Note: Before I start ripping into these next few episodes, please know that I was not taking notes for those, so a lot of what I’m going to address is stuff that I remember from episodes 1 – 4, so it’s a little out of order. However, I did get a hold of a notebook for when I start episode five. 

On that note, let’s dive into episodes 1-4.

In the show, it is discovered that the attack on Christian Ozera’s former high school was led by his parents in an attempt to find him. Christian’s mom sends him coordinates to meet with him, and like the irrational person Christian is, he decides to meet with her. In the novels, however, Christian’s parents are dead. They were hunted down and killed by Dhampir guardians after they willingly turned Strigoi. The telltale sign that someone has turned Strigoi is the presence of a very thin red line around their pupils and their completely-faded eye. Additionally, Strigoi do not have souls, therefore any love that Christian’s parents had for him when they were Moroi, had shifted into wanting when they became Strigoi. The show kept this plot point, as well as adding a visual aspect to it: Strigoi looks like the psychological monsters they are in the show. In the books, although Christian cared about his parents, he did not justify their behavior. Despite the assumption that he would end up like his parents, he became one of the biggest advocates for the fighting lessons for the Moroi. 

In the show, the royal Moroi state that Dhampir women must reproduce with Moroi to keep the Dhampir population alive. This law was passed after the recent Strigoi attacks in the Moroi community had caused a lot of commotion. However, in the books, this was addressed differently. There was talk about forcing Dhampir and Moroi relations to increase guardian numbers, but there was no distinct law about it. The law that was passed stated that dhampirs would graduate to work at the age of sixteen instead of eighteen, as most people would continue to be a guardian immediately after graduation, despite the age law. Queen Tatiana attempted to prohibit extremist groups who pushed for the law that was passed by the Royal Moroi in the show. 

On the topic of pushing for more guardians, let’s talk about how Rose gets to where she is. When the novel’s Rose leaves the academy, she is gone for two years and therefore misses out on two years worth of training. When she returns, part of her “probation” is that she is required to have extra training sessions with Dimitri to catch up with the rest of her class. Dimitri is reluctant at first: he advocates for the school’s Moroi headmistress to allow her back, but since he advocated for her, he is required to observe her training. When they begin training, Rose is eager to do something beyond basics, but Dimitri recognizes that she is not ready. Rose is still this eager in the show but instead is desperate for more training. However, the whole point of Rose being exceptional is that if she had stayed at school, she would have been far ahead of her classmates. The guardians in the show seem much stricter in the show; they have more regulations and pressure Rose a lot more intensely than in the books. They recognize that since their numbers are dwindling, they need strong, talented guardians like her on the field. However, Rose’s record of doing what she wants, regardless of what anything thinks, oftentimes results in the guardian assignment she longs for being threatened. In the show, she is much more compliant. 

This change shows a difference in Rose’s character. In the novels, Rose is strong-willed and extremely reluctant to comply with rules easily. Oftentimes, the only way Rose was willing to comply was if Lissa and Dimitri were her voice of reason. The Rose that is portrayed in the show has a bit more emotional vulnerability, while in the books, she was much more determined to keep everything to herself. The change in character affects the entire vibe that the show gives off. Rose also had an extremely poor attitude that frequently got her kicked out of class or in trouble. This development occurred as she began taking Lissa’s negative spirit effects from her. Although it was not as recognizable in the first book, it developed more during the third book. However, the show seems to pick different themes and plots from the book and mix them around, but the show has also gone rogue in more ways than one. 

One shared trait between the show and the book is the concept that Moroi has too much influence over the Dhampirs. Dhampirs cannot have children with other Dhampirs, nor can they have children with humans. The only way to have a Dhampir is if a Moroi has children with a human or if a Moroi has children with a Dhampir. Queen Tatiana’s vote to lower the age decree was meant to allow the Dhampirs to keep some semblance of a choice. The Moroi want to keep Dhampirs around to protect them from Strigoi, and Dhampirs would cease to exist without Moroi. Although Dhampirs can opt out of being guardians, many of them choose to be guardians. 

One important factor that the show is neglecting to showcase is the other group of Moroi who advocates for Moroi fighting. Part of the reason the Strigoi are closing in on the Moroi and Dhampirs is that the Moroi are too reliant on their guardians. Tasha Ozera, Christian Ozera’s aunt, and her group advocate for Moroi fighting. As of right now in the show, this idea is glossed over. The show’s Moroi is much more dependent on the Dhampirs than in the books. It also caused a lot of tensions amongst Royals and non-royals, the trend being that Royals were okay with pushing the Dhampirs limit, whereas non-royals were open to the idea of Moroi using magic to learn how to fight. Both in the show and in the book, the Royal council is divided and unwilling to look at new ideas. This is why their queen was looking at Andre Dragomir to unite the Moroi. Now, the queen is looking at Lissa, who has no family left to support her place on the Royal Council or to be queen. 

Stay tuned for part 3 of Vampire Academy…