Television The Witcher | Netflix | There are book spoilers here

[Sylar]

That was so much fun. Shame it's not a weekly thing as it would have more discussion per episode.

The timeline thing I figured out in ep3 but it was nicely done.

The few things did take me out of the world like how clean it is despite us being told it's not, or Ciri saying gross
But enjoyable

Guessing S2 will be one timeline?? Can't see how they would do different timelines with everything meeting up in the final ep

 

[Revan]

Nah, not really. Novels make it pretty clear Tissaia is on a whole different level. Avallac'h is made out to be a pretty serious deal too

Spoiler

Other than those two sure, he's among the strongest, although nobody among the mages is particularly worried about taking him on. (Whereas nobody even entertains the idea of trying to take on Tissaia. Including Vilgefortz, in fact. I mean, him and Philippa and their respective factions go from trying to kill each other to running for fecking cover the moment Tissaia gets involved. Tissaia fecking brings down an anti-magic barrier nobody even though it was possible to bring down in the first place!)

Agree.

Spoiler

Tissaia is the most powerful mage in the books. Vilgefortz is the main antagonist and extremely powerful and involved, but Tissaia was hinted to be the strongest mage.

Avallah is a bit of unknown, he could be even more powerful though.

 

[evil_geko]

Missed this earlier. As someone who chose Triss in the games, I admit being slightly disappointed at the lack of flaming red hair, but at least they got the freckles right. However I am more disappointed at the writing of her character than the actress, who I thought did a decent job. She feels like a side character becuase thats what she is in the show, at least this season. How many lines does she even have? And how many of them are actually with Geralt? Besides their initial interaction, I honestly can't recall. Her character is just another one of Foltest's agents serving as a buffer between him and Geralt. I think she is pretty cute but hasn't had much of a chance to show it or to express herself just yet.

She IS a side character in the books though.

Although, the show writer confirmed she will have much more screen time in the second season.

Guessing S2 will be one timeline?? Can't see how they would do different timelines with everything meeting up in the final ep

Yes, first season was based on the books that are collection of short stories, so that's why it's not that coherent, second season starts where the main story starts in the books.

 

[DWelbz19]

Missed this earlier. As someone who chose Triss in the games, I admit being slightly disappointed at the lack of flaming red hair, but at least they got the freckles right. However I am more disappointed at the writing of her character than the actress, who I thought did a decent job. She feels like a side character becuase thats what she is in the show, at least this season. How many lines does she even have? And how many of them are actually with Geralt? Besides their initial interaction, I honestly can't recall. Her character is just another one of Foltest's agents serving as a buffer between him and Geralt. I think she is pretty cute but hasn't had much of a chance to show it or to express herself just yet.

Show Triss is fairly accurate with her portrayal in the books, where she is a secondary character.

In the games, she features heavily because when CDPR began TW1 they were not set on an accurate portrayal/continuation of the novels, rather they took names, major arcs/themes and ran with it. Yennefer was not in the first two games, and her as the main love interest is replaced by Shani/Triss. TW3 is where the main novel storyline is fleshed entirely (with Triss in a more enhanced role).

I think she’ll have a larger role in season 2.

Spoiler: small book spoiler

She will most likely assist with Ciri’s magic training at Kaer Morhen as she does in the books. There’s a little bit of romance action between her and Geralt at that part in the book, though Geralt turns her down. Maybe they’ll crank it up in the show.

 

[Spoony]

Is this worth a watch??

 

[Ødegaard]

Agree.

Spoiler

Tissaia is the most powerful mage in the books. Vilgefortz is the main antagonist and extremely powerful and involved, but Tissaia was hinted to be the strongest mage.

Avallah is a bit of unknown, he could be even more powerful though.

Surely it depends on how you see it?
Vilgefortz is powerful as hell as a mage, but his abilities as a warrior on top of being a top class mage surely makes him the stronger of the two.

 

[Ainu]

Show Triss is fairly accurate with her portrayal in the books, where she is a secondary character.

In the games, she features heavily because when CDPR began TW1 they were not set on an accurate portrayal/continuation of the novels, rather they took names, major arcs/themes and ran with it. Yennefer was not in the first two games, and her as the main love interest is replaced by Shani/Triss. TW3 is where the main novel storyline is fleshed entirely (with Triss in a more enhanced role).

I think she’ll have a larger role in season 2.

Spoiler: small book spoiler

She will most likely assist with Ciri’s magic training at Kaer Morhen as she does in the books. There’s a little bit of romance action between her and Geralt at that part in the book, though Geralt turns her down. Maybe they’ll crank it up in the show.

I would argue she already has a bigger part in the show than in the books, with her introduction in the striga episodes, which is completely inaccurate.

Spoiler

It's been years since I read the books, but I think she first met Geralt when he was staying with Yennefer. I can't place its timing exactly, but it's certainly from before Ciri's training at Kaer Morhen. Triss sort of magicked Geralt into having sex with her when he and Yennefer had one of their big fights. I think he kept Triss at a distance when she was at Kear Morhen.

Anyway, the striga story is well before Triss should've been introduced, but I can't really recall if it's a couple years early or more in the range of 20 years early. It's also worth noting she's supposed to be actually young, as opposed to using magic to make her seem young like most other sorceresses (isn't Yen like a 100+ years old?). So her character seems like a weirdly inaccurate adaptation from the books. I'm only 3 episodes in though, so maybe the rest is more accurate.

 

[DWelbz19]

I would argue she already has a bigger part in the show than in the books, with her introduction in the striga episodes, which is completely inaccurate.

Spoiler

It's been years since I read the books, but I think she first met Geralt when he was staying with Yennefer. I can't place its timing exactly, but it's certainly from before Ciri's training at Kaer Morhen. Triss sort of magicked Geralt into having sex with her when he and Yennefer had one of their big fights. I think he kept Triss at a distance when she was at Kear Morhen.

Anyway, the striga story is well before Triss should've been introduced, but I can't really recall if it's a couple years early or more in the range of 20 years early. It's also worth noting she's supposed to be actually young, as opposed to using magic to make her seem young like most other sorceresses (isn't Yen like a 100+ years old?). So her character seems like a weirdly inaccurate adaptation from the books. I'm only 3 episodes in though, so maybe the rest is more accurate.

Guess they saw the Striga episode as a way to easily introduce her, as she did serve Temeria, albeit later on.

Spoiler part: Was that in the books? Been a while too so I didn’t remember that, I thought that was a game inclusion with the ‘amnesia stuff’.

 

[DWelbz19]

Surely it depends on how you see it?
Vilgefortz is powerful as hell as a mage, but his abilities as a warrior on top of being a top class mage surely makes him the stronger of the two.

Agree. I think Tissaia is the more skilled with magic and has renowned presence, but Vilgefortz is the one with actual written feats.

 

[Shane88]

Is this worth a watch??

The general consensus in this thread is that it's brilliant, good, alright, pretty bad and shite so.......maybe?

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Is this worth a watch??

Depends what kind of genre you like but for me this is brilliant. In fact I’ve enjoyed it so much I think I’m going to rewatch it again immediately which I’ve never done before

 

[Spoony]

The general consensus in this thread is that it's brilliant, good, alright, pretty bad and shite so.......maybe?

Hmmmm.... I'm not sure either. Has it got boobs?? That could be the game changer.

 

[Spoony]

Depends what kind of genre you like but for me this is brilliant. In fact I’ve enjoyed it so much I think I’m going to rewatch it again immediately which I’ve never done before

I don't mind the genre. But yeah the reviews seem to be all over the place.

 

[Dan]

Hmmmm.... I'm not sure either. Has it got boobs?? That could be the game changer.

Can confirm.

 

[PedroMendez]

I don't mind the genre. But yeah the reviews seem to be all over the place.

People come with very different expectations to this. If you have read the books or played the games, you are familiar with many of the characters and might have strong attachment to them (which can make you really like or hate it). If you like fantasy settings, you should give it a try.

 

[Revan]

Surely it depends on how you see it?
Vilgefortz is powerful as hell as a mage, but his abilities as a warrior on top of being a top class mage surely makes him the stronger of the two.

Spoiler

I don't think it is even that close in the books. Tissaia is way stronger than Vilgefortz, she was almost God level in the books, and the writer had to suicide her in order to allow the story to continue. In the mages civil war, the things she does are well above the level of any other mage we have seen in the books or games.

Vilgefortz is likely the second strongest, despite being quite young.

 

[Ødegaard]

Spoiler

I don't think it is even that close in the books. Tissaia is way stronger than Vilgefortz, she was almost God level in the books, and the writer had to suicide her in order to allow the story to continue. In the mages civil war, the things she does are well above the level of any other mage we have seen in the books or games.

Vilgefortz is likely the second strongest, despite being quite young.

What did she do?

Spoiler

The only thing I have come up with is the anti-magic barrier.

 

[Revan]

What did she do?
The only thing I have come up with is the anti-magic barrier.

Would recommend to put stuff in spoilers.

Spoiler

Yep, she removes the anti-magic barrier which was an unthinkable thing to do, and was create for decades from one of the original mages. As far as I remember, Philippa and Vilgefortz start running and taking shelter when Tissaia goes in full rage mode.

There is also one of the experts in the lore, who essentially said that Tissaia > combined Lodge. I would say that Vilgefortz is likely slightly ahead of Philippa/Francesca but way below Tissaia, though still insanely powerful (he lead the Northern mages in the first war). Tissaia just was not interested in the politics and war that much.

Tissaia is essentially Master Yoda, Vilefortz is Anakin Skywalker.

 

[Ainu]

Guess they saw the Striga episode as a way to easily introduce her, as she did serve Temeria, albeit later on.

Spoiler part: Was that in the books? Been a while too so I didn’t remember that, I thought that was a game inclusion with the ‘amnesia stuff’.

It's book stuff, but I don't remember where in the timeline exactly. It think it's mentioned in the first book of the actual saga, Blood of Elves, but I'm not a 100% sure.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Hmmmm.... I'm not sure either. Has it got boobs?? That could be the game changer.

Definitely does. Geralt gets them out all the time.

I think it's excellent. I'd recommend giving it a go with the understanding that this somewhat high fantasy (with magic etc) involved, and of course it's told with different characters being in different timelines and not visibly ageing.

 

[GhastlyHun]

Hmmmm.... I'm not sure either. Has it got boobs?? That could be the game changer.

The show is well stacked in the boobs department.

 

[Revan]

Thoughts (don't open if not read the books):

Spoiler

Vilgerfortz threw the fight, right? That is the only possible explanation. I don't understand why they did it this way, and why they made Yen the hero of the battle instead of him, but the only way this makes sense is if he threw the fight to hide his power in order to fool the viewers (but then he killed an ally). In the books, he is already one of the strongest sorcerers (being in the upper chamber together with Tissaia and three other powerful mages), here he looks like a second-tier novice.

I believe that in the next season, we will realize that it was him not Fringilla who caused the storm that destroyed the entire Skellige fleet. Maybe this is why his powers got depleted so easily.

Also, Cahir seem to be evil impersonificated and somehow leading the entire Nilfgaardian army, which is very very different to how things went in the books.

 

[Ødegaard]

Thoughts (don't open if not read the books):

Spoiler

Vilgerfortz threw the fight, right? That is the only possible explanation. I don't understand why they did it this way, and why they made Yen the hero of the battle instead of him, but the only way this makes sense is if he threw the fight to hide his power in order to fool the viewers (but then he killed an ally). In the books, he is already one of the strongest sorcerers (being in the upper chamber together with Tissaia and three other powerful mages), here he looks like a second-tier novice.

I believe that in the next season, we will realize that it was him not Fringilla who caused the storm that destroyed the entire Skellige fleet. Maybe this is why his powers got depleted so easily.

Also, Cahir seem to be evil impersonificated and somehow leading the entire Nilfgaardian army, which is very very different to how things went in the books.

Spoiler

Cahir is only leading a small part of the army from what I remember in the show.
Vilgefortz definitely threw the fight, the show-runner has given hints towards that on twitter top of what is shown in the series.

 

[Roosney]

Two episodes in and not too impressed. The pacing and poor CGI are major turn offs. I tried to really like it but watching feels a bit laboured.

 

[Redplane]

Hmmmm.... I'm not sure either. Has it got boobs?? That could be the game changer.

Glorious ones.

Two episodes in and not too impressed. The pacing and poor CGI are major turn offs. I tried to really like it but watching feels a bit laboured.

It's weird when it comes to the CGI- the non moving cgi like cities, castles etc look very good - probably better than the first seasons of GoT in some ways. The creatures are hit or miss. The Striga for instance was great imho. Seems they used a blend of costumes and cgi for some of them. The rendering of them doesn't even look bad - it's more the lighting of them that makes it feel out of place.

 

[Shane88]

I thought the only dodgy CGI was the gold dragon and that wasn't even that bad.

 

[Dargonk]

Finished it a not sure how I feel now. I've played the third game only, and that was a while ago, so most of the history and such I don't recall. It was enjoyable to watch, but plot wise felt very rushed and beyond following the three main guys, due to the timeline jumping all over the place I did struggle to care for what was actually happening and the other characters. It really just felt like I was waiting for the three main lines to finally connect, and then didn't really have any pay off at the end.

The whole season just feels like background filling, and that the actual story is to start with the second season. And with the next season so far away I do feel a little cheated in a way. So I can see a decent amount of people being put of a bit by that. Overall I would probably give it a 6-7/10. It was enjoyable, but overall plot is a bit of a mess, and some of the monsters looked a bit poor. Hopefully the second season can build on this though.

 

[ha_rooney]

I enjoyed it, didn’t know what to expect having never played the game/read the books but thought it was a good watch.

The timeline was confusing when they showed what happened in the past, but eventually I understood how the events were playing out & thought it was well done.

 

[Art Vandelay]

I watched about 20 minutes, it seemed cheap and I was bored so I gave up on it. I read the books already so don't really have any need to watch it.

 

[Adam-Utd]

I watched about 20 minutes, it seemed cheap and I was bored so I gave up on it. I read the books already so don't really have any need to watch it.

next time just save yourself the hassle and watch the last 20 minutes. Patience clearly isn’t your thing I guess

 

[George Owen]

Loved it.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

Hope next season have Dandi(whatever his fecking name is) and Zoltan show up.

 

[Ødegaard]

Hope next season have Dandi(whatever his fecking name is) and Zoltan show up.

Dandelion is there in his book form, Jaskier.

 

[stepic]

i'm not sure how i feel about it after 4 episodes. the witcher stories seem too episodal, which i understand is based off side stories or something, but means there's a lack of overall structure. it's not bad, it's not brilliant either. some of the dialogue is a bit cheesy, as are some of the effects. will keep at it. mandalorian is much better so far.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

Dandelion is there in his book form, Jaskier.

Is that his real name? The guy is way too much like him, so I just thought they haven't met yet.

 

[Ødegaard]

Is that his real name? The guy is way too much like him, so I just thought they haven't met yet.

From what I've read, Jaskier is the polish name for a flower that is similar to the dandelion, so when the games were made Jaskier got his name translated to Dandelion.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

From what I've read, Jaskier is the polish name for a flower that is similar to the dandelion, so when the games were made Jaskier got his name translated to Dandelion.

And “Roach” has a different connotation as well.

 

[njred]

Good show. The author of the books definitely either drew inspiration or plagiarized the Elric of Melnibone books from the 1960s.

 

[DWelbz19]

Is that his real name? The guy is way too much like him, so I just thought they haven't met yet.

Mousesack is also Ermion from the games, just FYI.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

From what I've read, Jaskier is the polish name for a flower that is similar to the dandelion, so when the games were made Jaskier got his name translated to Dandelion.

Huh. Should've known that was possibly him