Starring: Phoebe Tonkin, Joseph Morgan, Claire Holt, Daniel Gillies, Leah Pipes, Danielle Campbell
Number of discs: 9
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Run Time: 929 minutes
Season: 2 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
If there was one thing that I liked about “The Vampire Diaries” it was the characters, Elijah, Klaus and Rebekah. So spin-off series “The Originals” should have been a home run since it focused on these three characters. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. Right from the pilot episode, I wasn’t really feeling the vibe of this new series. The first season “The Originals” stars Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Claire Holt, Phoebe Tonkin (The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle), Charles Michael Davis (Grey’s Anatomy), Danielle Pineda (Homeland), Leah Pipes (Sorority Row), and Danielle Campbell (Prison Break). Even though, I wasn’t drawn in by this spin-off series, it’s core audience was and the show will be returning for a second season on October 6, 2014 on The CW.
Official Premise: This sexy and thrilling new series from The Vampire Diaries executive producer Julie Plec centers on the Original vampire family and the dangerous vampire/werewolf hybrid, Klaus (Joseph Morgan), who returns to the magical melting pot that is the French Quarter of New Orleans a town he helped build centuries ago. Acting on a mysterious tip that a plot is brewing against him, Klaus questions lead him to his diabolical former protégé, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis), a charismatic vampire with total control over the human and supernatural inhabitants of the city. Determined to help his brother Klaus find redemption, Elijah (Daniel Gillies) follows Klaus and is soon forced to side with Marcels enemies. Meanwhile, Klaus and Elijahs sister, Rebekah (Claire Holt), must decide if shell join her brothers in New Orleans and help them to reclaim their hometown and all its extraordinary offerings.
Warner Bros is releasing this first season a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copies of each of the 22 Episodes. The 1080p transfer captures the beautuy of New Orleans well. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track sounds good as well with the tone of the show. The special features are decent with over two hours Of never-before-seen featurettes and more included. There is a audio commentary track on the pilot with Creator Julie Plec and Director Chris Grismer. Included are highlights from the 2013 Comic-Con Panel with Executive producer Julie Plec and the cast, as well as 2014 PaleyFest Panel. “The Originals: Origins” tells the story of how the show was born. “The Originals: Re-mixing History” talks about blending fact with fiction for the series. “The Original Vampires: A Bite-sized Backstory” is a certain recap of the season. Lastly there are some deleted scenes included.