There are those who claimed that “The Vampire Diaries” was nothing more than “Twilight”-lite. After all, the show was based on a series of books aimed at a teenage audience, and there were underage vampires and werewolves involved. I can agree they do share some of these similarities, but in truth they are two different animals.
When “The Vampire Diaries” premiered on the WB, it was an instant hit. The smoldering coolness of vampire brothers Silas (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and their rivalry over the affections of Elena (Nina Dobrov) captured the attention of teens and tweens alike and a hit TV series was born.
I’ll admit to being somewhat of a fan. I enjoyed the show’s dark side, because nestled in between the angst and soap opera writing… were some downright horrific moments. This mix created overall, an entertaining watch. And I have to admit that Damon is my favorite characters, for no other reason that Somerhalder’s portrayal, who delivers a creatively sarcastic performance. He doesn’t care about anything, and is quick to let you know just how much he doesn’t care.
Now that the series has ended a 5th season – out this week on Blu-ray – I have to say that it has remained true to itself, continues to become darker in tone and quite surprisingly, gone off in directions I really didn’t expect. I won’t give away any spoilers here, but suffice to say… the last two seasons have shocked me more than once.
The Blu-ray release for the 5th season of “The Vampire Diaries” offers several pretty cool extra features. You’ll find an entertaining Comic-Con Panel from 2013, a celebration of the 100th Episode – complete with a Trivia Game, a featurette that takes viewers ‘beyond the veil’ and into The Other Side, A day in the Afterlife with Kat Graham (Bonnie Barrett) where you follow the actress around the set, and a gag reel. Add to this a handful of deleted scenes and you have a nicely rounded out set. Oh, and I would be remiss to add that included in this Blu-ray set is also a set of DVDs, a nice added benefit if you don’t have a Blu-ray player in ever y room.
As far as the audio and video go, these days you really get the most for your money. The series is initially shot in high definition so when you make the transition to Blu-ray, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have an excellent picture. Same goes for the audio. Definitely no complaints here.
“The Vampire Diaries”, while not for everyone, does offer a viewer a better than average look into the life of young vampires (and werewolves) without saddling you with the damaged psychopathic and manipulative twit that is Bella….
Episodes:
I Know What You Did Last Summer
True Lies
Original Sin
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Monster’s Ball
Handle with Care
Death and the Maiden
Dead Man on Campus
The Cell
Fifty Shades of Grayson
500 Years of Solitude
The Devil Inside
Total Eclipse of the Heart
No Exit
Gone Girl
While You Were Sleeping
Rescue Me
Resident Evil
Man on Fire
What Lies Beneath
Promised Land
Home
Starring: Nina Dobrov, Paul Wesely, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, Stephen R McQueen, Candice Accola
Extras: 2013 San Diego Comic-Con; I Know What You Did… In the Last 100 Episodes; To the Other Side and Back; A Day in the Afterlife with Kat Graham; Deleted Scenes; Gag Reel
Video: MPEG-4 AVC; 180p; Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 9/9/2014
Website: http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries
