Vampire Academy season 1 episode 3 recap: Death Watch

This article contains SPOILERS for Vampire Academy season 1 episode 3.

When tragedy strikes elsewhere in the Moroi Dominion,  everything will change for Rose and Lissa and those around them.

Catch up here on everything from the last episode!

The episode begins with a lot of Dhampir guardians fighting Strigoi. The focus then turns elsewhere, where a Council member says that if it happened at St. Jude’s, it could happen there or in any of the twelve provinces.

At the same time, an older man is talking to the Queen about how there aren’t enough trained guardians to replace those lost at St. Jude’s. Therefore, the Queen needs to emphasize the special relationship between Moroi and Dhampirs so that more Dhampir guardians will be born.

After that, a woman gives a speech about honoring those lost at St. Jude’s with something called a Death Watch. And she mentions that Moroi men should do their duty to help ensure more Dhampirs will be born.

Vampire Academy season 1 episode 3 recap: Get out of my head 

Lissa finds Christian sitting alone, and they discuss the massacre at St. Jude’s, which is apparently his old school. Lissa tells Christian about her connection with Rose and how Rose saw them kissing through Lissa’s eyes.

Mia comes up and hears about the kiss and is going to tell her father when Lissa says that they should forget the conversation ever happened. Mia suddenly agrees not to tell and also agrees with Lissa that they’ll meet in the dorms.

Rose is in class, and her teacher introduces Rose’s mother, their most decorated guardian, Janine Hathaway, to the class. Rose wonders what she’s doing there.

Janine is there to teach the novice guardians about the massacre at St. Jude’s to ensure it doesn’t happen again. It appears that, despite this being out of character for them, the Strigoi are working together.

Rose rants to Lissa about her mother being there. Lissa tells Rose that she needs her to focus on the research so that they can get Rose out of Lissa’s head.

Lissa tells Rose that Christian is going to help them, and Rose hopes Lissa is right to trust him. Rose also warns Lissa that she needs to be careful with Christian as spending too much time with him might affect her plans to be queen.

Vampire Academy season 1 episode 3 recap: Guardian troubles

Lissa promises Rose that she’ll be discrete with Christian. Dimitri meets a Dhampir woman named Eloise, who was chosen to help create more guardians, and he hugs her.

Rose sees this interaction but is interrupted by Mason, who brags about charming library security so that Rose could get the books she needed. Rose then spars with Mason while Janine watches and offers her criticism.

Rose says that if Janine wants to show her, she should just show her. Janine then flips Rose over and defeats her.

When Janine offers her hand to help Rose up, Rose insists she’s fine. Sonya and Mikhail share their fears that the wards around the Dominion need to be strengthened with Victor.

Mia wonders who will listen to them, and Victor scolds her. He promises Sonya he will take care of it.

Dimitri tells Rose she should listen to Janine’s advice, as she is a talented guardian, and he knows Rose wants to be great as well. Their conversation is interrupted by Janine, who insists on talking to Rose.

Vampire Academy season 1 episode 3 recap: Is a change on the way?

Victor raises the issue of the wards with the Council. Another council member suggests that they don’t only have guardians to protect them.

Victor says that it’s too dangerous, and Lissa wonders what they’re talking about. Victor explains that they’re referring to psi hounds, guard dogs that were created only to obey Moroi.

These psi hounds, according to Victor, patrol the wards for signs of Strigoi and don’t know when to quit. Lissa talks with Mia about how the Council wouldn’t listen to her because she’s new and learns that the Death Watch is for royal Moroi only.

When Mia leaves, upset, Lissa talks to a woman named Tatiana Vogel, who tells her that she has a lot of power to change things, even now. Tatiana says Lissa is either a queen or she’s not.

While walking, Lissa runs into a bunch of reporters who want to talk to her about the Death Watch. Lissa tells them that the whole community was affected by the recent attack, royals and non-royals alike and that when she’s the Queen, she will change who is invited.

After Lissa speaks to the reporters, the current Queen decides to invite all Moroi to the Death Watch. Victor sees Lissa’s speech and the Queen’s response and is shocked.

Vampire Academy season 1 episode 3 recap: Control 

Rose spars with Janine, who keeps asking if she’s tired. Apparently, Janine wants to talk, and Rose is stubborn, so she wants her to be tired enough to listen to her.

Janine says that Dhampir women have two choices: to be a guardian or to live in a Dhampir commune and procreate with a Moroi. Rose counters that at least the mothers in the communes actually parent their children.

Janine agrees but warns Rose that plenty of Dhampir women don’t want to be in the communes. Rose reluctantly states that she understands her mother’s point.

Rose then meets Christian in the library, and he tells her about the ancient magic of mind control and that he thinks Lissa can do it because of what happened with Mia. Christian tells Rose that he doesn’t know where the power comes from but that it would be in a book in the High Priestess’ archives.

Christian tells Rose they can sneak in when everyone is at the Death Watch, and Rose agrees. Lissa and Mia get ready to head to the Death Watch, and Lissa hears people gossiping about her.

When she arrives, the Queen tells her that her sentiments do her proud, and Lissa is glad. Yet the Queen later tells Victor that she doesn’t like having her hand forced and doesn’t want any more surprises until she’s not queen anymore.

Vampire Academy season 1 episode 3 recap: Back from the undead

Meanwhile, Rose is at a bar with her fellow guardians. Her mother arrives and gives a speech about the fallen guardians at St. Jude’s.

Janine gives a toast to one of them, drinks, and throws her glass into the fire. Sonya appears at the bar, and Mikhail is glad she came.

Rose dances with Mason and then Dimitri. One of the guardians tells Janine that the wards at St. Jude’s weren’t breached but disarmed and Janine is shocked.

Janine and the other guardian interrogate Christian, wanting to know if he’s had contact with anyone at St. Jude’s since leaving. He hasn’t, and they show him a video from outside his former dormitory of his parents as Strigoi.

They think that Christian’s parents were looking for him. Meanwhile, Tatiana talks to Dimitri, seeming to know a lot about him.

Rose and Christian sneak into the High Priestess’ archives and get the book they’re looking for. Rose also warns Christian against putting Lissa in danger through their relationship if his Strigoi parents are looking for him.

Vampire Academy season 1 episode 3 recap: Harsh truths 

Christian and Rose hear someone coming, so they sneak back out, only to find Janine waiting for them. Mia talks nicely with her sister Sonya outside the bar and then runs into Meredith.

Mia and Meredith decide to go for a walk together. Janine yells at Rose and warns her that she will get sent to the communes.

Rose insists that she’ll be fine as Lissa is about to be Queen. Janine counters that even the ruler only has so much power and that Rose needs to take care of herself.

Rose says she has protected herself for her whole life, not that Janine would know. Janine insists she knows Rose and that any Moroi man who tried to flirt with her would get punched, and then not even Lissa as Queen could help her.

Janine also tells Rose that she can either be Lissa’s guardian or her friend, not both. Rose says that Janine’s problem is that she thinks because something has always been one way, it has to stay that way.

Rose says that if that’s how the world is, maybe it needs to change. Janine yells after Rose to ask Dimitri if she’s right.

Vampire Academy season 1 episode 3 recap:  Royal twists

Christian returns to his room only to find teeth in a box, with the name Xavier written in an attached envelope. Xavier was his roommate at St. Jude’s, and Christian is scared.

Christian goes to the Death Watch to tell Lissa what he and Rose found. Apparently, Lissa did specialize but in a fifth element, known as Spirit.

Christian tells Lissa that she can’t tell anyone about Spirit. He then breaks up with her in order to protect her, knowing she’ll hate him for it.

As Lissa is standing there, upset, Victor tells her that the Queen needs to see them. According to the Queen, Lissa does not have a quorum since two of her second cousins died in the attack on St. Jude’s.

Without one, she can’t vote in the Council or become Queen. Victor says he’s never heard of this rule, and the Queen says it was an ancient one that hasn’t been enforced since before her reign.

Lissa now needs to focus on staying safe and rebuilding her bloodline. Victor asks the Queen who alerted her to this rule, and then he yells at Tatiana for setting them back centuries.

Vampire Academy season 1 episode 3 recap: Never bet against Rose 

Tatiana wants the throne for herself. Victor says he’d rather die than see her family’s bloodline on the throne.

Tatiana says that perhaps the saints will grant him his wish, and Victor leaves. Rose asks Dimitri if he’s seen her mother, and he tells her that Janine has left for her next assignment.

Rose then asks Dimitri about the woman and baby she saw him with. He tells her that the woman is named Eloise, that the baby is Alexei, and he is named after his father, a Moroi, who was Dimitri’s best friend.

Alexei’s convoy was attacked by Strigoi when Dimitri took time off, and therefore he was not there to protect his friend. Rose says that she wants to protect Lissa from danger and also have a life to call her own.

She tells Dimitri that her mother doesn’t think she can have all of that, and Dimitri says that Janine is the smartest woman he knows. However, he would never bet against Rose.

Rose says that for what she wants to work, she needs to be as good as Dimitri. She asks him to teach her, and he agrees, with a few conditions.

Vampire Academy season 1 episode 3 recap: Fallen leaders

Rose has to take the lessons seriously, work on Dimitri’s schedule, and not talk back. Of course, Rose doesn’t like the last one.

The Queen calls Victor to tell him there’s been an incident. The psi hounds lost control and killed the monk meant to renew the wards’ magic.

Victor wonders who is behind it all. He begins shaking, drops the phone, and falls.

Sonya finds Victor on the floor and is upset, telling him to wake up.

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What will happen now that Lissa can’t be queen?  Will Victor be alright?  Let us know your answers and opinions in the comments below!