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
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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