The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season

Those that have never seen The Vampire Diaries would most likely presume it to be a Twilight-esque cash grab. But they'd be sadly mistaken. The Vampire Diaries features much more blood and violence than you'd expect from a teen drama, as well as an excellent storyline and character depth portrayed with great acting chops, particularly by Ian Somerhalder, who plays bad boy vamp Damon. The second season of The Vampire Diaries picks up exactly where season one left off, with the return of Katherine, who's both Damon and brother Stefan's vampire ex. Her arrival in Mystic Falls makes for some complications, as Elena (our human heroine) is Katherine's doppelganger and the confusion of who's really who continues for the duration of the season. A hell of a lot happens following Katherine's return, including the introduction of werewolves, which is what Tyler becomes, and the Originals, who are the first generation of vampires. Also, Katherine turns insecure Caroline into a vampire, which actually makes her a stronger, much more enjoyable character. Plus, oldest of the Originals, Klaus, is after Elena, whom he needs to sacrifice in order to break the "Sun and Moon curse." But as per the ways of vampires, secrets remain untold and nothing is as it seems, making for some intriguing plot twists. On the relationship front, who doesn't adore a good love triangle? Damon is in love with Elena, making for some awkward moments, since she's dating Stefan, and Katherine continues to toy with both the brothers' heads. Also, Tyler has a thing for Caroline, who's still kind of dating Matt, and Elena's aunt Jenna and Alaric finally get together, but things get complicated with the return of his supposedly dead vampire wife, Isobel (who also happens to be Elena's mother). And then there's Elena's brother, Jeremy, who starts dating witch Bonnie after he finally gets over the deaths of his previous two vamp girlfriends, Vicki and Anna. With these romantic entanglements and the danger that surrounds the characters, each of the 22 episodes of season two is as thrilling as the last, making The Vampire Diaries a brilliantly choreographed series. Extras include three featurettes on werewolves, a featurette on Nina Dobrev that explores both her roles as Elena and Katherine, and a featurette on the show's love triangles. Plus, a gag reel, deleted scenes and audio commentary on particularly glamorous episode "Masquerade."