THE WITCHER REVIEW SKIN
THE WITCHER REVIEW SERIES

The faithfulness of the series to the books is something fans can debate but, as someone who is familiar with them, sort of exist in a halfway mark between “mostly accurate” to “why did they change this”?” It also sets up a large number of plots for the latter books in the series. But there is something movingly human in Geralt’s protectiveness of a kid who looks up to him, Yennefer’s existential crisis after a serious blow to her self-identity, or the elves’ struggle to carve out a future in a world that feels hostile to them.The Witcher S2 is the second installment of Netflix’s adaptation of the first two books of Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny. It’s having too much fun whipping out cool video game-y action or unveiling new species of expensive VFX monsters to take itself quite that seriously. The Witcher is not particularly trying to plumb the darkest corners of the human experience. With that softness comes shades of well-earned depth. It brings out a more tender side of the lone wolf, and affords Cavill the opportunity to do more than just grunt, sigh, and mutter the word “fuck.” Plus, it gives us the low-key comedy of Geralt making very dad complaints about how Ciri never listens to him - much to the amusement of those who knew Geralt well enough as a kid to note that he himself was exactly the same way. Fatherhood agrees with Geralt, even if he’s come by it reluctantly. Parenthood becomes a driving theme of season two, as a trip to the witcher home base of Kaer Morhen brings together three generations of non-biological, non-traditional family: Geralt and his fellow witchers their tough but caring father figure Vesemir (Kim Bodnia) and Geralt’s own Child Surprise Ciri.

In place of all that funny business, The Witcher introduces a new sense of softness. Meanwhile, a reduced role for Jaskier comes with a corresponding decrease in laughs and catchy songs - though blessedly, he does show up long enough to address fan complaints about the first season in a playfully meta way.

THE WITCHER REVIEW SKIN

Both Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and Geralt are too busy with other concerns to indulge in much sexual activity or show much skin this season, when someone offers Geralt a hot bath, he turns it down. There’s far less of the steaminess that, depending on your outlook, was either the most obnoxious part of the first season or the best reason to keep watching it. The tone, too, feels more unified this time around. After spending most of season one as a damsel in distress - albeit one with a very formidable power - the character turns out to be quite a charismatic hero in her own right when she grasps a greater sense of her own agency. I suggest watching a recap of season one before diving into season two, and maybe keeping Google handy even then.) Perhaps no character benefits more from the added heft and momentum than Ciri (Freya Allan). (This does mean you’ll still have to keep track of lots of fussily named characters, places and magical artifacts. Though he still spends much of his screen time battling scary creatures, the season as a whole is built more like Game of Thrones, with heavily serialized arcs crossing paths here and there. Gone is the “monster of the week” format that shaped most of Geralt’s storylines before. The improvements come with some noticeable tweaks in structure and tone. Khayisa, Anna Shaffer, Mahesh Jadu, Royce Pierreson, Tom Canton, Mecia Simson, Wilson Mbomio, Kim Bodnia Cast: Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, Joey Batey, Eamon Farren, MyAnna Buring, Mimî M.

The witcher review