Summary: Geralt takes Ciri to Kaer Morhen where she trains to become stronger. Yennefer has lost her powers and is captured by Fringilla. They are both captured by the elves, led by Francesca, and the three of them encounter a witch who offers them a deal. Francesca and Fringilla work together and Fringilla offers Cintra to the elves. Yennefer returns to Aretuza having lost her power but she isn't trusted so she escapes with prisoner Cahir. Cahir returns to Cintra while Yennefer saves Jaskier in Redania from Rience who is after Ciri. Geralt learns that Ciri is likely responsible for bringign new monsters into the world and he investigates a toppled monolith with Istredd. Geralt returns to Ciri and takes her to Melitele's Temple where he finds Yennefer. Yennefer makes a connection with Ciri and portals away with her when Rience attacks. Geralt fights them off and tracks down Ciri. Yennefer is tempted to sacrifice Ciri to the witch to get her powers back but is unable to do it. The witch is revealed to be Voleth Meir, a monster, and she is freed and possesses Ciri. Voleth Meir tries to kill the witchers but they fight back and Geralt and Yennefer are able to free Ciri. Fringilla and Francesca continue their alliance until Francesca's baby is suddenly killed. The elves seek vengeance by attacking Redania. The mages inform the kings about Ciri and they decide to go after her. Emhyr arrives in Cintra and is revealed to be Ciri's father Duny.
The Good: Geralt and Ciri's relationship was the core of this season and I thought that it was really well done. Henry Cavill is still the best part about this show and I completely bought into his passion to protect Ciri and act as a father figure for her. Meanwhile Ciri's respect for Geralt is completely understandable as he is the only one still alive that cares and protects for her. Both characters genuinely care for each other and the reasons are plain to see. I became more and more emotionally invested in this pairing as the season went on. The world building was much better than in season 1. Season 1 was rushed and convoluted, and I never felt the world of "The Witcher" pop out and grip me in the way that places like Westeros and Middle Earth have done in "Game of Thrones" and "Lord of the Rings" respectively. Thankfully, season 2 has addressed this and there has been far more world-building to make this world feel more real. World-building is a must in the fantasy genre, and I'm glad that more time was dedicated to it. Redania, Kaer Morhen, Cintra, Aretuza, Melitele's Temple, and all of the other various locations felt more fleshed out and recognizable, and I am more well-versed with the norms of this world and the people within it. There was also a lot more history and lore revealed to us in this season, which I always welcome. This season had great production value. It looks far better than season 1, and a big reason for the improved world-building comes from the improved set design and the increased amount of epic sweeping "Lord of the Rings" style establishing shots. I think that the season also nailed its dream sequences. There were several of these and they were all creepy, suspenseful and mysterious. Sure they were sometimes frustrating, but there's no denying that the production of these sequences added so much to scenes that could have been flat had they been directed in a static, predictable way. The storylines earlier in the season were fun and engaging to watch even if they did not lead to a satisfying pay-off. Yennefer losing her powers was an intriguing development, and while it didn't get explored to the extent that it could have, I enjoyed seeing Yennefer contend with not having her powers, forcing her to be resourceful and feel frustration at having now become just a normal person once again. Ciri's training is a joy to watch and her grit and determination is admirable, making you root for the character. And she is not simply perfect. She struggles and fails throughout the season, and her abilities and resolve are tested in every challenge she faces. It was great to see her slowly win over the respect of Geralt, Yennefer, and all of the witchers. Jaskier's return was welcome, and we had some nice moments when he first came back. The one storyline I really want to single out is actually Geralt and Ciri's visit to Nivellen's place in the first episode, "A Grain of Truth". This was quite easily the best episode of the season because of this stand-alone story. This isn't a plot-heavy episode but it explores the relationship between Geralt and Ciri really nicely, and both characters shine with the spotlight firmly on them. Then you add on Nivellen who is a fascinating grey character that allows "The Witcher" to explore some surprisingly thought-provoking and mature themes which I did not expect from the show at all. The ambiguity of Nivellen's past is a joy to uncover, and to learn of the awful things that this sweet man has allowed to happen under his watch is a real gut-punch. Plus there is a compelling mystery surrounding the bruxa, who is brought to life with so many terrifying ticks and movements, making it the show's best and most memorable monster so far. The Bad: Most of what I liked about this season came in the first half of the season, and that is because the final few episodes completely bungled all of the set-up and storytelling. I've read that "Blood of Elves", the book that this season is based on, is a slower paced, character-driven story with little action. And that slow paced storytelling is what we needed to invest in the characters and world during this season. But evidently, the creators thought that people wouldn't care for a season without much action, so the end of the season sees Voleth Meir forcefully inserted into this narrative, distracting from the story and characters to include some empty "dramatic" action sequences to prevent the casual audience from being bored. We spent so much time building these characters and their relationships, but Voleth Meir makes much of this a moot point by stealing the spotlight from the emotional narrative in the final two episodes. This gives the end of season 2 a really unsatisfying feeling because we didn't see the character arcs completed with the level of emotion we needed. It also doesn't help that the writing in these last two episodes was pretty terrible, and you can find more specifics in my episode-by-episode reviews. Also contributing to the lack of a satisfying emotional conclusion to the season is how rushed the season felt. The story moved forward too rapidly and there were far too many storylines shoved into this 8 episode run. An extra 2-3 episodes would have helped this season a lot by giving these storylines time to breathe. As the show is right now, so many of the side stories uninterest me because they weren't given time to develop and hook me in. I don't care about Rience because I hardly know him, the kings haven't received enough screentime for me to care, Francesca was never given enough time to grow into a complete character, Yennefer's relationship with Ciri did not get adequate time to grow and make me buy into it, etc. All of these are examples of storylines that fell flat because they were squeezed into an overstuffed season and not given the time to make me care. I was only really interested in the Geralt/Ciri stuff, and that didn't even get very much screentime because so much time was spent on these various other poorly realized characters and their rushed storylines. The fact that the season feels so rushed makes Voleth Meir's inclusion even more questionable. How much important story build-up and character development was cut to include this unnecessary, boring villain? This season doesn't do a whole lot of things badly, but these two main points are devastating to the overall quality of the story, leaving me feeling extremely disappointed with this season because we should have gotten a far better story. Another criticism I have is on the decision to release all eight episodes at once, encouraging people to binge the show thoughtlessly. For shows like "Stranger Things" which is very simple and easy to watch, this works well. But for a complex and lore-heavy show like "The Witcher", this decision to encourage binging is perplexing. For a fantasy narrative, you need to have time between episodes to ponder the story and the world, letting the new concepts we learn sink in. But when the show is binged, it encourages the viewer to ignore all of the world-building, themes, and deeper storytelling, and to simply watch the show for its action and fun, only appreciating the deeper elements of the show on a surface level. I do not agree with this approach at all, and I firmly believe that releasing episodes of this show weekly is a far better approach than to drop the entire season at once. This show is based on a fantasy book series. And you never read fantasy books in a single day, it's always bit by bit over time so that it doesn't feel overwhelming. Releasing the entire season at once is a big way that this show fails to capture the feeling of its source material. Best Episodes: E01 A Grain of Truth: This stand-alone experience ended up being the best episode of the season. An intriguing and mysterious story about a man that grapples with themes of morality and what makes people into monsters. The best content we have got from "The Witcher" so far. E04 Redanian Intelligence: The set up done in this episode is good and exciting to follow and it feels like the season is building up to something exciting. Yennefer, Geralt, and Ciri continue to develop well, while we also get a good mini-arc of two elves who meet their end in this episode. Worst Episodes: E07 Voleth Meir: An episode that feels rushed and uninspired, ending with a woeful action sequence that is forced, poorly written, and entirely unsatisfying. E08 Family: A season finale that focuses too much on monster fighting and too little on making us care about what is going on. This was a dull, flat experience. Character of the Season: Ciri. Freya Allan puts in a great performance this season and she has much more to work with this time. Conclusion: Going into this season, I had expectations that the show would learn and improve from season 1, which was tonally awkward, confusing, and filled with sloppy dialogue, writing, and acting. Season 2 corrected these flaws, and early on it looked like it was building up to something great. Characters were developing, storylines were getting introduced, and I was getting more invested in the narrative with each passing episode. But the ending of this season flopped. The last two episodes introduced a random new villain and abandoned much of what made the first six episodes interesting, leaving us with a poorly written and unsatisfying mess to end what should have been a triumphant season that pushed the narrative of "The Witcher" forwards in interesting ways. Instead what we got was a villain forcibly inserted in the story, a lack of satisfying character arcs, and yet again, the feeling that this season's entire purpose was to set up the next one. Even though this corrected the flaws from season 1, new cracks emerged that led to this season feeling just as flawed as the first, even if I did enjoy it a bit more overall. I'll once again be going into season 3 with the expectation that "The Witcher" will improve and learn from its mistakes, but this time I will be more skeptical. The source material is solid, it just needs to be put to the screen in a compelling way. And after two seasons, "The Witcher" still hasn't found out how to do that.
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Summary: Ciri, possessed by Voleth Meir, starts killing witchers in Kaer Morhen. Yennefer and Geralt try to stop her and wake the witchers. Vesemir wants to kill her but Geralt resists the idea. Eventually Voleth Meir is removed from Ciri, and Yennefer's powers are restored. The elves murder babies in Redania out of vengeance. Cahir and Fringilla frame it as their own doing, but Emhyr arrives and reveals it was his order. He is revealed to be Duny. The elves capture Istredd who tells them of Ciri. The mages reveal information about Ciri to the kings.
The Good: Geralt trying to save Ciri does some basic storytelling well. It solidifies his meaningful relationship with her and also how important she has become to the witcher community. Much of the rest of the episode is set up for next season, and that much is done well. The Emhyr twist was a great moment to end the season. The Bad: But much of this was pretty bad. Voleth Meir feels like such a useless character to introduce. Instead of developing the characters and their relationships, this final episode is all about defeating her and it is woefully dull. Voleth Meir isn't interesting at all, and it's obvious that Ciri won't die so there is a lack of tension. I'm disappointed that proper storytelling was forsaken to provide more empty action. Voleth Meir's possession of Ciri doesn't even make sense. I have no clue how she did this or what's stopping her from possessing others. Yennefer's sacrifice of slitting her wrists could have been effective but I had absolutely no idea what that was even accomplishing. Then she somehow got her magic back, confusing me further. For much of this episode, I was left scratching my head at all of the events that were transpiring. Jaskier had a terrible episode. I enjoyed him in previous episodes, but now all he does is deliver bad jokes during serious situations, which feel completely out of place. Was it really worth saving Ciri at the expense of so many witchers? I find it hard to believe that everyone praised Geralt for his actions. Yennefer becoming trusted by everyone so quickly did not feel earn. Her story has been rushed. The set-up with so many characters coming after Ciri feels hollow because we hardly know these people. I don't care that the elves are killing babies (a gross over-reaction if I've ever seen one), I don't care about Rience and Lydia because I know nothing about them, I don't care about Dijkstra because all we have seen from him is that he's weird, and I don't care for the council of mages because they are all shallow and uninteresting. As a final quibble, how the hell is the witcher lab still functional after being destroyed two times? The Unknown: How does Voleth Meir's possession work? Whoa re the wild hunt? What are their goals? Why did Istredd tell the elves about Ciri? Is Jaskier working for Dijkstra? He alluded to a bard working for him? What will happen to Cahir and Fringilla now that they have been apprehended? Best Moment: The reveal that Emhyr is actually Duny was a nicely executed twist. Character of the Episode: Geralt. Conclusion: This was poorly written and disappointing. When season 2 needed to ramp up and become more emotionally engaging, it completely failed and instead opted for rushed new developments and by-the-numbers storytelling by creating an unnecessary new villain. This needed to be much better. For my thoughts on season 2 as a whole, click here. Score: 45 Summary: Yennefer and Ciri head to Cintr and Yennefer helps her control her magic. Geralt saves Jaskier and they go after Ciri with Yarpen's group. Triss tells Tissaia about Ciri and she tells Vilgefortz. Dara informs Dijkstra about Ciri and then leaves his service. Francesca's baby winds up dead soon after. Ciri realizes Yennefer's intentions and they are attacked by Cintrans. Geralt's group saves them but Voleth Meir, the witch, is woken and she possesses Ciri. Fringilla is being pushed by both the elves and Nilfgaard. She kills many high-ranking generals and threatens Cahir.
The Good: Fringilla's conflict in this episode is the best she's had to work with so far. The episode does a great job of conveying how she is torn between Nilfgaard and the elves, and with both sides not cooperating as she would have liked, it's sensible for her to try to seek an escape in Aretuza. But true to form, the scummy arrogance of the mages removes any chance of Fringilla returning, and she goes back to Cintra with more resolve than ever in a chilling scene (see: Best Moment). Geralt and Jaskier's reunion is welcome and it is nice to see them back together with their bond intact. Jaskier is good at injecting levity in between the suspenseful storylines so his presence works really well here. The Bad: Everything involving Tissaia and Vilgefortz is melodramatic and devoid of emotion. I'm not a fan of how many moving pieces are being introduced that are targeting Ciri. All of them are half-baked and uninteresting; I would prefer a single focused story instead of this messiness. I did not like the ending action sequence at all. Ciri screams, and then somehow a bunch of Cintrans instantly teleport to her location within seconds. This is not only completely unfeasible, but it is directed and paced so poorly that it took me out of the scene. Then of course we have a Geralt ex machina as he just so happens to teleport right to Ciri's location and fight of the Cintrans (of which there was only a handful - where are the rest of them????). This scene was awfully written and that destroyed any chance of it working. I also didn't feel the impact of Yennefer's betrayal at all. We needed Ciri to spend more time with her and grow to trust her in order for this betrayal to really sting. And we needed more ways for Yennefer to really connect with Ciri to understand her emotions better. A single scene of Ciri learning to use magic is nowhere near enough to sell this story. The Unknown: What happened to Lydia when she tried to use the mutagen? Who killed Francesca's baby? What is Fringilla's plan? Did Voleth Meir just possess Ciri? How? Also how was she freed? By Francesca? Why did she need to do dealings with Francesca, Fringilla, and Yennefer to escape? Is Yennefer's magic going to return now? How were Ciri and Yennefer able to read each other's minds? Best Moment: Fringilla appearing during the generals' dinner and ruthlessly murdering all of them while establishing her dominance to Cahir. This was an excellent moment for the character after she spent much of the episode feeling lost. Character of the Episode: Fringilla. Conclusion: This was decent progression for most of the episode, but this late in the season we need something more emotional and engaging. Then add on an awful, sloppily written ending sequence and this is easily the season's weakest effort yet. Score: 49 Summary: Rience arrives in Kaer Morhen and takes the mutagen. Geralt and Ciri are followed by the chernobog. Geralt kills it but only after it kills Roach. Geralt and Ciri arrive in Melitele's Temple where they are met by Yennefer. Geralt and Yennefer catch up, but at night they are attacked by Rience who is after Ciri. Yennefer teaches her to portal out, leaving Geralt behind. Francesca and Cahir encourage Fringilla to turn on the other. Francesca has her baby. The White Flame opts to come to Cintra. Istredd meets with Ellis Codringher to get answers.
The Good: This was solid stuff. Geralt and Ciri get another good action-packed storyline that allows their dynamic to shine. I thought that the reunion with Yennefer wrote all three characters well. Yennefer's inner conflict was presented and acted well as she realizes that she must sacrifice Geralt's child surprise for her own magic. The action was also a stand-out. The final scene was suitably brutal, and the opening fight against the chernobog was good fun. It's nice to see Ciri get more involved with each passing fight. Roach's death was a somber, memorable moment in the episode, further symbolizing all that Ciri has lost. The Bad: Codringher feels like a convenient way to provide exposition and I didn't enjoy his scenes with Istredd very much. It all felt too easy and detached from the main story. The scenes in Cintra are fine but I'm not attached to Fringilla, Cahir, or Francesca enough to really care. Francesca's motives are the clearest but we hardly know anything else about her. Meanwhile Fringilla and Cahir remain really empty. I wish that Cahir's time with Yennefer could have developed him more. The Unknown: What was the Aard Incident? What is the orbuculum? What was it supposed to do? Is Ciri the child of destiny? What does this mean? What is the significance of Ithlinne's prophecy and the wild hunt? How does Codringher know so much? What will Lydia do with Ciri's blood? Who is her lord? Is it someone we know? Is it Emhyr? Why is the White Flame coming to Cintra? Will the elves stay loyal to Nilfgaard? Will Cahir and Fringilla have a falling out? Will Dara remain loyal to Dijkstra? Best Moment: Yennefer and Geralt seeing each other again. Character of the Episode: Ciri. Conclusion: This was a decent episode helped along by good action scenes. More solid story progression, but nothing special. Season 2 has been filled with solid but unspectacular episodes so far. Score: 60 Summary: Ciri agrees to use her blood to restore witchers, but wants the new mutagen to be used on herself first and Triss is horrified. Triss uses a spell to explore Ciri's past but it goes horribly wrong and Triss has a horror vision of Ciri ending the world. Geralt an dIstredd go to the monolith in Cintra and find a gigantic chasm. They discover that the new monsters are likely being pulled from the other spheres in space.
The Good: Ciri's visions are the best part here. They are filled with mystery, tense, suspenseful, and horrifying. Terrific fantasy television. The other stuff is pretty solid too. Vesemir has been given a good bit of story as he now faces the possibility of producing more witchers. You can easily understand his controlled optimism, and thankfully he never goes against Ciri's will. Geralt and Istredd's adventure is pretty good. We get a truckload of information on the conjunction, which is very welcome. The worldbuilding is solid and we get a hint of a deeper connection between the two based on their relationships with Yennefer. The Bad: Yennefer finding Jaskier and saving him from Rience was too rushed and convenient for my liking. In any other situation where the enemy wasn't a fire mage, Yennefer wouldn't have had a plan to get away. Furthermore, it's hard to understand how she found Jaskier so easily. Did Rience really take him back to his own tavern? The weakest part of Vesemir's story is his blockheaded decision to try out the mutagen on Ciri. If she dies, his entire source of mutagen is gone! Surely he should have objected to that. It's a massive stretch for Geralt and Istredd to assume that the monsters came from space. The possibilities are endless, so having them pinpoint the exact answer so quickly and without any real evidence is hard to believe. This episode feels rushed. There are lots of short scenes intercut with each other. Not only does this disrupt the tension, but the short scenes shortcharge a lot of the character interactions. The Unknown: Who is Lydia? Who does she work for? Why did she recruit Rience? Why is Rience imprisoned? What did he do to Calanthe? Are the monoliths actually conduits that are summoning monsters? What was the prophecy surrounding Ciri? What were the circumstances of her birth? What went wrong with Triss' spell? Did Ciri mess it up or did someone else invade it? What did Triss see? Who was the dying lady with the baby? Is Francesca pregnant with a baby? It seems that both Francesca and Fringilla made their wish to the witch. What will the consequences be? Did Yennefer just get her magic back? Why is she being sent to get Ciri? Who is waiting for her in Cintra? Best Moment: The terror Triss felt after seeing Ciri's future. The way she scares Ciri away is sad to see, and it's completely sensible that she would try to become a witcher to bury away her troubles. Character of the Episode: Ciri. Conclusion: This mystery building and tension was great, but other than that, there isn't much more to this episode and there are a fair amount of flaws. Score: 61 Summary: Triss arrives at Kaer Morhen to help Ciri develop. Along with Geralt, they discover that the monsters that have been showing up were likely because of a monolith Ciri had toppled. Vesemir discovers that Ciri has elder blood which can be used to make more witchers. Yennefer and Cahir are on the run in Redania, looking for a way into Cintra. They find Jaskier who smuggles them onto a boat before he is mysteriously taken. Dara is also on the boat, sent there by Dijkstra.
The Good: Redania is introduced well and feels like a fleshed out location. We get a glimpse of their politics, we see the horrifying discrimination against the elves, and the distinct sets and grand establishing shots make Redania feel like it belongs within the world. Yennefer and Cahir as an unlikely pair on the run makes for some surprisingly decent storytelling, illuminating Yennefer's inner turmoil after losing her powers, and also suggesting to Cahir how insignificant his existence really is to Emhyr. Additionally, we have a lovely little story of two elves that Yennefer and Cahir encounter in the sewers, with both of their stories ending in their tragic deaths. Plus we also get Jaskier's return, which was very welcome. His comedy was written nicely into the episode and he had lots of nice lines for Yennefer, wand also a sweet moment of sympathy (see: Best Moment). And of course, his all out verbal assault on the man checking his papers was hilarious. The Kaer Morhen story was pretty good. We got a deeper look at the relationship between Geralt and Triss and also a better understanding of Ciri's powers and what it is that makes her so desirable. The Bad: I'm honestly surprised that Jaskier was so hurt by Geralt, since his words seemed like a moment of anger instead of a definitive ending to a friendship. This is especially awkward because Geralt always did say mean things to Jaskier that were never taken seriously. I feel like I'm missing something with the character of Triss. I'm confused by why she was so hurt after Sodden, and I was especially confused by her relationship with Geralt, which I swear was not this personal the last time they interacted. While I enjoyed the episode, the show is still missing something. The characters and the story are being set up well, but this doesn't feel like good television just yet. The Unknown: What exactly is Triss' relationship with Geralt? Who tried to assassinate Vizimir? Why? What is Dijkstra's motivation? Why is he talking to an owl? Did he select Dara to act as his spy? How did he get Dara? Why are the monsters coming from the monolith? What is its significance? Will Istredd be able to help Geralt with this? What else can Ciri's elder blood be used for? Will Vesemir be able to make new witchers now? What is Yennefer's new purpose? What happened to Jaskier? Best Moment: Jaskier learns that Yennefer lost her powers, and after a brief and funny moment of gloating, he sympathizes with her. This also allows Yennefer to show us her newfound resolve, determined to find a new purpose. Character of the Episode: Yennefer. Conclusion: This was good stuff. There was some plot progression, quality world building, and some really good character moments. A solid episode as "The Witcher" looks much more assured in its storytelling halfway through season 2, even if some flaws still persist. Score: 64 Summary: Ciri steps up her training with Lambert and Ceon. Geralt and Vesemir lay Eskel to rest. Geralt and Ciri follow her visions and get attacked by monsters. Geralt kills them. Yennefer returns to Aretuza but Stregobor doesn't trust her. She is tasked with killing Cahir to prove her loyalty, but she instead frees him and escapes.
The Good: Ciri's training is engaging to watch, and you get the sense that it is do or die for her because she has to earn the respect of the other witchers to be allowed to stay. Her training has a very cinematic feel to it. The Aretuza storyline builds nicely to Yennefer being forced to kill Cahir to prove her loyalty. Yennefer's choice at the end is engaging to watch because it's very unclear what she's actually going to do. The Bad: Lambert and Ceon's antagonism towards Geralt is hard to understand. Surely they knew that Eskel had to die, and blaming Geralt for bringing Ciri is simply childish and unrealistic. It feels like manufactured drama. Also if they cared about Eskel so much, why were they absent when he was laid to rest? The magic politics still aren't very exciting to watch. Characters like Tissaia, Istredd, Stregobor, and Vilgefortz are not developed well enough to interest me, and the plot development is a slow-burn which can sometimes be extremely tedious since I'm not emotionally invested. I can't say that I fully understand Yennefer's decision to escape, or even her decision to return to Aretuza to begin with. We desperately need some time with her to get a better idea of her motives and emotions. Cahir and Fringilla are flat antagonists and their scenes don't interest me at all. Stregobor's decision to torture Yennefer in broad daylight is utterly insane. The Unknown: What is Triss contending with right now? Why are her scars such a big deal? Where was she summoned to? Who was Falka exactly and why does Stregobor bring her up? Why did Ciri's powers lead her to the monster? Why did it hesitate before it tried to kill her? Why did Yennefer choose to escape by freeing Cahir? Where will they go? Best Moment: Tissaia forcing Yennefer to face the reality of losing her powers. Character of the Episode: Yennefer. Conclusion: Some storytelling flaws reared their head and made this a tough episode to engage in, but otherwise this is more decent progression. Score: 57 Summary: Geralt and Ciri arrive in Kaer Morhen. Vesemir criticizes Geralt for claiming Ciri. Eskel returns, having been injured by a leshy. He brings women and throws a party, but he transforms into a leshy. Geralt and Vesemir fight him and kill him. Geralt decides to train Ciri. Yennefer and Fringilla have been captured by the elves. They choose towork with their leader, Francesca and they discover that they have been having connected dreams of a robed individual, who ends up being a witch. Fringilla decides to work with the elves, and Yennefer is left behind.
The Good: It's fun to see Kaer Morhen, the home of the Witchers. They are an interesting community to explore, and the characters are introduced well enough. Eskel's story is a decent single episode adventure, and his death feels like a big deal at the end of the episode. The visual effects are very good, and Eskel's leshy form is suitably unsettling. Season 2's monsters have stepped it up from season 1. The story with the elves is decent, and the creepy prophetic dreams and experiences are very well realized. The directing is top-notch, making these scenes creepy, mysterious, and engaging. The Bad: I'm still left a bit unsatisfied by everything I don't know about this world. The amount of exposition is frustrating at times, and I often wish that the show would slow down to further explore aspects of its world. I'm not sure of what to make of the weird prophetic dream sequence yet. I wish this was explained in more detail because I'm just confused after watching this episode. The Unknown: Who is this witch that is invading dreams? What has she done to Yennefer, Fringilla, and Francesca? What is Dol Blathanna, mentioned by Francesca? What more is there involving the conjunction of spheres which was brought up multiple times? How did Eskel get infected by a leshy? Was it a different monster or just a freak incident? Best Moment: The ending montage was a nice piece of filmmaking, connecting key moments in the character arcs for Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer. We see Geralt embracing his role as Ciri's father figure, Ciri finally gets a chance to learn how to survive, and Yennefer combats the despair that comes with the loss of her powers. The sequence is nicely edited, connecting the emotions of the variosu characters very nicely. Character of the Episode: Ciri. Conclusion: This is good story progression. The episode does not do much to stand out, but it advances the plot and the characters well enough while providing another entertaining monster-of-the-week story. Score: 62 Summary: Geralt and Ciri stay at Nivellen's place, he is an old friend of Geralt. While he is hospitable, he is cursed and Geralt suspects something is strange. It's revealed that Nivellen has been harbouring a bruxa to keep him company, hiding from the fact that she has massacred a nearby village. Geralt kills the bruxa and learns that Nivellen was cursed after raping a priestess. Geralt and Ciri leave him with his shame.
The Good: This episode wasn't strictly needed but I'm happy we got it. The Geralt/Ciri relationship is established nicely, and we get a good idea of how they feel for each other and the strength of their bond throughout the episode. While this is not a key plot episode, it is essential in terms of making us care for these characters. Nivellen, played by the great Kristofer Hivju, is charismatic and fun to watch, and the mystery surrounding him is a gripping hook for the episode. I appreciated the moral complexity of his story as we realize that a man who seems so decent can be capable of committing the most heinous crimes. This deepens the world, and also the complexity of the themes in this show. I'm much more invested to see more of "The Witcher" after this episode. The bruxa is brought to life stunningly well. She is terrifying in every way, be it her unnerving eyes, the creepy contortions of her body, or her innocent childlike voice. This is absolutely the scariest monster so far. But on top of that, this is also the most humanized monster so far. Up until now the monsters were just scary enemies, but now it seems like there is more to them than what meets the eye. The other scenes were decent. Tissaia torturing Cahir and Fringilla capturing Yennefer are intriguing developments. The Bad: I wish the show could have better realized the pain of Nivellen's curse. We are told what he has been through but we are never able to see how terrible it actually is. It's a minor quibble, but something I wish we could have seen more of. The Unknown: Who attacked Fringilla's group? Will Cahir give information to Tissaia? What is the temple of the lionhead spider? Who are the wild hunt? Best Moment: The drinking game between Nivellen and Geralt was engrossing. Not only did it build the mystery of Nivellen hiding something, but it also revealed so much about Geralt and his feelings for Ciri. This is essential characterization, and I'm glad that it wasn't glossed over. Character of the Episode: Geralt. Conclusion: Even though this isn't the most important episode, the character writing, mystery, and themes are all excellent, making this the most compelling experience of "The Witcher" so far. Score: 66 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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