very quickly when they first meet. They start as rivals of sorts, but they clearly start developing feelings for each other. Dimitri begins to train Rose personally, which creates tensions with Mason, Rose’s on-and-off boyfriend, who is also a guardian.
As the tests begin to become harder and harder, Rose proves that she is able to gain her post back. However, the lack of new recruits forces the tests to keep on longer, as the organization tries to bring the best of the best out of the contenders for the guardian posts. Rose and Dimitri almost kissed after she managed to pass one of the hardest tests. It all seems perfect; she is killing it at the tests and Dimitri seems to want to be with her, but then she is kidnapped in front of Dimitri, who tells her there are still more tests to come.
What Is Happening With The Vampire Council And Lissa’s New Powers?
The other main storyline for this season involved Lissa and the Dragomir family. Lissa is the youngest daughter of the Dragomir family, and her older brother is about to become King of the dominion. This is the moment that he has been waiting for ages. Meanwhile, Lissa is happy to spend time with her best friend Rose, and also just be a regular student at the Academy. However, fate strikes and changes Lissa’s life forever. On the way to a party, the Dragomir family is attacked by Strigoi, the natural enemies of the Moroi.
Lissa is a Moroi which means she has great power and is also immortal. The Strigoi are dead vampires that haven’t really died completely and behave more like zombies than anything else. The attack on her family is massive, and it deals a great blow to vampire society. Lissa finds out soon enough that she is the only surviving member of the Dragomir family, and now she is the head of her family as well. The old Queen now has to find a new successor, and when she asks Rose about Lissa, it seems the answer was good enough that the Queen names Lissa as her successor to the throne.
The Queen passes the throne to Lissa and the young vampire seems completely overwhelmed. She doesn’t know how to take the reins of vampire society. It was supposed to be her brother taking the throne, not her. Lissa feels alone, but she has Rose, her best friend, and also Christian, by her side. Christian is another vampire who, like Lissa, recently lost his family when they decided to transform into Strigoi. Like Lissa, Christian also feels left behind. This tragedy unites their fates and feelings begin to appear between them.
Lissa is easily taken off the throne by her rivals in the council when a loophole determines that she cannot be Queen if she doesn’t have a family. Lissa is relieved, but other members of the council are pushing her for her to get married and rebuild her family, so she can be Queen. However, Lissa’s attention is on other things, as she has started to develop magic powers. She starts researching about it, and she finds that she has developed a magic called Compulsion that basically forces anyone to just obey her, no matter what. Lissa needs to understand her power better, as there are other vampires developing similar abilities around her.
