Peacock’s Vampire Academy has aired its first four episodes and, although the show is off with a promising start, one cannot help but think about how too many things are happening in the first go. The 2022 series is based on the best-selling novels of the same name by Richelle Mead. Developed by Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre, the series will serve as the second adaptation of the book series after the 2014 film of the same name starring Zoey Deutch and Lucy Fry that was ultimately a box-office bomb.
Vampire Academy stars Sisi Stringer as Rose Hathaway, Daniela Nieves as Lissa Dragomir, Kieron Moore as Dimitri Belikov and André Dae Kim as Christian Ozera in the prominent roles. The other cast members include J. August Richards as Victor Dashkov, Anita-Joy Uwajeh as Tatiana Vogel, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mia Karp, Rhian Blundell as Meredith, Jonetta Kaiser as Sonya Karp and Andrew Liner as Mason Ashford. The show’s first four episodes have a runtime of 40-50 minutes.
– Peacock’s Vampire Academy Review (Ep 1-4) Does Not Contain Any Spoilers –
Vampire Academy (2022): Will This Reboot Survive?
Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy book series was a crazy thing when it was first released. The book series was new, interesting and engaging. As a teenager, it was just the thing that would work as a perfect fictional escape. The fate of the film adaptation was not so glorious and, that is exactly what makes this much-anticipated series have a burden of its own. But, with the premiere, it looks like it might just survive this era.
In Vampire Academy Episode 1, we are introduced to the Dhampir guardian in-training, Rose and her best friend, a Moroi, Lissa Dragomir of a royal family line. The credits for the show open with a short explanation of the world we are about to enter where Dhampirs are the creatures that result from the union between a vampire and a mortal human whereas Morois are the good vampire, who kill to survive and specialize in elemental magic that includes fire, water, air and earth. And then, there are the bad vampires who kill called the Strigoi and Dhampir guardians are usually enlisted to save the Moroi from the Strigoi.
With this knowledge in hand, we encounter Rose and Lissa’s friendship which starts off a little differently than it did in the books as well as the movies. We see how close the two are, which is a rarity in their world and how a tragedy wraps them up in situations that makes things difficult and dangerous for them.
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Vampire Academy unfolds with a new narrative style keeping the storyline intact but, changing certain characters, their intentions and their origin story. For people who have not read the book series, the show is a welcome surprise but, for the readers out there certain convoluted plots seem too much to grasp. Sonya Karp’s presence, Victor Dashkov and his family, and Tatiana Vogel dropping in right in the premiere episodes are all too much as some subplots seem changed and some taken from all over the six books by Mead.
The performances sure are promising, especially those by Sisi Stringer, Daniela Nieves, André Dae Kim, Jonetta Kaiser and Mia McKenna-Bruce. However, Kieron Moore as Dimitri Belikov is too out of character. Danila Kozlovsky, who played the character in the 2014 movie felt closer to how Dimitri is represented in the books than Moore’s uptight yet slippery portrayal. J. August Richards as Victor Dashkov is still a tricky character to completely rely on but, the show is trying too hard for us to root for him. Should we, though?
Vampire Academy (Ep 1-4): Final Thoughts
Overall, the premiere of Vampire Academy was strong but, too ambitious that it feels like it will lose it all soon. The changes from the books, as a reader, are really discomforting, no matter how well it is working for the show. Some things really need to be left unbothered. However, over time the show can very well get better. Let’s just hope the pace and the YA flamboyance with the political questioning is enough to keep us engaged.
You can watch the first four episodes of Vampire Academy now on Peacock TV.
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