The Witcher, is based on the best-selling series of books by Andrzej Sapkowski that has been adapted into popular video games. This series would be a great treat for the Game of Thrones fans, as it contains many of the “GOT elements”; breath taking combat, great character arcs and an outstanding screenplay. In the Witcher world, there is magic, wizardry, monsters and of course, witchers who hunt the monsters. The plot of season1 primarily revolves around 3 characters; Geralt Of Rivia (the Witcher), Cirilla, Yennefer of Vengerberg (The Sorceress).
The screen play is highly non-linear. Many knots are revealed as you progress through the initial 3 or 4 episodes and are eventually untied. So, one has to wait patiently for the story to reveal itself. If you are an astute listener, you will be able to link the parallels when you complete the 3rd or 4th episode, else everything will become clear when you complete the 7th episode.
The visuals are beautiful and vivid, at the same time the monsters are also terrifying at times, the music has done a fantastic job in setting up the mood for a particular scene, taking us into the world of Witcher. The combat sequences are very brutal and true to the game adaptation and so it’s not for the light hearted.
Geralt (by Henry Cavill), is the protagonist of the Witcher series, and he is a witcher (Witchers are a band of mutated people who are hired to kill monsters). Cirilla (by Freya Allen) is the granddaughter of the renowned queen of Cintra, Calanthe. And Yennefer (by Anya Chalotra) is one of the greatest sorceresses of the time and she’s got a good history to be so.
Season 1, begins with a blazing combat by Geralt, which gives us a good picture of the Witchers’ skill in combat. But as the series progresses, we get to know that he’s not all knives and sword as people perceive the witchers to be, and makes us to actually empathise with the character. Parallelly, we witness the fall of the great kingdom of Cintra, followed by the origins of Yennefer. There are several jumps between timelines in a single episode, therefore it would prove to be difficult for a “casual” watcher to follow along, unlike GOT. Most of the series watchers will probably binge it in a day or two, but some of us might feel like dropping the series midway. But my advice is; don’t drop it! continue watching. Everything is completely unravelled in episode 7.
The relationship between Geralt and a bard, named Jaskier is quite adorable and funny. The conversation between these two, lightens up our grim mood now and then. The series seems to have done more justice to the books than in the games. However, if you've played the video games, there are certain elements from the games that are not in the Netflix series which might be disappointing for hardcore fans who've played all three games. It also gives the gamers, their moment, to find the game-elements in certain scenes. And the music of the game is also used at times.
There are several moments in the series that brings us to the edge of our seats, especially the climax. Overall, this series is a sure “must watch”.
If you are still wondering about the timeline after watching the series, take a look at this chart (SPOILER): The Witcher, Season1-Timeline
