Are Hippos, Seals and Whales Fat?

When we say something is fat, it’s synonymous with our perception that it’s unhealthy. Anything can have too much fat (overweight) or too little (underweight), both of which impacting their health.

So yes, hippos, seals and whales all have a lot of blubber (fat). But this fat is for insulation and buoyancy to aid their life in the water. For some species, extra blubber lets them withstand the increased pressure of deep water. (Like a blob fish, but they don’t tend to be labelled as ‘fat’.)

The less fat/blubber these species carry, the harder their life is in the water. Thus difficulty prevents them from flourishing and means they are less likely to successfully reproduce. Ultimately, unhealthy animals are more likely to be dead. Anything that causes these poor results can be labelled as ‘unhealthy’.

If calling something ‘fat’ is calling them unhealthy,

and if hippos, seals and whales need all their blubber/fat to be healthy,

then calling healthy hippos, seals and whales ‘fat’ is inaccurate.

Thus these animals are concurrently fat (because they’re blubbery) and aren’t fat (because they’re healthy). This inconsistency teaches us an important lesson: equating ‘fat’ with ‘unhealthy’ is clearly inaccurate.

Critique: The Witcher (Netflix Series One) 3/3

*****SPOILERS*****

Cirilla (Ciri)

Fortune doesn’t smile kindly on those around Ciri yet the amount of times she escapes from danger or kidnapping goes beyond simple luck. Sure, everyone she loves dies, but she herself survives. Plus she is a princess (granddaughter of Queen Calanthe of Cintra) so she has experienced enough comfort to last a lifetime.

            In a flashback, Calanthe and Geralt watch as people come to claim the hand of her daughter Princess Pavette/Pavetta. The knight Duny claims the law of surprise: he saved the life of Pavetta’s dad and the payment was something the king had but didn’t know he had it (in this case, the foetus Pavetta). As Duny looks like a hedgehog, Calanthe wants him killed; Geralt intervenes and jokingly claims the law of surprise. At this moment, Pavetta vomits and they discover she is pregnant. In the entire series, it’s at this that Geralt speaks with most emotion: “Fuck.” I won’t lie when I say this was the joint funniest part of the entire series.

            This flashback finally explains why Geralt and Ciri (Geralt’s surprise) have been trying to come to one another. Ciri’s been travelling all series to find Geralt. In episode seven, see Nilfgaard invade Cintra like they did in the first episode, only we see beforehand. Geralt comes to claim law of surprise to take Ciri to safety but Calanthe refuses. She concedes but Geralt has already escaped his cell. They just missed each other. All of the trouble Ciri went through to find Geralt could have been avoided but maybe her experience in the wilderness will enable her to be a more compassionate and fairer ruler.

Geralt and Yennifer

Their relationship is disjointed and not healthy. Trust is a big concern for both parties so at least they understand the reasons behind the other’s actions.

            Geralt first meets Yennifer when he comes to her to heal Jaskier following the djinn attack. After the djinn leaves, Geralt and Yen get right the point: two kisses and then Yen unlaces his breaches so they can shag. You’ve only just met each other but sure, whatever. Jaskier just stood there and watched them go at it and he thought it was sweet (which may be creepier than him just watching, to be honest).

            Where they meet is fantastic: Yennifer presiding over an orgy. Geralts places Jaskier amongst the fun, much to the bard’s confusion. Seeing as he’s prolific with his dick, I don’t understand why Jaskier would find it problematic. But his face was expressive enough to focus on the viewing rather than the technicalities. Then the spell is dismissed and the townsfolk wake up not knowing what’s happened (their faces and outrage are brilliant). I had assumed it was another illusion but never mind!

            When Geralt and Jaskier go hunting a dragon on the invitation of Borch, Jaskier tries desperately to impress Borch’s two guards but his creative efforts are in vain. This leaves Jaskier confused (he usually gets his way with women) which is a priceless expression. Yennifer joins the expedition, making Geralt awkward and Jaskier giddy with jokes. A railing breaks off do that Borch and his guards dangle, threatening to pull Geralt and company off the mountain, too. Borch lets go to save the others (he’s older and he’s lived his life) but then his guards also let go. Hard core dedication, right there. I was so confused to figuring out why, though, although in the end when events made sense.

Conclusion

Overall I’m really glad my brother convinced me to watch The Witcher as soon as it came out. Indeed, I was almost going to do a review for each episode. In the end I chose not to because that would be like doing a review per chapter in a book.

I don’t do anything on the fly so even watching a programme I didn’t know existed straight away makes me apprehensive. But it was worth it! The plot, characters, acting, special efforts, costumes, locations: everything was impressive.

Sure, there were a few parts I didn’t like. The whole Law of Surprise thing annoyed me so much but it was a good way to bring all the bits and pieces of the storyline together. In the first episode, Nilfgaard comes to conquer Cintra specifically to find Princess Cirilla and the suspense for the reason behind this lasted until the end of the series. This was beyond annoying because the suspense wasn’t carried well.

The dryads were a disappointment. In Greek myth they, being spirits of trees, inhabit the trees themselves; in The Witcher, dryads looked like elves that lived in the woods. There’s creative licence but when you take away the very thing that makes it what it is.

Yet in the grand scheme of things, these problems were minor. The dryads weren’t all that important. My annoyance at the Law of Surprise says more about me than it does about the quality of the show. Most importantly, if any of the things I enjoyed happened to be the only good thing in the programme, I would still be satisfied. That shows mighty talent and I am full of anticipation for The Witcher Series Two.

The Witcher (Netflix Series One) 1/3

https://frostgriffin.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-witcher-netflix-series-one-13.html

The Witcher (Netflix Series One) 2/3

https://frostgriffin.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-witcher-netflix-series-one-23.html

Critique: The Witcher (Netflix Series One) 2/3

*****SPOILERS*****

Jaskier (Dandelion)

I was expecting Dandelion to be more of a dandy, to be honest. But for a travelling bard, his clothes were still fancy, bright and exceptional. Him being called Jaskier threw me off a bit at first (it sounded like Geralt was swearing at Jaskier, to be honest). Although ‘Jaskier’ is, I believe, the Polish word for ‘dandelion’, so calling him Jaskier was a nice touch.

I loved how Jaskier, minutes after meeting Geralt, just tagged along with Geralt’s mission. Never mind that the scary monster hunter said no, or that you’re bumbling into a dangerous situation. Geralt look of unenthusiastic, resigned contempt and misery is hilarious. At first Geralt doesn’t care about Jaskier so doesn’t mind if he dies but the more Geralt cares about Jaskier, the more he wants him there.

When he releases a djinn, Jaskier loses his voice and wheezes instead. His outrage and disbelief are great. (Both actors have amazing facial expressions.) Despite the silence being a gift for Geralt, he still fixes the problem. Even if along the way the witcher hopes a guard explodes and then the guard does just that.

One might say that Jaskier is simply comedic relief. Yes, his reactions when people refuse to give him money at taverns are top notch. Yes, he says line like, “Why would you let anyone but a friend rub chamomile on your sore bottom?” (My, that escalated quickly.) Yes, Jaskier wakes up to an empty camp, his confusion priceless, and somehow he bumbles along in the right direction. Yet Geralt’s rough exterior portrays him as distant, something other, so having a friend like Jaskier to be affectionate towards brings out the humanity of the witcher.

Yennifer

In the second episode, a young girl drops a flower in the barn, finds it missing, and then the camera pans up. So there’s me, body tense because it’s expecting to jump and scream at a monster, and instead the hunchback Yennifer is revealed. So that was a relief.

            Yennifer’s actions were often on the edge, like when she cuts herself or when she gives drugs to the young students of Aretuza (the magic school). Whilst having sex with Istredd, there’s an audience (which confused me: is it some kind of ritual?) and the audience claps when the shagging’s over (which made me laugh) and then the audience disappears when Yennifer ends the illusion. Three of her fellow trainees get turned into eels and Yennifer sweeps them into the magical pool; this was just hilarious anyway but she did it without question or guilt which made it my joint funniest moment in the entire series.

            Like all graduates of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, Yennifer can have her body remodelled. She is told to think of the most powerful woman in the world and she thinks of herself exactly as she is, deformed and all, except for her new purple eyes. This is a wonderful message. )Even if she does ruin it by having surgery to be seductive.)

Yes she keeps her self-harm scars but I was enjoying having a disabled lead character. The cost of the surgery is her fertility. Yennifer desperately tries to restore it via djinns and going off the grid to find forbidden ways. Yennifer seems genuinely distraught when she fails to save the life of a baby princess (never minding that she dumps the queen as soon as she can to give her time to escape with the baby. Morbid but I had to chuckle).

After graduating, Yennifer was assigned to Nilfgaard and Fringilla to Aedirn, a northern kingdom. Yennifer made them swap. But if Yennifer went to Nilfgaard instead of Fringilla, Fringilla wouldn’t have become a murdering nutcase and Nilfgaard wouldn’t be threatening the lives of people (especially sorcerers) in the northern kingdoms. I think Yennifer feels slightly responsible (although certainly not guilty) for this which is why she eventually agrees to fight Nilfgaard at Soden Hill.

Usually, war scenes in films/tv bore me to death but Soden Hill was fascinating. Magic was used in many inventive ways and it was far more important, prominent and focused on than the mundane weapons. In most other fantasy stories, even those that focus on magic, battle scene often to my frustration focus on mundane weapons. So ten out of ten for Soden Hill.

The Witcher (Netflix Series One) 1/3

https://frostgriffin.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-witcher-netflix-series-one-13.html

The Witcher (Netflix Series One) 3/3

https://frostgriffin.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-witcher-netflix-series-one-33.html

Critique: The Witcher (Netflix Series One) 1/3

*****SPOILERS*****

Introduction

The Witcher has been the most satisfying series I have ever watched. The humour is superb. There is a great variety of clothing and scenery. Make-up was beautiful and subtle, much like the animation for magic and monsters. Plus different storylines have been stitched together nicely without being forced or clunky.

            Both sound and lighting was executed particularly well, especially when compared to other popular shows and films. Dark scenes were clearly illuminated so I didn’t have to close curtains or turn off lights. Volumes didn’t vary often or go from one extreme to the other so I didn’t jump because of blaring loudness or go scrambling for the remote.

Even the opening scene of the series was incredible. Not only did it serve as a great introduction to the world of The Witcher but also to Geralt’s personality. Also it gives the promise of monsters and I always want more monsters (both variety and quantity) in my media.

In this scene, the audience sees a deer in dark place going to the water like a zebra does to a crocodile-infested river. You expect something to get the deer. Sure enough something jumps out of the water but the deer is safe. Geralt makes sure of that and we don’t have to be worried about the deer’s life.

So much is going on throughout this programme but it was very easy to follow the plot(s) and enjoy the themes.

The opening credits were blissfully short for a Netflix Original. Each episode’s opening credits had a different crest: as if this wasn’t creative or impressive enough, all the crests joined together in a clockwork fashion for the final episode. This offered gravity to the situation, too.

            The love Geralt has for his horse Roach is adorable, as are their conversations. Well, monologues, I suppose. With each passing episode, though, Roach got less and less screen time. Obviously a non-sentient horse shouldn’t take time away from the plot yet Geralt-Roach interactions were, for me, worth the time.

The daughter of a town official in episode one was incredibly funny. Whilst it was a shame that she wasn’t in the rest of the series, it did establish the witty dialogue that was to come during the series as a whole.

Time isn’t as it seems at first. From episode one, you think Ciri and Geralt go on their respective adventures at the same time.

Yennifer mentions she’s been at court for decades whereas Ciri’s adventure has a short timescale so you recognise that Yennifer’s story line started a long time ago. Then in episode six, Jaskier mentions that years have gone by but Ciri’s storyline has only been days, maybe weeks at most. This confirms the nagging doubt that Geralt’s storyline isn’t linear, showing only snapshots of his life.

In episode seven, the timelines finally align when Geralt goes to save Ciri from Nilfgaard’s attack. This was a great relief because it put all the storylines into perspective. The following episode, in which Ciri and Geralt finally meet, they are near Soden Hill and there are sounds of war nearby; in Yennifer’s storyline, she’s fighting a war at Soden Hill. This heavily implies that all timelines have converged.

It will be interesting to see how series two will deal, and play, with time. 

Geralt

I respect characters like Geralt who say little and think thoroughly before saying anything. I don’t, however, respect choosing to grunt as an answer instead of responding with words. Naturally, Geralt made up for his weaknesses when he smiled, bringing his face to life. Up until this point he had always been series so seeing another emotion was jarring.

Geralt using a courtier as bate for the monster (the king’s niece) was the funniest thing. It made up for the annoyance of that episode: I realised pretty quickly that the monster was also the king’s daughter. Yet the show took five minute to openly imply this and then another five minutes to say it outright. This felt like wasted time. (Time that could have been given to Roach. The horse deserved this.  Geralt needed the prize money from hunting the royal monster to pay his prostitute and get Roach back. What could be better motivation?)

In episode eight Geralt tells a farmer to not get bitten by the monsters because it causes death. Lo and behold, Geralt gets bitten then lies on the floor: not fall to the floor but purposely lie down and curl up in defeat. This left me gobsmacked. After all he’s been through, sorrowing in mud doesn’t seem like an action in keeping with the character. At least take all of Roach’s tack off before you die so that he can run free and comfortably!

In the first episode, both Stregobor (a sorcerer) and Renfri (a bandit princess) try to recruit Geralt to kill the other. Geralt flatly refuses both. Geralt captivated reaction to Renfri was confusing at first but each episodes gives the audience another piece of lore, each one making sense out of Geralt’s behaviour. Stregobor thinks Renfri is destined for evil because she was born during an eclipse; indeed, she threatens to massacre the townsfolk and Geralt tries to persuade her to not prove Stregobor right. Renfri seems to be able to (magically) persuade anyone so this may have been why Geralt obeyed.

I was wondering why Geralt was trying to save Renfri. Yes she was nice when he came to town but then she threatened to massacre the town if Geralt didn’t do as she said. Renfri seemed to infatuate everyone, even Geralt, but the level of devotion on his face was extreme. By the end of the episode, Geralt looks utterly heartbroken. But a few episodes in, we realise that Geralt knew Ciri was also born during an eclipse and thus destined for evil. Geralt killing Renfri confirms her own, and therefore Ciri’s, evilness. Geralt would have felt sorrow to lose someone like Ciri and to know that others may kill Ciri for the same reasons as Geralt killed Renfri. It was a gentle realisation for the audience that was masterfully constructed by the writers.

The Witcher (Netflix Series One) 2/3

https://frostgriffin.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-witcher-netflix-series-one-23.html

     

The Witcher (Netflix Series One) 3/3

https://frostgriffin.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-witcher-netflix-series-one-33.html