Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

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

'The Originals' gets more original in its best season yet.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 25, 2016

For fans soapy Vampire-centric content, Julie Plec is the gift the keeps on giving. The creator of the hit CW show The Vampire Diaries and its darker New Orleans spinoff show The Originals seems to have this kind of thing down to a science. With The Originals in particular, Plec has created a brooding world of vamps, werewolves, witches, and humans in a tale that's grown some Shakespearean legs as it powers through its violent, sordid, and complex machinations. It's finally found its stride in season three, the most daring yet and, for the character roster, most damaging. Season three doesn't let the characters off unscathed, and as it builds towards its violent climax, nobody is safe and the world of The Originals will forever be defined by what happens in the final few episodes.

Warner Brothers previously released the first two seasons of The Originals to Blu-ray. Newcomers, or those wanting a quick refresher, should check out the reviews for season one and season two before proceeding into season three.

Official synopsis: The Original vampire-werewolf hybrid Klaus Mikaelson and his brother Elijah have spent 1,000 years fighting to protect their dysfunctional family. And now that Klaus and the hybrid Hayley share an infant daughter, Hope, the stakes are higher than ever. As season three begins, Klaus and Elijah are estranged from each other, even as both brothers adjust to life with their long-lost sister, Freya. Hayley suffers mightily at the hands of Klaus's petty vengeance, while Marcel and Davina rule the city. Cami and Vincent are tangled in a surprising mystery involving the newest resident of New Orleans -- the first vampire ever sired by the Mikaelsons. With threats from the rebellious Strix and a fatal prophecy hanging over the Mikaelsons, all 22 sexy and suspenseful episodes simmer with bloodlust, revenge, and supernatural warfare.

The Originals has its roots in the story of family, which is certainly the driving force for the series' greater drama and action and definitely the elephant in the room for season three's juicy happenings and epic finale. What has come to define the Mikaelson's comes to a head in season three, putting them on a path towards destruction that could alter the show's landscape forever. Season three pushes hard to an intensive finish that will rewrite what viewers have come to know of the show, but not what to expect. It's dark and violent, yet more so than before. Season three follows a larger arc but, in a way, feels more intimate and personal at the same time, expanding itself while finding a greater inner core of its main characters. The season teases, and works towards, a classic Shakespearean finish that puts season four in the driver's seat and the spotlight as it must maneuver through the most invasive and entertaining string of events yet that transform the world and put fans on notice to expect the show's continued evolution as it moves forward.

Season three is the best yet in terms of its technical merits, too. Performances in particular are strong as ever, devilishly fun and enticingly complex, growing ever more so as the season moves forward. The show has reached that point where the comfort level within the individual players and collectively through the whole has solidified and enhanced the program's core drama but given greater weight to the more intimate characteristics that really define them beyond the broader-stroke storytelling mechanics. Personalities seem fully settled but, at the same time, evolving even in the micro arena with every exchange and event, no matter how small or large. The performances are really quite good, playing up the series' and the characters' qualities with a dark, serious edge that gives merit to what can otherwise sometimes be hammy, soapy storylines. Of course, season three's expanded narrative maturity plays a big part in that, but it's clear that the cast has hit its stride and bought in to everything Plec and company have thrown at them.

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

The Originals: The Complete Third Season features a 1080p transfer that's fairly typical for the show. Its most predominant feature is crushed blacks, with darker scenes seriously overwhelming the frame, seemingly by stylistic design to reinforce tone, but it's pretty drastic at its worst. Blacks occasionally, and infrequently, push to a very dark purple shading. Noise is also pervasive, particularly in lower light, amber-glowing scenes, which are frequent. Generally speaking, however, it looks fairly good. It's digital-glossy and smooth, not to a debilitating level but there's no mistaking its very clean surface. Detailing is still impressive, however, particularly along rougher surface areas like brick walls, but clothing lines and facial features fare well enough, too. Colors are fine, often less dynamic than usual thanks to the show's heavily dark filtering, but when in brighter locations where the palette has an opportunity to shine, it does. Mild compression artifacts are apparent in places, but rarely distracting.

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

The Originals: The Complete Third Season features a solidly performing DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is defined by its big, aggressive low end, complimenting music and movement alike with a serious punch and presence that enhances the experience. Musical presentation is further enhanced by the track's willingness to push the stage in both width and depth, sending nicely defined notes through the stage for an immersive experience. Likewise, action scenes spread out very well, with several examples of excellent imaging and placement, all supported by that powerful low end signature. Mild atmospherics chime in on occasion when available, and dialogue is always well prioritized and presented with clear and articulate front-center placement.

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

The Originals: The Complete Third Season contains deleted scenes on each disc and several additional extras on disc five. The menu has been simplified from previous seasons, and unlike previous seasons, no printed episode guide is included, and neither is a UV digital copy voucher.

Disc One:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, DTS-HD MA 5.1): Scenes from "For the Next Millennium" (1:22), "You Hung the Moon" (0:29), and "A Walk on the Wild Side" (1:39).

Disc Two:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, DTS-HD MA 5.1): Scenes from "Out of the Easy" (2:11), "The Other Girl in New Orleans" (0:13), "Savior" (0:23), and "A Ghost Along the Mississippi" (3:09).

Disc Three:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, DTS-HD MA 5.1): Scenes from "Wild at Heart" (0:49), "Dead Angels" (5:24), and "A Streetcar Named Desire" (2:26).

Disc Four:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, DTS-HD MA 5.1): Scenes from "Alone with Everybody" (2:02), "Behind the Black Horizon" (4:34), "The Devil Comes Here and Sighs" (2:18), and "No More Heartbreaks" (1:32).

Disc Five:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, DTS-HD MA 5.1): Scenes from "Where Nothing Stays Buried" (1:12), "Give 'em Hell Kid" (2:00), and "The Bloody Crown" (1:33).
• Charles Michael Davis in the Big Easy (1080p, DTS-HD MA 2.0, 7:51): The actor answers some Twitter questions and tours sets.
• Gag Reel (1080p, DTS-HD MA 5.1, 3:06).
• Come Visit Georgia PSA (1080p, DTS-HD MA 2.0, 3:25): Another Originals/Vampire Diaries-themed ad for Georgia state tourism and work opportunities.
• The Originals: 2015 Comic-Con Panel (1080p, DTS-HD MA 5.1, 28:35): Moderator Andy Swift hosts a preview of season three. The panel includes Actors Yusuf Gatgewood, Danielle Campbell, Charles Michael Davis, Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Phoebe Tonkin, and Leah Pipes; Creator/Executive Producer Julie Plec; and Executive Producer Michael Narducci. They discuss what's happened, what to expect, and answer a few fan questions. There's a good chemistry evident on the panel and fans should have a lot of fun with this piece.

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

This is easily the best season yet for The Originals. The show is definitely an acquired taste, taking its time to pull the viewer into its world and move beyond the cruder and more familiar mechanics that defined it out of the gate. Season three has transitioned it from a show that seemed only for people who teethed on Twilight but were looking for an edgier, more sophisticated version thereof and seems to have opened up to outsiders who are looking for the next step in this genre's evolution. The Originals: The Complete Third Season could stand tighter video a few more extras; the deleted scenes and the Comic-Con panel are the only supplements of any real value. From a technical perspective, the audio track is the highlight of this package. Recommended.