Watching The Witcher

We started watching The Witcher (currently on Netflix) and we finished the first season.

The overall story is a monster-hunter-for-hire, Geralt of Rivia, played by Henry Cavill (he of Superman fame, having been in Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman Dawn of Justice, and Justice League). The setting is a grimdark fantasy where monsters roam the land, killing at will, life is hard for everyone, while kingdoms clash in open warfare. This is more Game of Thrones than Lord Of The Rings.

I have to say that it has been good so far. The characters are engaging, the plot is interesting enough to hold my attention, and the monsters are creepy. The series starts off in the middle of a battle between Geralt and some horrific spider / centaur sort of creature. This gives you a pretty good idea of what lies ahead for the viewer in the rest of the series.

I gather the mythology is based on Polish culture and mythology. I recognize one or two of the creature names as the go along, like the Strigya, from all my reading about world folklores. It makes for a refreshing take on the monsters and gets away from all the tropes we’re used to – vampires, werewolves, dragons etc. (A dragon does show up in one of the episodes, though.) The author of the original novels and stories the series is based upon, Andrzej Sapkowski, is Polish so this makes sense.

The special effects are excellent, bringing to life the monsters and fantastical elements. Being fantasy, there are spellcasters, bending reality in flashy ways, which the FX show off.

There is a good ensemble group of characters beyond just Geralt that flesh out the world. Ciri, the princess on the run and tied to Geralt by destiny, Yennefer the aspiring mage who grows in ambition as her powers grow, Jaskier the Bard who brings in some comic relief among the gloom and doom, Filavandrel the elf who is trying to bring back the Elven Kingdom after humans destroyed it in a war long ago, and others. Their tales all weave together to make a tapestry that keeps your interest.

My one big complaint is the timing of the storylines. They shift from events in the present, to events in the past that explain the background of what is happening in the present. But they never give you a indication of the jump between eras. You have to figure it out on your own from the context of the events presented to you. You think that you’re continuing the ongoing storyline when all of a sudden you realize “oh, that comes before the castle siege.”

Overall I’m liking the series. It is good enough to make me want to go out and get the books and read them. Since the book(s) is almost always better than TV or film adaptions, this is a high recommendation of the TV series from me.

What about you, my Hordeling? Any favorite TV series, based on books or not, that you like? Leave a comment and let me know.

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