[TV REVIEW] Toss A Coin To Your Witcher: The Witcher Season 1 (non-spoiler)
After the long wait we finally got it: the first season of The Witcher on Netflix! I guess we all were worried how it would turn out. Since experiencing one of the most annoying endings in fantasy television in 2019 people get especially careful. I have to say this show now delivers and doesn't disappoint, for the most part. I do love it but there are some things I have to criticize.
If you have lived under a rock or just haven't got any friends who play videogames you might not have heard about this one game that is held up as a standard for many by now. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. An epic fantasy RPG epos that lets you explore the Continent and everything it has to offer. Many people fell in love with this world because of that game (including one Henry Cavill who plays our titular character in the series) and found out that way about the books which the Netflix show is based on.
The book series has two short story books of which some stories have been adapted for this show while enhancing on the elements that were only hinted at in the short stories and later on in the saga. The books tend to be rather philosophical in the way they tell the stories. I personally enjoy the hell out of that but I do understand that doesn't work for everyone. They also can be a bit tropey in the way they constantly repeat certain words and phrases which would make a certain Youtube channel say "roll credits" every time. It's a stylistic element that might not work for everyone as well.
This has been used for the show, not as excessive though. Still, I have seen people get confused and annoyed by it, so I find pointing it out important. It is an element taken from the books. While they did change some things for dramatic reasons and some things don't translate as well to the screen I find this still works well. There needs to be some slightly better writing next season but I don't expect to be blown away by that in a first season anyway. First seasons, especially in fantasy, are exposition most of the time as we have to get to know the characters and the world. Writing tends to suffer a bit from that.
One of the biggest issues in terms of writing is how they handled Geralt's part of the story in the second episode. This is one of those stories that goes on for quite some time and relies heavily on conversation. Unfortunately it was cut very strongly for the show and therefore doesn't have the proper impact. What it does deliver is the introduction to Jaskier and a very catchy song which I can recommend to everyone. I have it stuck in my head since watching that episode and I'm definitely not complaining.
I do have some issues with the pacing in the second episode when we first meet Yennefer. This will go into spoiler territory so I won't say it now but some things were done that didn't make much sense to me in terms of storytelling. And I'm someone of those people who love not getting told everything. But I found that episode needed just a tiny bit more and some improvement.
Overall this series is fun. And I think something being fun is more important than being edgy. Not that this world can't be that. But it doesn't rely on it. Maybe that is also what put some people off. We live in a world of media in which being edgy seems to be a trend and something many want to rely on instead of trying to tell good stories. I don't find shock value to be interesting after a while. It actually makes me uncomfortable and annoyed. But if you enjoy things being edgy I think the fight scenes with Geralt might be right up your alley. They are fantastic and very reminiscent of the fight system in Wild Hunt.
Henry Cavill wasn't who I expected to fit this role but he does. He is really passionate about this character, which probably helps a lot. And for fans of the games: he does use a more raspy voice when talking like the voice actor from the games did. The only thing I have to criticize is the wig. Not entirely. I have seen worse (I'm talking about the shake-and-go and cheap Halloween costume wigs worn in all the Arrowverse shows). But Cavill's wigs need some fixing at the hairline because that's where it becomes obvious it's a wig. I'm guessing that will be fixed anyway. That usually happens the longer a show is on air. Still want to point it out.
I'm not going to talk about the casting "criticism" and the like because that is a topic for another time. I don't mind it at all and if you watched this show you will hopefully agree that for example Anya did a fantastic job at playing Yennefer. She really has that character down but gives her that tiny bit of vulnerability that makes her so much more relatable. To be honest, I never found Yennefer very relatable. Interesting, yes, but not relatable. So showing us that side of her, that is there but not entirely explored as we mostly see her through Geralt's eyes in the books, is something I appreciate very much.
And yes, this show does center on some very strong and fascinating female characters. But something that needs to be pointed out is that people who scream "feminist agenda" just because a female character has her own ambitions really need to go back and look at the source material. And learn what feminism is. These stories do not fit a modern feminist view except for the fact that this world allows women to not just be whores, wives, and damsels in distress. These are women who are all of that and badass fighters, rulers, bitches, lovers, monsters, mothers, sorceresses who don't take anyone's crap, women who decide what they want to be, and so on. And this all comes from the source material actually. It's an element I enjoy because in adult fantasy these women are few and far in between. At least this many different ones in one story. But if a women is tired of constantly seeing boobs on television, please understand that, too. Not everyone will like it and that's fine.
I can say though that despite the elements that need some fixing there is so much to enjoy about this. Especially if you let yourself fall into this world and accept what the showrunner and her writers have said: they didn't want the audience to feel like they are treated as stupid. Judging by some critics I guess that didn't work that well, sadly, but as tv and movies are a form of art, too, it's very subjective anyway. Just don't think seeing only one or two episodes is actually enough to judge this series.
Letting yourself fall into a world is something that should be done whenever you watch something, be it set in our world or not. And if it is set in another world you have to do it a bit more. What I find so fascinating is how people don't seem to pay proper attention. I've watched a couple of tv show reactions to various shows and you always have those people who constantly ask "what is happening? I don't get it" when a few seconds earlier something was said that explains it. So having people confused by a show that relies heavily on small details to tell the timeline doesn't necessarily surprise me. I still think though that people have been getting so used to having everything explained that they don't concentrate while watching something anymore. It's more telling of what audiences are like nowadays than of how a story is told. I personally find the way the timeline is only slowly unraveled for the viewer a nice touch. I would have disliked seeing stories told in flashbacks and we have seen year numbers a lot. Telling the timeline through details in speech and image is something I appreciate and as a viewer it makes me even more engaged with the show. I really liked how that was done in the third episode but this again is something for a spoiler review.
Netflix's The Witcher relies on the "monster of the week" format a bit due to the nature of it being based on short stories. This isn't really something people seem to expect from fantasy shows nowadays but I find it a fresh new perspective and good for keeping entertained. There is always something new that doesn't necessarily relate to what happened before, at least in Geralt's parts, but it mirrors in the scenes with Ciri and Yennefer to tie them together and to give us some world building. And yes, they do not explain everything. But do you want all this exposition right now? No show does that. We are going to get those explanations later on I expect and it is completely fine. Now, you have a show that relies on the characters more than the world. The world we will get to know more as it continues. And I really hope it does. I feel like critics will be more lenient when we get to the saga being told as it is a coherent story.
This world also has a lot of great monsters and we do see a few in this season. My favorite being the one in episode three and I guess that goes for many Witcher fans who have played all the games and read the short stories. I have to say that the design in CGI and practical effect was really good. It does feel like horror in this moment which I find to be a nice touch. There is a good mixture of CG and practical in this series which I find to be very important. If you rely to heavily on one or the other it can make your creation suffer. Only one small complaint though: there is a moment with this monster and a prop, and that's where the CGI needed some tightening. Again, first seasons don't necessarily have seamless CGI. And sometimes not even later seasons. There were quite a few shots in GoT in later seasons that weren't as well done as they had needed to be, to name an example most people will have seen.
We do have here a show that while it does work might need some getting used to for people whose first experience with this universe is this show. You also need to pay attention. You can't just watch it on the go and while doing something else unless you know this world and the stories. You have to accept that they tried something a bit different with the storytelling in terms of the timeline. But overall I do think that even non-fans will like it. My best friend has watched and enjoyed the show. And she only knew what I had told her about that world, which wasn't that much. And an acquaintance on bookstagram also fell in love with this world through the show and has been going on about wanting to order the books now. I also talked to a colleague of mine who didn't know the world either and she also liked it. So it does work for people who only now experience this world. What it is not for is for people who don't want to experience it and who go into it expecting something that is like GoT. The comparison has been irking me since the beginning because this world is so different. The Witcher is funny and heartfelt, whimsical and horrific, brutal and loving. It is not a tense political drama. It does have elements of it but it is often told through conversation and humor. And I guess the humor elements might make this a bit "childish" for some. I find it is something Terry Pratchett fans might enjoy even though it is a different kind of humor.
This is a world and story that is a bit on the older side by now and it is obvious I would say, but I find that is what makes these stories so charming. As well as it being by a Polish author who therefore had and has a different background in storytelling compared to what many are now used to in fantasy. There are the typical elements that became a staple of the genre thanks to Tolkien but Sapkowksi put his own spin on those. And I think the people making this show beautifully adapted that. This series does make me feel like the books do in some parts.
There is so much more to say about The Witcher but it will get into spoiler territory and I need to rewatch all episodes for that. So I will also make a spoiler post talking about all the episodes in detail at some point when I have the time. For now I want to leave it at this: I do recommend the show to everyone who wants to experience something fun and new, something that will engage you and give you pure fantasy.
~~
For anyone who is interested: Here are some metal covers of Toss a Coin to Your Witcher which I can recommend. Basically, I just waited for these to happen because if there is one cliché that is true for a huge amount of metalheads it's them being total nerds (the last one might not be available outside of Germany as German stuff is often geoblocked).
___
Disclaimer: I wasn't asked or payed to talk about this show, the showrunner, writers or the author mentioned, nor anything else mentioned. Everything is my own opinion.
Follow me: Instagram | Goodreads | Letterboxd
If you have lived under a rock or just haven't got any friends who play videogames you might not have heard about this one game that is held up as a standard for many by now. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. An epic fantasy RPG epos that lets you explore the Continent and everything it has to offer. Many people fell in love with this world because of that game (including one Henry Cavill who plays our titular character in the series) and found out that way about the books which the Netflix show is based on.
The book series has two short story books of which some stories have been adapted for this show while enhancing on the elements that were only hinted at in the short stories and later on in the saga. The books tend to be rather philosophical in the way they tell the stories. I personally enjoy the hell out of that but I do understand that doesn't work for everyone. They also can be a bit tropey in the way they constantly repeat certain words and phrases which would make a certain Youtube channel say "roll credits" every time. It's a stylistic element that might not work for everyone as well.
This has been used for the show, not as excessive though. Still, I have seen people get confused and annoyed by it, so I find pointing it out important. It is an element taken from the books. While they did change some things for dramatic reasons and some things don't translate as well to the screen I find this still works well. There needs to be some slightly better writing next season but I don't expect to be blown away by that in a first season anyway. First seasons, especially in fantasy, are exposition most of the time as we have to get to know the characters and the world. Writing tends to suffer a bit from that.
One of the biggest issues in terms of writing is how they handled Geralt's part of the story in the second episode. This is one of those stories that goes on for quite some time and relies heavily on conversation. Unfortunately it was cut very strongly for the show and therefore doesn't have the proper impact. What it does deliver is the introduction to Jaskier and a very catchy song which I can recommend to everyone. I have it stuck in my head since watching that episode and I'm definitely not complaining.
I do have some issues with the pacing in the second episode when we first meet Yennefer. This will go into spoiler territory so I won't say it now but some things were done that didn't make much sense to me in terms of storytelling. And I'm someone of those people who love not getting told everything. But I found that episode needed just a tiny bit more and some improvement.
Overall this series is fun. And I think something being fun is more important than being edgy. Not that this world can't be that. But it doesn't rely on it. Maybe that is also what put some people off. We live in a world of media in which being edgy seems to be a trend and something many want to rely on instead of trying to tell good stories. I don't find shock value to be interesting after a while. It actually makes me uncomfortable and annoyed. But if you enjoy things being edgy I think the fight scenes with Geralt might be right up your alley. They are fantastic and very reminiscent of the fight system in Wild Hunt.
Henry Cavill wasn't who I expected to fit this role but he does. He is really passionate about this character, which probably helps a lot. And for fans of the games: he does use a more raspy voice when talking like the voice actor from the games did. The only thing I have to criticize is the wig. Not entirely. I have seen worse (I'm talking about the shake-and-go and cheap Halloween costume wigs worn in all the Arrowverse shows). But Cavill's wigs need some fixing at the hairline because that's where it becomes obvious it's a wig. I'm guessing that will be fixed anyway. That usually happens the longer a show is on air. Still want to point it out.
I'm not going to talk about the casting "criticism" and the like because that is a topic for another time. I don't mind it at all and if you watched this show you will hopefully agree that for example Anya did a fantastic job at playing Yennefer. She really has that character down but gives her that tiny bit of vulnerability that makes her so much more relatable. To be honest, I never found Yennefer very relatable. Interesting, yes, but not relatable. So showing us that side of her, that is there but not entirely explored as we mostly see her through Geralt's eyes in the books, is something I appreciate very much.
And yes, this show does center on some very strong and fascinating female characters. But something that needs to be pointed out is that people who scream "feminist agenda" just because a female character has her own ambitions really need to go back and look at the source material. And learn what feminism is. These stories do not fit a modern feminist view except for the fact that this world allows women to not just be whores, wives, and damsels in distress. These are women who are all of that and badass fighters, rulers, bitches, lovers, monsters, mothers, sorceresses who don't take anyone's crap, women who decide what they want to be, and so on. And this all comes from the source material actually. It's an element I enjoy because in adult fantasy these women are few and far in between. At least this many different ones in one story. But if a women is tired of constantly seeing boobs on television, please understand that, too. Not everyone will like it and that's fine.
I can say though that despite the elements that need some fixing there is so much to enjoy about this. Especially if you let yourself fall into this world and accept what the showrunner and her writers have said: they didn't want the audience to feel like they are treated as stupid. Judging by some critics I guess that didn't work that well, sadly, but as tv and movies are a form of art, too, it's very subjective anyway. Just don't think seeing only one or two episodes is actually enough to judge this series.
Letting yourself fall into a world is something that should be done whenever you watch something, be it set in our world or not. And if it is set in another world you have to do it a bit more. What I find so fascinating is how people don't seem to pay proper attention. I've watched a couple of tv show reactions to various shows and you always have those people who constantly ask "what is happening? I don't get it" when a few seconds earlier something was said that explains it. So having people confused by a show that relies heavily on small details to tell the timeline doesn't necessarily surprise me. I still think though that people have been getting so used to having everything explained that they don't concentrate while watching something anymore. It's more telling of what audiences are like nowadays than of how a story is told. I personally find the way the timeline is only slowly unraveled for the viewer a nice touch. I would have disliked seeing stories told in flashbacks and we have seen year numbers a lot. Telling the timeline through details in speech and image is something I appreciate and as a viewer it makes me even more engaged with the show. I really liked how that was done in the third episode but this again is something for a spoiler review.
Netflix's The Witcher relies on the "monster of the week" format a bit due to the nature of it being based on short stories. This isn't really something people seem to expect from fantasy shows nowadays but I find it a fresh new perspective and good for keeping entertained. There is always something new that doesn't necessarily relate to what happened before, at least in Geralt's parts, but it mirrors in the scenes with Ciri and Yennefer to tie them together and to give us some world building. And yes, they do not explain everything. But do you want all this exposition right now? No show does that. We are going to get those explanations later on I expect and it is completely fine. Now, you have a show that relies on the characters more than the world. The world we will get to know more as it continues. And I really hope it does. I feel like critics will be more lenient when we get to the saga being told as it is a coherent story.
This world also has a lot of great monsters and we do see a few in this season. My favorite being the one in episode three and I guess that goes for many Witcher fans who have played all the games and read the short stories. I have to say that the design in CGI and practical effect was really good. It does feel like horror in this moment which I find to be a nice touch. There is a good mixture of CG and practical in this series which I find to be very important. If you rely to heavily on one or the other it can make your creation suffer. Only one small complaint though: there is a moment with this monster and a prop, and that's where the CGI needed some tightening. Again, first seasons don't necessarily have seamless CGI. And sometimes not even later seasons. There were quite a few shots in GoT in later seasons that weren't as well done as they had needed to be, to name an example most people will have seen.
We do have here a show that while it does work might need some getting used to for people whose first experience with this universe is this show. You also need to pay attention. You can't just watch it on the go and while doing something else unless you know this world and the stories. You have to accept that they tried something a bit different with the storytelling in terms of the timeline. But overall I do think that even non-fans will like it. My best friend has watched and enjoyed the show. And she only knew what I had told her about that world, which wasn't that much. And an acquaintance on bookstagram also fell in love with this world through the show and has been going on about wanting to order the books now. I also talked to a colleague of mine who didn't know the world either and she also liked it. So it does work for people who only now experience this world. What it is not for is for people who don't want to experience it and who go into it expecting something that is like GoT. The comparison has been irking me since the beginning because this world is so different. The Witcher is funny and heartfelt, whimsical and horrific, brutal and loving. It is not a tense political drama. It does have elements of it but it is often told through conversation and humor. And I guess the humor elements might make this a bit "childish" for some. I find it is something Terry Pratchett fans might enjoy even though it is a different kind of humor.
This is a world and story that is a bit on the older side by now and it is obvious I would say, but I find that is what makes these stories so charming. As well as it being by a Polish author who therefore had and has a different background in storytelling compared to what many are now used to in fantasy. There are the typical elements that became a staple of the genre thanks to Tolkien but Sapkowksi put his own spin on those. And I think the people making this show beautifully adapted that. This series does make me feel like the books do in some parts.
There is so much more to say about The Witcher but it will get into spoiler territory and I need to rewatch all episodes for that. So I will also make a spoiler post talking about all the episodes in detail at some point when I have the time. For now I want to leave it at this: I do recommend the show to everyone who wants to experience something fun and new, something that will engage you and give you pure fantasy.
~~
For anyone who is interested: Here are some metal covers of Toss a Coin to Your Witcher which I can recommend. Basically, I just waited for these to happen because if there is one cliché that is true for a huge amount of metalheads it's them being total nerds (the last one might not be available outside of Germany as German stuff is often geoblocked).
___
Disclaimer: I wasn't asked or payed to talk about this show, the showrunner, writers or the author mentioned, nor anything else mentioned. Everything is my own opinion.
Follow me: Instagram | Goodreads | Letterboxd
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