Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Originals: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 23, 2017

One might think in the post-Twilight era that the moody, dark, bleak, and sexy Vampire genre might be on the downturn. And in some ways, it is. The Vampire Diaries, Julie Plec's other brainchild, just recently wrapped up production. Bookstore shelves are no longer packed with dark-covered, flowery-lettered novels about forbidden romances between vampires and humans. Once hopeless romantic teenagers seem to have moved on to other things, culturally and emotionally alike. But The Originals is still hanging on out there, here in its fourth season and with a fifth, but announced to be the final, season to air in 2018. It may very well mark the end of an era, the final nail in the sexy Vampire coffin, settling the genre down to rest for at least a reprieve, only to perhaps be revived some day when once-fans decide to inundate their children's bookshelves and brains and eyeballs with these sorts of stories. Season four itself marks something of the end of an era. It was the final season for Executive Producer Michael Narducci, leaving the show since being with it from day one and handing the reigns over the Plec for season five. She'll certainly have her hands full considering where this season goes and how it ends. It definitely upsets the proverbial apple cart in more ways than one, but even with the radical change it brings it might just be the most satisfying season finale yet.

Newcomers, of course, should journey back to the beginning before proceeding into season four.

• Season One Review
• Season Two Review
• Season Three Review

Oh, how she has grown!

Official synopsis: Season four's 13 fateful, final episodes begin on the fifth anniversary of the once all-powerful Mikaelson family's greatest defeat, with Klaus held captive by Marcel Gerrard and siblings Elijah and Rebekah deep in an enchanted sleep. After daring rescues, the Mikaelsons are reunited, only to face an even bigger threat: the reveal of a malevolent power that has strong ties to their most vulnerable family member. In response to a devastating attack by this nightmarish entity, the Mikaelsons stand their ground and forge an alliance with former friends Marcel and Vincent Griffith, leader of the New Orleans witches, to confront an enemy more powerful than themselves. The dysfunctional siblings and their allies have no choice but to fight together -- even if this is to be their final battle.

Season four doesn't pick up immediately where season three ended. The show pushes forward several years. Baby Hope isn't so little and hopeless anymore. She's grown quite a bit, and she's become more than simply the sum of her size and her upbringing. Things have changed, but one thing hasn't: the Mikaelson family bond. With all they have been through, though, and all that is sure to come, that seems to be one thing in the crosshairs. The season's arc certainly challenges the family in ways it has never been challenged before. A new villain -- The mysterious and very powerful and very hungry Hollow -- promises to test the family to its breaking point. As the enemy grows in power, the family must unite more closely than ever before, rally around one of their own, and even battle in a more heroic light than ever before, to save themselves, the city they love, and perhaps even the larger world around them. But can the family withstand the testing of the very bonds that have kept them together? Season four pokes and prods and pushes in a way none of the previous seasons have before.

Perhaps the best part of season four, then, isn't what happens in season four but rather what it portends for season five. Audiences will be left dangling, not necessarily on a major cliffhanger but rather something better: the possibility of something new, a new approach, a different outlook for season five. Things most certainly change in season four. It's one of great upheaval, particularly at its endpoint, that rocks the status quo. But Plec and Narducci leave the season on a bittersweet note. There's a sense of hope -- literally -- across the expansive world of The Originals. Even as things will most certainly be different next season with Narducci out and the show's established routine turned on its head, there nevertheless seems like a chance for a new beginning. It'll certainly be interesting to watch how things play out in its final season, and one that promises to be its most unique at that, at least early on. There's no way of knowing if things will return to normal in NoLa and for the Mikaelson family, but it's going to be a whole lot of fun finding out.

The Originals: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Originals: The Complete Fourth Season again offers fans a 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer that appears accurate to the source and style. The image is often intensely dark, with shadows and black elements appearing very inky and a bit soupy, deep and dark but melting into one another and devouring shadow detail along the way. It does seem to add a certain dynamic to the show, complimenting its intensity and thematic qualities, but videophiles will likely balk nevertheless. The image is pervasively noisy as well, unsurprising given the digital shoot and often extreme low light scenes. Details are adequate. Clothing and facial textures aren't intimately revealing, even in better light, but general image stability and clarity carry it through to satisfaction. Much the same can be said of colors. The palette only finds bursts of intensity in more brightly lit scenes. Clarity and saturation of bolder shades please, though colors are suffocated in low light. Mild banding and macroblocking are also concerns, though most any other issues are overwhelmed by the noise and black levels.

The Originals: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Originals: The Complete Fourth Season's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack carries the show's needs very well. The track is appropriately dynamic and intense, detailed in quieter moments and bouts of aggression alike. Music detailing satisfies, as does width and envelopment, the latter of which comes naturally balanced and never overwhelmingly. Action effects are potent, presenting with precise placement, full stage saturation as necessary, and oftentimes authoritative bass. Atmospherics always draw the listener in, even through the most inconsequential elements that add that last finishing touch to a locale. Dialogue is clear and precise with quality prioritization and pleasing front-center positioning.

The Originals: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Originals: The Complete Fourth Season contains supplements on all three discs.

Disc One:

• 2016 Comic-Con Panel (1080i, 25:38): Charles Michael Davis, Phoebe Tonkin, Executive Producer Julie Plec, Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Executive Producer Narducci, Yusuf Gatewood, and Riley Voelkel discuss key plot points and character arcs and field a few fan questions towards the end.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "Gather Up the Killers" (1:48), "No Quarter" (0:28), "Haunter of Ruins" (0:41), and "Keepers of the House" (3:55).

Disc Two:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "High Water and a Devil's Daughter" (0:52) and "Queen Death" (0:20).

Disc Three:

• Come Visit Georgia PSA #1 (1080p, 3:30): The crew talks up shooting in the Peach State.
• Come Visit Georgia PSA #2 (1080p, 5:11): Another plug piece for how wonderful it is to shoot the show in Georgia.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 4:49): Humorous moments from the set.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "A Spirit Here That Won't Be Broken" (0:50), "Voodoo Child" (4:09), and "The Feast of All Sinners" (3:47).

The Originals: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Originals' fourth season might be its best yet. It's certainly the most dangerous for the characters and easily the most disruptive of their lives. One can always expect drama from the show and its finales, but season four's end promises a unique and difficult start to season five. That final season, which will be without longtime Executive Producer Michael Narducci, has some interesting choices to make on not only how it'll get the show rolling again with where things ended with season four but also how it will approach its endpoint. For fans, the good times are definitely rolling. The Originals: The Complete Fourth Season's Blu-ray comes fairly standard. Extras are straightforward and video and audio presentations generally fall in-line with established series Blu-ray norms. Easily recommended to fans.