Vampire Academy 1×06 “Molnija” examines grief, as Rose and Sonya both get to go on living without Mikhail, introduces Adrian Ishkov, gives us more of Meredith and Mia and turns up the Romitri heat. Only one of those things unreservedly works, and that’s pretty much the one thing that has worked on this show from the beginning – the scorching chemistry between Rose and Dimitri.
For them, we can look away from the sometimes questionable editing that leaves us feeling like we’ve missed big chunks of the story. For them, we can ignore the confusion at the way some storylines are pieced together. For them, we might even be able to forget the fact that, as much as we want – no, need – Adrian to work, he doesn’t quite yet. Because Rose and Dimitri are just that good together.
So let us go into what this episode gives you, the holes in the story, Adrian Ishkov’s importance and those final Romitri moments as we discuss Vampire Academy 1×06 “Molnija”
I KILLED MY ONLY FRIEND
Rose’s pain is centered in this hour, but she’s not the only one in pain. This part the show does very well, because the way they both grieve for Mikhail isn’t just believable, it’s earned. We believe they cared for him, and through the relationships, he had with both, we also learned to care for Mikhail. But of course, Rose and Sonya grieve in different ways, because that’s what grief is – unique to everyone.
Sonday turns inwards – and then lashes out a Tatiana who absolutely deserves it (never mind that this was probably what Tatiana wanted). Rose tries to atone by being helpful. Neither way is very healthy, but sometimes, in grief, we do the best we can and we hope to make it to the next day, and then the day after that. There’s not much more we can do. And Sonya isn’t alone. Rose isn’t alone. So the next step, and the one after that, and many more, for months, years even, will be hard. But they can take them, and hopefully, remember that to honor Mikhail is to live. To love. To laugh. Because that’s what he would have wanted.
No, Rose didn’t kill her only friend. She saved him. Mikhail wouldn’t have wanted to live as a Strigoi, particularly with the little knowledge they have at this point about what that means. If you love someone and they turn into a monster, kill them. Not just for you, because hey, seeing someone you love like that is horrible, but also for them. Because you wouldn’t want the person you love to be this monster. So yes, that’s love right there. It’s horrible, and it’s heartbreaking, but it is love.
ARE WE MISSING SOMETHING?
Meredith and Mia are the latest casualties of one of my few real issues with this show. It could be in the writing but it could also be in the editing, but it’s a trend in the show that, sometimes, we’re expected to go from A to Z without fulling getting to all the letters in the middle. Yes, Rose and Lissa’s relationship is well supported. So is Rose and Dimitri’s, and even Christian and Lissa’s. But everything else is just a little rushed.
How did Meredith and Mia get here? I want to root for them, and in a way, I am, especially because Mia seems to have become a nice person in the last two episodes, but other than Christian remarking on how awful she was, there’s too much of a disconnect from who she was in the first few episodes. Hey, at least Jesse has always been an asshole. That’s easy to follow. The rest just seems to have gone from one to a thousand in two seconds, and it’s hard to keep up.
Not that Jesse is at all interesting. There’s no depth to him, no matter his backstory. The show doesn’t even need to give us more, because no matter how much they give us, we still probably won’t feel for him. Some characters are just uninteresting, no matter what you know about them. Jesse Zeklos is one of those. At least Mia and Meredith – and hey, Mia’s friendship with Christian – is something we care about.
WHO ART THOU ADRIAN?
I will be the first to admit I hyped up Adrian’s appearance in this episode, because Adrian is one of my favorite characters in the Vampire Academy series. The verdict so far? Not totally sold on him, but willing to give him a chance.
The thing with Adrian is that he’s a lot, in all the good and the bad ways. He’s all feeling, all bravado, all cockiness, in a way that’s supposed to grate at you, but also be more or less charming. More importantly, he’s supposed to know all this. He’s supposed to be in control of how insufferable he is, and how charming he is. And though this Adrian is certainly extra enough, it’s hard to tell if he can pull off the things that made the character so appealing in the first place.
He does, however, introduce a very interesting storyline, because he actually has answers that he can give to Lissa, and us. And if that means we get to spend a little more time with him to try to figure out if we will indeed be convinced, then so be it. Give us more Adrian. Make us love and hate this man in equal measure, enough that we can’t wait to understand what’s going on inside his head. Lay the foundation for the journey ahead.
It doesn’t have to be all there. Not yet. We just gotta see the possibilities.
SOMETHING TO CALL YOUR OWN
Though this show is centered on Rose (and Lissa), this episode spends a fair bit of time focusing on Dimitri’s emotions, even if he’s in the background. Rose is very vocal about what she feels. She’s done being the council’s errand girl. She wants something for herself, and she thinks all Guardians should want the same. That’s what they deserve. And more importantly, she wants Dimitri. And she wants him to want her too. To choose her.
Of course, Dimitri has. Again and again. In every way he can. In every way he knows how. Because the thing about Dimitri is that he’s head over heels in love with Rose. She might be more vocal about what she wants, but Dimitri’s every move, every word, screams that he loves Rose more than he loves his job, more than he loves himself. He’d take a stake through the heart for her.
Still, he holds back. Because that’s what he’s been taught, yes, but also because Dimitri doesn’t know the man he is if there are no rules. He doesn’t trust himself. Rules have defined his life, and have given him purpose, and he clings to them because he has this idea that without them, he isn’t worthy. For Rose, this is ridiculous, of course. She wants Dimitri just as he is. And the thing is, Dimitri wants the same. He wants Rose Hathaway, just as she is.
In the end, they come together. It’s a decision. Eyes open, facing each other, until finally, they touch. No one blinks. No one is swept away – at least not until their lips come together – instead, Dimitri and Rose choose each other. And whatever choice they might make later, it feels like this is the most important one they’ve ever made. Because when Rose thinks about wanting something for herself, what she is thinking about is Dimitri, and as Rose talks about how everyone should want that, all Dimitri can see is Rose.
Yes, reform is needed. And yes, politics have a big role to play in what’s coming. But Rose and Dimitri are only fighting for one thing – a world where they can choose themselves, because if they can, the people they are, deep down will always, always choose each other. Let’s call this a story of finding yourself, but also a love story. It can be both, in the best of ways.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Vampire Academy 1×06 “Molnija”? Share with us in the comments below!
Vampire Academy episodes 1-6 are available to stream on Peacock. New episodes are available on Thursdays.
