Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Vampires really do live forever. On TV. Except for Elena. Who is just sleeping (and not with Ian).

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 18, 2016

Note: some series, and cast and character, spoilers follow.

Julie Plec may not have the name recognition of Stephenie Meyer, but maybe she should. Plec is one of the creative minds behind both The Vampire Diaries and its New Orleans-based spin-off The Originals, both of which are hit Vampire shows for the CW, Diaries now seven seasons strong and The Originals' fourth season debuting soon. That's a lot of modern vampire comings-and-goings, minute for minute and breadth and depth of characterization and story development much more detailed than Meyer's books or the films based on them. Indeed, while Meyer's name grabs the highlights and bears responsibility -- for better or for worse -- for ballooning this genre to unfathomable heights, it's Plec who is keeping it going, along with, of course, CW and Warner Home Video. The latter has released another Vampire Diaries season package with the usual array of supplemental content -- shallow stuff, mostly, along with some deleted scenes -- that fans will want to bite into as quickly as possible.

Before jumping into season seven, newcomers should start at the beginning, and show veterans might be well served by going back for a refresher at what transpired in the waning episodes of season six. Below are links to reviews of the previous six seasons.

• Season One
• Season Two
• Season Three
• Season Four
• Season Five
• Season Six

It's 'Vampire Diaries' time...again!

Official synopsis: As Elena Gilbert succumbs to the sleeping curse at the end of season six, those who remain must try to pick up the pieces and move on. Damon attempts to live life as "just Damon." Stefan confronts his first love while growing closer to Caroline, who grieves the loss of both her friend and her mom. Bonnie explores her new powers. Damon and Stefan's mother, Lily, tries to drive a wedge between her sons. Damon is determined to take down his mother and her band of heretics -- who are hellbent on retaliation and mayhem -- while Enzo struggles with his loyalties. With idyllic Mystic Falls apparently falling apart, the action and suspense is grittier and more white-knuckled than ever.

There's that recap, and then there's the recap. The build-up to season seven wasn't simply about continuing on with the story. Much like The Huntsman: Winter's War, it's the off-screen shenanigans that grabbed all the headlines. Series star Nina Dobrev is gone. Not written out of the show for dramatic purpose. She quit. When she and Ian Somerhalder broke up, and he proceeded to marry Sleepy Hollow star Nikki Reed, The Vampire Diaries suddenly became a lot more interesting for its tabloid gossip than its brooding daytime (at night) theatrics. But beyond all the scandalous and juicy details, and more apropos to the subject of the review, how does the show hold up without its star? Honestly, not bad. Stylistically, it's no different. Plec and company have done their best to maintain the series' established structure and feel even in the wake of a new direction. The season covers up the departure well enough, tough as is to be expected a shake-up of this magnitude after six seasons is bound to come with some growing pains. Those pains are kept in the background, simmering, not boiling over. Season seven picks up the pieces and quickly finds its way to its present and future direction with little distraction from the elephant not in the room.

All of that said, a show like The Vampire Diaries could be said to either have a leg up on getting on top of a situation such as this, or crack under the pressure. On one hand, through six seasons, and working through its seventh, there's so much world and character establishment to build on in the absence of a key cog. On the other, there are so many little interconnecting pieces beyond the broader stroke story arcs and character narratives that pulling out the foundation would be like yanking out the bottom of a very tall Jenga stack and not expecting it to topple over. Fortunately for the show, Plec and company accomplish the near-impossible, and season seven offers a pretty rip-roaring start that continues on through to completion. It's open is bloody, violent, and surprising. Chaos, an evacuation of Mystic Falls, and of course a show trying its best to fill an obvious void all heighten the drama. It works, it settles in, and season seven offers enough classic Vampire Diaries goodness, and plenty of new developments and angles along the way, that the show's trademark atmospheric drama and characterization carry it through its most difficult challenge yet.

The following episodes comprise season seven. Summaries are courtesy of an insert included in the Blu-ray case.

Disc One:

• Day One of Twenty-Two Thousand, Give or Take: Damon is forced to navigate his new reality without the love of his life. Stefan takes an active role in protecting the town from Lily (Annie Wersching).
• Never Let Me Go: Caroline, who finds herself a pawn in Lily and the Heretic's plan for retribution, uncovers a shocking detail about Stefan's past. Alaric asks Bonnie for help.
• Age of Innocence: Caroline learns some shocking information about Valerie's (Elizabeth Blackmore) past, while Stefan learns a few unexpected details about his own.
• I Carry Your Heart With Me: Stefan and Caroline are forced to spend the night at Whitmore College's Heaven & Hell Ball. Enzo sets off to find out what Valerie is hiding.
• Live Through This: After realizing he was on a downward spiral, Damon decides to turn over a new leaf and that all his actions moving forward will do right by Elena.
• Best Served Cold: Lily sets up a face-to-face meeting between Julian (Tood Lasance), Damon and Stefan to declare peace between her family of Heretics and the residents of Mystic Falls.
• Mommie Dearest: After Stefan and Damon confront their mother with painful memories from their childhood, Lily reveals a dark secret she's been harboring for over 160 years.
• Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me: Following a major revelation uncovered by Valerie, Caroline is forced to face her new reality, even as it threatens to destroy her relationship with Stefan.

Disc Two:

• Cold as Ice: With the holidays in full swing, a search for Julian leads Damon and Stefan to a small town near Mystic Falls. Bonnie connects with Nora (Scarlett Byrne) while managing a toy drive.
• Hell is Other People: Trapped inside the Phoenix stone, Damon is tormented by a traumatic experience from his time in the Civil War and is forced to face his darkest demon to escape.
• Things We Lost in the Fire: Tyler (Michael Trevino) returns to Mystic Falls for Alaric's baby shower and Caroline makes an upsetting discovery.
• Postcards from the Edge: Under the influence of a dangerous and reckless Julian, Damon spirals out of control. Stefan attempts to reason with him, only to uncover the reason for his descent.
• This Woman's Work: When Damon's actions put everyone he loves in a ruthless vampire hunter's (Leslie-Anne Huff) path, he is forced to make things right before it's too late.
• Moonlight on the Bayou: In New Orleans, Stefan comes face to face with Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan, The Originals), who soon becomes suspicious of his old friend's unexpected arrival.
• I Would for You: Matt decides to take a stand against the vampires of Mystic Falls. Damon's desire to get out of the game ramps up. Stefan questions a future with Caroline.
• Days of Future Past: With time running out and Rayna closing in on Stefan, Valerie tries to reason with Damon. Enzo attempts to clear his name.

Disc Three:

• I Went to the Woods: In the aftermath of his brother's fateful decision, Stefan awakens to find himself thrown into a life-or-death situation with only his basic instincts to rely on.
• One Way or Another: Alaric expresses his unwillingness to participate in a vampire-hunting expedition with Damon and reveals the truth about the past three years of his life without him.
• Somebody That I Used to Know: When Enzo's efforts to protect Bonnie end up putting her life in jeopardy, it is discovered that Rayna may hold the key to her survival.
• Kill 'Em All: Caroline joins Alaric on a mission and realizes she's missed her former supernatural lifestyle. Damon makes a fateful decision that forever changes his relationship with Bonnie.
• Requiem for a Dream: Stefan makes a rash decision that ultimately forces him and Caroline to face the fallout from their relationship. Enzo painfully watches Bonnie fight for her life.
• Gods & Monsters: Despite her friends' best efforts to help Bonnie through the harrowing predicament she faces, options are running out and drastic measures must be taken in the heart-stopping season finale.

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season features a 1080p presentation that oftentimes looks good -- stunning, even -- but stumbles when the show gets a bit dark. Black crush runs rampant throughout the season. Darker locations, shadowy corners, and black attire push so hard that detail is completely devoured and lost to the void of overzealous atmosphere. Worse, perhaps, is the pervasive noise that attacks every dark scene, saturating the screen with the unsightly overlay. Otherwise, things aren't bad in Mystic Falls. Bright daytime exteriors fare very well. Quite unlike the darker moments, daytime and very well lit interiors reveal fantastic detailing across the spectrum, with the usual facial features and clothing lines the first to be noticed, but background definition excels as well. Image clarity is outstanding in such scenes, and the source appears clean and free of most unwanted artifacts. Colors are vibrant and healthy, too, with a splendidly stretched palette that never finds trouble in displaying the most prominent splashes or the most reserved support hues. Skin tones are clear and healthy, though they're prone to a red push in lower light. When the transfer is on, it's fantastic. When the going gets dark, it's not particularly attractive.

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that's one of the more aggressive out there, at least within the TV show-on-Blu-ray universe. Sound is big, wide, unafraid to engage both the surrounds and the subwoofer to prominent, occasionally even borderline absurd, levels. But it's a lot of fun. Over engineered, yes, but an enjoyable ruckus nonetheless. Music is always wide, effortlessly pushed to the furthest reaches of the stage, both front and back alike. Yet clarity remains a strength. Notes are fluidly delivered and not at all constricted or muddled. Action effects are heavy and, sometimes, borderline silly. Punches, for instance, seem to hit harder than a truck, and the thud can sometimes be heard in the back channels. So much for more subtlety, authenticity, precise balance, and proper placement, but the extracurricular energy is fun and fits the show's tone, at least during its action-dramatic scenes. Dialogue is fine, delivered cleanly and accurately, and always with good prioritization, through the front-center channel.

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season contains bonus material on all three discs, most of which may be found on disc three. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Disc One: Scenes from "Day One of Twenty-Two Thousand, Give or Take" (2:02), "Age of Innocence" (1:47), "I Carry Your Heart with Me" (1:59), "Live Through This" (0:38), "Best Served Cold" (2:24), and "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (1:08). Disc Two: Scenes from "Hell Is Other People" (0:47), "This Woman's Work" (1:15), and "Moonlight on the Bayou" (0:25). Disc Three: Scenes from "One Way or Another," (1:01), "Requiem for a Dream" (1:43), and "Gods & Monsters" (5:11).
• Directing Vampires (1080p, 7:24): Actors/Directors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley discuss the process of directing an episode and respond to social media questions about the process.
• Second Bite: Gag Reel (1080p, 3:53): Humorous moments and accidents from the sets of season seven.
• Come Visit Georgia PSA (1080p, 5:32): Much like The Originals, The Vampire Diaries is shot in Georgia. This humorous piece urges fans of the show to come give the state a look-see.
• The Vampire Diaries: 2015 Comic-Con Panel (1080p, 27:21): Jarrett Wieselman hosts "the biggest Vampire Diaries panel ever." Participants include Michael Malarkey, Candice Accola, Ian Somerhalder, Executive Producer Julie Plec, Paul Wesley, Executive Producer Caroline Dries, and Kat Graham. Key discussions include Nina Dobrev's departure and what the show did with her character, and other character relationships. The participants also field audience questions.

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Vampire Diaries continues on without its star, though fortunately for fans the transition feels more or less seamless. For all the challenges Dobrev's departure engenders, the show maintains its structure, style, characterizations and storylines without much of a hiccup. Fans may still feel left down, or maybe excited for a new direction. Either way, the show soldiers forward with enough enthusiasm and maintenance of what got it this far, with an eye towards where it's headed. The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season features decent, if not troubled, video. Audio is extremely aggressive and fun. The usual Warner Brothers/CW TV show supplements are included. Recommended to fans, despite some reservations about the video quality.