Summary: Ross upsets Phoebe after saying she has never had a serious relationship and keeps making the situation worse. Monica is unsettled when she thinks that Chandler has a shark attack fetish. Joey dates a woman but thinks that he has slept with her before.
The Good: Again, Joey does his best to save this episode. The idea of him being upset that a woman doesn't remember him is a hilarious, hypocritical idea. His investigation is a lot of fun and it leads to a predictable, but still funny, conclusion. The Bad: The other storylines are poor. Ross is a total idiot in this episode and his decision-making is baffling. The way he upsets Phoebe at the start of the episode doesn't ring true at all, and it suggests that Ross hardly even knows her if he thinks that she doesn't want anything serious and doesn't want to get married. Of course Phoebe is rude again, suggesting that wanting to be Ross is such a bad thing, even while crying. Ross choosing to visit Mike and tell him everything is totally absurd, and the invention of Vikram is equally stupid, even though it does lead to a couple fun jokes at the end of the episode. Chandler and Monica's story doesn't feel right either. Monica thinking that Chandler is into sharks is ridiculous, suggesting that she doesn't know him at all. Obviously he had changed the channel to the sharks! Best Moment: Joey saying ridiculous lies to Hayley like "I don't normally ask out women I meet in coffeehouses" and Gunther openly laughing at them in the background. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: More poor stuff from season 9. This season is off to a very bad start. Score: 47
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Summary: Rachel looks for a new pediatrician for Emma. Joey and Phoebe set each other up for a double date but Joey forgets to find someone for Phoebe. Chandler prepares to leave for Tulsa.
The Good: Joey laughing at names is silly fun. Joey has a good episode overall and does his best trying to go along with Mike, and Phoebe does well to see through it. The story ends sweetly with Joey happy that Phoebe found someone. The Bad: The trend of awful writing continues this season. Phoebe completely fails to find someone serious for Joey, instead opting for somebody who is "loose" and willing to do threesomes. The Joey/Phoebe storyline overall is light on laughs. Chandler moving to Tulsa is such a flat storyline that doesn't feel consequential at all. We all know that he will still be around for the season. Monica comes off as awful for sticking by Chandler and then making a sharp 180, trying to stay in New York for a job. The storyline is bare-bones, and Monica's lack of indecision makes her look like a selfish liar to Chandler. Phoebe remains awful with how she treats Chandler in this episode, calling dibs on his apartment and forcing him out the door at the episode's end. Of course Ross gets humiliated again, and this time it's just embarrassing. The idea of Ross seeing a pediatrician is utterly ridiculous, one of those stupid ideas that never should have left the writer's room. Rachel again comes off as an unprepared mother as she is unrealistically paranoid. Best Moment: Joey smiling about his "two best friends" getting together. Character of the Episode: Joey again. Conclusion: This season is off to an atrocious start. There were some good laughs in the previous episode, but otherwise these first three episodes feel like they were written by 3rd graders, packed with unfunny jokes and poorly written storylines. Another bad episode. Score: 43 Summary: Joey tries to work things out with Ross. Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe try their best to get Emma to stop crying. Chandler sleeps through a meeting and discovers he is being sent to Tulsa and tries to get out of it.
The Good: Once again the funny character interactions save this episode. Ross and Joey are the stars here. Their storyline, even if it doesn't quite work (see: The Bad), is a lot of fun. Joey is super charismatic and likeable here. His inability to understand quotations is great, and the punching joke is tremendously funny. I think he works things out reasonably with Ross, and they have fun interactions throughout the episode. Chandler continuously offending his boss is pretty funny. The Bad: But unfortunately a lot of this is stupid. While I enjoyed seeing Chandler offend his boss, he comes off as a total fool throughout the storyline, falling asleep so easily, looking weak next to Monica, and utterly failing to make a case to not go to Tulsa. Furthermore, the move to Tulsa would never be forced onto Chandler like this in reality. The Emma storyline is terrible. We have seen many episodes of Rachel preparing to be a mother, so having her be so lazy and make such careless mistakes like waking Emma is pure character regression. Rachel recruiting Monica to care for Emma is really selfish, and Monica looks dumb for going along with it. Worse is Phoebe who is positively unhelpful and rude in every single scenario. This is Phoebe at her worst. Ross being so angry with Joey doesn't quite make sense. The problem for him was that Rachel said yes, so why is he so furious with Joey? This story was written very poorly all the way through. Best Moment: Joey is his bets self as he begs Ross to hit him, but then manages to make things worse by getting Ross to punch the pole and then Joey himself punches Ross on accident. It's really comical stuff, and the cherry on top is Gunther's overjoyed expression after Ross injures himself. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: Ross and Joey are fantastic here, but their comedy is undercut by the rest of the episode being borderline unwatchable. The main story is terrific, but the awful supporting storylines bring down this episode badly. Score: 52 Summary: Joey tries to talk to Rachel and Ross about the accidental proposal. Rachel tells Phoebe she is engaged but Phoebe thinks it is with Joey. Monica and Chandler keep having sex to try to get pregnant.
The Good: There are some funny lines throughout the episode and good jokes. Once again, the main cats do their absolute best to salvage the episode by having some nice interactions. Joey's awkwardness around Rachel, Ross asserting he is a doctor, and Jack going too far in the sex discussion were good, if unspectacular jokes. The Bad: This episode is entirely ridiculous. Rachel going along with the proposal makes no sense, and it is impossible to buy into her actions for the entire episode. That makes it all the more frustrating when the Rachel/Ross relationship is stalled further at the episode's end. The situation this time is not even remotely funny and it serves only to annoy me. Joey's actions are just as awful. It should not be hard for him to talk to either Ross or Rachel and explain his mistake. Yet every time he tries, the show forces somebody to interrupt to delay the inevitable and allow the situation to predictably spiral out of control. Ross is pretty bad here as well, thinking that maybe he did propose, which is absurd. The scene when the trio finally work out the problem wasn't particularly funny or effective, and it felt like a chore to finally get to that point. Chandler and Phoebe also get involved at various points and are entirely unhelpful and unsympathetic. Ross taking so long to realize that Rachel must have said yes to Joey is tough to buy, and of course it will likely lead to yet another roadblock in the Ross/Rachel relationship, what a surprise. Monica and Chandler's story is fine with some good jokes, but Jack is completely out of character here. Jack completely loses the subtlety in his actions, and also loses what makes him funny. The line trying to explain that he is much more vulgar without his wife doesn't excuse this, and it feels like another case of sacrificing character for cheap comedy. Best Moment: Ross shifts away from the pressing proposal topic to assert to Phoebe that he IS a doctor. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: After the concerning cliffhanger in the season 8 finale, I was afraid that this first episode would fall into absolute absurdity. My concerns were proven correct because this episode was brainlessly written and difficult to watch. This is definitely one of the weakest episodes of "Friends", and a very poor start to season 9. Score: 40 Summary: Rachel finally gives birth and starts to get worried that she will be alone. Chandler and Monica continue trying to conceive. Clifford finds out what Phoebe did with Joey.
The Good: Rachel having her baby is a nice sequence. She's fittingly afraid without going too overboard. Ross is great as he provides support and also some laughs. The episode shines most when it is more serious surprisingly. Rachel's fears are well written and it's easy to buy into her realization that Ross will likely leave her behind for his own family. Meanwhile, Ross gets a terrific scene with Phoebe where he explains very understandable fears involving getting back with Rachel. The Bad: Lots of flaws to list out. Of course we are back in full force with yet another will they/won't they between Ross and Rachel. It is getting absurd now. The proposal at the end is completely ridiculous and it's hard to imagine that it will have any long-lasting consequences. Phoebe's story falls apart in predictable fashion and is resolved off-screen, making it feel entirely frivolous. At least she wasn't rewarded for her awful behaviour this time. Chandler and Monica did not get enough material to justify their story being stretched out across two episodes. Also, Rachel giving birth took 21 hours, are we seriously supposed to believe that everyone waited in the hospital for that long? This second half isn't a very funny episode so it actually suffers more than part 1 does from this story being split into two halves. Best Moment: Ross revealing why he doesn't want to get back with Rachel to Phoebe. It's not funny, but it's a very sweet and well-written moment that outshined all of the jokes in this episode. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: There was some nice character writing here, but the slow pace of this two-part season finale really hurt this episode as the side stories felt especially pointless and the good jokes were few and far between. Season 8 was a mixed season, but better than the last two. It had glimpses of excellence with some brilliant episode concepts, and the main cast were especially great together in this season. But the familiar issues of silly writing, degrading characters to caricatures of themselves, and inconsistency across 25 episodes remained true, even if there were some episodes that rose above these flaws. I think this season is a bit better than the last few simply because of those worthwhile episodes that I really loved. But even with this late re-emergence of quality, I still get the sense that "Friends" is continuing to lose steam, and this season merely slowed the decrease in quality rather than reverse it. With several stories and characters becoming tired, I hope that this show concludes before it suffers a really bad drop in quality. Score: 57 Summary: Rachel waits to have her baby but she is stuck waiting for a long time. Chandler and Monica try to conceive in the hospital. Phoebe tries to hunt down a cute guy in the hospital.
The Good: This was a really funny episode. The dialogue was written wonderfully and the episode was packed with delightfully funny lines that amused me. Ross and Rachel's dynamic is brilliant here, and the writers got something special out of having the react to the hilarious couples that they ended up sharing a room with. Ross is his typical dorky self as he tries to make Rachel feel better, and Rachel's 17 hour wait is a credible reason to make her increasingly erratic to create some funny moments while she expresses her frustration. The twist that Chandler is ready to have a baby is a lovely bit of character growth. When "Friends" takes itself seriously, it can create excellent moments like when Monica 's attempt to scare Chandler results in the surprise reveal that he's ready to take a step forwards. This was much better than another jab at Chandler's commitment issues. The Bad: This episode feels like a part 1. The story is paced painfully slowly and if there hadn't been as many good lines, this could have been a really poor episode. Rachel's birth feels like a single episode storyline stretched into two. Phoebe's story doesn't work for me. She's as mean-spirited as ever, and while Joey is funny, there is absolutely no way that the hospital staff or Clifford would ever cooperate with his Dr. Drake Ramoray shtick. Janice's introduction at the end didn't work for me. It's always the same joke of how annoying she is, and after 8 seasons, it is not funny anymore. Best Moment: Ross spreads his legs up on the hospital bed to make Rachel laugh, only for another couple to walk in and see him on their bed. Ross immediately gets up and awkwardly introduces himself saying, "I'm here to ruin this magical day for you". This scene is both funny and plausible. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: Once again, "Friends" is saved by the efforts of its main cast and their ability to bounce funny lines off of each other. I was entertained throughout this episode even though there were flaws with pacing and realism. Score: 66 Summary: After Geralt is bitten by a ghoul, he is helped by a merchant who takes him to his home. Along the way, Geralt has visions of his past and is healed by a mage, the same mage who gave him his powers when he was young. Upon reaching the farmhouse, Geralt discovers that the merchant's wife is Zola, who has been taking care of Ciri. Geralt goes into the woods and finally meets Ciri. Meanwhile, Yennefer and the brotherhood reach Sodden Hill and fortify it against Nilfgaard. Fringilla attacks early in the night, resulting in several mages fleeing. By the time the real attack comes, only 22 mages are left. They fight hard but are fighting a losing battle. Yennefer unleashes her full power and demolishes much of the army. Foltest then arrives with troops to continue the battle. Tissaia calls out for Yennefer but she has vanished.
The Good: The battle on Sodden Hill was a visually impressive action spectacle that took the focus of much of the episode, and it is very enjoyable to watch. One thing to always be excited for in fantasy stories are the huge battles, and this episode provided one with reasonable success. Much of this was about showing us just how powerful these mages are, and there were plenty of impressive moments throughout the episode like Nilfgaard sacrificing mages to create fireballs, Triss creating a vine to defend the main gate, and the mages shooting arrows through portals to get them to travel further. Emotionally, we had some solid scenes too. Yennefer's big moment at the end of the battle was impactful, as was her march through the lost battlefield, hoping against hope that somebody could answer her. I liked Fringilla being the one to respond to Yennefer, offering her a chance to join Nilfgaard to pursue more power. Yennefer has rejected it this time, but I do wonder if she will get this offer again. Geralt's story is interesting and has some good moments. His life being risked to help a simple merchant reminds us that he is good-hearted which helps us like him more. I was intrigued by his hallucinations which suggest some interesting details about his upbringing (see: The Unknown). I also got a nice laugh out of Geralt sternly rejecting the merchant's offer of the law of surprise. Of course the big moment of his story came at the end when he finally met Ciri. The moment wasn't perfect (see: The Bad), but it was effective and it serves as a good pay-off for the season to have the two of them finally meet. The Bad: Lots of little things bothered me about this episode. Let's start with Ciri and Geralt's first meeting. I was surprised by how this moment was framed as a key emotional moment in this finale when it was difficult to feel that way. Sure, this is the characters' finding their destiny, but since they don't know each other at all, I found it extremely difficult to buy into this as a touching emotional moment at the end of a journey. Geralt only went after Ciri in the previous episode, and Ciri has hardly been given any screen time, so its been tough to empathize with the character. The moment was fine, but it was not good enough to be the emotional heart of the entire season. Geralt's story in this episode was an odd choice. To have him delirious and hallucinating in the finale of this first season was a strange decision, and it made the main character feel like an after-thought compared to everything that was going on with Yennefer. This didn't feel like a climactic storyline to close out the first season, in fact I feel like this may have been better in a season premier. The battle at Sodden Hill is inherently flawed because I do not care about any of these characters aside from Yennefer. I felt nothing watching all of these mages die, and characters like Tissaia, Triss, and Vilgefortz are too underdeveloped for me to feel any tension when they risked their lives, and it did not matter to me whether they lived or died. I was confused with Yennefer's role in this battle as a tactical leader. We've never seen this side of her before, so it felt like this new role came straight out of left field. Yennefer didn't show any discomfort with her position either, making it feel like we missed a significant part of Yennefer's character in which she learned to be a competent leader. Furthermore, the battle was hurt by the lack of a conclusion. Amazingly, we never learned the result of the battle! That's so disappointing and it reinforces my feelings of this battle not being emotionally important. Sure, it's a key plot event, but there is no emotional core for me to latch on to. That we don't see the result of the battle proves that even the show isn't invested in this battle, making me really question why we needed to center the finale around this battle. The Unknown: Cahir says his goal isn't to get to the center of it all. What does that mean? Who was Geralt's mother exactly? What is her importance? Why did she choose to leave him? Was she even his mother, or just his creator? Who is Vesemir? Apparently he named Geralt. How did Geralt get his eyes? What was the trial that only 3/10 people survive? What will Geralt tell Ciri about Yennefer? What impact will this have on their relationship? What was the result of the battle? Who won? Why did Vilgefortz seemingly turn against the mages? Where did Yennefer go at the end of the episode? What powers has she gained from letting her chaos out? Best Moment: It's tough to pick a stand-out moment because not a whole lot really stuck with me. I suppose I'll pick Yennefer's rage-filled final attack, which felt like a turning point for the character as well as a visual spectacle. Character of the Episode: Yennefer. Conclusion: This was a bit of a mixed finale. It was action-packed and it took several steps in the right direction, but the experience wasn't as emotional or as definitive as it was trying to be. Season 1 overall was not as good as I was hoping. This show is deeply flawed. From the poor dialogue, to the lack of subtlety, to a confused tone, there are many aspects of this show that combine to make this feel like an unsatisfying watch that is lacking heart. I really hope that these issues can be ironed out for season 2 because they are seriously dampening my experience in this world. The reason I will keep watching is because there is serious potential here. The story is in a much better place than when the season started, and there were signs of improvement as the season went on. I know that season 2 will be focusing on the first novel after season 1 focused on connecting several short stories, so hopefully that change will give this series a better sense of direction and tone, and if the writing and acting can improve, there is a genuine chance that season 2 of "The Witcher" can be really good. I won't be holding my breath, but I will watch season 2 with some expectation. As for season 1, it was a fine watch and it introduced this world and story adequately, but it is far too flawed to be compelling television. Score: 57 Summary: Geralt sees the Nilfgaardian army on the move and goes to Cintra with hopes of taking Ciri away to protect her. Calanthe doesn't want this to happen, and after unsuccessfully attempting to deceive Geralt, she imprisons him. Nilfgaard attacks and Geralt escapes. Yennefer visits Istredd in Nazair, hoping to reconnect with him, but he has moved on. Yennefer is met by Vilgefortz who manipulates her into returning to Aretuza, where he hopes to have her help. Yennefer is angered upon discovering this, but she stays at Aretuza and reflects on how jaded she is with the mage society. The mages gather to discuss what to do about Nilfgaard and they ultimately agree to let Cintra fall. Tissaia speaks with Yennefer, asking her to help a small group of mages who wish to stop Nilfgaard. Ciri attempts to get to Skellige and steals a horse from a lady who offered to keep her safe. At night, Ciri is approached by a group of people, headed by Anton who recognizes her. The group tries to steal everything from Ciri, but she unleashes her powers and suddenly recites a prophecy.
The Good: It was great to see Geralt's story finally link up with Ciri's in this episode. Just like in "Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials", a greater significance to the overall plot increased my interest in this episode and made its events more engaging and interesting. In a lot of ways this is a direct continuation of that episode because it deals with Geralt's return to Cintra to be with Ciri, and showcases where he was during Cintra's fall and what he did about it. I appreciate that Geralt tried to help, and it seems that he is now more interested in his child surprise specifically because of his last encounter with Yennefer who chewed him out for ignoring Ciri. I enjoyed the character consistency with Calanthe who refused to give up Ciri to Geralt, with her overprotectiveness reinforced after Pavetta was lost at sea (see: The Unknown). And fitting for Geralt, he sees through Calanthe's plan and quickly realizes that the girl given to him was a fake. I enjoyed the writing here and it led to the sensible conclusion with Geralt being imprisoned. It also gave some more significance to Calanthe's final words, knowing that she is essentially admitting that she was wrong about everything in her final moments. Yennefer's storyline was the strongest of the episode. Her return to Istredd following the collapse of her world in the previous episode makes perfect sense. It fits that she would try to return to the one place where she was happy, and it is equally fitting that Istredd no longer wants anything to do with her after all this time. I never really bought into their relationship, but the idea of an estranged lover wanting to return after everything else has gone wrong is so strong that it makes this story work. The acting is also much improved here and I found myself understanding both characters' plights in this scene. Yennefer regrets everything while Istredd has finally moved on and has no intention of going back. This is some of the strongest character writing that the show has done so far. Even better was Yennefer's return to Aretuza. This sequence perfectly illustrated the character's disillusionment at how little the institution prepared her for reality and how much they had hidden from her. Furthermore, she blames Aretuza bitterly for taking away her ability to reproduce, lashing out at the world that created her. This story is laid out nicely for us, and I enjoyed Yennefer's cold-hearted and bitter warning to the aspiring mages, knowing that these weak mages would likely just end up as sacrifices to power Aretuza. The show has done a fantastic job of building up Yennefer, and even if the experience of getting her to this point wasn't as compelling as I would have liked, I buy her in this position and I'm excited to see what's next for her. Now that we are starting to dive into the more political side of Aretuza, I'm intrigued to see how Yennefer fits into this world and what impact she will have on it. The Bad: Ciri's story still falls flat. We haven't spent enough time with her to care about what she's doing and that remains true in this episode. I wish that her story had either been more fleshed out, or even cut/shortened altogether to allow more time for the more interesting characters. The Unknown: Why did Geralt decide to finally take on the law of surprise? Was it because of what Yennefer said? Why are these Nilfgaardians so loyal and willing to throw away their lives? Just who is this Emperor Emhyr, and how was he able to inspire such loyalty? Will the mages ever turn against Nilfgaard or are they happy to let them conquer the continent? Will Yennefer choose to fight with the small brotherhood of mages opposing Nilfgaard? What role will she have in the political realm of Aretuza now that she has been invited by Vilgefortz. What was that prophecy that Ciri shouted out at the end? How did she become a vessel for a prophecy? What became of Anton and the others with him when Ciri's powers burst out? Best Moment: Yennefer ranting away to the young mages in training about the flaws in the Aretuza system. Character of the Episode: Yennefer. Conclusion: This is better stuff. There is a sense of momentum here, and some interesting ideas are now being explored. There's still a long way to go for "The Witcher", but I enjoyed this episode. Score: 62 Summary: Geralt agrees to go on a dragon hunt to help a man, Borch, become a lord when he sees Yennefer is a part of it. Several groups are in competition and they travel together with clear conflicts. Borch deduces that Geralt is in love with Yennefer. Geralt speaks with her and realizes that she is still looking to cure her womb. Along the way, Borch falls off of a cliff and dies. Geralt makes it to the top and finds that the dragon is dead and has been protecting its egg. Borch returns and reveals himself to be a gold dragon wishing to protect the other dragon's egg. Geralt and Yennefer side with Borch and fight off the other men. Yennefer learns that Geralt's last wish tied her to him and seemingly is making her love him. Enraged, she leaves and Borch reveals that Yennefer's womb will never be restored and Geralt will love Yennefer though he does not want to. Angry, Geralt blames Jaskier for everything and ends up being all alone. Elsewhere, Ciri learns that Mousesack is a doppler and tries to escape but she is captured and tied up. The doppler turns on Cahir when it finds out Ciri's true identity. Dara frees Ciri but refuses to help her anymore.
The Good: Committing to this show's lighthearted high fantasy storytelling was a good decision for the main plot. Previous episodes of the show have felt confused with their identity because of the extreme tonal shifts that happened within the episode. This one felt the most consistent in tone, and it was improved by that fact. I enjoyed the main plot and I thought that it helped make this world feel more fleshed out and developed. I enjoyed seeing Geralt and Yennefer together again, and their interactions are interesting to watch, particularly because of what we learn about the characters by giving them someone to open up to (see: Best Moment). I also liked the Borch twist, it surprised me, and also opened up the world to more possibilities of magic and fantastical creatures. Once again, this show is strong on paper. Geralt and Yennefer's story sounds like it should be fantastic, but in execution it doesn't quite get there (see: The Bad). But I really like the idea of them constantly running into each other and reigniting their love specifically because of the wish Geralt made in the previous episode. It's clear that he loves Yennefer, but it's unclear if Yennefer's feelings are real, or if Geralt simply wished for them to be real. This is a fascinating set-up for a relationship, and it should lead to some compelling places. I liked how the episode ended with what felt like a very real tragedy as Yennefer and Geralt split up once more, and in his rage, Geralt has seemingly severed his bond with Jaskier as well. Borch laying out some harsh truths for both Yennefer and Geralt was a great moment that will hopefully push forwards the growth of these characters in the remaining episodes of the season. The Bad: This show's biggest flaw is a lack of heart. I do not care about what is happening on screen enough to be pulled in to the drama, and there are a number of reasons why this is. For one, the pacing is terrible. Geralt and Yennefer just met last episode, and now they have already been propelled to a "tragic" break-up scene. But the scene doesn't feel tragic because we still hardly know about them and their relationship. Apparently they had met each other countless times since it has been years since the last episode, which was a jarring revelation. We haven't seen their relationship develop organically at all, so it feels strange to see that they have such a deep connection in this episode. Another problem is the continued cheesiness of the show. I appreciated the lighthearted tone to make the main plot more gripping, but it just made it that much more jarring when the show decided to tell a more serious story with Yennefer and Geralt's argument. I feel like I'm watching multiple different shows every time I watch an episode of "The Witcher", and that sense of confusion is dampening my enjoyment of a story that is based on some superb ideas. Some of this cheesiness really took me out of the experience. The woefully bad dialogue for the dwarves took me out of the episode every time they spoke, and then of course there is that awful kiss scene that feels so forced that it had me rolling my eyes when I watched it, completely taking me out of that climactic action scene. All of these problems make this show feel stunningly empty and devoid of meaningful emotion. I just can't get into it because of that, even though I really want to get invested. Add on the familiar problems of poor dialogue, acting, and a lack of subtlety, and more and more problems seem to be getting in the way of this show. Ciri's story was remarkably flat. I had no investment in what was happening to her because she has hardly done anything in these first few episodes. I found myself looking at my watch during her scenes, waiting to get back to Geralt and Yennefer. Ciri's story has progressed so little that I no longer have any interest in seeing her. She has a split in this episode with Dara, but I could not care less about that. Their relationship has never been defined, and I have no clue why Ciri seems to know him well enough to call him family. We literally haven't ever seen them properly interact! I was also perplexed by the doppler tying her to a tree, making it so easy for her to escape. Villains suddenly becoming incompetent is one of my least favourite tropes to see. Furthermore, I'm confused by how the dopplers work. It is heavily suggested that they retain the memories of the people they copy (they were able to see into Cahir's mind), and yet the dopplers don't know that Mousesack has arthritis and hates the cold. And somehow they also didn't know anything about Ciri, even though Mousesack's memories would give them all the answers that they need. This inconsistency reeks of awful, thoughtless writing. Cahir is such a boring villain so far. I can't care less about him. I'm also not invested in Fringilla as a villain either. We're supposed to be excited for when Geralt's timeline catches up to Ciri's, but there is nothing interesting going on around Ciri that makes me particularly excited for this. At this point, I would rather watch Geralt going on his light-hearted adventures with Jaskier if all we have to look forward to it a poorly-written, trope-heavy mess of a main storyline. The Unknown: Who is King Neidamir? Where does he rule? What powers does Borch have, being a gold dragon? Will we see dragons again in this show? Will we learn more about the dwarves and reavers? I would be interested in exploring these communities. Was Yennefer the one who killed Eyck? What is the prophecy that Cahir is following? Again, what is the White Flame? What was Geralt's wish exactly? How did he save Yennefer's life by also keeping her tied to him? Best Moment: Geralt and Yennefer talking to each other about their dreams was a lovely scene. Having these characters simply exist allows us to learn some really fascinating information about them. I'm not fully convinced by their love, but I am enjoying their conversations with one another. Character of the Episode: Geralt. Conclusion: This is more of the same from "The Witcher". There are good ideas here, but the show is riddled with problems and feels remarkably flat as a result. Score: 49 Summary: Geralt is searching for a djinn when Jaskier comes across him. Geralt finds it but Jaskier breaks the jar and releases it. The djinn finds its next vessel in Geralt and Jaskier is badly wounded by it with his life in danger. Geralt takes him to a mage nearby - Yennefer, who has settled in a town looking to find a way to restore her ability to give birth. She cures Jaskier but attempts to make herself the vessel for the djinn to fix herself. However, she incorrectly presumes that Jaskier is the vessel for the djinn when it is Geralt. Geralt realizes this and goes in to save Yennefer, realizing that she's going to die. Yennefer persists on continuing and Geralt uses his last wish, which gets everything to stop. After, Geralt and Yennefer have sex.
The Good: It feels good to finally see some crossover between the main characters. The previous episodes have all been hurt by having three wildly different stories happening at once, and they haven't felt cohesive. Now we finally get that bit of cohesion as Yennefer and Geralt meet each other. This has finally given the story some forward momentum, and I was engaged to see how Geralt and Yennefer interacted and what kind of relationship they would form. I enjoyed their interactions throughout the episode and their attraction to each other was obvious. I'm curious to see more of them together. The plot of this episode is very interesting. There are intriguing mysteries throughout like the nature of the djinn, Geralt's sleeplessness, and Yennefer's intentions. The plot held my attention the entire time, which is more than I can say for the previous episodes. This was much more engaging, interesting, and exciting. Yennefer's story has been well written to get her to this point. After the first few episodes, it seemed like she was destined to become a powerful and successful mage. Instead, she's now languishing in a small village, doing whatever she can to earn a living to have that baby she so desperately wants. Her decent is easy to understand, and it has been written well. I bought into her crazy actions in this episode, such as her trying to capture the djinn. The Bad: This episode had huge tonal issues that took away from the experience. By all rights, this feels like it should be a dark and gritty story considering Yennefer's story and how the show tries so hard to present her as scary and intimidating. This has been the tone that we have seen throughout Yennefer's story and it has worked. But with Geralt's story comes an absurdly lighthearted tone, the kind that you only see in a series that isn't taking itself seriously. These two tones clash in some really frustrating ways throughout the episode. The first main issue is unfortunately Jaskier. His presence is out of place here and his comedy has no place in an episode as tense and serious as this. It deflates the tension in almost every scene and many of the jokes aren't funny. The end of the episode is also ruined by a really stupid moment as Jaskier and Chireadan see Geralt and Yennefer having sex and offer up some ridiculous commentary. The whole episode has random scenes like this, and they do not work at all. Another problem is the constant unnecessary nudity throughout the episode. If you want to build Yennefer up as scary as intimidating, having her naked in most of her scenes, and including an orgy does not accomplish that at all. The show does not strike the right atmosphere because of this, and it is hurt further by the constant jokes with Jaskier. Instead of making us fear Yennefer, this makes her feel like a joke. I'm still disappointed with the Yennefer/Tissaia relationship. Their scene together should have been impactful, and I should have felt the emotion of Yennefer going rogue and how upsetting this is for Tissaia. But the relationship between these two has been so rushed and underdeveloped that I felt nothing during the entire scene. It was just another conversation because I haven't connected enough with the characters to feel for their struggles. I don't know how they feel about each other, so it is difficult to care about their decisions. Ciri's story continues to feel woefully out of place. There is a decent development here with the doppler meeting with Ciri, but this is the third episode in a row where her story's development has been limited to a cliffhanger. The Brokilon forest story was completely flat. I haven't seen enough of Ciri and Dara to care about their relationship, and I haven't seen enough of Brokilon forest for it to become a fully realized location. It was very difficult to care about what happened in this story. The Unknown: What exactly are djinns? How do they work? How did Geralt know where to find one? Apparently Witchers were created by mages. How? Also they apparently have a slower heartbeat. How does this affect them? Does this extend their lifespan as well? What was Geralt's last wish? Was it to cure his insomnia or something else? Geralt did sleep immediately after having sex, but perhaps this is just a red herring. There is likely a reason that Geralt's wish was hidden from us. What are the dopplers? How are they able to do their magic? Do they have other abilities? Do they have a true form? What is this doppler's plan to assassinate Ciri? What is the White Flame? Does Tissaia actually have a use for Yennefer? What happened to Yennefer in Aedirn? It sounds like things went very badly. Did they discover that she was part elf? Best Moment: Geralt and Yennefer's conversation in the bath. The sexual tension didn't do much for me, but what was much more fascinating was the way that these two characters sized each other up and tried to maintain dominance while learning more about each other. It was a rare sequence that had some excellent dialogue. Character of the Episode: Yennefer. Conclusion: This episode makes me more optimistic for the future of "The Witcher", even when it is bogged down by tonal issues and questionable character developments. This show isn't compelling yet, but I see potential. Score: 57 Summary: Geralt accompanies Jaskier to a betrothal party in Cintra and is immediately recognized by everyone. While at the party, Calanthe is organizing marriage with Eist and also wants to marry his nephew to her daughter Pavetta. The party is interrupted by Urcheon, a cursed knight who has come to claim Pavetta as his wife as per the Law of Surprise. Calanthe refuses and tries to get Geralt to kill him. When Geralt doesn't, a fight breaks out. They are stopped when Pavetta reveals she wants to marry Urcheon. Calanthe tries to kill him but Pavetta screams and unleashes magical power that destroys the hall. Mousesack and Geralt stop her and Calanthe ultimately agrees to let Pavetta wed Urcheon. The two marriages are finalized and Urcheon's curse is broken. Urcheon offers Geralt a reward and Geralt opts to take the Law of Surprise, and it is suddenly found out that Pavetta is pregnant and Geralt is now linked with their child - Ciri. Elsewhere, Yennefer has been a mage for 30 years and is unhappy with her position. She helps her Queen, Kalis, escape from an assassin but when she is ungrateful towards her, Yennefer leaves her and her baby for dead. Kalis is killed but Yennefer comes back for the baby, but the baby also dies while Yennefer escapes. Yennefer buries the baby and reflects on the awfulness of life. Ciri finds herself in Brokilon forest and is met by dryads. After drinking some water from the trees, she has a vision of a giant tree in a desert.
The Good: This episode was far more satisfying to watch. The first three episodes have been frustrating with how stagnant, aimless and detached they have felt, and its made it tough to get hooked into the show. This episode answered a lot of the questions I had in those first three episodes, and helped make the story feel more cohesive and purposeful. Geralt's story in particular did a brilliant job of shedding more light on Calanthe and Cintra, as well as explaining why Geralt and Ciri are destined for each other, all the while establishing more world-building and painting a clearer picture of this universe. A lot of the confusion that I had in the first few episodes dissipated, and now I feel like I might finally be able to emotionally invest in this story. This episode also had a very strong theme about destiny. This could end up being a central theme of the series, and I thought that it was established well here. Geralt's stance of opposing destiny is very modern, and I appreciate that the show doesn't conform to his ideas about destiny being correct, and instead the show has chosen to challenge his beliefs by presenting him with destiny. Also, a nice touch is that Geralt's decision to avoid his own destiny may have been responsible for Cintra's destruction in "The End's Beginning". A lot of little things were well done in Geralt's story. His dynamic with Jaskier is a lot of fun, and I appreciate that the show is giving us their relationship in small bursts to make sure it does not overstay its welcome. I really enjoyed the story told at the start of the episode. It offered some fascinating world-building, and makes this fantastical world feel a little bit more real with rumours like this circling around everywhere. It also nicely shows us the influence that Geralt has had on the public, while also showing us some of the character's growth as it looks like he is starting to become more well-known and well-liked in the world. I also really liked the tidbit of information we got on the history of Witchers. I'm interested to learn more about them. Yennefer's story has some very good beats to it. I enjoyed the magical chase sequence, and the unflinching brutality of the assassin was an excellent intimidating threat. The sequence was thrilling and had a wonderful ending as Yennefer looked to find an escape from her mundane, boring life that she has lived now for 30 years. Usually I would want to see how Yennefer went through such a change, but I think that this storyline was skillfully written around that. It was hinted at in the previous episode that Yennefer might regret her sacrifice, so it doesn't come off as jarring to see her so sorrowful and empty in this episode. The end of her storyline is almost excellently done. It was good writing to have her return to save the baby, likely hoping that she could sneak the child away and raise it as her own. But it's not meant to be and the child dies, allowing us a fascinating glimpse into the hopelessness that currently dominates Yennefer. The Bad: After watching "Game of Thrones", the banquet scene was not up to my expectations in terms of writing. The dialogue feels too on-the-nose, the lack of respect for authority feels out of place, and the sheer amount of tropes and cliches bothered me quite a bit. This show is not taking itself as seriously as "Game of Thrones" did, and while that is fine, it does require some suspension of disbelief. I'm still bothered by the structure and pacing of this season and I think that it has damaged my enjoyment of the show so far. The content in this episode was mostly good, but I feel like it did not need to take so long to get to this point. Furthermore, the multiple timelines addition feels detrimental so far, and it only confuses me needlessly. The reveal of the multiple timelines in this episode was lacklustre, and I think that if the show hasn't played this off as a surprise, I would have been able to engage with the more important aspects of the show better. Yennefer's story has been hurt by how rushed it has felt, and I felt more of that in this episode. The show didn't quite build up to that monologue at the end well enough to make me really feel it. And of course, the awkward dialogue does not do the show any favours. That scene is nearly excellent, but the poor dialogue and strangeness of Yennefer's story hampers it a little bit. Ciri's story is also suffering. She feels like an afterthought even though she is the main storytelling force of the show so far. I did not find much of substance in her story in this episode, and the progression was minimal at best. She has just been used for cliffhangers in the last two episodes, which is a bit of a waste. The Unknown: What is so special about Brokilon forest? What is its history? Who are the dryads? What was with Ciri's dream? How was she able to see events of the past? What is Shan Kayan? What does it have to do with the huge tree at the end of the episode? What is a selkiemore? Is it like a kraken? Apparently retirement exists in this world? How does that work? Are people able to retire? What is Pavetta's fate? She was not in Cintra back in "The End's Beginning". What happens to her and her magical abilities? What are these abilities anyways? Calanthe suggests they are genetic. Is that Nilfgaardian lord the one who ends up attacking Cintra later? What was the sacking of Kael Morhen? How do Witchers reproduce? Why are they unable to reproduce now? Who was the assassin that attacked Kalis and Yennefer? Was it really because the king wanted Kalis dead? What else has Yennefer been doing for 30 years? Best Moment: Yennefer's speech to the baby was really powerful. Character of the Episode: Yennefer. Conclusion: This was a much better episode that resolved several of the questions I had and made it so that I can finally start connecting more with the characters. I still have my concerns, but the show looks to be improving with time. Score: 63 Summary: Geralt goes to Temeria to slay a striga. Upon arriving there he learns that it killed a witcher. He is met by a sorceress, Triss, who wants him to save the striga who is a princess. Triss takes Geralt to meet the King, Foltest, and he discerns that the striga is the king's daughter and was birthed by his sister. After investigating, Geralt discovers that Ostrit, one of Foltest's men, is responsible fo rthe curse that made the girl into a striga. Geralt sacrifices Ostrit to the striga and fights her until sunrise when the curse is broken. Yennefer has passed her training and is going to be sent to Cintra, but Stregobor reveals she is an elf and tries to get her sent to Nilfgaard instead. The consensus is to send her to Nilfgaard and Yennefer is furious. Discerning that Istredd betrayed her, she argues with him and then goes to forcibly be reborn into a more beautiful and powerful form anyways. After, she meets with the king of Cintra to ensure that she is sent there instead. Ciri walks into an enchanted forest and Dara is unable to follow her.
The Good: The striga storyline is entertaining to watch. A reliable and easy way to make television more engaging is to include a mystery, and this episode did that effectively with that opening scene as we are aware that there is a dangerous monster out there, but we don't know what it is. The rest of the episode explores the origin of the striga and further enriches the world by exploring its fantastical and political aspects. The mystery is gradually resolved through these scenes, and we even get a horror-thriller action sequence reminiscent of "Alien". The story is fun to watch, the visuals are stunning, and the soundtrack is excellent. This is an easy to enjoy adventure, and the presentation was nailed. Geralt himself is uninteresting throughout the episode, but that is the point. The show is making a point of addressing how simplistic and shallow his life is, and it seems clear that this will change when he finally meets his destiny in Ciri, which will hopefully happen soon. Geralt has been set up neatly for a more compelling story down the road. Thankfully, Geralt is still engaging to watch even without much depth. His blunt, no-nonsense approach is refreshing in a political world that is packed with exposition. It's easier to engage in a story where you don't fully understand the world when you're exploring it with a character who doesn't care about anything going on in the world outside of his little bubble of existence. Because of this, I was easily able to invest in the story based off of the details that we know instead of fixating on the details that weren't addressed. Yennefer's story has some significant flaws (see: The Bad), but overall it works. Last episode got us to sympathize with Yennefer's uselessness, and we root for her to overcome her insecurity. This episode serves up a nice twist on that storyline by having Yennefer already be successful, but be faced with losing the chance to leave her past self behind. Yennefer is promised rebirth and feelings of power, but that goes away when she is threatened with being sent to Nilfgaard. We then see Yennefer take matters into her own hands and satisfyingly rebel against the wizards, choosing to force her way into Cintra. I also really enjoyed the world-building details in this episode. We've all-but confirmed that these storylines are happening at different timelines, which I'm glad has been revealed already instead of being milked for a twist later on. I was also pleased to learn more about the wizards, who firmly believe that they are maintaining peace across all kingdoms by sending members of their order to every royal family, similar to the maesters in "Game of Thrones". The Bad: There are a few little things that bother me in Geralt's storyline. The monster reveal did not feel significant at all. I don't know anything about the monsters in this world, so it means nothing to me to hear the characters discuss which monster it is that's terrorizing the people. It's also hard to invest in these monster-of-the-week type of stories. It's clear to me that these storylines will not be important in the long run, and when there is so much bland exposition and empty action filling out the episode, it makes the story feel much less interesting. This show is reminiscent of "The Mandalorian" in this regard, and that's making these early episodes somewhat difficult to invest in. Additionally, I've always hated the trope where villains are initially presented as vicious and unstoppable only to immediately become less competent when faced up with the heroes. The striga falls into this trap in the episode. It is ruthless and murderous against the Witcher at the start of the episode and against Ostrid, but it immediately becomes less bloodthirsty against Geralt. Instead of trying to eat him, it just throws him around. The inconsistency in its behaviour takes me out of the experience and it weakens the action scene. I would much rather prefer the monsters to be written consistently, either make it less vicious in its introduction or have it be more ruthless against Geralt. These options will decrease the drama, but that's a small sacrifice to make to improve my immersion. Yennefer's character development hasn't been very fluid. It felt like she was only just starting to find her way in the magical world in the last episode, but now it seems that she is one of the top mages in her class which is a sudden change. I wish we had seen this play out because I found myself being confused with her sudden increase in ability. In particular, the change in her relationship with Tissaia felt jarring and I was disappointed that the change in their dynamic happened off-screen. The romance between Yennefer and Istredd was just as awkward and cringeworthy as in the last episode, and I did not enjoy it. Their argument was written well to reflect Yennefer's arc in this episode, but it never quite felt organic or satisfying because the character of Istredd is still so murky, and we don't know enough about the world of the wizards yet. Istredd makes a big deal about the fact that he and Yennefer are both spying on each other and that this is normal. I was confused by this because we don't know enough about the wizards for this reveal to have significance. Furthermore, I still don't buy into their relationship with each other because of how rushed it has been. I don't feel like I understand the characters well enough to know why they like each other, and I feel no tragedy or sadness to see them arguing with each other. This episode brings up a fundamental problem with the show. All the storylines feel disjointed and its hurting the pace of the story. Geralt's story suggests that this is a lighthearted mission-of-the-week kind of story, but Yennefer's suggests a much darker serialized storyline. Then Ciri turns up at the end of the episode to remind me of the overarching storyline which has been all-but ignored since the first episode, making for a choppy pace and unfocused structure in these first few episodes. Episode-by-episode this isn't a huge deal, mainly because Geralt has a new storyline each episode, but for a serialized show, this makes it really difficult to invest in the main storyline. I was annoyed to see this episode lean so heavily on nudity and sex. The endless fanservice is one of the most annoying things about "Game of Thrones", and I'm disappointed to see that it's bled into this universe too. The usual flaws with dialogue and acting continue. The acting was better here, but the dialogue was difficult to get into. Most of it was exposition and plot details, which isn't very interesting to listen to. The Unknown: What is a vukodlak? Are orens the currency of the world, or just Temeria? Where is Temeria? Is it a kingdom, or within a kingdom? Which kingdom does Foltest rule? Why don't the Temerians like Witchers? It is suggested that they have the power to exile Geralt at will. Why are Witchers so reviled in this world? Why isn't Yennefer allowed to be reborn when she is assigned to Nilfgaard? I don't understand that at all. Why is it so important for Yennefer to be sent to Nilfgaard? Is she the best of Tissaia's mages now? Yennefer's story is clearly set well before the events of the first episode. What is the significance of this? How will Yennefer's assignment to Cintra influence the events of the future? Will her absence from Nilfgaard be what causes their attack from "The End's Beginning"? Who is Falka? What was Falka's Rebellion? What was Geralt's gift for the princess? What is that stuff that he drinks? What is this forest that Ciri entered? Who was shooting at Dara? Why weren't they shooting Ciri as well? Best Moment: The striga murdering Ostrit was a chilling horror sequence and tremendously well shot. The striga looked impressively terrifying, and I loved the way that its appearance was built up to. Excellent presentation. Character of the Episode: Geralt. Conclusion: Impressive visuals and more engaging storytelling ensured that this was the best episode yet. However, there are still lots of major flaws that need to be ironed out. Score: 59 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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