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The Witcher Spins A Wonderful Tale

Outside of the occasional advertisement for the popular video game based upon it, I was completely unfamiliar with Andrzej Sapkowksi’s book series, The Witcher. I knew that the game looked cool, but I’m not much into modern gaming as I am the old school console games, so my knowledge of the series began and ended with the advertisements.

When I discovered that Netflix was going to be producing a series based on the novels and the games, my interest was piqued. I became especially interested whenever I found out that Henry Cavill would star in the series as the title character, better known as Geralt of Rivia.

When the series became available for streaming, it took me quite a bit longer than some others to view it. Why? Because of its mature content, which includes strong language, nudity, violence, and gore, it was a tad difficult for me to watch the series since I am not ready to expose my youngest child to those things. (I have yet to watch the entirety of Game of Thrones due to this as well).

Well, I’m happy to say that I’ve finally managed to watch the entire series and I really enjoyed it. Yes, some bits were rather predictable, but for the most part the series was a solid entry in the fantasy genre. Henry Cavill carried most of the series on his broad shoulders as he grimaced, grunted, and growled his way through each episode. Anya Chalotra, who portrayed Yennefer of Vengerberg, commanded each scene that she was in as well, partly because she did an amazing job in the role and partly because she is one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever laid eyes upon. Freya Allan was very good as Cirilla, The Lion Cub Of Cintra, who is the primary motivation for pretty much everything that happens in the series.

For those that are unfamiliar with the series, Geralt is a witcher, a paid monster hunter that is tied by destiny to the fate of Cirilla, whenever he saves her future parents and a lot of other folks at a wedding gone wrong. Yennefer is a powerful mage who gives up something (I won’t say what that something is) in order to become beautiful. She uses her beauty and her magic to manipulate others in an attempt to reacquire what she gave up. Along the way she encounters Geralt and their fates also become tied together.

While the series slowly fuses the destinies of Geralt, Cirilla, and Yennefer, plenty of other adventures occur. There are a number of villains in the series, but the one that stands out the most in my mind is Cahir, the Black Knight who commands the Nilfgaardian army. Driven by his desire to capture Cirilla for his emperor, Cahir (Eamon Farren) takes his army from the North and burns across the realm leaving a path of destruction in his wake. Aided by the mage known as Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni), Cahir decimates Cirilla’s home of Cintra and continues his hunt for her whenever she escapes during the assault. This leads to a great battle at the end of the first season.

Geralt, Cirilla, and Yennefer also run into a few allies off and on throughout the series. Mousesack (Adam Levy) is loyal to a fault to Cirilla, willing to do anything to protect her. Cirilla also befriends a young elf named Dara (Wilson Radjou-Pujalte), who helps her while she is on the run from Cahir. Yennefer forms strong bonds with some of her fellow mages such as Triss (Anna Shaffer) and also has a strong love/hate relationship with her rectoress, Tissaia (MyAnna Buring), who attempts to guide Yennefer down the right path. Geralt runs into many colorful characters such as Borch Three Jackdaws (Ron Cook), a stranger that convinces Geralt to join him in a dragon hunt along with his two aids, Tea and Vea (Adele Oni and Colette Dalal Tchantcho). He also comes into contact with Jaskier (Joey Batey), a somewhat annoying minstrel who tags along with Geralt on a few of his adventures. He’s also the source of a few of Geralt’s problems.

The series also features a number of monsters. Most of them intend to do harm, but Geralt knows that sometimes the monster isn’t necessarily the most beastly looking character. This adds quite a bit of depth to Geralt, as he doesn’t kill merely for profit. He attempts to save the monsters in some cases and this goes a long way in developing him as a character.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable series. I look forward to the second season. I might even pick up some of the books that the series is based upon and read them if and when I ever get the time. Check out the series if you enjoy excellent fantasy.

Thanks for reading!