Entertainment

Get Ready To Go Back To New Orleans

by Christine DiStasio

It's almost that time again, CW fans. The fall premieres of your favorite CW series are fast-approaching and I know you want to be properly prepared. Or, if you've been living under a rock for the past year, you're going to want to be caught up on the CW's Vampire Diaries spin-off series, The Originals , when Season 2 premieres on Oct. 6. I mean, it's only giving TVD a run for its money as the network's best vampire drama with its eery and historical New Orleans setting and the perfect lack of relationship drama. (No, Klaus isn't dating anyone right now.)

So, how can you get caught up for the Season 2 premiere in just a handful of weeks? Luckily for you, the supernatural beings at The CW have granted us plenty of options worthy of the King of New Orleans himself. When we left off with The Originals, we had a first-of-its-kind hybrid baby joining the world, Hayley transitioning into a hybrid, a werewolf uprising, and the Original parents alive and ready to wreak havoc in the French Quarter. Do all of those major plot-points ring a bell? If not, here are four ways to educate yourself in all things witches, hybrids, Original vampires, and werewolf politics before Oct. 6.

On DVD

If you're one of those people who still buys DVDs or rents DVDs or just love The Originals so much that you want to own a piece of vampire TV history, you're in luck. On Sept. 1, The CW released The Originals Season 1 on Blu-ray and DVD for the cool price of $60.79 if you want all three formats (digital downloads too) or around 35 bucks if you just want the DVDs. The fancy box set includes, of course, deleted scenes, featurettes, and The Original Vampire: A Bite-Sized Back Story. You know you want it and to be able to watch that Haylijah kiss over and over and over until the end of time.

CW.com

Unfortunately, this option doesn't work for newbies interested in getting into The Originals in time for the premiere. The CW's website, CW.com, is currently offering the final five episodes of Season 1 for streaming. So, if you're an Originals fan that just wants to brush up on the final moments of the series first season, you're in luck. You can also catch five episodes from mid-season on Hulu.com.

iTunes

You can purchase the entire first season of The Originals in HD on iTunes for $29.99. Which is actually a pretty great deal, considering the price of the hard copy DVDs. Yes, it's more expensive than, say, watching it for free on CW.com, but if you're really invested in fully immersing yourself in The Originals before Season 2, this could be the route for you.

On The CW

The CW really cares about getting us ready for The Originals Season 2. The network is currently airing Originals Season 1 reruns on Thursday nights at 9 p.m., following reruns of TVD at 8 p.m. — get your double-dose of vampire goodness on.

Image: Guy D'Alema/The CW; haylijaharemyotp, klaus-is-the-alpha-male, ttheoriginals, cille-rp/Tumblr