The first season “was not perfect, but the overall impression so far has been better than worse. Henry Cavill is just Geralt, Joey Batey is Dandelion perfect, Queen Calanthe reminds me of my former boss, and I miss Mousesack very much. I had three different timelines for the main characters, I was obviously irritated by some scenario clumsiness and I did not agree with some of the choices in the cast (too young Yennefer, Triss Merigold should be played by Emma Appelton, whose potential was wasted on a small episode, no one will play Borch Three Jackdaws better than Andrzej Chyra), but it was nothing that would make me utterly disappointed. what we get in season two.
The second season of “The Witcher” is not an adaptation. And very well!
Let’s start with the fact that in the second season there is no shortage of even more impressive special effects and eye-catching costumes and makeup. The plot, however, is much less packed with various facts and curiosities, which makes it more transparent. Geralt takes Ciri to Kaer Morhen, where all the witcher’s apprentices are being trained. The ex-princess meets his mentor Vesemir and other “colleagues” and begins training herself under their supervision. In the meantime, Triss Merigold appears on the spot and helps Geralt and the rest of his companions understand that raising a virgin is definitely different from what they know from the autopsy, not only because Cirilla is a princess with quite mysterious abilities.
Yennefer is on the horizon much later, for after the Battle of Sodden he has to deal with a pressing issue that he must resolve for his own good. Meanwhile, we observe how Geralt turns from a taciturn, though deadly purr, into a slightly more talkative guardian of a teenage girl who invariably knows how to use a sword. And for this, he has a mystery to solve, the explanation of which goes back to the very beginnings of the continent.
‘The Witcher’, season 2 photo: Susie Allnut / Netflix – Promotional materials
One “hmmm” by Henry Cavill expresses more than a thousand words
Cavill has skillfully shown that his Geralt is caring and exudes a surprisingly paternal aura, and at the same time is still a firm, intelligent and ironic observer of reality, who sometimes prefers to punch someone rather than express emotions verbally. It’s also fascinating how much Henry Cavill can convey emotions and content by just muttering “hmmm” under his breath. He could easily not say much more, and so we would know what exactly he wants to express: disapproval, interest, appreciation, irritation.
In the second season of “The Witcher”, however, he has the opportunity to say much more, thanks to which the entire production gains more charm, and the series character more and more resembles that from the pages of books. Cavill stressed endlessly that it was very important to him and tried very hard to reproduce the literary original as best he could. Apparently, on the set of the film he corrected everyone who confused the facts of the novel, and his companions from the cast laugh that he treated Sapkowski’s books a bit like the Bible. I still have a hard time believing that the producers didn’t want to cast him in the lead role at first (and he volunteered for them), but the moment of searching showed that no one would do it better than he did. In the second series, you can see even more his dedication to the matter: he is still the main player here, but this time the remaining pieces of the puzzle work better together and add blushes to it.
Because the rest of the cast did quite well: Freya Allen, who plays Cirilla, is much more charismatic and less stressed this time. Maybe at times the make-up section exaggerated her makeup, because her face was too clean and radiant, which makes it a bit like an exhibition doll, but it does not change the fact that it is a pleasure to see how stubbornly she trains witcher tricks and throws biting jokes at her trainer impression. Anya Charlot, which didn’t seem very convincing to me when she was about to play Yennefer, who was experienced by life, somehow gained some credibility – a new thread (which I can’t summarize because it would be a spoiler) helped me convince me.
The devil is actually in the details, because when Anna Shaffer, who I don’t like in the role of Triss Merigold, appeared on the screen with her hair dyed a lighter color, she became a little less irritating in this configuration, almost convincing. However, I really liked the role of Vesemir Kim Bodnia – the Danish actor has something familiar about him, I associate him a bit with this cool (POLISH!) Uncle who has an interesting biography, natural authority and a feeling for people.
Netflix / Promotional materials The Witcher, season 2
I keep wondering whether his hairstyle (slick top and gray hair combed back) is a deliberate reference to how Michał Żebrowski looked in our “The Witcher”, or if it was rather a coincidence.
Still from the movie “The Witcher” (dir. Marek Brodzki, produced by Héritage Films)
Fans of Kristofer Hivju, known from “Game of Thrones”, may not recognize him, although he appears in the first episode. First because of the advanced special effects, and then because he appears without a beard on the screen. Paul Bullion, who here plays the role of the witcher Lambert, looks more like him. Game fans may also be disappointed with the idea of Eskel, although in the light of the new threads, it makes perfect sense. I also admit that after Anna Dymna played the priestess of Nenneke, Mrs. Adjoa Andoh will not convince me in this role for a long time. I definitely recommend watching the moments when Graham McTavish appears on the screen – he is charmingly calculating. Peter Jackson knew what he was doing when he hired him on The Hobbit. The plot of Fringilla Vigo also makes more sense with time, which in new circumstances becomes a slightly more interesting, though still fanatic, character.
The more I think about it, the more I get the impression that after the purgatory of critical comments from saddened fans of “The Witcher”, the creators of the series fell a heavy burden from their shoulders, thanks to which in the second season they freely flowed with a story that unfolds in quite unexpected directions. Just as books and games are governed by slightly different rules, here the composition was adapted to the series formula. So the whole thing seems more inspired by Sapkowski’s stories than is their faithful adaptation, but thanks to this the series has a credible dynamics and lives its own life. The scriptwriters also managed to come up with some interesting flavors that even broaden the whole universe, and the story itself, although it runs along a slightly alternative path, remains in the spirit of what the author more or less meant. This season, very much in line with what Andrzej Sapkowski described, approaches the issue of racism (fantastic characters are discriminated against here, but the overtone remains painfully universal), rebellion, destiny, family, feelings, love. As Henry Cavill himself said during the WitcherCon – it is rather a post-adaptation, a kind of ode to the world created by a Polish writer. And it was felt. Please feel free to discuss.
Source: Gazeta
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
