I don’t consider myself a critic. I don’t have the educational or long term career background to claim that title for myself. What’s more, I find that I, like many people, am often at odds with critics’ opinions of movies. As a reviewer, my first and foremost consideration with any piece of media is not “Was this good and why?” but “Did I enjoy this and why?” 

I wanted to take this thought and use it to develop a first time for this series: a review of a show. Reviewing seasons of shows has been under my consideration for a long time, and The Witcher feels right for a start, especially at the end of the year. 

I want to start off with a disclaimer: I loved Game of Thrones, even the controversial eighth season in a withdrawn, fascinated matter. The comparisons between Witcher and Thrones seem almost inevitable– but I will avoid them to the best of my ability, should I visit more seasons in the future. My short statement on the two is that while there are undeniable similarities, I would call Thrones (at least in its early stages) a political fantasy, while I would call Witcher a more social fantasy.

Reading the beginning, it’s probably easy to decipher what I’m about to say. I loved The Witcher, and I cannot for the life of me sympathize with critical panning of it. There are a few points that seem quite common that I will respond to, being: “The Witcher does not worldbuild effectively enough,” “The Witcher is too slow in its buildup,” and “The Witcher is too confusing for the average viewer.”

Allow me to qualify myself (or disqualify, depending on your viewpoint) by saying that I was never able to get into the Witcher game series. This is not because I was uninterested in the world or Geralt, but rather because I never meshed with the controls. It was too much for me at once. Maybe I could spend some time with it again, but for now that isn’t a concern. Additionally, I never read the books, which the show is based on, perhaps even more closely than the games are. What little I knew about the character of Geralt and the world of The Witcher was totally unhelpful in my understanding of the show. 

“The Witcher does not worldbuild effectively enough”

The world of The Witcher is undoubtedly one of scope. Political disputes, social barriers, monsters, magic, and the titular character of the Witcher and his kind– all of these are concepts the world is rife with, and the show takes care to remind you of that. It also doesn’t go above and beyond to explain everything to you. I would argue, however, this is one of the world’s biggest strengths.

Geralt has an intimate knowledge of magic and monsters. Occasionally, he shares that knowledge, with a comment or argument against someone’s misconceptions. There are few times that he is wrong. What information we are given about the mystical forces is all we need. Being told exactly what everything is would bog down the show. My only gripe about the magic is not knowing what Geralt’s powers are. These I’d like to at least have prior knowledge to beyond my short stints of the games, so that I know exactly what he’s doing when he does it. 

As far as the sociopolitical landscape of the show, it’s actually pretty straightforward. Cintra and Nilfgaard are enemies. Elves are hated and slaughtered by Cintrans. When Nilfgaard attacks Cintra, other nations, including the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, are drawn into the fight. It’s not particularly hard to understand. 

“The Witcher is too slow in its buildup”

Perhaps this is a matter of taste. Perhaps, as well, this is where I need to make a begrudging Game of Thrones comparison. 

I don’t find the buildup to the climax of the season particularly slow or boring. An eight hour season that makes full use of its time with drawing lines between characters and events, across different time periods no less, is one that I fully support. The place where the timelines the show has converge is major, and the payoff grand, and all along the way we’re fed action, interesting lore, and surprisingly good comedy. 

Take the first season of Game of Thrones and compare it to The Witcher. Where the first season of Thrones longer than this season of Witcher, it is also undeniably slower. While the political intrigue of Thrones is amazing, you cannot deny that it is, at its core, a season of a bunch of people talking about politics and birthright and justice until the hero loses his head. Sure, there are a couple sword fights and plenty of boobs to distract, but it is at its core a slow burn. Yet, that season of Thrones is critically acclaimed, where The Witcher is called boring and slow. The Witcher is packed with more than just wistful, vaguely threatening dialogue, and its payoff, while not as shocking, is just as significant. What changed from there to here?

“The Witcher is too confusing for the average viewer”

This claim stems, in part, from what critics will call poor worldbuilding, but also from the show’s use of separated time periods, that converge in the season finale. I’ve already addressed the issue of worldbuilding, so let’s give some time to the timelines. 

The Witcher does not outright tell you that the events of the show are happening at different times. It lets you believe that they’re happening at once, and when it sinks in that they’re not, it’s honestly a great moment of realization. It didn’t take long for me to pick up on this, and when I did, I was all the more invested, as I was getting a wider scope of the world’s timeline. Is this too cerebral a concept for the average viewer? Let’s do some comparisons to another, more critically adored piece of media. 

Quentin Tarantino is known for telling stories out of order, presenting the events of the entire narrative as they are, without overt indication of the period shift. Take Pulp Fiction, for example. Rotten Tomatoes lists this film with a critic score of 92% and an audience score of 96%. This movie delivers its narrative very similarly to The Witcher. This first season of The Witcher is listed with a critic score of 59% and an audience score of 93%. 

Clearly, for people like myself, who are watching for pure intent to enjoy, the idea of differing time periods being only indirectly explained in the narrative isn’t difficult to grasp, and at one point in time, it wasn’t for critics either. Again, what changed from there to here?

Notes and Conclusion

This is not meant to be an attack on anyone who did not enjoy The Witcher. It’s valid to form your opinion in any way that you want. However, it is a response to criticisms which I do not feel adequately represent the show. Mind you, while I’ve responded to these critiques, I haven’t stated The Witcher is perfect. I have my gripes as well. 

Where I found myself enthralled with the action and the world, I was left wanting in the world of effects. Creatures who were created or touched up with CGI clearly were not up to snuff with the likes of Thrones, but additionally– the difference in budget and scope dismisses this as a minor problem that doesn’t mar the overall product’s quality. As well, where I found that the origin of witchers was easy to comprehend, Geralt specifically has not fully been explored. I would like to know what powers he possesses, and how they appear, so that when he attempts or succeeds in using magic, I know what’s happening, rather than the indicator being simply a visual flash. 

To conclude, The Witcher is an excellent case of fantasy television. With a gripping narrative, strong leads in Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra, and an interesting world ready to be explored, The Witcher is looking to be promising, and yes, while distinct from Game of Thrones, will finally fill the void for those left longing after the latter’s conclusion. I recommend this show highly, and eagerly await the next season. 

Overall Rating: 8/10

Thank you for reading! If you want to be notified of when the next Netflix Dumpster Dive comes out, feel free to follow the site, and you can also follow me on Twitter. I published my new fantasy book in July of 2018, and it’d mean the world if you’d check it out, and if it’s not your cup of tea, share it with someone who might like it. Thanks again, and I hope to see you here next time.

-Vincent

© 2019 Vincent C. Russo. All Rights Reserved. This post is intended for review and constitutes fair use. These films and any images used belong to their respective owners.