Vampire Academy “Ascension” Spoilers Ahead
Vampire Academy’s Season 1 finale, “Ascension,” is a solid conclusion that splendidly sets up what’s to come while securing Rose and Dimitri’s endgame. Now, while this is something the books confirmed, viewers like me walking into the series without that knowledge can be confident because of the angst in those final goodbyes.
The first season of Vampire Academy is a testament to friendships, Lissa and Rose’s first and foremost. At the same time, it’s a setup for the things that matter and the fights worth diving into. Who do these characters become? Where do they stand when everything else is against them? What’s worth it? What isn’t? The finale answers these questions by pushing our lead women toward freedom, where they can figure these things out while simultaneously giving Lissa the necessary time to grieve. After the hell she’s lived through, she should never have been thrust toward the required duties, but this way, she needs the time to grieve properly.
Because ultimately, even when Lissa does grieve and when she returns with Rose, the world around them isn’t going to be a walk in the park. It will be heartbreaking and challenging to work through everything required while caring for others. And grief, as many of us know, isn’t something that leaves after a while—it stays with a person, changes them, and demands to be felt. But when it comes to these characters, Vampire Academy’s “Ascension” proves that these characters aren’t walking through journeys alone.
And along with Lissa, it’s now more evident than ever that Rose has Dimitri through every fire that rains down upon them. Their reunion comes straight out of left field without conversations about what happens at the end of Episode 8. Still, at the same time, it allows us to see that in their attempts to forget one another, they’ve only begun to love one another more fiercely.
Fundamentally, during that final conversation, Sisi Stringer and Kieron Moore lay everything on the line as they allow their characters moments of stunning transparency to vocalize how much they care about each other. There’s no going back after this scene—they fell in love despite all the odds against them, and they fell for the pieces they usually wouldn’t have in any other person. The warmth in them, coupled with their open vulnerability, showcases the intensity at which they bonded. And while the final kiss was a gorgeous spectacle, what still has me in awe is Dimitri pressing his lips to Rose’s temple when the visions of Lissa terrorize her.
It’s a brief moment, but in that scene, we can see the visceral pain he lives through when she’s in that state of distress. No matter what lies ahead, despite knowing better or who’s watching, Dimitri will always lean forward and do everything in his power to make the beat a little more bearable for her. And that alone shows us everything we need to see regarding the depth of his love for her.
There’s a light to them in Vampire Academy’s “Ascension”—they’re flirty, open, and so enthralled by one another that their goodbye doesn’t feel heartbreaking. Instead, it’s heartwarming, as Dimitri says, “the thought of waking up to you every morning, that face full of sleep.” He’s already begun thinking of the future, wanting it more than anything else.
However, it’s what we as viewers know and understand about how first seasons work as great big setups. And as Rose counters, “until order is restored in the dominion, protection comes in many forms.” He has his fight, and she has hers. And this is only the beginning because when their fights clash, when it’s all set in the same place again, it will, in fact, be everything, as Rose says.
Now streaming exclusively on Peacock: What are your thoughts on Vampire Academy’s “Ascension?”