*****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
The Witcher (Netflix Series One) 3/3
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