The Vampire Diaries - The Complete Fifth Season

"The Vampire Diaries" has managed to do what the recently departed "True Blood" has failed to do...stay interesting. The show isn't afraid to tackle major issues. Despite not being able to curse, flash nudity, or get super gruesome it manages to pack suspense and full-on sexiness. The Complete Fifth Season, available on Blu-ray includes some celebrations for the 100th episode and some other fun bonus features.

To commemorate the 100th episode of the series the creators created a "I Know What You Did...in the Last 100 Episodes" where the cast members answer questions about their characters and the series. "The Vampire Diaries: To the Other Side and Back" is a retrospective on the series' journey to the other side. It's pretty interesting to see the writers discuss their creation of the other side. "A Day in the Afterlife with Kat Graham" is the typical trip around the set with a star. It's a little bland considering Graham's semi-cold demeanor, but it does give a pretty straightforward look to life on a television set. There is also the gag reel which is surprisingly amusing considering how serious the scenes are.

The rest of the features are a little on the "bleh" side. The unaired scenes are just okay. A lot of these tend to be just episode trimmings. Also, despite a couple of interesting questions, the Comic Con Panel just doesn't feel like a huge "exclusive" draw to buy the series. What's nice is the creators of the series have included the same features on both the DVD and Blu-ray versions of the series. It's nice considering the young constituency of the show's fans.

"The Vampire Diaries" is surprisingly entertaining and deep for a teen soap. It's proven it has legs and is super addictive and worth checking out. Luckily, the series set includes some fun bonuses.

"The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Fifth Season"
Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy
$ 69.97
www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries