The Witcher (Spoilers)

[jonesy]

was the elf with ciri a character that was in the book?

The boy? No, completely new character for the show.

 

[CapnZapp]

Having finished the series, I thought it was pretty enjoyable. The way the series back-fills the story from the opening episode took a bit of getting used to, but it does a good job of showing the longevity of Witchers, and does gradually come together nicely.

I liked Geralt well enough as a character, but his plotlines desperately need more variety. "Man is the real monster" is a reasonable aphorism to convey, but after the second or third time around, it's safe to say that we get the message.

Yennifer's story was good, and reasonably well developed. Seeing it finally intertwine with Geralt's was good, but the two of them didn't really have enough on-screen chemistry to sell the romantic aspect.

The real disappointment was Ciri. She just seemed to spend every episode blundering through the latest peril and happening to get helped by some hapless throwaway characters or her own Mysterious Superpowers, without ever actually taking an active role in her destiny. It made it very difficult to keep caring what happened to her.

Unfortunately I believe there isn't enough quality in the writing team.

Sure, the budget isn't endless, but a good set of writers can work around that.

 

[Mercurius]

I watched the entire season yesterday, because I was sick and it seemed like a thing to do. It was...OK. At first I thought it was closer to GoT than Shannara in quality, by the end I felt differently. As someone up-thread said, it is more CW than HBO, unfortunately - both in terms of visuals and quality of acting and storytelling. But entertaining enough to pass the time on a day of illness.

I had no previous experience with the game or books, so had no expectations coming into it.

A question: Why didn't the bard age? Wasn't Geralt's back-story over several decades? Was that intentional or an over-sight?

 

[MarkB]

A question: Why didn't the bard age? Wasn't Geralt's back-story over several decades? Was that intentional or an over-sight?

I'm pretty sure that, while the episodes featuring the bard covered a space of several years, they were all far enough back in the timeline that he wouldn't have visibly aged a great deal.

 

[Mercurius]

I'm pretty sure that, while the episodes featuring the bard covered a space of several years, they were all far enough back in the timeline that he wouldn't have visibly aged a great deal.

OK, thanks. I do think they spanned more than "several years," though. They met early on, and then were with each other as recently as after Ciri was conceived...so I'm thinking they knew each other for at least a decade or two before parting. But I suppose they're being deliberately vague to smooth over any inconsistencies. And while we know that Yennefer's timeline goes back at least a few decades because she mentions that passage in time, all we know for certain about Geralt--if I remember correctly--is that it goes back at least a few years before Ciri's birth. But he builds up a big enough reputation after killing Renfri, that one would think there's at least a decade or two in there before the whole Surprise thing with Porcupine Dude.

 

[Tonguez]

OK, thanks. I do think they spanned more than "several years," though. They met early on, and then were with each other as recently as after Ciri was conceived...so I'm thinking they knew each other for at least a decade or two before parting. But I suppose they're being deliberately vague to smooth over any inconsistencies. And while we know that Yennefer's timeline goes back at least a few decades because she mentions that passage in time, all we know for certain about Geralt--if I remember correctly--is that it goes back at least a few years before Ciri's birth. But he builds up a big enough reputation after killing Renfri, that one would think there's at least a decade or two in there before the whole Surprise thing with Porcupine Dude.

Ciri is suppose to be 12, so the Bards only a decade or so older than when he first appears.
the show runners however did say that child Geralt was taken to become a Witcher 95 years before present and that Yennefer is a couple of decades older

 

[Randomthoughts]

Binged on the series over two days. I quite liked it. Cavill plays a convincing Geralt and Yennefer is a great character. Ciri's arc so far was the weakest, but the actress seems good.

The thing I liked the most was the magic. It seems "believable" in that there are rules to be obeyed but left open with "forbidden magic" to explore (like necromancy and fire magic). The last episode was simply awesome.

It's made me want to try out the new Witcher RPG (which I managed to snag at a deep discount a few months ago).

 

[Bawylie]

Weird sonic the hedgehog cameo. Still needs design work.

I liked the two-track plot. I liked thinking about when the events happened. I enjoyed the moment I figured out that Plot 1 and Plot 2 were not simultaneous.

Episode 1 was the weakest entry, like episode 1 of absolutely everything. But it wasn’t bad. Middling, at worst.

 

[Tonguez]

Weird sonic the hedgehog cameo. Still needs design work.

I liked the two-track plot. I liked thinking about when the events happened. I enjoyed the moment I figured out that Plot 1 and Plot 2 were not simultaneous.

Episode 1 was the weakest entry, like episode 1 of absolutely everything. But it wasn’t bad. Middling, at worst.

I really liked the Hedgehog prince, its a particular piece of folklore and I liked this one better than the design used in Jim Hensons Storyteller

 

[Nebulous]

I had no previous experience with the game or books, so had no expectations coming into it.

Witcher 3 won game of the year in 2016. This short game trailer is more visceral than the trailer for the live action show.