The Witcher (Season 2)
“Hmmm…” – Geralt
In mid-December last year (I could have just written “a few weeks ago,” right?), Netflix “dropped” the second season with new adventures of our buff, white-haired slayer of creatures from Slavic mythology. 😀
As you know, although I’m familiar with both the literary source material (as well as the video games), and despite various deviations, I quite liked the first season of “The Witcher” series. And apparently so did the wider audience, though there were, expectedly, criticisms from book fans who expected the story to follow Sapkowski’s works more closely, and the “gamer” population perhaps hoped for more gaming vibe in the series. The first season tried to balance, leaning more toward the books.
So what happens with the second season?
SPOILER AHEAD!
If you remember, at the series finale, a great battle occurred at Sodden. Yennefer, our charming sexy sorceress, risking her life, unleashes forbidden fire magic to defeat the Nilfgaardian army, creating an effect like giving a pyromaniac a box of matches and leaving him in front of a huge haystack… everything ends in flames. Sodden is (somehow) defended, the Nilfgaardian army has (only temporarily) retreated, and there’s no trace of our Yen. Everyone assumes she lost her life with her sacrifice in this Pyrrhic victory. However, fate has other plans for our Yennefer, as the explosion teleported her to an unexpected place with unexpected company, and a rather (unexpected) journey awaits her. Moreover, by unleashing forbidden magic, Yen paid a heavy price that made her very vulnerable.
Meanwhile, the fateful meeting of Geralt and Ciri took place. Geralt is determined to, like a parent, do everything to protect Ciri from enemies lurking on all sides. Having accepted the fate that Yen perished at Sodden, he does the only thing he can… and that’s to take Ciri to Kaer Morhen, the famous witcher fortress, and from there he’ll see what to do next. However, over time Geralt (and the other witchers) will discover some shocking things about Ciri, as well as the consequences her presence will have on Kaer Morhen.
And meanwhile, a new war is brewing.
Should we stop here, not reveal more? 🙂
The second season of “The Witcher” series took a slightly different approach in many ways, but that’s not necessarily bad news (at least not for me).
This might not be noticed by people who only read the books, but those who’ve had contact with the “Witcher” game trilogy will probably feel some unusual vibe regarding the second season, starting from the visual aspect of the series to certain events in it. This isn’t a surprise, and the “culprit” for this slight turn is none other than the lead actor, Henry Cavill. This buff nerd/geek (who confused/delighted the world with his enormous interest in video games, computers, and Warhammer 40k… though he also sent a nice message to the world that hobbies don’t need to know age and that it’s nice to have fun with what relaxes you. So, if your girlfriend/wife nags you to quit “playing” with figurines/games, just start hitting the gym and eventually find a better-paying job, and you’ll have her support in your hobbies :D) has already become known to the public as a huge fan of “Witcher” video games (and not in the sense of PR needs… the man genuinely loves playing this game), so he decided to use that and exert a slight influence on the series in that direction.
And I think this turned out great.
The “Witcher” series is now even darker, rawer, more emotional, and increasingly incorporates horror elements.
Visually it’s still impressive (perhaps even better, due to the “influence” of video games) and some scenes will truly thrill you, such as the Kaer Morhen fortress, which I believe turned out exactly as most people imagined it. 😀
Speaking of the visual aspect, you’ll notice big (drastic) changes with the sorceress Triss Merigold (who now gets more screen time and significance in the series). And when you first see Geralt’s mentor and “father,” Vesemir, as well as the later version of young Ciri, it’ll be clear what these changes are if you’ve ever played (or at least seen on YouTube) the “Witcher” video game. 😀
Action scenes (especially where Geralt appears) are still great, even slightly improved with slow-motion effects, so fight lovers will enjoy, and we can hope there will be more and more of them in upcoming seasons.
The music also maintained a good level and solidly accompanies the series. This season was marked by Jaskier’s song “Burn, Butcher, Burn,” as a counterpoint to last year’s (now legendary) hit “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher,” which glorified Geralt.
The plot itself will be debatable for many, but not in terms of quality, rather how much you like the idea of the series deviating from the books, such as Vesemir’s appearance, the existence of strange monoliths, Yennefer’s betrayal of Ciri, Eskel’s death, Nivellen’s curse, and more. A good portion of fans received this with hostility. However, I’ve always been of the opinion that a faithful adaptation of a work into film/series is also a double-edged sword, just like making deviations from the original (literary) source. On the other hand, this can give the series creators enough freedom to, while following the general storyline of the “Witcher” universe from the books (the second season specifically combines the story “A Grain of Truth” from “The Last Wish” and the book “Blood of Elves”), combine elements from the game trilogy of the same name, insert perhaps some completely new things, and even consult writer Andrzej Sapkowski to suggest some new ideas he perhaps didn’t have the chance to put into his books.
Henry Cavill still perfectly justifies the role of Geralt, giving him a “hybrid” version between the one in books and video games. Also, they’re increasingly giving him a somewhat “philosophical” note regarding his way of thinking and how he conducts conversations with certain people. Also, he’s getting better and better in action scenes. I believe that through upcoming seasons we’ll see different versions of Cavill as Geralt and that he’ll meet audience expectations (the man stated he’s ready to dedicate himself to Geralt through seven seasons, and moreover he’ll apparently work on a “Highlander” remake). The man, incidentally, fought quite hard to get the role of Geralt.
The young and charming Freya Allan as Ciri won the audience’s sympathy already in the first season, and now everything’s been taken to a higher level, starting from her appearance (those who’ve played the video game will know what I’m talking about), to the various acting transformations she went through in the second season. Definitely potential for a rising star.
Anya Chalotra as the femme fatale Yennefer still maintains the level, though it seems to me that perhaps only later she’ll start resembling more the Yennefer we know from books and games. It seems to me that the series creators are still “searching” for what Yennefer they truly want. But I have no complaints about the actress herself 😀 (“We don’t doubt that…”-note from the subconscious).
The good news is that Mimî M’Khwezi Ndiweni got more screen time as the ambitious Nilfgaardian sorceress Fringilla and the beautiful Anna Shaffer (with a new transformation definitely) as sorceress Triss, Yennefer’s only rival in the fight for Geralt’s heart.
The choice of Kim Bodnia as Vesemir certainly confused readers, but not those who played the video game, and I think he did a good job.
A slight disappointment is perhaps insufficient screen time for Joey Batey as the charismatic and goofy bard Jaskier… well, maybe he’s a bit goofier this season than in the previous one (or books), but he definitely deserves more screen time.
Incidentally, the second season has some interesting easter eggs that book or video game lovers might have missed.
All in all, despite various deviations, the second season, at least for me, met expectations, and I’m looking forward to the next season and the adventures of our “hmmm…” hero and his friends.
And you, dear reader, what are your impressions of the second season of “The Witcher” series? 🙂
Trailer
Imdb | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic
Release Date (second season): 2021
Format: Series
Number of Seasons: 2 (Eight (8) episodes in the second season)
Average Episode Duration: 60 minutes
