While this in itself sounds disappointing, episode 6 features another slick action sequence that attempts, but comes up short of, emulating that excellent scene in the village during episode 1 of last season.
There’s a lot more political intrigue and drama this time around too, and although there is still monster hunting, most of Geralt’s journey sees him playing babysitter to Ciri. All of this, of course, crescendos into quite the dramatic showdown, with the final set of episodes arguably the best of the season. Now, fans of The Witcher 3 will instantly recognize some of what’s happening here, especially the teasing glimpses of a Hunt and black riders, that are teased right the way through the season. Other characters like Istredd serve their purpose to help flesh out the world, as the real threat hanging over the Continent is explored. Suffice to say her journey brings her to a few familiar faces from season 1, a surprising turn and a much more interesting and complex arc than before. Yennefer finds herself on a much deeper mission this year, although I’ll refrain from spoiling too much here. Only, this thin allegiance looks set to shatter at any moment. Their story soon coincides with the elves, where a loose alliance is agreed. With Cahir prisoner and Nilfgaard on the run, the reality here is that Fringilla has taken control of the armies and has Yennefer as her prisoner. However, Geralt is also burdened by the perceived loss of Yennefer, who is thought to have fallen during the fires that consumed the Battle of Sodden. Ciri is the prophesied key to what’s happening, and Geralt intends to try and train her up to defend herself. Geralt and Ciri are bound for Kaer Morhen, the Witcher refuge inhabited by other Witcher brethren during the harsh winter months. The first episode essentially works to reintroduce all our characters, picking up shortly after the events of the finale. There are some brilliant new additions here this season and, more tellingly, a lot more elements of The Witcher 3’s story into its plotline. The scriptwriters seem to feel this freedom too, as this second season expands the story and mythology out – and it’s all thee stronger for it. With the latest casualty of this falling to The Wheel Of Time, The Witcher season 2 benefits from not having that black cloud of impossible expectations hanging over it. With many publications still hungover from Game of Thrones, comparing any and all fantasy IPs to the juggernaut that eventually crashed and burned, it was always going to be difficult to persuade fans and critics alike to look at these shows with a fresh perspective. When The Witcher dropped on Netflix 2 years ago, it brought with it a new wave of optimism in the fantasy genre.
0 kommentar(er)
