The Witcher S3: Bye Bye Henry

[IlyaP]

Joey Batey continues being one of the best parts of this show. 

[AncalagonTheBlack]

 

[Corvinus85]

Surprised to see that Netflix has already dropped the Vol 1 episodes. I just watched the first one. Decent start, but I have no expectations for this season. I didn't even bother watching the trailers.

I find it ironic that one of the main reasons why I was never able to get into the video games is their combat systems, while I consider the show's fight scenes to always be among the show's top moments.

Edited June 30, 2023 by Corvinus85

[SpaceChampion]

I finished the volume...  Not sure why they did the 5th episode that way, and ending it where they did seemed a bit odd choice.  Seemed more of an ad break than a cliffhanger. 

Was expecting the reveal to go the way it went too.  Enjoyed the earlier episodes more, especially Ciri proving she can fight.

[Mexal]

Watched first two last night, really enjoying the fight scenes and Ciri. Going to miss Henry

[Zorral]

Watched the first episode last night. Quite enjoyed the court and characters of Redania. For whatever reason King Vizimir amuses me greatly

Otherwise, with the exception Yarpen and Jaskier, all the others and what they are up to, whether elves, or the ad hoc family of Ciri, Yennefer, and Geralt, are dull. For me, this includes the monsters too -- monster bore me.  But for many the monsters are at least as much the point as the magic, so I'm sure these imaginative composite horrors are fun. The battles felt too many and too long, but again that's me.  It did seem as the episode progress things will get more interesting.

Perhaps my favorite bit from this episode is Yennefer and Geralt's correspondence -- so 18th century: "Dear Friend" inevitably brings to my mind the epistles between Abigail and John Adams; Abigail invariably began hers with "Dearest Friend."  It was a common salutation in the 18th C epistolary novel, as well as in essay and newspaper pieces, such as those, usually written behind a nom de plume, particularly in Boston and New England, in the Independence era. 

In adventure fiction one of the tropes that is most unpleasant for me is the conclusion of this first episode -- the sundering of The Companions.  Sundering of a loyal company or companionship in fiction makes this reader/viewer very very anxious. Uncomfortably so.  That this happened at the end forced me to    Ha!

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Zorral

[Corvinus85]

Finished Volume I and the last episode is when I realize that Dijkstra is not a mage. I don't know if that's just my failure of understanding the character back in season 2 or the show's. 

For the most part, it's been fine so far, but nothing great. Some of the actors and their characters do feel tired, like Jaskier. Where are his cool songs? They even replaced him in that department.

Spoiler

And what the hell happened at the end of episode 3? I'm not talking about the Wild Hunt guys appearing behind Ciri, but that Geralt just found her. I guess it was her medallion. And then Yen somehow knows Geralt and Ciri were reunited. This show has so much lazy writing, and it makes the world feel small despite all the talk of "The Continent".

 

[Zorral]

Watched the second episode last night; enjoyed seeing Codringer and Fenn again.

Spoiler

Hope they survived the fire bombing.

Enjoying what appears a developing something-something between Jaskier and Radovid. 

Again, the mommy Yennefer and Ciri her brat stuff is dull.  At least we don't have the daddy and brat since Geralt

Spoiler

is fighting yet another composite horror and as consequence burdened with a substitute brat Cirl.

Cannot distinguish between the screen representatives of the various kingdoms and factions, particularly among the elves.  Can't keep their names in my head either.  Or who are mages or whatever all these magic workers.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the second episode a lot more than the first, though I did do something else while Geralt

Spoiler

fought the many-limbed monstrosity.

 

[SeanF]

I liked it. I thought the party on Thanedd was done well, with the gradual reveals.

Hopefully, the next episode will be great.  The … events at Thanedd have always been one of my favourite parts of the series.

[Zorral]

Finished episode 3 last night.

Spoiler

One does wonder why the fam split up in the first place since Geralt rides like hell to get back to Ciri already in this episode and they reunite.  One does think it would have been more interesting perhaps if Ciri Prime and Ciri Imitation had met, more interesting than the composited girls monster. For example Ciri imitation screams, as she does in the episode,and nothing happens, unlike when Ciri Prime howls. What would Ciri Prime make of that?

All in all, the time spent watching went easily enough.

[Zorral]

This Witcher thing gets more oddly twisted all the time!  I did love that version of a black mourning veil -- into which -- what's her name -- had to look it up -- Philippa had twisted her front hair.  Such clothes ... so much effort has gone into costuming, yet the work seems for some reason basically wasted.

One more episode to go, then we wait for the end of the month.  I really do not know of what I am making my own -- twisted? -- enjoyment out of this show, but there it is.  Ha!

Edited July 4, 2023 by Zorral

[The Anti-Targ]

On 6/10/2023 at 4:28 PM, IlyaP said:

Joey Batey continues being one of the best parts of this show. 

Seeing him again only reminded me how bloody good this cover version of him is.

I've forgotten much of the books and never had expectations of it being like the games. As it's own thing it's engaging and enjoyable enough.

[sifth]

On 7/2/2023 at 12:10 AM, Corvinus85 said:

Finished Volume I and the last episode is when I realize that Dijkstra is not a mage. I don't know if that's just my failure of understanding the character back in season 2 or the show's. 

For the most part, it's been fine so far, but nothing great. Some of the actors and their characters do feel tired, like Jaskier. Where are his cool songs? They even replaced him in that department.

  Hide contents

And what the hell happened at the end of episode 3? I'm not talking about the Wild Hunt guys appearing behind Ciri, but that Geralt just found her. I guess it was her medallion. And then Yen somehow knows Geralt and Ciri were reunited. This show has so much lazy writing, and it makes the world feel small despite all the talk of "The Continent".

 

Ironically enough, that scene is in the novel, the only major difference being that Yen is there with Geralt to help Ciri.

And they changed a lot from the source material, I find it strange that they kept the scene in your spoiler.

Edited July 6, 2023 by sifth

[The Anti-Targ]

On 7/2/2023 at 4:10 PM, Corvinus85 said:

Finished Volume I and the last episode is when I realize that Dijkstra is not a mage. I don't know if that's just my failure of understanding the character back in season 2 or the show's. 

For the most part, it's been fine so far, but nothing great. Some of the actors and their characters do feel tired, like Jaskier. Where are his cool songs? They even replaced him in that department.

  Reveal hidden contents

And what the hell happened at the end of episode 3? I'm not talking about the Wild Hunt guys appearing behind Ciri, but that Geralt just found her. I guess it was her medallion. And then Yen somehow knows Geralt and Ciri were reunited. This show has so much lazy writing, and it makes the world feel small despite all the talk of "The Continent".

 

@ spoiler not too unlike GoT where a raven is sent from the Wall and 2 scenes later it's at King's Landing. It had me questioning whether Yennifer was the legit Yennifer in at least one of the scenes.

Edited July 6, 2023 by The Anti-Targ

[Zorral]

One cannot help but wonder why the directors think they are so clever with their go-to bait-and-switch scenes already shown us, with more information the second time around?  This isn't helping the show, but they seem not to know that.

And so we end Vol I with

Spoiler

no Ciri and Jaskier.  Did anyone else feel extreme foreboding in ep. 4 when Jaskier left Ciri alone sleeping?

How much was spent on Yenn's ball costume do you all think?  Not to mention the wig -- o my that wig, how perfectly artificially gorgeous it was!  Which maybe is appropriate as Yenn is pure glamour -- if I've got that right?  It's hard to tell, as essential info is so elided within scenes starting in the first season one hardly or does not notice it, i.e. essentially invisible.  Why do they do that?

BTW, HBO's got up a quite dreadful movie, Immortals, from 2011, in which Cavill plays Theseus.  My, he's young. However, it is so bad, there's no point in watching beyond where I stopped, which was early on; I stayed that long just to confirm that it was, indeed, Cavill.  Even The Scorpion King (2002), which feels like a poor man's attempt to be Conan, up on Netflix is better than this.   Certainly has better monumental ruins.

[IFR]

It's absolutely entertaining and satisfying to see the IMDb reviews for this latest season.

The first season was mildly aggravating to me, because I found it to be an abysmal adaptation from the start (Cavill being the sole positive point). But many viewers were ecstatically raving about it, and the show had a score of above a 9 for a while.

Fortunately, the even worse second season seemed to provide a sufficient shock to much of the audience, and it was gratifying for people to recognize that the writers were just dishing out nonsensical slop for them to "enjoy".

With this new season, I get to relish the fact that now the majority opinion aligns with my own opinion of the show. Very nice.

[Zorral]

I don't hate it at all.  It's just baffling and strange, in a likely unintentional manner that the writers don't seem to get.  Which somehow amuses me, though that sort of thing doesn't, usually.  Probably ...  because ... Cavill?  We'll see when he's no longer around.  Not that I'll be watching whatever that superhero thing he's doing next, coz those are so thuddingly dreary and dull and repetitive.  At least Witcher isn't predictable ... um, well, maybe?

[Corvinus85]

18 hours ago, Zorral said:

I don't hate it at all.  It's just baffling and strange, in a likely unintentional manner that the writers don't seem to get.  Which somehow amuses me, though that sort of thing doesn't, usually.  Probably ...  because ... Cavill?  We'll see when he's no longer around.  Not that I'll be watching whatever that superhero thing he's doing next, coz those are so thuddingly dreary and dull and repetitive.  At least Witcher isn't predictable ... um, well, maybe?

Hey, he may be doing Warhammer 40,000. And he's a massive fan of that franchise just like The Witcher, so he'll absolutely dedicate himself to it.

[Zorral]

1 hour ago, Corvinus85 said:

Hey, he may be doing Warhammer 40,000. And he's a massive fan of that franchise just like The Witcher, so he'll absolutely dedicate himself to it.

That's fine. But I'm not, or of any games, which I do not and never have played.  So it matters not the least.

[IheartIheartTesla]

I've started watching S3 and have to say, not a fan of the action sequences (this is a general criticism of the way they are choreographed these days). Everything seems so choreographed rather than 'hands throwing'. The Ciri scene in the maze for instance - no need for a power pose after you jump to escape someone...why? Just stop already.