Vampire Academy Episode 7 Beyond The Wards Review And Recap- Kissed By A Rose On The Grave

Heartbreak and political intrigue were served up in Vampire Academy Episode 7 as huge threats began to take shape. The rigid world of the Moroi and the Dhampir is captivating because it is not that different from our own. Power players exploit their influence to get ahead, and the vulnerable get stepped on. The supernatural element heightens everything, but it is no different from our current society. That similarity makes for compelling television because we recognize the danger in their actions and can relate to the need to do better even when it makes things worse.

By the end of Vampire Academy Episode 7, huge revelations come to light. But, unfortunately, that isn’t enough to diminish the growing darkness. Before all of that, though, is a good quest for knowledge. Who doesn’t love to see an excellent off-road adventure? Field trips are fun for a multitude of reasons. It gives the characters new people and places to interact with and new threats to navigate. Dimitri, Rose, Andrian, and Lissa travel into the human world searching for a heretic who knows about St. Vladimir and has had to hide because of it.

I wasn’t sure about Kieron Moore(Dimitri) in the first episode, but he has grown on me, and now I couldn’t see anyone else as Dimitri. Of course, it helps that the man is beautiful and every scene with Sisi Stringer’s Rose sizzles with sexual tension. That should only intensify after the disastrous trip into the human world drove a wedge between them.

This foursome is a fun grouping. Adrian is such a hedonistic lover of life, while Dimitri is bound by responsibility and caution. They play well off of each other’s energy while Rose and Lissa are free to float somewhere in the middle. Their adventure is the biggest source of fun and heartbreak in Vampire Academy Episode 7. By the end of the episode, nothing will ever be the same.

After several missteps, some booze, and a tasty bit of dancing, the group finally finds the woman they have been searching for. At first, she refuses to help but ultimately gives in when she realizes that Lissa could compel her if she had to but doesn’t want to manipulate her. She tells Lissa about Vladimir’s shadow bond and shadow kiss with Anna, and Lissa realizes that is what she has been trying to remember. Rose was dead, and Lissa resurrected her. This is why Rose can sense the Strigoi and why she can sense Lissa. Just like Vlad, Lissa could offload her darkness to Rose for her to deal with.

The world of the Moroi and the Dhampir is built on fear, control, and lies. The original thirteen saints and the human treaty is built on a shifting foundation. The greatest of them all, Saint Vlad wasn’t a benevolent, altruistic leader. He was a parasite who exploited his bond with his Guardian, Anna, to outsource the darkness within him. Like a battery working in reverse, he expelled his dark charge into her, and she carried the burden for him. Lissa is terrified that she will become just like him. She worries that she will use Rose and end up destroying her.

Several Strigoi attack our group in the apartment, and Rose and Dimitri can fend them off, but a moment of hesitation is costly. No one but the Strigoi died, but it could have been bad. His past haunts Dimitri. He is bound by tradition and responsibility because he worries about losing control of his emotions. As a kid, he lost control, and his anger scared his family. He fails to recognize he was a kid protecting his mother and is a disciplined man now. Dimitri worries his feelings for Rose, compromise his ability to protect everyone. As Vampire Academy Episode 7 closes, Rose and Dimitri lament what could have been.

There is something even more worrisome than spirit kisses and star-crossed lovers, though. Rose recognized the Strigoi who broke into the heretics’ apartment as someone from the club. Why are the Strigoi forgoing a blood-bag buffet to chase down Rose and her group? There seems to be intelligence behind some of their eyes. Could Christian be right about his parents? What do the Strigoi want from Rose or Lissa? Do they sense Rose just like she can sense them?

Most terrifying, though, are those who live beyond the wards. The supremely powerful agents operate in the shadows, and they terrify our heretic. She is most worried about them. What happens now that Lissa has burned her world to the ground? These cleaners will undoubtedly be very important in the seasons to come.

The politics of Vampire Academy are fun to watch. There are so many absurd rules and customs it hardly seems like anything is set in stone. If circumstances warrant, an ancient, long-forgotten ritual can be trotted out to level the playing field. After Victor started amassing the support he needed to secure the throne, Tatiana requested that her Aunt use the church’s power. Tatiana’s entire campaign and from what we have seen, her agenda is based on fear and preserving the status quo. She doesn’t want anything to change because it would jeopardize her and her family’s authority.

When Tatiana’s Aunt, conveniently the leader of the church, tries to force the Queen to name Tatiana as her successor, the Queen makes the only move she has left and declares the caucus closed and a Royal Trial to begin. What she doesn’t realize is Victor is sick. Sonya was able to cure him for a time, but it wasn’t permanent. Evidently, he requires maintenance to stay strong. The problem is that every time Sonya uses her spirit magic, she falls further into the darkness. She had already let her anger overtake her once, and now she has killed a human. As far as political scandals go, this is a big one.

I’m intrigued by the different respect the characters have for humans. Lissa and Adrian treat them as equals. They are both disgusted by the idea of them as cattle. The Queen almost mocks them for their subservience, all while taking what is necessary from them. Even Jesse, who is a mess, views Silver romantically even if he can’t admit it. It is an interesting generational anomaly not unlike societal changes in the real world. Younger generations tend to be more tolerant and accepting of differences, while older ones rebel against change. Of course, there are exceptions to that rule, but even Victor, who seems pretty progressive, will have to choose to protect his daughter or give her human victim the justice she deserves.

Vampire Academy Episode 7 is about establishing if the ends justify the means. Whether the darkness is a wave of anger inside you or a literal supernatural force, it is pressing in on all of them. Is it possible, though, that St. Vladimir’s good works outweighed the bad of hurting Anna? That is for the individuals involved to decide, but Lissa chooses for her and Rose. She doesn’t want to be a user anymore.

Poor Rose has zero agency this week. Not only has her best friend pushed her away for her protection, but Dimitri has as well. What started with so much promise at the beginning fizzled into a hard-to-swallow lump of frustration. The entire group is alone and hurting. Adrian and Lissa are self-medicating, Rose and Dimitri will push themselves physically to lessen their grief, and Victor will have a coverup to handle. Will the crown be worth the price of human life and his daughter’s soul?

This was a very tight episode, centered around two storylines: Lissa and Rose’s plight and Victor’s political machinations. I like many of the other characters, in particular Christain, Jesse, and Mia, who have massive potential in later seasons. Still, the sharp focus on these plot beats allowed the series to take enormous steps forward without feeling rushed. We are nearing the end of the first season, and the rich world Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre have built has come together quickly. It is a testament to their storytelling that they were able to do for Vampire Academy what they did for Vampire Diaries. This world I want to live in or at least visit each week. Hopefully, Peacock sees the gem they have on their hands.

Find all our Vampire Academy coverage here.