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starseneyes · 2 years

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Romitri - Rose / Dimitri - Vampire Academy - Season 1 - Eps 1-5

Hello fans of epic metas! Yes, I’m at it, again.

I never read the Vampire Academy books. They came out when I was thick in Musical theater and working at a humanitarian non-profit that specialized in Disaster Relief. I’ve always enjoyed a good YA read, but I missed these at the time.

I did see the movie, and found it interesting. The series has the space and breadth to try new things and flesh out the world in different ways than the constraints of a 100 minute film. That said, Sisi Stringer and Kieron Moore are crushing it as Rose and Dimitri, and I’ve been so bloody impressed, I had to write a meta.

SPOILER ALERT: I will spoil the entire season to this point (halfway through). Please do not proceed if you wish to remain un-spoiled. I go into great detail. Had I knowledge of the books, I’d do that, too. Please feel free to educate me in the comments on book nods!

Pilot

“Lissa!”

Rose approaches with her usual warmness—the warmth shared by two women who had known each other for years and feel the bonds of sisterhood so strongly they needn’t occupy the same space to know that cord is unbreakable.

But it is SO good to see her, and she doesn’t even notice Dimitri evaluating her, aware that something is off about her uniform—something is hidden.

The first strike, she looks at him, completely annoyed. But, he’s good, and he easily takes her down.

Note, though, that he doesn’t take her out. He makes sure her head doesn’t hit the ground when he gets her down. He keeps her in a neutralized position, but she’s not completely restrained. He simply showed her he wasn’t going to let her waltz up to Lissa.

Dimitri doesn’t know their history, their bond, their sisterhood. All he knows is that this Damphir Novice strolled up to his Moroi, and that is not acceptable.

“It’s a super dangerous welcome home present.“

I love how... annoyed Dimitri is. This is not a love-at-first-sight tale. Yes, they both probably noted one another’s hotness (we know Lissa did), but right now, he’s annoyed with her as much as she’s annoyed with him.

He’s an obstacle to what she wants—to be with Lissa—more than she even knows at this moment.

“Will Rose Hathaway be a problem?” “Rose is always a problem” ... “With all due respect, I’m not a nanny. My job is protection.”

It doesn’t matter that Rose is 18. From Dimitri’s perspective, she’s immature and a liability. Dmitri is all about rules, order, discipline, and duty. Anything that gets in the way of him doing his duty is an unwanted obstacle, and that includes Rose Hathaway.

“So you’re just... having a staring contest with the air?”

Ah, their first verbal sparring match. Rose comes in, ready to take this new Guardian off-guard, hoping to show him just how great she is so he feels a little uncomfortable about his place as Lissa’s guardian.

But Dimitri is a natural mentor. While throwing some obvious shade, he lets her in on his process.

“So I suppose you could say I’m having a staring contest with the streets, the gates, the rooftops, and the turrets.” “You’re kind of a Guardian nerd, aren’t you?”

Rose wants to snark at that, but doesn’t have the ammunition. She switches gears, trying to intimidate the great Dimitri Belikov.

“I’m number one. I’m always number one.” “Then perhaps you’re not as good at perimeter control as you think.”

Ohhh, the shade. He knows her ranking has fallen, and he’s not going to tell her outright. Again, he’s a natural mentor. He’s going to let her discover it for herself.

At this point, she’s just a Novice, to him. He sees her as nothing more, and he’s going to speak to her as such. Still, there’s a part of him that is curious about her. If she really is the best, so much so that Alberta asserts so no matter what Rose’s ranking, that’s something worth fostering and a person worth helping—no matter how stubborn she is.

Shirtless on a Tower

This isn’t directly Romitri, but I have to call out the makeup artists for doing a fantastic job covering up Kieron Moore’s tattoos.

If you’re new here, I’m the daughter of a makeup artist. I’m also a demisexual. So, when I see a jacked, shirtless man in a series who I know has real-life tattoos (but his character does not), my first thought isn’t, “OH, baby!” My first thought is, “Wow, great coverup!”

So, kudos to the artists. NOW, back to the Romitri.

Dimitri spots the two rising tributes, and he knows that something’s off.

“I don’t suppose there’s any way we could keep this just between us?”

Oh, Rose. You don’t know this Guardian. This is not Mikhail, who is like a big brother to you. This is not Andre, your other big brother, who was always up to some mischief and could get away with it because of his Moroi status.

This is Dimitri f*cking Belikov. Top Guardian, save for your own mother. You know what a stickler for the rules Janine Hathaway is, so don’t underestimate Dmitri.

And Dimitri is pissed.

Interesting Note: In the Strigoi attack, the Strigoi is atop Rose when Dimitri kicks it off of her. He looks down at her, disapproval dripping from his features. He hesitates on offering her a hand up. After he does, his focus is entirely on Lissa, his charge, the one person he is supposed to protect.

“What you did was reckless and impulsive, no matter how good you are. Strength doesn’t matter. Style doesn’t matter. Courage doesn’t matter. There’s good enough, and there’s gone. Tonight you almost got the person you say you care about most in the world killed. There isn’t a rank low enough on the board for you right now.”

Rightfully, Dimitri goes off on Rose. He’s infuriated that she would put something before her duty of protecting Lissa. Because, at this point Dimitri’s own definition of “protection” is keeping them out of danger. He doesn’t get the heart and soul of Rose and Lissa.

Yes, Rose majorly screwed up. But, Rose was trying to protect her friend in a different way—one that doesn’t require stakes and armor.

The other side of this is Dimitri’s own guilt that he couldn’t save Alexei, his own Moroi best friend. As viewers, we didn’t know about that, at this point. But, Dimitri knows his own regrets and pain, and he knows how it ended for the two of them, and that he’d do anything to go back in time and be there when Alexei needed him.

He looks at Rose and sees frivolity, lack of control, and immaturity. He sees the Novice.

Remember, this isn’t a love-at-first-sight story. They see each other as obstacles, issues, and problems, at this point. It’s not personal.

Dimitri wants to keep Lissa safe and thinks Rose can’t do it. Rose wants to keep Lissa safe and thinks Dimitri is in her way.

But she does feel humbled by his words at the end of the Pilot. You can see how she nods her understanding of his words. And I think that matters to him.

She doesn’t talk back. She doesn’t get sassy. She accepts his words. To Dimitri, accepting responsibility for your own failings is very important. Deflecting does nothing for growth.

SIDE NOTE: Notably, this is the one time we see her in pigtails in the series, thus far. It does a lot to add youth to Sisi Stringer’s stunning features, but is also often a characteristic of immaturity in cinema.

I’ve heard some complaint that Rose didn’t have her “reckless-to-focused” phase that was apparently a big part of the books, but I feel they had to compress it down to a single episode because we really need to root for Rose.

And by the end of the Pilot, I’m rooting for her... even if Dimitri isn’t, yet.

Earth. Air. Water. Fire.

It’s a third of the way through the episode before Dimitri and Rose have a scene together. He spots her in the training area and sits beside her. The natural mentor in him is coming out. He knows she’s good at fighting and sparring. He knows there’s a lot of fire in there. But, he genuinely feels bad for her.

“I heard about the tribunal.” “I guess you think I deserve this... that everything’s my fault.”

He stands up, frustrated. He doesn’t mind being supportive of someone going through a bad time, but not taking responsibility for your action is a classic mark of immaturity, and he can’t bother with that.

Something stops him, and he turns back.

“Not that you’re asking, but the definition of immaturity is blaming others for your own failings... Am I annoyed one of the most promising young Guardians I’ve ever come across is too stubborn to see sense? Yes. Do I want you expelled. No.”

Rose stands, not believing him. Remember, there’s not a lot of love between her and senior Guardians (save Mikhail). She thinks these are hollow words, because so much of Damphir life is fighting against one another to get to the top, then fighting to stay alive. Her own mother is her greatest example of this duty-above-all mentality, at the great expense of compassion and caring.

Rose doesn’t believe that this practical stranger could actually wish her well.

“No? The image of me out there in the Communes doesn’t give you a thrill?” “No, Rose.”

It’s the first time he’s spoken her name to her. And he’s sincere. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

“My mother and sister live in the Communes. That’s not the life I would wish on you.”

And there’s the first crack, for her. He genuinely means what he says. He’s not rooting against her (though he’s not yet rooting for her). She deflects... her favorite defense mechanism besides snark.

“Well, until the Tribunal decides to kick me out officially... I’ve got a leader board to climb.”

There’s that tenacity. There’s that drive. He knows she has that. But he thinks she needs to do some growing up. And while he doesn’t want to care about her, he is starting to care about her fate.

“You’re fighting like a Strigoi.”

Dimitri has to step in on the fight. Rose is feeling the effects of Lissa’s abilities, but she doesn’t yet understand it, and she’s not yet ready to tell Dimitri. And he sees another loss of control.

He doesn’t understand why this is happening, but he’s seen enough of her fighting to know something is off.

Maybe he thinks it’s the weight of the upcoming Tribunal, or the strain of not seeing her best friend in a time of strife... but he decides to help her in the one way he sees proper at this point—training.

“...when you’re back at number one and taking my job, I’d rather not see our future queen under the watch of someone who can’t keep a grip on it.” “How do you do that? You have this way of criticizing me and complementing me in the same breath.” “Perhaps because you have this way of being both extraordinary and infuriating all at once.”

I love this exchange. The more time Dimitri spends with Rose, the more things shift with them. You can see it here. She challenges him as much as he challenges her.

He has his arms crossed in a defensive position, but also an authoritative one. It’s easier to keep the distance that way. I don’t think that he’s necessarily tempted by her, at this point. But, he’s caring more than he’s meant to.

Something in him wants to see the best for her, even if that means simply surviving her tribunal, at this point.

“I will, Dimitri, because that’s what I do. I survive. I survive car crashes, and loss, and an absentee mother, and a best friend that I’m not allowed to see, and know-it-all Guardians who show up out of nowhere to ruin my life. I will survive whatever shit this world keeps trying to throw at me because that’s what I do. Because I’m strong. And I will survive this fucking tribunal because there is no other option.”

It’s a d*mn good speech. And it even gets through to Dimitri. Before, he was staying on the outside of this, but after that speech, he’s on her side.

“Good. Then I’m rooting for you.” “So, can we be done with wind sprints now?” “What do you think?”

She turns on the cute, but Dimitri Belikov is immune... or so she thinks. As soon as she turns around, a grin breaks out on his face. D*mn, she IS cute.

I think another key thing to remember about her speech is that Dimitri may not be aware of everything Rose has been through. He’s made it his priority to protect Lissa, and while he knows that the Dragomir family was all killed in the crash, save Lissa, he might not realize that Rose was in there. He might now have considered the loss she’s suffered.

And that sets her apart, further, from other students there. Yes, the other students there are isolated, to a point. They don’t really have families, and they’ve learned to cling to one another. But Rose did have a Found Family in the love of the Dragomirs. She lost them. They died.

This loss is another thing that separates Rose from a lot of the other Novices... this intimate understanding of loss and death. Something Dimitri shares.

Death has a way of changing a person. To understand loss and live a life with its grip still upon you takes superhuman strength, sometimes. And in that speech, Dimitri sees the serious side of her. He sees the fire. He sees the passion. He sees the survivor.

And he sees the Novice a little less.

“Lissa.” “Rose.”

Dimitri has seen Lissa’s panic. He can tell that his charge is struggling, Yes, Rose is banned from seeing Lissa. But, Dimitri had a best friend, once. He knew what it was to want to be there for him, no matter what. He can’t get Alexei back, but he can give Lissa and Rose this moment.

“What’s going on?” “It’s nothing you need to hear about right now.”

This is Rose putting Lissa first. And Dimitri can see that. He can hear it. He’s RIGHT THERE this whole time. Yes, Rose thinks she sneaked right by, but we know different.

In this conversation, Rose is hurting just as much as Lissa. They’re both facing exile. They’re both facing the worst possible things that can happen to them, save death.

But Rose doesn’t utter a word of her own strife. She prioritizes Lissa and her needs in that moment. That’s what a Damphir is supposed to do.

“I’ve missed you this week. You staying out of trouble?” “Oh, you know me. I’m always dancing alongside of it.”

And, again, Rose has the chance to tell Lissa what’s going on. But, she just got Lissa calm, and she knows that’s where Lissa needs to stay.

So, she chooses Lissa.

Lissa leaves, but Rose doesn’t. Dimitri looks in to see her standing there, crestfallen. She’s accepted her fate, and he knows it. He can see that she’s not balking it, fighting it, or trying to avoid it. In what might be her last night on campus, she has put Lissa first.

And he’s seen it all. He’s thought, before, that she was prideful and immature, that she was blasé about her fate. No. It’s hitting her so incredibly hard, but that strong woman he talked to earlier with her big epic speech is now showing him who she is... without her even being aware.

He knows, now, that a lot of Rose’s bravado isn’t lack of understanding... but protection. And he knows a bit about that. He protects himself with discipline and training. They’re very similar, though they attack the issue in different ways.

He’s seeing the Novice less and less. He’s seeing Rose. And right now, Rose is hurting.

“I’ve asked around about you. You’re one of the best Guardians around. Second only, maybe, to Rose’s mom. Yet earlier... somehow Rose slipped past you right when I needed her most.”

His definition of “protection” is shifting. I really do think he sees a lot of himself and Alexei in these two... Moroi and Damphir best friends. But, also, he sees Rose for the fighter that she is—full of fire and passion, but also dedicated entirely to Lissa when it matters most.

“Lissa. Has anyone told you what’s happening with Rose?”

You can see the internal struggle. He almost says nothing. He blinks several times, as though fighting internal programming to even get out Lissa’s name. Not Princess... Lissa. This is a personal request.

He could have let it be and done nothing, but when it comes to Rose Hathaway, that instinct to follow duty and the chain of command will be challenged. Essentially, he’s going to the top with this. He’s going over everyone’s heads for the sake of Rose. Now, Lissa’s relationship with Rose makes it possible, but this is still a struggle for our stoic, dedicated Guardian.

“I’m fucked.”

Rose accepts her fate, much as she hates it. As she sits at the bar with her friends, hair flowing beautifully, she looks behind her to catch the eyes of Dimitri Belikov—watching her. He’s concerned. He’s worried. She doesn’t know that, of course, and proceeds to drink with her friends and dance on the bar like it’s the last night of her life.

Dimitri can’t help bopping along the beat as he watches her dance. He can’t join in the chant—that’d be too obvious—but he is finding himself enjoying the show.

Dimitri walks up to pay, sliding a coin across the counter, when Lissa’ snog-fest causes Rose to pass out. He catches her as she practically slides into his arms. And as he looks down, the protective mode kicks in. He sees her, in need, in his arms. He looks back to Mason, who can say nothing.

Of course, Dimitri could have put Rose on a chair somewhere and walked out. He could have asked Mason to come down there to help her. He could have done so many things. Instead, he takes responsibility for what has fallen into his lap... for who has fallen into his lap. He carries Rose all the way home.

He looks to her as he walks, checking on her, worried about her. He doesn’t have to say a word. We can see it in his features—he’s caring for her.

Rose... less and less a Novice in his eyes... more and more his Rose... Roza...

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

“Fucking Dimitri.” ... “You can thank Dimitri for telling me. He carried you here, you know. In those big, manly arms of his.” “What kind of macho shit is that?”

I really feel like Rose isn’t used to love for the sake of love... even kindness. Lissa is the best thing in her life. Everyone else—even Mason—is her competition. Alberta is the resident stick in the mud. Mikhail and she have a great bond, but he’ll still try to help her stay in her place. And Dimitri is a Guardian nerd who’s a stickler for following the rules—her least favorite thing.

It doesn’t occur to her that he carried her there out of compassion. And I think that says a lot about just how much Rose Hathaway has closed herself off from the world, from feeling and caring, too much. Lissa is her exception.

And Lissa is noticing that Dimitri has a soft-spot for Rose. Even allowing that meeting in Rose’s dorm is a breach. That’s three times, now, in one episode he broke protocol for Rose—letting her see a nervous Lissa, telling Lissa about Rose’s tribunal, and letting Lissa visit Rose to tell her the good news.

“I passed out from kissing.” “Mason?”

This is such an intriguing exchange to me. Now, you’re probably wondering, “What is this doing in a Romitri meta?” Welp, I think it sets a huge precedent for how much Rose shares with Lissa.

Rose hasn’t told Lissa about Mason and their hookups. To Rose, it’s nothing worthy of note because it’s just two people who understand one another releasing steam and pent-up whatnot. It’s not a functioning relationship.

At this point, of course, she’s oblivious to Mason’s attachment to her. But, she still could have told Lissa... but she didn’t.

Death Watch

This is one of my favorite episodes for Romitri. Let’s have fun, shall we?

“Eloise. Hi!”

Dimitri runs into an old friend, but it’s not a good chat. The poor dear has been called up to Breed. Even as she has a sweet baby born out of love to raise, now she’s been selected to bear a new Damphir baby.

The wife of his best friend. Forced to sleep with a man. Dimitri’s heart breaks. His own mother and sisters are trapped in the same situation, but he can’t hug them right now. He can hug Eloise, and so he does.

Little does he know that Rose is watching from afar.

And this is the moment something in her shifts.

She doesn’t realize it, yet, but she’s caring more than she should about someone else’s life. She’s bothered, watching him embracing this woman and then joyfully greeting the baby.

Rose barely listens to Mason, who’s talking about her thanking him with sexual favors. And he doesn’t notice her attention on Dimitri. But in the whole conversation with Mason, she’s facing away... facing Dimitri.

It’s a foreshadowing of what is to come.

“Why do you do that to yourself?”

The moment Janine Hathaway struck her daughter in the face, everyone winced, Dimitri included. Now, as she sits with her broken blood vessels on her face, Rose barely acknowledges him. He holds out the ice pack to her as he settles down, sitting next to her for the first time since they spoke of the Tribunal.

That time, they sat next to each other only a few seconds. This time, they’re settled in. He’s here to stay.

When she doesn’t take the ice pack, he runs the back of his hand along the hair hanging from her ponytail so he can gently grasp her neck in the same space where someday she’ll bear Mjolnir marks. He lifts the ice pack with his right hand, touching it gently to her face.

Her eyes trail to him, taking it in. It’s another act of compassion.

Nobody else brought her an ice pack. Nobody else came to check on her. That’s just not the way things work. That’s not how Rose has learned to live. But here’s this man checking on her and bringing her help without her having to ask.

Her lips part as she looks at him, this time without a snarky comeback. It’s not until he asks the question that she shifts, uncomfortable. She takes the ice pack from him, still accepting the help, but putting a little distance between them.

“If you want to be number one, when someone of her caliber gives you advice, take it.”

Rose drops the ice pack at this... it’s a rejection. She’s rejecting him, rejecting this advice, and rejecting his lack of understanding about her complicated relationship with her mother.

Dimitri notes the shift as she moves to stand and he grabs ahold of her thigh—not restrictive, but to gain her attention. It works. She looks to him, surprised, and he leaves his hand there, almost unthinkingly.

“I know how much you want this.”

And there’s her lips parting, again. He’s not telling her advice to needle at her, to try to break her, to try to get in her head, to tell her that she’s got it all wrong where her mother is concerned. He’s telling her this because he genuinely wants her to get everything she wants.

And that’s different. That’s new.

Most people are rooting against her, even in her friend group. But here’s this man who has entered her life and he wants nothing more than for her to get what she wants.

They freeze in the moment, broken only by Janine Hathaway calling for her daughter. Dimitri’s hand slides off of Rose’s thigh and he places his hands together, reminiscent of how he stands on duty with hands clasped before him. It’s regaining control.

Rose stands to go to her mother, but she keeps the ice pack with her, and she looks behind her at Dimitri as she goes. He watches back.

Something has shifted.

“Hi.” “Hi. I hope you dance half as well as you fight.”

In the moment before, Rose was carefree with Mason. He’s her buddy (and f*ck buddy) and they love having fun together. But Dimitri? This is something else entirely.

They both smile in the second before they pair up, but as soon as her hands touch his shoulders, they both freeze up, taking one another in. It’s the first time they’ve ever touched, like this. He’s battled her, sure. And earlier he offered her the ice pack. He carried her home, once.

But, this is different.

This is the first time they’re in a circumstance where they’re allowed to laugh with one another, touch one another, dance with one another. It’s not awkward. It’s charged.

He lifts her up, and instead of throwing her hands in the air, she keeps her hands on his shoulders. No doubt she never pictured a dancing Dimitri, especially considering how much brooding he did the last time they were both in this pub.

As she comes down, Rose connects eyes with Dimitri, and they both beam. Dimitri takes off for the front of the line, and she goes with him. A baffled Mason spies it, and Meredith pulls him back into the dance, eager to keep the fun time from being ruined by jealous brooding.

Rose and Dimitri dance. They twirl. They laugh. He picks her up in his arms, holding her in the same way he did when he carried her home. But this time, when he looks down at her, she’s looking back up at him.

And she’s beaming.

“Have you seen my mother?”

Dimitri is standing outside, drinking alone, one hand in his pocket. It’s possible he knows what Alberta and the others now know—St Jude’s was an inside job.

It’s a lot harder to have fun and engage in revelry when something that dark and insidious makes itself known.

He drinks thoughtfully, but releases his glass when Rose reaches for it.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t drink after just anyone. Rose has no qualms stealing his drink, and it implies a level of trust has been built.

His drink relinquished from his hand, he shoves that hand in his pocket. It’s all about control. He has to keep his hands under control. Rose is here, and this time there’s no valid excuse to touch her.

Rose’s mother’s words echo in her mind. “Maybe you should ask your friend Dimitri if I’m right.” First off, wow, Mom. Calling out your daughter and her man after 2.5 seconds of seeing them together? There’s a reason you’re the best. Second, it plants a seed for poor Rose.

And Dimitri, the poor bloke, has to open up about his best friend, a Moroi, who he was in charge of Guarding.

But my favorite part... is when she asks Dimitri how he lost Alexei.

First off, the language is spoken by someone who has experienced loss. “How did he die?” can be a bit insensitive when you’re talking about the most important person in another’s life. Second, Rose knows what it is to experience great loss.

“How did you lose him?”

Watch Dimitri’s face (and this is ALL Kieron Moore) and how he responds.

Before he speaks, he soaks in the words, likely tossed back to the memories of his friend and the great loss. But, also, I think the irony is not lost on him. He’s aware that he feels something for Rose, at this point. But he thinks he’s keeping it under wraps. He thinks he’s still got control.

But, a small chuckle escapes him. Because his best friend wanted nothing more than for Dimitri to have a life of his own... to have something more than duty to drive him.

And she’s standing right here... right here in front of him.

“He was always on at me to take care of myself in the small ways a Guardian can... Draw clear lines between myself and the job... Take the time off in the rare moments it was offered.”

Rose listens. She cares about Dimitri. She cares about his loss.

It’s a far cry from poor Mason, who will get on her next episode about her lack of interest. But, it’s a poignant juxtaposition of who Rose is with Dimitri versus who she is with Mason.

Dimitri draws something out in her that nobody else can, just as she does the same for him. They’re meeting each other in the middle a little more every day from the far-off points where they first began.

Dimitri is no longer in Rose’s way... not when he’s actively cheering her on. And he seems genuine. He’s real. He’s authentic. And he truly wants good things for her.

And now she can see why.

He has experienced great loss. He has gone through the very heartache he’s tried to spare her from—serving as Guardian to one’s best friend and losing them.

Rose trusts him, now. That’s huge for Rose. But he understands her plight in a way no one else in her life can. He’s been through it. He’s struggled with it. And just as he saw her bravado stripped before Lissa’ Specialization Ceremony, now Rose sees Dimitri stripped of the discipline and duty.

She sees the man, not the Mentor.

“I want everything he wanted for you. I want to do my sworn duty. I want honor. I want to protect my best friend from danger. And I want a life to call my own.”

Dimitri smiles a little at that. Yup. That’s everything Alexei wanted for him... everything he has convinced himself he can never have.

“My mother thinks Guardians can’t have that. And I’m starting to wonder if that’s true.” “I think Janine is one of the smartest women I know.”

Another thing Rose does not want to hear. She turns away... but this time he doesn’t have to reach over to keep her from leaving. His voice does it.

“But. I would never bet against you, Rose Hathaway.”

Rose smiles up at him, and he offers a small smile back. She knows he means it, and he’s finding himself more fond of her smile.

Something’s shifting.

“For it to work, I need to be as good as you. Will you teach me?”

During this exchange, Mason wanders out. He sees the two talking, but neither acknowledge him. Rose can’t see him, and Dimitri’s full attention is on her. I feel for poor Mason, I really do. But coming between these two is harder than breaking super charged magnets with your bare hands.

Ignoring Mason (because I firmly believe Dimitri is too disciplined not to notice him at all), Dimitri drinks in her words. Wow, this is a long way from where they began. Now she actively wants his help. She trusts him enough to ask, which is huge for Rose Hathaway, who is very accustomed to doing things on her own.

He smiles at her, a chuckle escaping. And our favorite rule-following Guardian nerd can’t help laying down a few rules.

“If I were to teach you, you’d have to take it as seriously as every other official class.” “I would.” “And you’d work on my schedule.” “I would.” “And no talking back.” “Mmmm, that last one.”

Folks, he is smitten. I don’t think we’ve ever seen Dimitri smile and laugh as much as this episode, and it’s all been because of Rose Hathaway. He’s completely smitten.

But he still thinks he has it all under control.

Benchmark

Rose Hathaway Tries Not to Tackle her Mentor

Like, seriously, that’s half the point of the training montage. Yes, we see it come back in this episode and in the next, but it’s mostly Rose Hathaway being majorly turned on by Dimitri Belikov.

Her little gasps for air? Oh, girl is in trouble!

Even Mason passing by, on his way to class, can see from a distance that these two are spending a lot of free time together.

“You’ve been paying attention.” “I have a fairly decent teacher.” “Fairly decent?”

Woah. You two just turned it up to 11 and I was not prepared for that. They’re openly flirting while sparring. And they’re both having a blast with this.

It feels like the first time Rose has had a real opponent to spar with who also happens to be on her side. And it doesn’t matter that they’re both slowly going mad for one another.

There’s this rhythm between them that grows more natural the closer they grow. In sparring and loving, they are well-matched and growing more in-sync, while still attacking each situation from different viewpoints.

“So the rules work?”

Ah, there’s our little Guardian nerd out in all his glory. Book lovers have mentioned that Dimitri has a lot of rules, so this feels like a nod to them.

Rose gets the upper hand and slams him down on the pew, and that boy breaks out into a mad grin. Oh, yeah, he likes that!

“Still room for improvement.”

Dimitri breaks away and the pair spar, ending on the floor with Rose’s stake in Dimitri’s heart and her legs spread across his body, prone on the floor. His right hand holds her arm on his chest.

Any other situation, this position would be entirely off-limits for them. But, in the spirit of sparring, it’s completely accepted. However, how long they stay in that position after she staked him might seem a little suspect.

They breathe hard together, eyes locked on one another. Rose is savoring this victory over him, and he’s enjoying every moment of it.

And poor Mason has a perfect view of the two. He know Rose prefers it on top. And he knows a look of desire when he sees one. He’s crestfallen.

When Alberta calls time, they stand up, and Rose and Dimitri can’t help but sneak a glimpse of one another.

Control is slipping.

“First rule of being a Guardian. They come first.” “More rules. Goody.” “Rose.”

I don’t know why, but this always sounds like the warning voice of a boyfriend, not of a Mentor. There’s something in his voice that is so familiar saying her name, now, so intimate that it can break through even her most stubborn moment.

Mikhail stands behind Rose (He’s always got her back). Alberta stands before her (the authority figure). But Dimitri stands to her left, facing her. He’s on her same level in this moment, despite being an authority figure. And his focus is on her.

“You aided Eddie in protecting his charge, took on the great Dimitri Belikov and lived to tell the tale.”

Dimitri nods to her in reverence, and she shoots him a small smile.

“Look. You’ve moved up two positions.”

Rose’s attention on the Leader Board, Alberta motions for Mikhail to join her. Dimitri, free from any orders, walks alongside Rose, noting her distress.

“You could complain more, or you could get some sleep.”

I love how Kieron Moore plays that line. The first half is their combative banter they’ve perfected. The second half, his voice drops near a whisper... intimate.

He even offers her a knowing look, quirking the edges of his mouth up as he turns to face her, giving her a little more incentive to go get some sleep because he already knows her well enough to know she’d gladly choose to complain more.

“I plan on coming for you even harder next time.” “Can’t wait. Comrade.”

Alberta looks up just in time to see Dimitri in profile, looking at this Novice in a way he never should—with desire, adoration, and admiration.

As Rose walks away, he turns to follow her, his eyes trailing over her body, and anyone watching would know—Dimitri’s got it baaaad.

“You might not get so lucky next time when it comes to who you’re fighting.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Nothing.”

Mason is jealous. He can see the spark between Dimitri and Rose, but it sounds like he thinks it’s much more one-sided than it is. Also, this is super horrible and sad statement in retrospect considering the next person who Rose will fight will be... Strigoi’d Mikhail... But that’s a story for another Meta.

“We have to tell someone.”

Here it is. That growth that Dimitri was looking for Rose in the first episode. Something horrible and irresponsible has happened. And instead of trying to hide it, Rose realizes there’s a reason for the chain of command. There’s a reason there are rules, even if she loves breaking them so much.

“Rose? You alright?”

The moment he sees her storming across the square, he abandons his post. He can tell that something’s wrong. He’s learning to read her, to understand her, to pick up on those little things that make Rose who she is.

“I hate staying here and following your fucking rules, but he needs more than me right now.”

Rose tries to storm past him, but Dimitri puts out a staying arm. He wants her to confide in him. He wants to be there for her. And as soon as she tells him it’s Mason, the pair of them take off to find Alberta and Mikhail.

“I hate that I wasn’t there to help.”

This vulnerability while they train... it’s so intimate.

It’s strange, because they’re in a wide-open space where anyone could see and hear them, and yet this exchange is somehow entirely theirs. Rose doesn’t talk about emotions and needs, about her fears and wants. But she does with Dimitri.

In Dimitri, she’s found someone she can trust, even with her vulnerabilities. And she doesn’t even realize, yet, that he’s the one she can confide in.

“You don’t think you helped. Because of you, Christian and Mason survived the night.”

They stand back-to-back, so he can’t see her expression. But the grim one on his as she pulls away shows he doesn’t need to. He already knows he didn’t get through.

“All I did was tell you that my friends were in trouble. I didn’t fight! I just sat here while you and the other Guardians saved them. Mason said that I didn’t come after him to protect my ranking.” “He’s wrong.”

Dimitri locks eyes with her. She’d forced them apart in one push, but he takes a step toward her, now seeing the root of her anxiety and frustration.

He takes another step. And another. Closing the physical distance between them with his feet while closing the emotional distance with his words.

“What you did was far harder than fighting tonight... at least for you! You’re number one because you obeyed the chain of command. You did your duty.”

He finally settles an arm’s length away from her. He can see he’s getting through. She has no quips in response.

“Well, it sucked.” “Maybe. But tonight, Roza, you were brave.”

Control. Is. Slipping.

Yes, we can debate the accent all day. But an English actor doing Russian is never going to sound as pure as a Russian doing Russian. Or someone from Spain speaking Spanish (and there are even different accents throughout Hispanic cultures).

I did voice work for years, and I was known for my accents. But I had to have my voice taken out of my headphones to do it. Accent work is tough and I’m not here to judge. Instead, I’m here to enjoy Dimitri Belikov, King of the Nerd Guardians, Enthusiastic Rule-Follower... totally slip up.

He called her Roza.

I understand from book lovers that this is a big deal. Trust me, television-only watchers can feel this moment, too! It’s the first time his affection for her really spills out in a way that he can’t take back... in a way that she can obviously see and he can’t refute.

Well, he could try to refute it. But, he can’t.

“Roza?”

Watch. His. Face.

His face loses so much of the stoicism that carries Dimitri much of the time. He’s taken back to his childhood while also propelled forward to his future. He’s suddenly a shy boy talking to a girl instead of a steadfast Guardian, slayer of Strigoi.

“Sorry. Every now and then my Russian childhood comes out.”

Look. At. His. Face. He is looking for her to believe that... that it’s a slip of Russian childhood and not a slip of, “You are the most important person in my life, please don’t reject me now”.

Roza takes it in, breathes it in, asserting that she likes it. Watch how Sisi Stringer swallows after she says it, too. She’s as nervous as he is, right now. But she’s not going to show it.

And he drinks in her words. It emboldens him. Though, I suspect he also sees the person coming up to “kidnap” Rose for the rest of the benchmarks.

“You also live to fight another day. Which brings us to another important rule: always be ready, ‘cause today is a new day, and the Benchmarks continue.”

He’s closed more of the distance between them, so close he could kiss her. Instead, he leans down, whispering in her ear.

“Good luck, Roza.”

It takes her off-guard. It surprises her. Sisi Stringer does this thing with Rose where her lips part around Dimitri, especially when Rose is turned on by him. Her mouth drops so bloody fast in this moment, his breath whispering against her ear.

She likes his breath on her skin.

And, distraction or not, our boy meant it. He’s settling into his feelings for her more and more. But having a few days away from her is good for him. He needs the distance. He needs to regain his control. And staying here while she’s out there for the Benchmarks is a good way to cool down.

At least, that was the plan...

Near Guard, Far Guard

“Stand down, Dimitri. That is an order, Guardian.”

He was already upset. Now he’s enraged. For the Council to be so thoughtless and cruel is no surprise. But he had hoped for more from Alberta. And his worry for Rose is rising.

“Dimitri will do as he is told.”

Look. At. His. Face. That’s never been an issue for him before. He’s a champion at following the chain of command and doing what the rules demand.

But that was before he met Rose Hathaway.

“How could you?” “Don’t fucking lecture me. I have no choice. I do what I’m told. You should really have more faith in Rose’s abilities, especially considering all the extra training you’ve been providing her.”

Dimitri nods curtly, but he knows he’s caught. He knows his caring for Rose is showing, and he knows that anything he says can be used against them both. He bottles it up.

Alberta takes note of it, and she softens... a little.

I try to think of the motivation behind that shift in her, and I can only think that she knows they are all human, and she can see that despite whatever Dimitri might be feeling, he’s still trying to follow the chain of command and do his duty. That matters bigly in the Guardian world.

“They can handle it. She can handle it. If she can’t, Bravo Team will.”

She stalks off, the decision made. Dimitri can’t keep it together. He heads to church to pray for Rose.

“Prayers won’t help Rose, but you can.”

It’s the permission he needs. He might not have Alberta’s, but he has his charge’s, a Moroi’s, and he’s off to save Rose.

Rose Battles Strigoi Mikhail

In one of the most heart-breaking moves of the series thus far, Rose has to battle one of her best friends who has been turned. As she lays on her back, prone, with the Strigoi on top of her, my mind trails back to the Pilot.

True to form, Dimitri shows up to yeet the Strigoi off of Rose. But this time, he doesn’t glare down at her before offering her a hand up. He reaches down, pulls her up, and the two of them exchange a knowing glance.

We know what to do.

Rose and Dimitri don’t need words. They know the flow of one another’s styles. They know the movements, but more than that they know the feel. That’s what gets them through this fight. It’s not just the training, but the trust.

They move easily together, using the rhythms they’ve established in training to come up on the Strigoi together. When Dimitri realizes he’s getting thrown to the side, he connects eyes with Rose and releases his stake into the space between them. She reaches for it, connecting.

But it’s not enough. The Strigoi knocks her back and she finds herself on her back, once more. But this time when the Strigoi strikes, her stake is true. It finds its mark, and she sees the life drain away.

As she lays there, trapped beneath him partially because of the weight and position, and partly because of her paralyzing heartbreak, she weeps silently.

Dimitri rouses from his spot and rushes to her, wrenching the dead body off of her. You can see the streaked tears on Sisi Stringer’s face, and it breaks my heart every time. We know she’s already been crying.

But, the stake free of her friend’s heart, she now sees him, again. Mikhail. The one who knocked boots with her. The one who constantly reminded her of her worth. Her big brother in the Damphir ranks.

“Mikhail.” “He’s gone.” “Mikhail.” “He’s gone.” “No!”

Rose shoves Dimitri off, and he can feel her heartbreak radiating off of her. He tries to get her attention, fumbling over his words, fumbling for her face.

“Rose. Roza.”

He grabs hold of her chin, stroking it. She meets his eyes. But her pain doesn’t abate. It merely shifts from denying her loss to being forced to accept it. Dimitri’s hand falls away as his face contorts, struggling to find a way to take away her pain and finding none.

She weeps over her friend, and Sisi Stringer crushes the agony here. You can feel every ounce of loss Rose feels in the moment.

Dimitri tries to comfort her, staying close, keeping an arm on her. They don’t note when the other Guardians approach, don’t even hear their voices. The two of them are trapped in a moment. This is a horrible, terrible moment.

But Rose isn’t controlling herself anymore than Dimitri is.

This is their first shared moment of lost control. She isn’t putting on a front and pretending that everything is okay. He isn’t keeping his distance and pretending that he doesn’t care.

To me, this is the moment of no return.

Rose has abandoned protocol to mourn. Dimitri has abandoned protocol to comfort her. In this moment, there’s nobody else there, to them. It’s them, and the fallen body of their one-friend... her big brother.

It isn’t until Alberta’s voice breaks through calling for “Status” that they both freeze, caught in an unsanctioned moment.

They straighten, and both fix their hair as they turn to face Alberta. It’s all about Control... about how they’re supposed to act in this moment as Guardians.

Rose gives the report through her tears, the voice only failing as she speaks the name of her fallen friend.

Dimitri stands to Rose’s left, as he once did... Alberta in front of them. Mikhail behind... But, oh, this situation is so different from that one only a night earlier.

Dimitri turns to face Rose as Alberta gets a good look at Mikhail. She says nothing of him breaking protocol. She says nothing of him allowing Lissa to show up there, unattended. Instead, she looks at her dead friend and tries to keep together while telling Dimitri to take Rose home.

And, yes, I know I’m not the only one who’s curious how that motorcycle ride went.

“How are you feeling?” “Like I’ve just had a thousand people trample over my corpse. I’m fine. Promise.”

She lies. And Lissa doesn’t even notice the lie. She breezes on by. And this isn’t a criticism of Lissa. She’s excited about something amazing she did, and she wants to heal her friend, and she is used to Rose being fine. Rose is always fine. Lissa misses the details.

“Rose. How do you feel?” “Like I killed a piece of myself. Like suddenly I’m beginning to wonder if I even want to do this anymore.”

Let’s start out by saying—Dimitri is in the Novice dorms. That’s insane. He’s stepped out of his world, out of their neutral world, and completely into hers. Yes, he’s still got his hands in his pockets to keep himself in control, but he’s here.

Control is slipping.

And the words falling from Rose’s lips are laced in agony. Her heart has broken, the the faceless Strigoi baddies of her past experience are replaced with the very familiar face of one of her dearest friends... who she killed.

“I wish I could say it gets easier, but” “But it fucking sucks?” “But it fucking sucks.”

I love this moment. They get one another in a way that nobody else really does.

Rose is the only one of her friends to experience such grief upon grief, losing the Dragomirs and then Mikhail. She is the one who had to put a stake in the heart of her friend and big brother figure. Dimitri understands this horror and heartache. He knows what it is to kill people once called friend.

And she’s completely open with him in a way that she can’t be with anyone else. She allows herself to be vulnerable with him, to talk to him about how she’s feeling and what she’s experiencing, instead of only surface-level chit chat. There’s something deeper between her and Dimitri, and she’s beginning to understand that.

So is he.

Watch his face before he starts his approach. He hesitates. Second guesses. But, no, he’s going to do this. He’s already come so far.

He crosses to her, removing his hands from his pockets, and he squats down to face her, putting them on a more equal footing, but not being so presumptuous as to sit on her bed.

“I’m sorry that Lissa got involved.”

This is huge. He’s always said that people need to accept responsibility for their mistakes and actions. That’s what he’s doing, here. He knows how much Lissa means to Rose, and this time it was his actions (if indirectly) that lead to Lissa being in danger.

“I’m supposed to prevent her from getting into danger, on shift or not. My mind should have been on her instead of...” “Instead of what?”

Rose is so tired. Her eyes trail to his mouth, as though reading his lips will make it easier to focus on this conversation.

“You. And whether or not you were safe.”

I love this line reading. His voice starts to break at the end of the sentence. His emphasis on “you” and “safe” tell you everything you need to know about his convictions and his priorities. They’re horribly out of order now.

Control is slipping.

He meets her eyes, looking for something, and she can only stare back in surprise. Of course, she’s felt something between them, but she knows what a stickler for the rules he is. She knows how impossible it would be for them to ever be together. She knows that it’s not going to happen.

Or maybe it is.

She barely moves when she hears Mason’s voice. And when Mason rounds the corner, she’s alone and standing, as though she can no longer occupy the space she shared before without Dimitri... not when she’s facing Mason.

Mason asks how she is, and she deflects. She can’t tell him. And then he confesses to her that she’s the one good thing in this place for him. He places all his happiness squarely on her shoulders. Honestly, it’s the last thing she needs, at this moment.

Rose ends the episode in absolute agony, high on the dark side of Spirit, and shattering the Leader Board in a way she never intended.

COMING SOON: Episodes 6-10, and hopefully a S2 renewal!

Thank you all for reading. I’ll do the second batch at the end of the season. But thanks for sticking around for the first batch! See you around.

#Vampire Academy #VampireAcademy #Vampire Academy Peacock #Sisi Stringer #Kieron Moore #Damphir #VAseries #Romitri #Dimitri Belikov #rose hathaway #dimitri x rose #Rose x Dimitri

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