Earlier this week, Warner Home Video released Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD sets for the complete fourth season of The Vampire Diaries, covering the characters’ senior year (never mind that they never seemed to be in class), complete with some major changes for Nina Dobrev’s Elena.
The multi-disc set contains a whole lot of extras, which will be discussed below in this review. Let’s get started, eh?
The Episodes: If you’re a “shipper” whose biggest concern is the Elena/Stefan/Damon love triangle, or at the edge of your seat wondering if Caroline is better with Tyler or with Klaus, then this is a season for you, as there’s a lot of relationship drama. Me? Blasphemy, but…. I don’t care. I know that even if Elena is with Character A in a given episode, and Character B the next, that doesn’t mean she’ll make a decision until the final episode of the series, if ever. I’m just along for the ride, but admit, if it’s “shipper drama” I’m one of those viewers that actually tunes out. (I’m clearly not part of the target audience)
Compound this with the notion that Elena as a vampire, especially during a time when (spoiler warning) she has no emotions, is annoying as all get out. One thing I loved about The Vampire Diaries when it started was that Elena, as played by Nina Dobrev, was very relatable and enjoyable to watch. She was the anti-Bella in a way, being the opposite of the lead vampire-loving female from Twilight. Even when Elena’s annoying, though, Dobrev knocks it out of the park.
It also disappointed me that, by Season 4, certain storylines seemed to repeat themselves. How many times does Tyler conveniently find a way out of town because they only have Michael Trevino for xx number of episodes? How many times will Bonnie lose her powers, then get them back, then do something huge that results in personal trouble and/or power loss for her? And that’s just in what, 89 episodes?
With that said… there are many episodes in The Vampire Diaries Season 4 that are really well done, conveying emotion and danger, and any time we see Katherine and/or Elijah, it gets even better. I don’t think it’s spoiling anything to say some dead characters appear by season’s end, and like a previous season when we got some people back, I wished these characters would just stay back, because of what they bring to the characters. In other words: Alaric, Lexi… I miss you most.
There’s also a very emotional thing that happens in Season 4 that I’d rather not talk about, lest I spoil anyone who hasn’t seen it.
Episode 20 of TVD Season 4 also serves as a pilot for the upcoming CW series The Originals, a Vampire Diaries spin-off.
One other recommendation: If you’re not extremely feeling the first episode in this set, keep watching. Episode Two is really, really good, and is an example of how good The Vampire Diaries can be. The season in general works that way: There are some episodes that are “meh,” but they always make up for it with episodes that make you go “WOW!” Still, I’ll be honest… this season doesn’t have as many “wins” as the first or second seasons.
I never want to hear the words “sire bond” again.
The Extras: This set has a LOT of extras, which I love. There’s a gag reel (YEAH!) and a few featurettes produced by our friends at Retrofit Films, who always put together good stuff, including interviews with folks like Julie Plec, Caroline Dries, and members of the show’s cast. “The Hunter’s Mark” looks at the effects behind the map/tattoo on Jeremy, there are featurettes about creating Silas’ island, the show’s props, and Elena’s turn into a vampire; and then there’s fan created artwork and a fan video, which surely will appeal to the people who made them, but I thought they were a bit odd to feature on a DVD set.
The set has deleted scenes, also, which is nice; but sadly, there are no DVD commentaries, which is a bummer, unless I’m just not looking in the right places.
Graphics & Sound: The Blu-ray looks great and very, very clear. The sound is very crisp; crisper than I’ve heard on TV broadcasts, actually.
The Packaging: The discs look nice enough, and the box art is a great evocative photo that looks like a movie poster. That same art from the box is used on the menus.
Is It Worth It? Yes, especially if you’re a fan of the show. It’s always best to start from the beginning if you’re not, but if you’re into it, this is a very good looking, extras-packed set.
The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Fourth Season is already available. Order yours on Blu-ray Combo Pack or DVD from Amazon.com at a discounted price and support this site!
2 Comments
Good and useful review, thank you for writing it! Also, I totally agree with you about Elena. It’s sad that she is the main character and the heroine but she has regressed from being my favorite female in Season 1 to very annoying and diffcult to relate to in Season 4. I feel like the writers don’t even know who Elena is as a character anymore. If they can improve that, the last few seasons can be much more enjoyable.
Good and useful review, thank you for writing it! Also, I totally agree with you about Elena. It’s sad that she is the main character and the heroine but she has regressed from being my favorite female in Season 1 to very annoying and difficult to relate to in Season 4. I feel like the writers don’t even know who Elena is as a character anymore. If they can improve that, the last few seasons can be much more enjoyable.