The Witcher Season 2 Review
Netflix
Created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
Staring Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, and Anya Chalotra
Picking up where Season 1 left off, we start seeing what happened after Geralt and Cirilla meet in the woods, Yennefer went missing after using forbidden fire magic, and the after-effects of the Nilfgaardian invasion of Cintra and the North. Thankfully with Season 2, we move into a linear narrative instead of the multiple narrative and stories.
From the start, the episodes and storylines are easy to follow. With the linear story, we can start getting invested more into the characters and their relationship with each other. The main relationship that is explored heavily is that of Geralt and Ciri. We see them take on more of a daughter-father relationship throughout the season as they search for who or what she is. Another significant relationship is that of Yennefer and trying to regain her use of Chaos.
As we follow them on their journey, we are introduced to many new and familiar faces. These encounters are helpful in how we see the growth from them. With Geralt taking on a more fatherly figure role, we see little change in how he interacts with the other Witchers, prostitutes, friends, and lovers.
The Witcher Season 2 improves upon the battles and action sequences. The monster fights are a great mixture of practical and visual effects. This improvement allows for more combat similar to the games, especially Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. Each battle throughout the season builds and feels more significant with each monster.
With so many unique storylines, the location and set pieces are marveled at. The obstacle course built for Kaer Morhen shows the details and craftsmanship found throughout the season. Some locations feel reused when Geralt, Ciri, or Yennefer are absent.
Another area of note is the acting and how comfortable many are with their role. There was confidence in the actors’ performance that wasn’t as noticeable in the previous season. They felt more into character, especially Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, and Anya Chalotra. Even the guest appearance hit the mark and added familiarity to it.
Season 2 of The Witcher still has some of the same issues that affected the first season. One of those flaws is the massive amount of lore and mythology being presented with no context. As good as it explains the essential details, the finer points are vague to which only fans of the book or video game series will comprehend. For casual viewers, it still keeps them at a disadvantage.
The major problem that didn’t benefit from the linear narrative is the show’s pacing. It was the most frustrating thing about Season 1, and it felt needlessly carried over. It was improved upon in different ways and is not as dreadful but is still a hurdle for viewers to overcome.
Overall Thoughts on The Witcher Season 2
Season 2 is enjoyable and brings enough to the table that every fan can enjoy, from the dead hard book and video games section to the TV and Henry Cavill. With the set design, relationship building, easy-to-follow chronology, and sword fighting, the series improved on many complaints. Unfortunately, it still suffers from the same problems that deterred many away in Season 1.