This review pertains to Season 1 of Netflix’s The Witcher. Other than a few basic facts about the show, this is spoiler free.

Netflix’s The Witcher, based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series of the same name, released all of its episodes on December 20, 2019. With critically acclaimed video games already adored by gamers, fans of the books and the games have all been waiting impatiently for this past Friday’s binge session.

I don’t fall into either category, having no hands-on experience with the games, and no prior interaction with any of the books. My excitement should not be taken lightly though. I love the fantasy genre. Possibly an outlier, I had actually craved more fantasy elements out of Game of Thrones. When I think fantasy, my mind fixates on The Lord of the Rings films. Seeing trailers for The Witcher left me salivating at the potential.

Created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich with a few varying directors episode-to-episode, we follow Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and Princess Ciri (Freya Allan), as their stories and timelines intertwine.

Many are approaching this as a Game of Thrones successor, so I will make a few comparisons between the two series. However, let it be known that this was not my approach at all. I went in expected more fantastical themes with a bit of gritty horror stemming from the plethora of monsters that a Witcher like Geralt would be employed to slay. And slay he did. Let’s discuss what worked, and what didn’t.

The Beauty of Darkness

The direction and cinematography wonderfully frame the world of The Witcher. Throughout each of the eight episodes you catch yourself truly noticing the environments and how they match the tone. Woods and swamps are blanketed in mist and fog, while devastated cities glow red and orange in the burning embers of chaos. Whether in a vast desert, travelling through the countryside, or clinging to the face of a rocky cliff, the setting is constantly captivating.

The wardrobe design team nailed it. After The Lord of the Rings trilogy finished its theatrical run, I went to a travelling museum exhibit to get an in-person view of the props and costumes. It was then that I realized the incredible amount of effort and planning goes into bringing authentic looks to the films we enjoy. The Witcher left me with no complaints in this department.

Monsters, monsters, monsters. Where to start? Giant spiders with backwards, human looking rib cages? Check. Demonic, decaying, humanoid striga? Check. Gorgeous dragons protecting their treasure? You got it. The range of creatures and fantastic beasts leaves you horrified, satisfied, and wanting more. Each design struck me as well thought out and detailed.

The Kikimora (giant spider)

The Striga

On the other hand, some of the “friendlier” species can be hard to look at. I felt the porcupine-faced knight and the intelligent sylvan (referred to as a devil) had me squeamish. Not out of fear, but discomfort at the level of CGI implemented. It didn’t ruin anything for me, but stood out as oddities in an otherwise perfectly rendered visual world.

The Sylvan

Deciphering Timelines

One complaint I’ve heard relates to the ambiguity of the various timelines and character arcs. I can see how it may take a bit to catch on to the “when” part of this, but the “what” and “how” should be enough to get you there.

Episode 1 was a masterful introduction to this world of magic and monsters. It puts in plenty of effort to lay the groundwork for viewers who do not know the lore of The Witcher. It irks me that anyone might complain about how this was handled, because these same people revel in the glory of the first four seasons of Game of Thrones. After the first episode of the Witcher you know who the main character is, what he does, why he does it, and how the tone of this series will likely look. After the premier of Game of Thrones, you can’t tell who is who, who’s fucking who’s sister, or why the chubby husband from Still Standing is so blind to the frauds he has surrounded himself with.

There are three main story-lines to follow here, and all the clues are there to help you piece together when each is happening, and how the events in one lead to another. Episode seven masterfully ties all of the odds and ends together bringing you to the exhilarating finale. Pay attention and you won’t get lost. If you’re the type to sit on your phone while watching tv, you’re going to have a bad time.

Fighting Destiny

The theme of destiny’s inevitability has its claws dug deep into each episode of The Witcher. Ironic, because this show was destined to be compared head-to-head with Game of Thrones. Several characters attempt to fight their destiny, or outrun it. The Witcher chooses to embrace it.

The first episode did two things to stand toe to toe with GoT, landing both punches on the chin. There is a large scale battle scene that is on par with some of the highest regarded scenes in GoT (think Battle of the Bastards, or Blackwater Bay). It left me impressed from the get-go, but was almost forgotten by the final action sequence that overshadowed the rest of the episode. We see Geralt dance through a meticulously choreographed fight scene. In varying degrees of fast paced dismantling of his attackers and slow motion technical swordplay, this fight scene with Renfri and her crew was intoxicating. I was immediately hooked.

Unfortunately, the show follows the GoT tendency to overuse nudity and sex as well. One scene finds Geralt walking through dozens of naked people engaging in a rave-like orgy under the spell of a witch, while one other scene presents us with a young witch losing her virginity in front of an applauding crowd. No thanks.

My Take

I haven’t liked Henry Cavill in much. Loved him in the latest Mission Impossible, but Justice League is one of the worst pieces of garbage I’ve ever seen. With that said, this was solid casting. Geralt isn’t one to show his emotions… well, besides anger I guess, and Cavill nails his stoic, matter-of-fact persona. The acting exceeded my expectations overall, and no casting left me scratching my head.

An underrated aspect of television shows is always the music. I loved the score to this season and even found myself singing some of the bard’s tunes throughout my house this weekend. “Toss a coin to your Witcher, oh valley of plenty” will soon be a staple in my arsenal of annoyance for when Jess isn’t paying enough attention to me. Speaking of the bard, a majority of the humor landed extraordinarily well without feeling out of place in this gloomy world of severed limbs and grotesque monsters.

You can’t have a solid fantasy show without great action and compelling magic. The Witcher has an abundance of both. Picture your favorite fight scenes from GoT and Lord of the Rings. That’s par for the course for Cavill and crew. Magic can turn into a logistical nightmare when it comes to bringing the viewers up to speed on what is possible in this story’s realm. We see the same thing related to overall lore and mythology behind the sensational worlds created by top authors in the genre. The burden is easier to bear through written word than a visual medium such as movies or television.

Ouch. That’s a sword going through… okay, you get the point.

The Witcher successfully walked the razor’s edge between drowning viewers with too much information and leaving them in the dark by not giving them enough. Each episode reveals more of the lore and mystery, feeling important to the overall story. Sure, a few adventures seem like one-off side stories but usually a greater meaning is derived later on in the series.

My take is an A.

Will You Enjoy It?

This depends. Everything about this show screams Dan. It was my destiny to love this show, and we all see the shitstorms that come for you when you fight destiny. A lot of Game of Thrones’ more casual fans will find this to be too fantasy for them. There are gruesome scenes of violence, horror, and dark magic that can leave some uncomfortable.

However, fans of fantasy will definitely enjoy it. It feels very similar to Castlevania, which I love, but live action rather than animated. If you’ve read the books or played the games… you’re already three days late on finishing this show. If you loved movies like The Lord of the Rings, or even Harry Potter, give this a try. Also, Henry Cavill’s muscles were literally wearing down his leather costumes from the inside out. Seriously, look it up. I present that information to you without comment.

I am genuinely excited for the future of The Witcher. It will be a long, insufferable wait for the next season. This has the potential to be one of my favorite shows going forward.