Fantasy Netflix's The Witcher - General Discussion Thread

[OutOfBoose]

I'm going to sound like a massive wuss right now, but how gory is this? I really want to watch it but I have a real issue with gore. I had to stop watching GoT around Season 3 because I found it became too over the top and gross for the sake of it.

I usually rely on friends to screen things like this for me first but one of my friends said it wasn't too bad and the other said it was really gory which isn't very helpful lol

It's more gruesome than GoT. Plus there's also horror elements that add to the punch.

 

[InvisibleWoman]

There is gore. The sword fights are brutal and bloody. Decapitations and limbs fut off and guts spilled. A man cuts a chunk of flesh from a corpse, eats it, then is gutted and a mage reads his entrails for information on a person the image is trying to find. A character is gutted by a monster.

Yeah... that will probably be too much for me :S

 

[MissMarvelous]

I'm going to sound like a massive wuss right now, but how gory is this? I really want to watch it but I have a real issue with gore. I had to stop watching GoT around Season 3 because I found it became too over the top and gross for the sake of it.

I usually rely on friends to screen things like this for me first but one of my friends said it wasn't too bad and the other said it was really gory which isn't very helpful lol

Yup, just don't watch it if you are eating.

It's quite "gory" and very well done but thoroughly enjoyable.if it makes sense.

Now, the nudity... It doesn't "add" to the series. Haven't read the books but was it like that?

 

[InvisibleWoman]

Yup, just don't watch it if you are eating.

It's quite "gory" and very well done but thoroughly enjoyable.if it makes sense.

Now, the nudity... It doesn't "add" to the series. Haven't read the books but was it like that?

I've told my housemate to watch it first and note down every minute I need to look away.

I am determined to watch this lol

 

[MissMarvelous]

I've told my housemate to watch it first and note down every minute I need to look away.

I am determined to watch this lol

Oh, absolutely! Do watch it... Like I said before, for me there's not real tension building up just yet, but I believe that it will happen from season to season. This is only the beginning.

I'm enjoying it so far, having a good laugh and a good time which is all I ask from a tv series. It won't be a life changing show.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

I've told my housemate to watch it first and note down every minute I need to look away.

I am determined to watch this lol

I like your dedication. I hope you like the parts that you decide to watch.

 

[Persona]

Just finished the 4th episode and the show is still so uneven. I am enjoying it overall but I wish the episodes were a little shorter. The action finale of episode 3 is killer but I feel like the set-up was more drawn out than it needed to be. Episode 4--like, I understand why the Witcher at the wedding story was important, but I couldn't wait for it to end, it was just so clunky. But the Yennefer storyline in that episode was really intense and cool.

 

[Persona]

And yeah the structure is very odd. Can't decide if I like it for trying something different or if I feel like it is undermining the clarity and effectiveness of the storytelling too much.

 

[MahvelBaby!]

Really enjoying it so far on episode 5

I think 2 has been my least favorite. 4 is weird but I really liked that story in the books

 

[KillerMcQueen]

And yeah the structure is very odd. Can't decide if I like it for trying something different or if I feel like it is undermining the clarity and effectiveness of the storytelling too much.

I think they tried to make it less episodic and more serialized and the show suffered because of it. I think they should've dedicated entire episodes to Yen and Ciri instead of interrupting Geralt's story for them.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

4 episodes in and enjoying it so far

 

[MahvelBaby!]

Yup, just don't watch it if you are eating.

It's quite "gory" and very well done but thoroughly enjoyable.if it makes sense.

Now, the nudity... It doesn't "add" to the series. Haven't read the books but was it like that?

The nudity is definitely in the books technically doesn't add anything there either lol

It's also in the games lmao

 

[MahvelBaby!]

I really like the music.

 

[MissMarvelous]

The nudity is definitely in the books technically doesn't add anything there either lol

Oh.

Haha maybe it does to this kind of "medieval" looking situation and to the idea of savage/raw/carnal people (?). I don't know.

 

[Lilbaz]

Oh.

Haha maybe it does to this kind of "medieval" looking situation and to the idea of savage/raw/carnal people (?). I don't know.

Think it's just a lot of people like seeing good looking people naked.

 

[MissMarvelous]

@Lilbaz that too.

 

[Primal Slayer]

2 episodes in....seems very generic.

 

[heatvision38]

Finished watching the series.

The last 2 episodes were really strong and engaging, so it gives me a lot of hope and anticipation for S2 (which was already picked up).

But I think they could have approached S1 differently. Once I realized the events were happening in 3 different timelines, knowing where they would have to end up, I thought to myself that I wasn't sure how else they could get to that point in a more conventional way. Using a linear approach would have meant that Ciri wouldn't show up until the end and we wouldn't really know who she is. I'm sure there's still a way to do it, but I'm not sure what it is.

So, having said that, given they decided to go with a non-linear approach to a world many people are not familiar with in terms of lore and geography and power structure, etc, then at least start off with a LOTR style prologue.

I think a prologue introducing the viewer to the general rules and lore of this world would have gone a long way. Going for a non-linear approach ala Westworld can be tricky to pull off but Westworld's world is still easy to explain (a themepark with robots in the guise of its inhabitants, there, now we're all caught up and it can be shown in the first few minutes of the first episode) as well as forcing the viewer to get immersed in this new world with so much information that's just thrown out as if we already know what's what, that's just 1 narrative device too many. You can maybe get away with the Westworld approach or maybe get away with putting the audience right into the world and have them figure things out as they go along, but not both.

So just some kind of prologue that goes something like this:

"The Continent was inhabited by elves and the elder people since before anyone can remember. Then came the Conjunction of the Spheres... an astral phenomenon that smashed different dimensions into the one. Chaos ruled for centuries as elves, dwarves, man, monsters, and magic were all thrust into one space. For many long years, wars were fought for power, for land, for the right to live. To help tame this chaos, magic wielders created the Brotherhood, a council of mages who would help guide the various kingdoms. These mages would also create the witchers, mutated monster hunters who would fight back against the ever encroaching darkness of ghouls, wraiths, malformed beasts, and all other manner of accursed creatures. These enhanced humans, raised from a young age, forced to undergo painful and often deadly trials, were the Continent's best hope against what lurks on the edges. Over time, fewer and fewer witchers existed, the few remaining often considered outcasts and worked as monster hunters for hire. Geralt of Rivia is one of the last of his kind."

Cue to the opening scene of Geralt vs the kikimore. And of course the overlaying narration would be matched with the appropriate visuals, including perhaps some glimpses at the map of the land.

Just something to provide a foundation for this world.

The other thing I noticed was that when the the 3 timelines finally linked up (Ep 7) I was much more engaged in what was happening as it was all "now," and it had a much greater narrative urgency, imo. So for that reason, I have a lot of hope for S2. This is like Preacher S1 when the first season was setting up what was to come. It was divisive for taking that approach.

At the same time, because of the approach they took, it has me wanting to watch it again to see how all the pieces fit together knowing what I know now.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Goddamn.

 

[TheVileOne]

Finished watching the series.

The last 2 episodes were really strong and engaging, so it gives me a lot of hope and anticipation for S2 (which was already picked up).

But I think they could have approached S1 differently. Once I realized the events were happening in 3 different timelines, knowing where they would have to end up, I thought to myself that I wasn't sure how else they could get to that point in a more conventional way. Using a linear approach would have meant that Ciri wouldn't show up until the end and we wouldn't really know who she is. I'm sure there's still a way to do it, but I'm not sure what it is.

So, having said that, given they decided to go with a non-linear approach to a world many people are not familiar with in terms of lore and geography and power structure, etc, then at least start off with a LOTR style prologue.

I think a prologue introducing the viewer to the general rules and lore of this world would have gone a long way. Going for a non-linear approach ala Westworld can be tricky to pull off but Westworld's world is still easy to explain (a themepark with robots in the guise of its inhabitants, there, now we're all caught up and it can be shown in the first few minutes of the first episode) as well as forcing the viewer to get immersed in this new world with so much information that's just thrown out as if we already know what's what, that's just 1 narrative device too many. You can maybe get away with the Westworld approach or maybe get away with putting the audience right into the world and have them figure things out as they go along, but not both.

So just some kind of prologue that goes something like this:

"The Continent was inhabited by elves and the elder people since before anyone can remember. Then came the Conjunction of the Spheres... an astral phenomenon that smashed different dimensions into the one. Chaos ruled for centuries as elves, dwarves, man, monsters, and magic were all thrust into one space. For many long years, wars were fought for power, for land, for the right to live. To help tame this chaos, magic wielders created the Brotherhood, a council of mages who would help guide the various kingdoms. These mages would also create the witchers, mutated monster hunters who would fight back against the ever encroaching darkness of ghouls, wraiths, malformed beasts, and all other manner of accursed creatures. These enhanced humans, raised from a young age, forced to undergo painful and often deadly trials, were the Continent's best hope against what lurks on the edges. Over time, fewer and fewer witchers existed, the few remaining often considered outcasts and worked as monster hunters for hire. Geralt of Rivia is one of the last of his kind."

Cue to the opening scene of Geralt vs the kikimore. And of course the overlaying narration would be matched with the appropriate visuals, including perhaps some glimpses at the map of the land.

Just something to provide a foundation for this world.

The other thing I noticed was that when the the 3 timelines finally linked up (Ep 7) I was much more engaged in what was happening as it was all "now," and it had a much greater narrative urgency, imo. So for that reason, I have a lot of hope for S2. This is like Preacher S1 when the first season was setting up what was to come. It was divisive for taking that approach.

At the same time, because of the approach they took, it has me wanting to watch it again to see how all the pieces fit together knowing what I know now.

I understand how you feel, but I respect that Hissrich didn't set up the show to hold the audience's hand and tell them absolutely everything the whole way through. The stuff about the elves being the native people of The Continent was addressed later.

 

[OutOfBoose]

So what do people think about the finale? I think Hissrich ruined that by chopping away Geralt from Ciri in Brokilon. It doesn't hold any emotional weight.

 

[KillerMcQueen]

So what do people think about the finale? I think Hissrich ruined that by chopping away Geralt from Ciri in Brokilon. It doesn't hold any emotional weight.

I liked the finale, but it would've carried dramatically more weight if they'd done Brokilon properly, it's so important to Geralt and Ciri's bond that I'm baffled they changed it so drastically. Hopefully season 2 will somewhat make up for it with her training at Kaer Morhen, Blood of Elves is fairly light on story so there's a lot of room to expand on parts of it.

 

[MissMarvelous]

It all depends, I believe. If you haven't read the books nor played the games, like myself, it was a good ending... Looking forward to season 2.

For those who have read the books, and already know the whole story, it can be disappointing. So in order to be fair, you will have to keep this in mind first.

Lauren said that it was very difficult trying to reduce all the material they had to work with to only 8 hours, for the first season.

The time jumps, though! it was kinda hard to follow them properly if you are not paying close attention.

 

[Marvolo]

Goddamn.

I didnt know she was originally cast as Renfri. What happened?

 

[OutOfBoose]

I think it was a mistake to make the concurrent narratives structure. It needed to focus on the witcher. The stories are told from Geralt's perspective in both the books and the games. And that way they're developed more naturally.

It reminds me of Warcraft adaptation. Raimi proposed to tell the story from the Alliance perspective, but Blizzard wanted to represent both sides equally. It made the narrative really clumsy (especially considering they had to jam it all into a single 2 hour feature), hitting in all directions and barely developing any side. Similar happens here. The plot rushes forward and we barely get to know what the characters are going through. There's not enough weight when Geralt makes a wish, because we barely know what it is to him to be a witcher, what that life means to him. How he sees himself... It's just frustrating. If you aren't familiar with the source or even the games, you just don't know what's missing and it's just fun "pulp nonsense". And they do that while having well-written books. This adaptation diminishes witcher's journey in favor of making leads out of Ciri and Yennefer. If Netflix had a bit of patience, it would come naturally as books progress.

On the other hand, if it was focused more on Geralt, I'd have to suffer through Cavill's inept performance... Choose your poison.