On December 20, The Witcher Season 1 started streaming on Netflix. If you are a Star Wars fan in the Philippines and have been waiting for The Witcher series to drop, you must have been quite torn on that day.
So am I!If you've been living under a rock, the last instalment of the Skywalker Saga was released for only a few days because of the Metro Manila Film Festival. It ran from December 20 to 22 which they call the Star Wars Weekend but it will be back on January 8, 2020. Having said that, I have to admit I watched Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker first and a spoiler-free review is now up.
Now for The Witcher.
The Witcher
Starring: Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan
Creators: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster-hunter for hire, journeys toward his destiny in a turbulent world where people often prove more wicked than beasts.
There are a total of eight episodes in season one and I finished watching all in one day. Pretty sure most did, too! 🙂 No judgement here.
But if you're not familiar with the series and haven't binge-watched it yet, let me tell you this. Not knowing anything at all about the series is fine. In fact, I was not aware of its existence and you don't always have to read the books before watching a series or a film, that is if it's based on that. Sometimes it's fun to just dive into an unknown fictional world.
But I have to admit though I got confused on the first few episodes. I think this is the reason for some of the negative reviews. Some people just didn't give it enough time to unfold. For a series with only a few episodes bearing a 40-minute run time, you really won't be able to see the layout as well as see where it is headed if you give up early.
If you check my IMDb rating, I gave The End's Beginning a 6/10. It was not a good start for me but it gave me several surprises preparing me for what type of show this was going to be. Right then and there I knew The Witcher is not holding back with anything that is why it's rated 18+.
Episode 2 titled Four Marks came next piquing my curiosity. Thus, earning an 8/10 rating. This good rating reached a perfect 10 towards episode 3 titled Betrayer Moon. Now, this is where all the realizations started.
Nonlinear Narrative
I'm pretty sure you are familiar with the narrative technique where they use a nonlinear approach. This is a common practice which makes stories even more interesting. Since we are not new to monsters, witches and so on, we need something to make our audience engaged. Netflix's The Witcher has a formula that always got me thinking. They make me notice and analyze everything they feed on the screen.
It's also worth mentioning that Betrayer Moon is a great episode. The presentation, the acting especially the editing made me realize THIS IS WITCHER!Now onto episode 4 titled Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials which I gave 9/10. Don't be alarmed. I'm not saying this episode is bad. This is a great episode, too and holds several revelations. But I fell in love with Episode 3.
Speaking of which, episode 5 titled Bottled Appetites also got a 10! This showed a different side of the series. After that is the Rare Species where they hunted for a dragon. Because I love dragons and I am a dragon myself, I expected a lot from episode 6. Sadly, it lacked magnificence which is why I gave it 8/10. Remember the first time you saw Smaug?
Once you arrive at episode 7 titled Before a Fall, the nonlinear narrative merges to Ciri's present. Everything is now pieced together which leads us to Much More which is the title of the last episode. I gave both an 8/10.
"People linked by destiny will always find each other."
Yes, they found each other!
With that, I honestly say that I can't wait for season 2. It's true that I got really confused at the beginning. But I decided to hold on the moment I reached episode 2 and gladly finished the entire season because of episode 3. The characters grew on me plus, the urge to find out what happens next and how they'll meet increased. In addition, the cast was all good. I couldn't think of anyone replacing any of them.
And oh! When I share this on my social media, people might ask me if this is the best post Game of Thrones series so I will answer you now. Netflix's The Witcher is Netflix's The Witcher. HBO's Game of Thrones is HBO's Game of Thrones. Whether you're a GoT fan or not, you can like The Witcher and make it your post "insert show here".
