TV Recap: Vee Battles a Gargoyle in Vampirina: Teenage Vampire “First Nightmare”

Nightmares and reality collide in Vampirina: Teenage Vampire Episode 8, “First Nightmare." When the Vampire Council sends Vee a care package, a creepy gargoyle named Stoney awakens with dangerous intentions. After Elijah falls victim to its powers, Vee must risk her own safety by entering his dreams, while Sophie and Demi scramble to keep his body moving in the waking world. What begins as a gift from home soon becomes a test of loyalty, courage, and trust.

Episode 8: “First Nightmare" - Written by Zachary Gonzalez-Landis

A package arrives for Vee (Kenzi Richardson) from the Vampire Council, filled with goodies from back home. She’s thrilled to find her favorite snack — crispy fried bird beaks — and a few mysterious trinkets. Among them is a stone gargoyle with glowing red eyes. Enchanted by its eerie charm, Vee names him Stoney. Demi (Milo Maharlika) explains that gargoyles are meant to ward off evil, though he seems a little uneasy about this one’s watchful stare. When the group heads off to class, Stoney’s eyes flash to life behind them.

Up in the attic, Elijah (Shaun Dixon) practices his Van Helsing fighting techniques when Vee and Sophie (Jiwon Lee) stop by to check on him. The bell rings, and Elijah rushes off — he has to prepare for his solo in the upcoming interpretive dance performance. Back in the dorm, Demi tidies up, only to realize that Stoney has mysteriously moved from the shelf to the opposite side of the room. He tosses the gargoyle in the trash, but moments later, it reappears on the mantel, staring right at him.

When Vee and Sophie return, Demi frantically warns them that Stoney isn’t safe. Before they can react, the gargoyle’s face twists into a taunting scowl. Demi flips through the vampire book, finding a passage that says gargoyles are protectors — but they attack when they sense a threat to vampires. Sophie worries that Stoney might see Elijah, a Van Helsing, as an enemy.

Just then, Elijah knocks on the door. Vee lets him in, and Stoney’s eyes blaze red. Smoke fills the room, and Elijah collapses. Demi reads from the book: “When an evil threat draws near, it puts to bed your deepest fear." If Elijah isn’t awakened by nightfall, he’ll remain trapped in his nightmare forever. Determined to save him, Vee decides to dream-walk — entering his subconscious to wake him. Demi warns that if she fails, she’ll be stuck there too.

Inside Elijah’s dream, Vee finds herself in a warped version of Wilson Hall Academy. She finds Elijah and explains what’s happening, but Stoney (voiced by Dave Fennoy) is there, too, insisting that all Van Helsings are threats to vampires and that his mission is to destroy them. When Vee reveals that she told Elijah that she’s a vampire, Stoney considers her to also be a danger to vampires. In an attempt to prove that Elijah is a threat to Vee, Stoney casts a spell on Elijah, transforming him into a fully armed Van Helsing. Under Stoney’s spell, Elijah attacks.

As the two battle through the dream-school corridors, Vee dodges blows while trying to reason with him. “You’re my friend, not my enemy!" she cries.

Back in the real world, Demi and Sophie scramble for a plan. They dig through Vee’s care package and find another bizarre Vampire Council gadget — the Skele-ton ’O Fun, a life-size, remote-controlled skeleton toy. Since Elijah’s body needs to perform his interpretive dance in class, they attach the skeleton to him, dress him in a motorcycle outfit, and use the remote to puppeteer him onstage.

Meanwhile, in the nightmare, Stoney’s influence intensifies. Vee realizes violence won’t save Elijah. Dropping her weapon, she appeals to his humanity: “The real Elijah would never hurt me." Her words break Stoney’s spell. Elijah’s eyes clear, and his true self returns. Together, they face the gargoyle. Vee smashes Stoney in the dream, shattering him into rubble.

Onstage, Elijah jolts awake mid-performance, just as the Skele-ton ’O Fun finishes the dance routine to thunderous applause from the audience.

Later, in the attic, Vee hides Stoney’s cracked remains in a chest. Elijah assures her he would never harm her, though he remembers nothing about the dream world. As they part ways, a mirror behind them begins to shimmer faintly. The shadowy silhouette of an unseen figure appears on the other side, silently watching through the glass.

Two new episodes of Vampirina: Teenage Vampire will air next Friday, October 10th, at 8/7c on Disney Channel.

Episodes of Vampirina: Teenage Vampire will be available to stream on Disney+ beginning Wednesday, October 15th.