There’s a common modern TV problem that never bothers “Vampire Academy”: the feeling that the first season of a show is a bunch of throat clears, set-ups, and teases for future seasons. This is a series with a decidedly opposite problem; It’s so saturated with characters, lore, and event that by the second episode it feels like it’s filling the audience with half a season’s worth of past adventures they’ve already missed.
Perhaps some of these details come from the “Vampire Academy” book series by author Richelle Mead, previously adapted into a short 2014 film of the same name. At the time, it seemed like a natural blending of two of the biggest contemporary fantasy franchises, filling the void left by the end of the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” movies: a magical and competitive boarding school from the East, populated by hormonal/ Vampires sympathizing with the latter. But the “Vampire Academy” film didn’t serve as a standalone film or a franchise springboard, despite the sports performance of a young Zoey Dutch and the occasional glimpse of screenwriter Daniel Waters’ scathing sensibility. Now the material has been re-adapted into a TV series—somewhat, possibly, so vast to accommodate an anthology that it gets its own pre-credits explainer.
Here’s the gist of it, with the understanding that it could easily be filmed long enough to fill this entire review: St. Vlad’s Academy is a vampire prep school with a regimented class system, where Moroi (a mortal lifetime) with vampire royalty) receive an aristocratic education, while dhampirs (vampire-human hybrids) are trained as guardians, eventually assigned to protect the vital Moroi. Lisa (Daniela Nieves) is one of the nobles who returns to school after the death of her family. Her best friend Rose (Sissy Stringer) tops her parenting class (at least this time). Together and apart, they navigate the social, bureaucratic and aristocratic landmines of their world – even more intriguing given the psychic bond that forms between them. There’s royal intrigue ahead of when Lisa is named as the potential heir to the Vampire Queen early in the season — but will she actually ascend the throne, will she keep Rose by her side, and will Lisa really be who she is? want power?
There’s a lot of jargon, rules, allusions, and subplots to explore, and viewers aren’t ready to bring up the fandom outside — or just roll with the idea that there are two different kinds of mortal types of vampires that both Fearing the other, more demonic vampires—might start to feel lost. or worse; As long as one vampire is referring to the other vampire as a (metaphorically) unicorn, casual onlookers can raise their hands. “Vampire Academy” has the kind of taxonomy that needs to be smoothed out by witty dialogue or magnetic personalities, and this is where the eight episodes shown to critics (from the 10-episode first season) fall short.
It’s not Nieves’ or Stinger’s fault—though they both come off like more driven twentysomethings than precocious teens, they seem forever drawn to bite into characterization and dialogue that’s little more than what they get. Is juicy. The best shows can be an astonishing recklessness (given the presumed target audience and network-TV sensibility) in adapting TV-MA material, which means these characters can actually swear like real teens. For the first few episodes, it’s like hearing someone on The CW suddenly drop an f-bomb—which is to say, fun if not particularly clever.
As far as post-“Twilight,” the next-generation vampire soaps go, “Vampire Academy” doesn’t fare as low as Netflix’s recent “First Kill.” It has a neat variety of sets ranging from gothic castles to neon-lit clubs; an eclectic mix of unusual costumes; And the oddly unexpected splash of steampunk visuals. The show’s world barely feels lived-in—and, confusingly, there’s almost no trappings usually associated with a boarding school, apart from some minor characters being separated from their families—but it’s fun to wander in. could.
The show is less efficient at generating an active, sustained interest in its story and characters, in contrast to its surroundings. “Vampire Academy” works best when it embraces gothic melodrama, whether it’s tied to romance, unbreakable bonds of friends or family, or characters lifted into the moonlight by killing crows. The family drama and teen romance (though sadly not the crows) both feature one of the better supporting characters, played by “Degrassi” alum Andre Dae Kim – a Moroi whose parents have adopted the more sinister Strigoi (the original). apparently, the more acting vampire) is chosen. like a corpse)
The heartbreaking and horror of this detail scans the backroom more clearly than any number of vampire-power maneuvers; The same goes for some of Moroi’s nocturnal excitement of being forced to travel into the normal human world in later episodes. In these bits and pieces, the characters’ weaknesses pop out from beneath their fanciful trimmings (and fabulous outfits). The rest of the time, these vampire human-monster hybrids aren’t so much enticing as this walking encyclopedia of “sacred rules and holy bloodlines,” as one of the more irreverent character puts it—which closely resembles “Vampire Academy”— Leaves the textbook.
‘Vampire Academy’ premieres on September 15 on Peacock.
