The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season is hardly terrible but it’s clear the writing and stories weren’t as strong and with Nina Dobrev’s departure, the series needs to end, which it will next season. Still, I’m sure hardcore fans might find it entertaining.
“The Originals” season two actually improves upon its freshman year with good storylines and a well rounded ensemble that in some instances rivals “The Vampire Diaries” and on the whole, I found this series more enjoyable and fresh by comparison. The Blu-ray released by Warner Home Video offers great audio/video transfers while the bonus material, while fine, does feel a tad light in substance.
“The Vampire Diaries” might not be as strong as it once was and the writing isn’t the best with contrived storylines, yet the ensemble cast mostly makes up for the series’ shortcomings so it should be interesting to see how it does going forward without star Nina Dobrev as well as a few other key departures. Still, the show has some entertainment value for what it is.
“The Originals”: The Complete First Season might not be the most refreshing new series or anything but as far as spin-offs go, especially to a series like “The Vampire Diaries” which is (to me) on the decline in quality, it’s a successful launch. The ensemble cast, even outside the holdovers, are all great and the storylines are just interesting enough to keep one’s attention throughout the season.
“The Vampire Diaries”: The Complete Fifth Season quality-wise isn’t great but still has some entertaining moments even (or especially) when the dialogue is either corny or laughable. Still, this season never really lost my attention as the actors, for the most, are at least fun to watch, though the absence of Klaus and Rebekah is noticeable.
“The Vampire Diaries”: The Complete Fourth Season is, for a lack of a better term, a compelling soap opera guised as a vampire fantasy-drama. The core cast share great chemistry and this year fans of “Delena” (Damon & Elena) will rejoice. All in all, season four moves at a brisk pace even when the plots, and subplots, get kind of convoluted.