The Witcher (season 2)

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⭐ 7.5/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

We watched the finale while I was still hungover from the excitement that was Mass Effect so maybe I'm not in the right mindset to evaluate this other alternative universe. I just think this show is good now which is actually a huge step up from that monstrosity of a first season. It's frustrating because I feel like this show has every opportunity to be amazing, and now and again it shows flashes.

I think one of the difficulties with this show is it tries too hard. They try to tell this crazy complex story with moving parts and mysteries and over-the-top drama. It wants to be Game of Thrones but just feels like a cheap knockoff. This show is too damn hard to follow, and that's coming from someone who is already quite invested in the Witcher universe. I can't imagine how hard this is to follow for someone going in fresh. It goes for shock value rather than telling a coherent story, and rather than explaining it through actual visuals, characters just talk about things or have weird dream sequences.

When this show is about Geralt and Ciri, it's really good. Those two characters are great and their relationship should be what drives it. Why is a video game so much better at world building and storytelling than a tv show? Maybe it was just that Witcher 3 does a better job developing side characters. Dandelion (Jaskier) is so, so annoying in this show, and Yennifer, rather than being this dominating, powerful sorceress comes off as whiny. At least Triss finally came in and was really solid, alongside a pleasant showing from Vesemir.

I know this is a really negative review, but this season is at least good. I enjoyed it at least as much as Wheel of Time. But similar to Wheel of Time, I think it's a lot of wasted potential. It's a cool world with cool characters, features awesome music and is shot in beautiful locations. They just haven't brought it together yet. Henry Cavill as Geralt is still great, but honestly he's a little too sexy at this point. His armor doesn't need to be that tight! I think they try too hard to put him in positions to look sexy rather than just letting him be Geralt.

If you want to get into this show, you can honestly just start here; there is very little to take from season 1. It's a good fantasy show with short seasons, and I still believe that it will only get better from here.

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