There’s always plenty that could be said about a first kiss. Some are relatively simple; they come when you expect them to, and others take time beating around various bushes and staggering until it’s achingly impossible to hold anything back. For Rose Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov, we’re somewhere in the middle. As a relationship that’s canonically established in a book series (this is what research and friends tell me because I haven’t read them), it was expected. But how Romitri’s first kiss is shot and framed in Vampire Academy “Molnija” is a thing of beauty worthy of discussing.
It’s the build-up, the push and pulls, and the unfathomable need to protect one another against all odds, their jobs especially. It’s Rose’s inability to sit through the Molnija ritual earlier in the episode and the utter comfort juxtaposed in Dimitri’s presence while he’s the one to ink her in the end. The precision and gentleness of his touch, followed by last week’s admission that he was distracted trying to protect her, screams in the candlelight.
And where the scene finally leads them eye-to-eye, it’s riveting to see performances do the talking. In the short time we’ve had them, Dimitri’s been fully aware of Rose’s agency and the fact that she doesn’t quickly back down. He’s aware of her role in Lissa’s life, the guardians, and now, in his own life, almost asking her for permission in those quiet moments—giving her the agency to choose the next move. It’s fascinating that he closes his eyes the moment she’s a hairsbreadth away, letting everything take precedence when it finally becomes something they both want.
There’s no sugarcoating it because Romitri’s first kiss is hot and simultaneously so profoundly moving that it makes it much more promising and worthy of replaying. It’s a moment that signifies not only how much they both want each other but how considerably terrifying all of this has gotten with their roles put at risk. It’s a moment that exhibits undeniable comfort and security as two people understand without words that they’re beginning to care far more about each other than they ever thought possible.
There’s also the matter of Dimitri outright lying for her, thus showcasing that he has her back through every dark, treacherous journey they embark on. Their burgeoning partnership and trust are already proving to be one of their most valuable aids, leading to something bigger than either of them could’ve imagined when meeting each other. And, to reiterate again, it’s hot—it’s a moment with two people tirelessly standing behind impenetrable walls letting their guards down with the one person capable of punching through every blockade.
Romitri’s first kiss comes into the equation relatively quickly, but it works when they’re a pair facing all sorts of odds in a world that consistently demands too much from them. It works so well at this moment because it packs a tender punch while looking into everything they’ve been through and, more importantly, all the terrors still ahead in their path. It’s a beginning that promises a whirlwind of emotions in the most satisfying way possible, and I’d hate not to be aboard this.
Now streaming exclusively on Peacock: What are your thoughts on the Romitri kiss in Vampire Academy’s “Molnija?” Let us know in the comments below.
Hello, i agree. I was waiting patiently. And dimitri, giving in so much. And Rose still holding back. At that moment when be lied for her. And she asked why, and he said Nothing, but take a breathe. I knew it was going down. That scene when they kissed, was hotter than the candles burning. The look he gave her each step of the way..when she gave in. Oh my hotness. When she closed her eyes, and then closed his. I rewinded it about a million times. His tongue, and her fingers through his hair. Him embrasing her in full. 50 shades has nothing on this. Superb chemistry.