Vampire Academy EPs Explain What That Haunting Finale Ending Means For Potential Season 2 — Grade It!

Vampire Academy wrapped its first season on Thursday with a string of short-lived reunions, heartbreaking goodbyes and at least one fate hanging in the balance as fans eagerly await a second-season renewal from Peacock.

TVLine spoke with executive producers Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre about the episode's many twist and turns — including the most drastic change they made while adapting the show from Richelle Mead's book series — but first, here's a quick rundown of the biggest events:

The finale briefly reunited Lissa with Andre, who was barely able to warn her about Tatiana before becoming a victim of the Strigoi; Christian became a monk in order to restore the wards; Sonya attacked Victor after he attempted to apologize for everything he's done; and Rose helped Lissa escape after being accused of orchestrating Queen Marina's assassination.

Then came the episode's final, chilling shot: Andre awakening with bloodshot eyes, confirming that Lissa's brother has turned Strigoi.

Grade Vampire Academy's finale and first season below, then read on for the EPs' insight on what a potential second season would bring. When you're done, drop a comment with your review of Peacock's adaptation.

Considering Lissa's brother is never seen in Mead's books, fans were surprised enough to find out in Episode 9 that Tatiana has been keeping him prisoner since the accident. But that was nothing compared to the finale's one-two punch of Andre being murdered and turned Strigoi, all while Lissa looked on in utter horror.

"That was the first big change [from the books] that we thought of, almost immediately," Plec tells TVLine "We thought it was interesting — here is this man, who had all this natural charisma and leadership abilities who was bred to be king, at the end of a season in which we see the Strigoi mobilizing and strategizing for the first time ever in their evolution. What could the Strigoi army look like under the rule of a man like Andre Dragomir? That is a lot of what we're going to get into in the second season. ... I think it'll be a slow arc, but he's naturally suited — even as a Strigoi — for that kind of leadership."

Another key change for the show was the inclusion of Christian's parents, who are "actually dead" in Mead's books.

"We thought, 'OK, this a good way to mess with this kid's head,'" Plec says. "Not only are his parents not dead, but they seem to have feelings for him when Strigoi aren't supposed to have any feelings. So that really screws with him and puts him in a lot of compromised positions as a result."

To be fair, Christian learning that his parents turned because his father was sick "partially explains" their decision, MacIntyre says. "He now understands some part of the logic in their choice to leave him behind."

When Lissa and Christian first met at the beginning of the season, we never could have predicted the incredibly unique position in which they'd soon find themselves.

"I was so delighted by that conundrum of 'We're married, but I'm a monk' and what that promises for next season when Christian and Lissa do come back together again," Plec says. "It'll be a great obstacle in that relationship. It promises so much for the future, and it'll be really fun storytelling."

As for Rose and Dimitri, who also parted ways in the finale...

"Those two kids, God bless 'em," Plec says. "There's always going to be something coming in the way of their freedom to be together, which is — at its core — what this show is about. The rules of this society are oppressive to the downtrodden. Since the show is also about rising up against that society, watching these two fight for their ability to freely love each other is so thrilling. It's heartbreaking [watching them say goodbye] in the moment, but you know it's not the end."

There were plenty of deaths (Queen Marina!) and near-deaths (Mason!) in the finale, but there's one character whose fate is being kept under wraps... for now.

"We don't know!" Plec says coyly about the outcome of Victor's potentially fatal run-in with Sonya. "We'll have to get a second season, and you'll have to tune in."