7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
They're back – and they're not alone. The seductive characters of The Vampire Diaries return for a stunning 5-Disc 22-Episode Season Two. This time Elena, Stefan, Damon and the other residents of Mystic Falls are joined by sinister new blood. Released from the tomb, Katherine unleashes her personal brand of evil in a diabolical plot. The Originals – the world's oldest and most dangerous vampires – hunt for Elena, who discovers she has a terrifying connection to their world. And now bloodsuckers aren't the only monsters in town. On moonlit nights, werewolves roam in search of victims…including vampires, who succumb to a single werewolf bite. The Vampire Diaries: unending suspense, undying romance
Starring: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley (II), Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen, Sara CanningFantasy | 100% |
Romance | 89% |
Teen | 75% |
Supernatural | 57% |
Horror | 13% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (4 BDs)
BD-Live
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The CW certainly knows how to nurture a series. While NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox tend to cut and run at the first signs of weakness, the CW targets a specific audience, adapts to whatever challenges arise and goes in for the kill. Small but devoted audiences are often overlooked by the Big Four, but the Little Network That Could is more than content to pick off younger viewers who wander into its hunting grounds. The powers-that-be maintain reasonable budgets, hire smart showrunners, market a property as if it were the only show on television and, above all, stick by a series, giving it time to grow and flourish. The Vampire Diaries had a shaky start. Oh, there were plenty of people who fell in love with its Twilight meets Dawson's Creek inbreeding -- four million, give or take a few hundred-thousand -- some of whom were willing to completely ignore its convoluted plotting, uneven tone and soap opera trappings. But as the season progressed, the show found its footing and, as it neared its finale, flashed something that resembled real potential. Even so, I was skeptical going into Season Two. A bit cynical, actually. Lo and behold, though, I didn't dread every minute of The Vampire Diaries' second outing. (I didn't exactly enjoy every minute either, but it's a start.) The series still has a host of issues to work out (some of which are hopefully about to be addressed this September as Stefan follows a new career path), but I'm beginning to wonder if executive producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec might eventually rope me in.
"Witches and their spells. So many people to sacrifice..."
Much like its first season counterpart, The Complete Second Season's 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation sulks, smolders and tends to stick to the shadows. Fortunately, it isn't quite as problematic as its predecessor. Colors are rich and, at times, downright gorgeous, skintones are quite lovely, contrast is pleasing (albeit a tad inconsistent) and black levels are, more often than not, devilishly deep. Yes, so deep that they sometimes drain the life out of the series' photography, obscuring fine detail and inviting crush into the proceedings. (Dark hair, black leather, night skies, heavy shadows and dimly lit corners occasionally converge into a freakish monstrosity hellbent on stamping out anything that dares approach the light.) But not so deep or oppressive that detail is unilaterally sacrificed to a drastic degree. In fact, the majority of the second season's scenes are as refined as they are revealing, with plenty of striking closeups, beautifully resolved textures and exacting edges to go around. Grit, grain and all. When the sun is up, the image roars to spectacular life, nimbly darting from lush forest to vibrant high school hallway with confidence. It's only when the moon rises that the series' penchant for grave, gothic imagery drags things down a notch. Minor artifacting, mild banding and sporadic noise creep in several times per episode -- regardless of how bright or dreary the offending shots may be -- but none of it amounts to a serious distraction. Thankfully, macroblocking, aliasing, smearing, ringing and other eyesores are either kept to a bare minimum or nowhere to be found. While the presentation has its share of issues, most are inherent to the series' source. I went back and forth between a 3.5 and a 4.0 for some time and finally settled on the score that reflected The Complete Second Season's slight edge over The Complete First Season.
Like the upcoming Blu-ray releases of Nikita, Fringe, Supernatural and Smallville, The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season boasts an enveloping, altogether effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track; a welcome change that hopefully means Warner's practice of saddling every television release with a lossy audio mix is finally coming to an end. Dialogue is clear, crisp and intelligible, sounds effects are sharp and savage (more so than the visuals than accompany them) and every last spatter of blood, crunching bone, punctured artery, snarling wolf, lunging vamp and conjuring witch sounds fantastic. Lengthy conversations are a bit front-heavy, sure. But it isn't long before Williamson ramps up the tension, tosses in a flashback or mounts a full-scale assault, and Warner's lossless track responds in kind. LFE output is strong and satisfying (werewolf attacks are particularly punchy), rear speaker activity is gripping and engaging (just listen to those bustling high school halls), directionality is deadly (vampires are fast, the track's slick pans and precision effects are faster), and dynamics are fierce (note the slightest drip drip drip of blood, the deepest growl and the meatiest shunck). And the soundfield? Immersive and compelling. Needless to say, The Vampire Diaries has enough bark to rival its bite.
The 4-disc Blu-ray release of The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season features even fewer extras than its predecessor, among them a lone audio commentary, twenty-minutes of deleted scenes and a half-hour of assorted materials. Unfortunately, none of it resonates or, really, amounts to anything of note.
If you've had a crush on The Vampire Diaries from the beginning, Season Two will win you over, heart and soul. If you hated Season One, don't be so quick to turn your back; the series' sophomore outing just might surprise you. It didn't quite convert me, but it set the stage for an intriguing third season and that, in and of itself, might be enough to justify renting The Complete Second Season. Warner's 4-disc Blu-ray release is a decent one too. Its video transfer is a step up from its predecessor (despite some lingering issues), its DTS-HD Master Audio track is a major improvement over last season's Blu-ray release, and its anemic supplemental package, while ninety-minutes north of barebones, is the biggest disappointment to be had. I have little doubt fans will be pleased.
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