Vampire Academy

So the Vampire Academy series on Peacock was canceled. After just a single season, this series was canceled. Now this is not an unusual action for streaming services. They love to create shows that people love, that are genuinely good and cancel them after a single season. Normally this is done in order to avoid paying writers bonuses but there seems to be a particular cancellation bias toward female led shows.

So when I found out that Vampire Academy joined the long list of streaming show casualties I had to find out why. Now this show was on my to watch list anyway but I knew that if it was anywhere as bad as the movie then they were right to cancel it. However it turns out that Peacock done fucked up. The Vampire Academy show was actually awesome and an amazing adaptation of the book and we deserved more.

I absolutely love the pacing of this show, it is giving us more context than what was in the book, without adding things that didn’t exist. And it is going through these storylines and character arcs very thoroughly without dragging on. The show also focuses way more on the political aspects of this society. And though they included bloodwhores they omitted the part where Lissa feeds on Rose when they run away from the society (which they also omitted).

I feel for Mason but Rose was just looking out for him. She really just didn’t want him to dia and I understand his anger but he needs to chill himself.

So I guess I should get into the mythos of this story. Because I actually really love the class and magic system. I think it's very creative and well written. We have the Maroi, who are vampires that are in touch with elemental magic. They are upper class. Among them we have the royals, 13 families that are descended from saints. They all have an affinity to one particular element. Then we have the Dhampir, whose life options are; guardians to the Maroi, babymakers for the Maroi or bloodwhores to the Maroi. Their entire existence is meant for serving the Maroi. The third very important piece of this puzzle is the Strigoi. Think of them as traditional, stereotypical Vampires. They live to kill.

They dropped the name of the third book and are still being true to the lore of this world. I actually really love how this was written, it does such a great job of bringing in the world that was very well crafted in these books. Honestly this story is far more compelling. I love the books, they truly had a chokehold on me when I was younger but the way the show paints this picture gives so much more credit to the characters and the audience.

Look I love Demitri, I love Demitri and Rose. But Mason is just the sweetest boy and he loves her so much. And there is nothing I love more than Christian and Lissa. No Demitri, No.

I have to applaud the writing again, they managed to work with an ensemble cast, and make us care just as much as who took over the monarchy as we do about Rose’s relationships. While also still making it feel like her story. That is incredible. This is arguably one of the best adaptations of anything.

So overall the show actually ventures pretty far from the events of the source material, at least if you go book by book but it doesn’t feel like it. The film version is extremely faithful to the book, events wise. But the tone and execution couldn’t have been more wrong. So the film was terrible. The show kind of goes its own way as far as the events of the story go, but it very much feels like the source material. The plot is still true to the characters and it feels like it could fit right in with the series. It actually feels like the first season brings in lots of elements of all of the books allowing for a more complete story.