‘The Witcher’ Season 2 Review

(Photograph courtesy of the official Netflix ‘The Witcher’ Twitter, @witchernetflix)

Netflix’s “The Witcher” is one of the most streamed television shows globally, and that doesn’t go without reason. Based on the successful book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, which was later adapted into a videogame series by CD Projekt Red, the show was destined to be successful if it could impress fans as much as its source material and past adaptations had. Not only did Netflix impress fans of “The Witcher” with its first season, but made its second season even better.

**Spoilers for seasons one and two of “The Witcher” are ahead!**

While season one of “The Witcher” was still a fun, enjoyable ride for fans, it also came with some issues that left some feeling less than impressed. The pacing was definitely an issue, with strange time jumps to both the past and the present that made it difficult for some viewers to follow, especially those that were not familiar with the source material. Oftentimes, the only way to tell when an episode took place were small details such as Geralt’s clothing, or whether or not Renfri’s brooch was attached to Geralt’s sword. Weeks after its release, Netflix did try to help fix this problem by releasing a timeline of the events for the first season, but many fans were still upset that it was difficult to follow in the first place. Netflix heard this critique loud and clear and decided not to use any jumps in time during the second season. There’s even a joke in season two where a character is talking to the bard, Jaskier, and mentions that Geralt’s story was difficult to follow and it told him until “the fourth verse to understand there were different timelines.”, jokingly blaming the confusion on the bard’s storytelling. With the timeline issue cleared up, it makes the season much easier to follow and fixes most of the pacing issues from the previous season.

Not only did Netflix fix issues with the pacing of the story, but it’s also clear that they allowed for a much bigger budget for this season. In the first season, some of the CGI used on the monsters that Geralt fights were lacking, to say the least. The CGI in season two is much better, with many of the monsters looking almost identical to what they looked like in the videogame “The Witcher 3” by CD Projekt Red. Even small details like costume design are more impressive, and even the wig for Geralt’s infamous white hair looks better and more realistic this season. There are even fight sequences that are very reminiscent of “The Witcher 3,” slowed down at just the right moments for the perfect balance of dramatic effect. It now quite possibly has some of the best CGI effects and costume design of any Netflix show.

One of the most impressive things about “The Witcher” season 2 is its storyline and storytelling ability. Not only is it easier to follow as stated above, but there are times when scenes are jarringly similar to the exact scenes in the books, but it never shies away from being an original adaptation that showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich made her own. A great example of good storytelling, it addresses many of the questions that were brought up in the first season. Season 2 addressed whether or not Geralt would take Ciri to Kaer Morhen if he would apologize to Jaskier if Ciri would find out more about her powers, and where Geralt and Yennefer stand in their on-again, off-again relationship. Since a vast majority of characters were introduced prior to season two, it gives the opportunity to focus more time on plot progression instead of introductions, smoothly pushing the storyline along despite the introduction of new characters.

Season 2 does leave some fans with questions, especially those that were already fans of the book and/or games. The death of Eskel, a fellow witcher from Kaer Morhen, took many by surprise, as it was very unexpected. There has been no comment on why this creative liberty was taken so far, but many are hoping it’s something that will be addressed in the future, especially since Eskel has some pretty major roles in the future of The Witcher book series. Hissirch has admitted that there were rewrites and it’s very likely that Covid was somehow involved in some of the changes that took place in the show. Some fans were also upset that Geralt’s beloved horse, Roach, was killed off this season. Though he goes through many horses in the books, all of which he names Roach, the death seemed to serve no purpose other than providing Geralt with an entirely different horse. While some scenes were near perfect adaptions of the books, there was also still quite a bit left out and changed in season 2, which has some viewers scratching their heads.

Overall, season 2 of “The Witcher” is a great example of why this show has been such a great success. With issues from the first season addressed, an amazingly talented cast, a compelling storyline, and another hit song performed by Joey Batey as Jaskier, it is proof that this show has the potential to just keep getting better. The season ended with the big reveal that Emhyr var Ereis, also known as the emperor of Nilfgaard and the White Flame, is actually Ciri’s father. The show left on that cliffhanger, leaving fans only wanting more, and for good reason. With seven seasons currently planned for the show, everyone is hoping that Netflix can keep its momentum for “The Witcher.”

Written by Ashley Laney

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