Juniper
A few days ago, I started watching the fantasy drama The Witcher as I was curious about it having read some online reviews. I already knew it was nothing like Game Of Thrones. The first season consists of just 8 episodes. When I watched episode 1, there were so many characters and I almost gave up. I wasn’t sure I wanted to proceed with episode 2. However I went ahead and episode 2 introduced even more characters.
The story is set in the 13th century and the hero is played by a very beefy looking hunky Henry Cavill who makes Jon Snow in Game Of Thrones look like a wimp. Henry Cavill played monster slayer for hire, Geralt of Rivia. To watch this drama, you have to wrap your head around all the towns/states in The Continent such as Aretuza, Cintra, Temeria, Blaviken, Sodden, Nilfgaard.
There are plenty of flashbacks and time lines so you just have to watch carefully to understand what is going on. Geralt is THE Witcher who possesses some magic powers and I would say superhuman strength as he can slay even the most terrifying and powerful monsters and there are plenty of them here. They are really creatures of your worst nightmare & I hope I don’t dream of them.
Geralt is tied by destiny to the young Princess Cirilla (Ciri) who is the grand daughter of Queen Calanthe of Cintra. War breaks out in Cintra and Queen Calanthe instructs Ciri to look for Geralt (wherever he may be) on her death sofa. Ciri spends the rest of the series feeling from her enemies who can even hire shape shifters to track her down.
By episode 2 and 3, I was starting to like this series a lot thanks to the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg as she starts off as a bullied deformed hunchback who is always cowering from her townsfolk. She is taken by Tissaia de Vries to Aretuza, a training academy for female mages. It is there that she gains more confidence and undergoes great pain to be transformed into a beautiful sorceress.
In almost every episode, Geralt tussles with monsters of the worst kind while making friends with travelling bard, Jaskier. We learn why Geralt is tied forever to Ciri through a flashback. Things get more interesting when Geralt and Yennefer meet. Yennefer with her superior magic powers can hold her own but it’s nice to know that even she needs a hero like Geralt to save her. Geralt is tough and although taciturn (he grunts a lot). he has a heart of gold. He will go to great lengths for people, even strangers.
The finale is Season1 is rather spectacular as it ends with a huge battle between Nilfgaard forces and the mages at the strategic keep on Sodden Hill. The mages use all kinds of magic to keep the invaders at bay, they are waiting for the Northern armies to arrive. Who needs modern warfare when there is spectacular magic like this? The climax of the episode is Yennefer using all her powers to put on a fiery display (forget about dragons!) but then she disappears. Season 2 should be even more interesting.
