The Witcher—TV Series [No Spoilers]

[alaterdate]

I have never been into The Witcher as a videogame or book series. I've heard about it often in comparison to Dragon Age, and had it recommended to me because I love Dragon Age. But I always completely dismissed it because it just seemed like something I wouldn't actually like (I'll get to why later). So, why on earth would I watch the show?

Frankly, I don't really know. I heard a couple people I know talk about it; mostly about the realistic sword fighting and the distracting contact lenses (they are actually quite distracting). If I think back to before I binge watched the entire thing it was probably to see the sword fighting to get some visuals and ideas for a story I'm writing. Yeah, didn't really do that. The sword action was amazing and I consumed it pretty much without thought because the second something entertains me I forget all about analyzing it lol.

Even beyond that aspect though I loved the show, especially for the first half of it. The first episode grabs you immediately with a monster fight and a glimpse at the world and a super cute fearsome girl. Then we get into the territory of why I never found The Witcher series appealing.
Sex and titties.

Now, I wouldn't say I'm a prude, nudity doesn't shock me or make me cover my eyes at the audacity and I appreciate a woman's body (me being bi and all). It just makes me so uncomfortable when it's not something I'm explicitly choosing to consume. I don't put on a TV show to see a bunch of naked women and people going at it. I don't start a video game or read a book for it (unless I'm explicitly looking to read smut, only then is it something I'm choosing to consume). (I only completed Cassandra's romance in DAI once because I do not want to see videogame boobs! I really don't!)) I hate it so much! Part of it might be the publicity of it all, the fear of the "what the hell are you watching/playing?" question, but I also dislike when it suddenly crops up in (non-romance) books and reading is much more private. Another part might be that I'm just squicked by depictions of heterosexual sex ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and that's mostly what you see in movies and TV. I don't 100% know why, but it bothers me and that's that on that.
That was the bad vibe I always got from the game, that it was a lot about sex and tits. And I don't know if it is or how much it actually includes, but that's the worry that always made me avoid it. And yeah I guess I kind of had the foresight then to expect the nudity and sex scenes in the show, but still that was absolutely not why I was there. I tolerated it in the show because I really liked everything else going on and I skipped a couple parts where it was too much for me, all was well.

So, despite the nudity and soft-core porn, I enjoyed the show. It took me a while to figure out it was non-linear, but when I did I thought that was interesting. It was fun to keep track of the timeline in my head. I was pleasantly surprised with Henry Cavill's performance because when I first heard he would play Geralt I didn't really think it was a good fit based on my pre-existing knowledge. My favorite characters were Jaskier and Renfri. I rooted for Yennefer at first, but by the middle she started to annoy me and I didn't care about her anymore.

Cut to me finishing the show, thinking it was really cool and I wanted to know more about my favorite characters. I should read the books right? Downloaded a sample and yep, the first pages has a girl rubbing her boobs on his face. Okay, thanks, no thanks. So, this is probably the end of me and The Witcher. I'll maybe watch a season two, but I'm actually satisfied enough with where it ended that I wouldn't really crave to watch more.

Comments

[artabria]

"It took me a while to figure out it was non-linear, but when I did I thought that was interesting."

I didn't know much about the Witcher (beyond, as you said, comparison with Dragon Age), so I was quite surprised when I started to figure out that it was non-linear. I read that the first two books are a collection of stories, so it's interesting how they adapted that.

On the nudity. I'll admit that I laughed during the scene with Yennefer, Geralt and the orgy, because Geralt's reaction is basically me everysingle time this happened in Game of Thrones.

*uncomfortable sex scene is happening*

Me: Can we get back to the plot?

I also loved a summary of the series that I saw around Twitter: "Geralt has a main quest, but people keep giving him secondary quests".

PS: I have Toss a Coin to Your Witcher stuck in my head since December >.

[alaterdate]

Yeah, the way they handled the timeline was cool. I was on episode three or four and thinking "wait, isn't that guy dead what the he—OH!" I think it added a good amount of dramatic irony too. Like when they're saying "Nilfgaard will never take Cintra, ahah" buddy that happened in the future 5 episodes ago smh

That's why I never watched GoT either, even though my friends practically begged me to at some point when it was really popular. Also my sister walked in the room when Geralt & Yennefer were going at it & I was like WHY WHY. Every time 😭 lmao

The secondary quest comment is so funny! I really liked the "monster of the day" format.

Toss a Coin to Your Witcher is so good. Jaskier started singing that and my jaw dropped. The elfs back to the shelf lines, killed me dead.

[sideways]

The boobery is so unnecessary :'| Unfortunately, as you noted, it's not just the modern GoT effect but embedded in the canon. I didn't get 10 minutes into Witcher III before I was confronted with Yennefer's bare back and ass.

(Why do video games in particular think this is appealing? I adore Mass Effect and DA:I, but watching characters clip through each other as they make wet sounds is more awkwardly hilarious than anything else.)

I enjoyed Yennefer at first too, but I struggled to sympathise once her motivation slid into pining after being able to have children like a) she didn't make that sacrifice knowingly, and b) she couldn't just go out there and scoop up some children who had been as abused as she was and make that her legacy. Renfri was a delight tho. That sword fight. Damn!

[alaterdate]

Apparently some group out there finds it appealing enough that developers/directors feel they should include them. (Something, something, male gaze. But I guess I have my own hang-ups too.)

Bioware does love to smash those polygons together don't they? At least they learned Fade-to-Black and we never again reached the level of atrocity witnessed in Dragon Age Origins.

I was also wondering why the heck she didn't just adopt a kid. And she had that moment on the beach that was like "you're better off dead" but then she wants a baby? Ok. What changed her mind though I dunno, seems like another part of her power-trip is all ¯\_('_')_/¯ Renfri was awesome. I feel like I might give the books another try if I can get them from my library (they have them, but the hype has them on a long hold list, as you can imagine) just because I want more of her and Jaskier.

[sideways]

You got a snort out of me with the smashing polygons. It's probably telling that one of my favourite Bioware romances is the one that never goes visually further than a gentle headbutt.

With the babe and the beach, perhaps it was Yennefer trying to convince herself that wanting a baby was a terrible idea? Or maybe that loss stuck with her for some reason, and started her down the road of "why can these awful selfish people have children and leave them to die, and I'll never be able to even try my best by my own blood?" Completely wild speculation, of course. I do feel like if you want to have a child, it should be for a reason other than furthering your own sense of personhood / power / legacy, and the onscreen scenes did not convince me Yenn had such a reason at heart.

RIP Renfri, dead of being too awesome :( Gotta admit, I would have let her stab the magician.

[alaterdate]

I agree that it seems like she's just doing it for power/legacy. In a conversation with someone else they said "she's trying to rectify what she sees as an injustice done to her" and that makes sense too. The way she projects herself is still kind of annoying though, but I don't hate her, I can hope she gets what she wants. Would love to see her possibly help raise Ciri with Geralt tho 👀

I would have stabbed Stregobor myself for Renfri 🗡 She definitely was too awesome though, would have outshined Geralt for sure if she lived.

[sideways]

Oh yeah, Yenn's still an interesting character, and I'm quite invested in the arc of "I did everything for power and now have to deal with the consequences". It's fun and I'm here for it.

AU where Geralt died helping her kill Stregobor but their conversation on what it means to be a monster sticks with Renfri, so she takes Roach and his necklace and passes herself off as a witcher.