The Witcher Season 2 Review: Superior To Its Predecessor A Series That Embraces Its Destiny
Cast: Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra
Creator: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
Streaming Platform: Netflix (click to watch)
Filmyhype Ratings: 4/5 (for star) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
The Witcher Season 2 Review: Now the wait is almost finally over the The Witcher Season 2 is now available globally. The delight of the increasingly impatient fans who can’t wait to see the adventures of the Witcher Geralt of Rivia on the small screen, inspired by the eight books of the literary saga created by the Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The budget has increased and you can see it, first of all from a visual point of view: the CGI has significantly improved compared to that seen during the first series, and so have also improved the setting (which was already excellent) and the costumes (which instead had aroused various controversies). We have also found a remarkable growth from the point of view of directing and cinematography, which darkens even more, getting even closer to the dark tones so characteristic of Sapkowski’s books. All of this, combined with a more linear and intriguing story, makes The Witcher 2 a highly enjoyable and well made product, able to conquer even those not familiar with the Geralt saga.
The Witcher Season 2: The Story
The story of The Witcher 2 picks up exactly where it left off Convinced that Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) has lost her life in the Battle of Sodden, and with the war unleashed by Nilfgaard looming, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) takes Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan) to the safest place he knows: it is the his childhood home, Kaer Morhen, where he became a witcher and where he and his companions spend the winter. Here Ciri will meet Vesemir (Kim Bodnia ), the oldest and most experienced witcher, and the group of witchers Geralt grew up with. As the kings, elves, humans and demons of the continent fight for supremacy in the outside world, Geralt must train the young princess so that she can defend herself, but also protect the girl from something far more dangerous: the mysterious unknown power that it burns inside.
One of the main criticisms that had been leveled at the first season of The Witcher was the fragmentary timeline, leading the story to continuous jumps between past, present and future. It was actually a structure similar to the first two books – the short story collections The Guardian of the Innocents and The Sword of Destiny – equally fragmentary, but it could be difficult to follow for non-fantasy fans and those not already familiar with the saga. of the Witcher, or with the video games taken from it. The Witcher 2 fixes this problem and returns to tell the story of Geralt and Ciri in a linear way and without other leaps, because the events that the public will see represented are those of The Blood of The Elves, the first effective novel in history. This also means that there will be the opportunity to better explore the psychology of the characters and their human relationships from here on, the emotional ties are what the whole story revolves around, in particular the relationship between Geralt and Ciri , which will always become more like a father-daughter relationship. But not only. The young princess with unknown powers will also forge bonds with Yennefer and with Triss Merigold (Anna Shaffer), the red-haired sorceress who finally in this second season is more like how she is described in the books.
In the second part of The Witcher the public will know even better the story of Geralt, thanks to his arrival in Kaer Morhen, the home of his race where there are his companions, whom he considers his family, and his putative father, Vesemir. It is also interesting to see and understand how Ciri will interact with this environment, how the Witchers will help her to form both from the point of view of physical training and from the point of view of character. Ciri will long become a Witcher, but there are never any Witcher-women, mainly for physiological reasons. The girl will therefore also have to face this challenge, as well as that of understanding who she is and escaping whoever wants to capture her. Precisely in this perspective, another very important setting of the saga will enter the scene in the season: the Temple of Melitele , the house of Nenneke (Adjoa Andoh), a fundamental priestess for the story of Geralt and for that of Ciri. The Witcher 2 also introduces the new character of Dijkstra (Graham McTavish), fundamental for the future development of the story, and that of Rience (Chris Fulton), also long part of the future story.
The first season had closed with two opposite movements: a fiery explosion and a cold embrace. We had left Yennefer while he was burning everything in the Battle of Colle Sodden, while Geralt finally welcomed the young Ciri into his arms. The second season resumes sometime later, with the Witcher and the girl on their way to Kaer Moren, an ancient fortress where Witchers live and are trained. Meanwhile, Yennefer finds herself alone, forced to experience a profound existential crisis that puts her in contact with her weaknesses. From these premises it is easy to understand the first big difference between this season and the previous one. If the first was much more complex (and sometimes complicated) due to the various time jumps, now the fact of having two characters almost always together (Geralt and Ciri) makes the narration much more linear and pleasant to follow. A greater compactness that allows you to dwell much better on the characters, their evolutions and their relationships. In the cold of Kaer Moren, for example, we can meet a new Geralt, halfway between the mentor and the pupil. The presence of Ciri at his side forces him to put aside the brutal hunter and to put on new clothes, in some ways uncomfortable, because they are full of unprecedented responsibilities for those who have always looked after only themselves. On the other hand, being able to get to know his teacher Vesemir allows us to finally peek into his dark past.
The fact that the story is set in winter, therefore during the retreat of the few witchers left alive on the Continent, slows down the pace of the story, makes everything more relaxed and makes us all sit around the fire to better discover the painful experience of each witcher. Theirs is a world of deprivation, sacrifice and violence that fascinates Ciri, who is absolutely at the center of the story as never before in this season. It’s not just about his training, but his growing weight within The Witcher’s global design.
The Witcher Season 2 Review and Analysis
The beating heart of the season is so well embodied by the relationship between Geralt and Ciri that Yennefer’s character is reduced, cut off from the show’s most interesting storyline and relegated to a less incisive and fascinating path. Still looking for her place in the world, the wizard wanders around the show but is too much victim of events without yet imposing her personality. In short, the infamous fate of a survivor also falls on her character who seems increasingly full of unexpressed potential. A great pity, given that at an actor level the whole trio of protagonists has now become credible and fitting with their alter ego.
Anya Chalotra gives us a fragile and ruthless Yennefer at the same time, Freya Allan a determined but still innocent Ciri, while Henry Cavill is now one with his Geralt to whom he also manages to give new nuances (such as sarcasm and reluctance). To underline once again the splendid work done by the actor with the voice, who manages to evoke that of the video game without ever mimicking or looking like an imitation. Legends also narrate that on the set Cavill, a well-known enthusiast and lover of The Witcher saga, also exuded an encyclopedic knowledge of The Blood of the Elves, the novel of the saga that inspired this season. A passion poured into every drop of blood that bathes his Witcher sword.
Of course, the series transmits a different energy depending on whether it focuses on Yennefer’s story line or that of Geralt and Ciri . In the second there is a further tendency for calm to predominate and a series of external threats allow ‘The Witcher’ to continue influencing its component of adventure series with a strong element of fantasy. In addition, these are not isolated and differentiated dangers, since there is an intention behind that is unfolding little by little, preparing us for a second half of the season that seems quite stimulating.
On the other hand, everything is more global and comprehensive when ‘The Witcher’ focuses on the character played by Chalotra, since it delves deeper into the situation of the Continent and the goings-on to seize power, with the elves not exactly going through his best moment. Again, the series is much clearer here than in its first season, but it is fair to note that there are some moments, not many, in which interest wanes. Fortunately, things quickly straighten out, particularly after a decision Yennefer makes when she finds herself in a very difficult situation.
In the end, what is really important is that ‘The Witcher’ has managed to satisfactorily balance the fact of offering a continuous plot that is interesting and easy to follow with its more episodic adventure side. In the first season it gave the feeling that the second predominated, something that personally I am not going to put too many problems, with the first somewhat neglected. In return, perhaps humor has less presence, the fourth chapter being the one that gives us the most joy on that side.
Visually, ‘The Witcher’ shines again, especially when some monster momentarily takes over the function, but there is concern at all levels and the need to integrate it into the series instead of being flashes to leave the viewer with open mouth. Here it depends on each person to what extent they buy the universe that the series presents to us -I am more interested in everything when it focuses on old acquaintances than when that war between races is given more weight-, but it is undeniable that it transmits having a much clearer idea of what you are looking for.
Witcher Season 2 Netflix: The Last Words
The second season is better than the first, which I already enjoyed at the time. Obviously, I need to see four more episodes to be able to affirm it more emphatically, but a lot would have to change the thing is twisted and the signal that remains is that it will continue to grow even more. Nor is it that there are so many changes compared to its predecessor, but it is clear that it has been learned from what did not work quite well there. The Witcher 2 is a technically superior product to the first season, more engaging also from the point of view of the story. Thanks to the linear storytelling it is a more immersive season, which will be easy to follow for those who are not expert in fantasy and will make fans of the story of Geralt of Rivia even more passionate.
