By Geno McGahee
The popular show on the CW, “THE ORIGINALS” has a large following and it’s not surprising. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released the complete second season on Blu-Ray, DVD, and also Digital HD, and it is exactly what you would expect from a WB release. The artwork is beautiful, the case is durable and the presentation is amazing. THE ORIGINALS: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON has a great cinematic look to it. The cinematography is so impressive. The different angles and movements keeps the action going and the cast is very attractive and talented. This is as sharp as it gets.
The second season expands on many of the characters established in the first season. Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan), the hybrid vampire/werewolf villain has a great presence in this second season. He is the most interesting character and the most ruthless. Throughout the series, he does whatever suits his agenda and he doesn’t care what your relation is to him. Whenever he is on the screen, you know that something good is going to happen and it’s easy to understand where he’s coming from. This is what makes this character so interesting. His motives are pretty good, but his mean streak makes him difficult to root for.
Klaus and his brother, Elijah (Danielle Gillies), get an invitation and a lot to chew on from their mother, Esther (Alice Evans), sending the season into a new direction and building up the tension. This is a theme in this series that I really enjoyed. The twists and turns are frequent and the tension is a slow burn. It has such a beautiful look and that beauty carries over into the scenes of violence, which are also common.
The stars of this show really are the Mikaelson family and the demons that they have to battle. As much as this is a vampire/werewolf show, there is a great family drama happening that has many elements that the viewers will find relatable. The infighting with Elijah and Klaus is great. Both are naturally suspicious of each other and this leads to some great dramatic scenes involving the two. Klaus is the wildcard and Elijah knows it. Rebekah (Claire Holt) the sister of the duo, attempts to bring some harmony but she has troubles of her own and is on the run. Dysfunctional is the name of the game for the Mikaelsons.
As the episodes progressed, the intensity grew and Klaus begins to fall apart. His aggression gets the better of him and he begins to attack alone and against all odds, leaving those around him frustrated as well as the viewers. THE ORIGINALS: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON is a great way to spend a weekend. It is a unique supernatural drama with a great cast and atmosphere. I highly recommend it.
Season Two of The Originals stars Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries, Ben Hur), Daniel Gillies (The Vampire Diaries, Saving Hope), Phoebe Tonkin (The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle), Charles Michael Davis (Grey’s Anatomy), Leah Pipes (Sorority Row), Danielle Campbell (Prison Break) and Yusuf Gatewood (The Interpreter), with Plec executive producing along with Michael Narducci (The Vampire Diaries, Medium) and Leslie Morgenstein (The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars). Created by Plec, the series is based in part on the character Klaus from The Vampire Diaries novels by L.J. Smith. The Originals will continue for a third season on The CW in fall 2015.
• The Originals: Always and Forever
• In this featurette, we will hear from cast and creators on how season two explored new depths of what it means to be a family.
• The Awakening Web Series
• Explore this companion series on Kol Mikaelson (Nathaniel Buzolic) and his quest to form an alliance with the witches of New Orleans in 1914. Also, go behind the scenes with the cast and creators of the digital series.
• The Originals: 2014 Comic-Con Panel
• Come Visit Georgia PSA
• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel
1. Rebirth
2. Alive and Kicking
3. Every Mother’s Son
4. Live and Let Die
5. Red Door
6. Wheel Inside the Wheel
7. Chasing the Devil’s Tail
8. The Brothers That Care Forgot
9. The Map of Moments
10. Gonna Set Your Flag on Fire
11. Brotherhood of the Damned
12. Sanctuary
13. The Devil is Damned
14. I Love You, Goodbye
15. They All Asked For You
16. Save My Soul
17. Exquisite Corpse
18. Night Has a Thousand Eyes
19. When the Levee Breaks
20. City Beneath the Sea
21. Fire with Fire
22. Ashes to Ashes
BASICS
Street Date: September 1, 2015
Running Time: Feature: Approx 968 min, Enhanced Content: approx 84 min
Blu-ray & DVD: Presented in 16×9 widescreen format
DVD
Price: $44.98 SRP
5 DVD-9s
DVD Audio – English (5.1)
DVD Subtitles – ESDH, Spanish, French
Catalog # 1000539256
UPC# 883929454525
BLU-RAY
Price: $49.99 SRP
3 BD-50s
Blu-ray Audio – 1080p Full HD Video, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 – English
Blu-ray Subtitles – ESDH, French, Spanish
Catalog # 1000539281
UPC # 883929454594
