The Witcher

:

Season 2
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Dec 20, 2019
Season #: 4, 3.5, 3, 2, 1
User Score
3.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 803 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 231 out of 803
  2. Mixed: 106 out of 803
  3. Negative: 466 out of 803

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  1. Hekke
    Dec 19, 2021
    1
    I'm huge fan of witcher universe. First I read all books (in summary six times now) then I played all 3 games, each of them on the premier day. 1 season of the Witcher has a lot of flaws but they managed to show the roughness of the world and a bit of dry humor similar to that found in Andrzej Sapkowski's prose. In Season 1, the stories were very flat, but it stuck more or less to theI'm huge fan of witcher universe. First I read all books (in summary six times now) then I played all 3 games, each of them on the premier day. 1 season of the Witcher has a lot of flaws but they managed to show the roughness of the world and a bit of dry humor similar to that found in Andrzej Sapkowski's prose. In Season 1, the stories were very flat, but it stuck more or less to the source material.

    All what was good in season 1, season 2 is lacking. Yes few things improved like CGI, costumes but that is all. After 1 episode of season 2 i was exited, yes they change a lot but it felt ok and I was hoping for more. However, the following episodes were some kind of misunderstanding. All characters except Geralt and Jaskier depict completely different characters that have nothing to do with Sapokowski's prose. The same goes for the story, the writers stick to the overall frame of the story, but at the same time turn everything else into empty and weak stories. When Henry Cavill who is a huge fan of the witcher world, in interviews says that he had to intervene in order to smuggle more Geralt from book, you should know that something is going wrong with the show. If in subsequent seasons they continue to maintain the level of departure from the source material and a simultaneous misunderstanding of it, the series will be a disaster or another weak Netflix adaptation.    … Expand
  2. AlexTell
    Dec 19, 2021
    2
    It's funny how the showrunner constantly says that she likes the source material and call herself the witcher fan, yet her """"adaptation"""" has nothing to do with the witcher books and just represent her wet dreams of believing she's better at storytelling than Sapkowski. Henry, darling, I know you tried your best. It's not your fault.
  3. AZone
    Dec 17, 2021
    0
    Everything that I loved was worn out and mutilated before my eyes. For those who have read books, it will be very painful to look at it. I have one question: Lauren, why did you treat us so cruelly?
  4. hoodie_666
    Dec 18, 2021
    3
    This is anything but an adaptation. It's like they skimmed through the books, wrote down what they remembered and then built a story around that. Only a handful characters are the same as in the books, only some of the plots are the same.

    Maybe I would've been fine with it if this new story was actually interesting and if it made sense, but it isnt
  5. Ravn7
    Dec 18, 2021
    0
    The story is just ridiculous. And because of that also very boring. I fast forwarded many scenes. It's a very bad show and a disastrous Witcher show. Only Cavil tries to make it as close to the source material as possible. But still it's not even close.
  6. zombox5000
    Dec 17, 2021
    4
    A blundering, ham fisted piece that wastes the potential and goodwill built in the first season. The divergences for the actual Witcher story are not only uninteresting and unnecessary, but also poorly done.
  7. Winters1986
    Dec 19, 2021
    0
    Pathetic. the script is audience rape. killing an eskel is a rape of fans. finish it
  8. Lehu
    Dec 17, 2021
    3
    I'm freshly after watching the season 2. Frankly speaking I'm seriously disappointed. While CGI, and acting might be criticized by some (for me it wasn't that bad), I have the most problems with the plot. They changed it so much that for me it's no longer the same story. It's something that's "inspired by" not "adaptation of". I could accept it if the plot was good. Unfortunately thereI'm freshly after watching the season 2. Frankly speaking I'm seriously disappointed. While CGI, and acting might be criticized by some (for me it wasn't that bad), I have the most problems with the plot. They changed it so much that for me it's no longer the same story. It's something that's "inspired by" not "adaptation of". I could accept it if the plot was good. Unfortunately there were so many things that did not make sense or were just boring that last episodes I just skimmed through...

    To sum up: if you don't know the books you might enjoy it (if you are willing to overlook some plot issues). However, if you are fan of the books, you will probably be disappointed.
    I will probably watch season 3 if it comes out but at this point I only expect more disappointment.    … Expand
  9. Tetrion
    Dec 18, 2021
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It is not a good plot writing to take a character from the book and just make him opposite. Crafty Riens, helpless Yennifer, emotional Tissaya, clumsy Franceska? Fire magic does not require self-destruction, just talent? Ancient witch (reference to game 3 Mother and 3 Sisters characters) to fiil the gap in plot? And Ciri, who has to remain incognito to avoid tracking, but declaring her princehood and name to all and everyone along the road? Well it was a monumental task for a team but they really managed to make worse season than previous one.… Expand
  10. El30
    Dec 20, 2021
    2
    Generally, I don't care that the story of S02 has almost nothing in common with the books (however, I would like to point out that if I expect a steak, then I would like to get a steak, not a hot dog). The problem is different. The problem is that S02 is sooo boooring. After GoT I thought the producers finally understood that audience want to watch a mature, serious fantasy. Meanwhile theGenerally, I don't care that the story of S02 has almost nothing in common with the books (however, I would like to point out that if I expect a steak, then I would like to get a steak, not a hot dog). The problem is different. The problem is that S02 is sooo boooring. After GoT I thought the producers finally understood that audience want to watch a mature, serious fantasy. Meanwhile the Witcher S02 is infantile and neuter. Not recommend at all.

    PS: First episode of S02 is really nice. Almost it seems to come from a completely different series. All the more I do not understand what happened to the rest of S02.    … Expand
  11. Perseus69
    Dec 17, 2021
    3
    I tried hard again to like this show, but it was hard trying. Again. Childish and corny dialogs, confused plot that leads nowhere, silly characters. The witchers become a group of dumb idiots, the bards play teenage music from the worst playlist on Spotify. They even managed to shove in a black elf for good "wokiness" measure. I really wish they just asked the writers of the Witcher 3 gameI tried hard again to like this show, but it was hard trying. Again. Childish and corny dialogs, confused plot that leads nowhere, silly characters. The witchers become a group of dumb idiots, the bards play teenage music from the worst playlist on Spotify. They even managed to shove in a black elf for good "wokiness" measure. I really wish they just asked the writers of the Witcher 3 game to work on the show. They would have done a much better job. Writing is so poor that I found myself compelled to skip dialogues. Another wasted chance to bring a great story to life. I fell asleep after 2 episodes.… Expand
  12. Flessless
    Dec 19, 2021
    0
    Not loyal to source material, total trash filled poc:s. Elves that are fat, ugly and black, wtf is wrong with netflix.
  13. madmentat
    Dec 18, 2021
    0
    It's a disaster. For those who read and loved the books it's just unbearable to watch. The characters, plot, the world have been drastically changed without any coherent reason. Somebody thought they can create something more interesting and engaging then Sapkowski did. They were wrong. This is at best amateur level fan fiction writing - only fans do not mutilate the original as much.It's a disaster. For those who read and loved the books it's just unbearable to watch. The characters, plot, the world have been drastically changed without any coherent reason. Somebody thought they can create something more interesting and engaging then Sapkowski did. They were wrong. This is at best amateur level fan fiction writing - only fans do not mutilate the original as much. Everything is dumbed down, the dialogue is atrocious. Every single time someone exclaimed **** with a serious face and full of emotion - it was predictable at least 2 seconds in advance. The games took the book material and expanded it with love, respect and great care. They created new plots, recreated the characters' personalities from the books almost perfectly and made the book characters perform in those new plots in mostly exactly the same way they would've if it's been written by Sapkowski or so it felt. It is incomparable to the hack job that the netflix did. The only things that are half-decent are the ones directly reused from source - everything that is added on just doesn't even make any sense on its own and doesn't fit with the source either.… Expand
  14. vergiliy62
    Dec 20, 2021
    0
    I'm just a silly internet person, but me and my friends, book and game fans, don't want a third season led by Lauren Hissrich. We're not going to watch it. I will start a petition to have the showrunner removed from this project before it is too late and there is hope for smart people. She's filming the show from her own fantasy, barbarically distorting the story from the book.I'm just a silly internet person, but me and my friends, book and game fans, don't want a third season led by Lauren Hissrich. We're not going to watch it. I will start a petition to have the showrunner removed from this project before it is too late and there is hope for smart people. She's filming the show from her own fantasy, barbarically distorting the story from the book. We wanted to see a book come to life, not a crazy fantasy. I am utterly despairing. To make a heroic fantasy about a man allowed a man of radical views to change the plot to include female characters who were already important in the original, but they didn't have enough. If HBO can be forgiven a little, because they didn't finish the books and they came up with the end of the story themselves, then Loren can't be forgiven. If they don't fire the showrunner of the witch, the show can be closed, she managed to twist the whole plot, to distort all the events. If in the first season it was done partially, here she decided to go full throttle.… Expand
  15. BloodAndWine
    Dec 18, 2021
    0
    By the end of the season it has deviated almost completely from the books. Entire plotlines gone. Pivotal characters dead. Completely new characters invented. Dynamics and relationships altered entirely. All these awful changes are written together sloppily and with poor talent. Absolute disrespect for the classic and beloved stories. Why not just make an original show if you don't wan'tBy the end of the season it has deviated almost completely from the books. Entire plotlines gone. Pivotal characters dead. Completely new characters invented. Dynamics and relationships altered entirely. All these awful changes are written together sloppily and with poor talent. Absolute disrespect for the classic and beloved stories. Why not just make an original show if you don't wan't to actually adapt the story? Netflix once again proving to be a joke. Might as well have called this 'WitcherDale'.… Expand
  16. Murkwood
    Dec 17, 2021
    1
    From game and fame to lame and tame -- most disappointing to see blatant censorship at work -- missed opportunity for the show to continue to impress, dashed upon the rocks of cowardice.
  17. Tavin93
    Dec 18, 2021
    1
    Eight hours of my life that I’ll never get back. Not so much an adaptation as a frolic of its own, the Netflix show has departed from even the core motivations of Sapkowski’s characters in favour of a cheap, generic fantasy story. If the show had either kept a semblance of the source material (like in S02E01, the strongest episode of the season), or enjoyed a modicum of internalEight hours of my life that I’ll never get back. Not so much an adaptation as a frolic of its own, the Netflix show has departed from even the core motivations of Sapkowski’s characters in favour of a cheap, generic fantasy story. If the show had either kept a semblance of the source material (like in S02E01, the strongest episode of the season), or enjoyed a modicum of internal consistency and logical decisinmaking, it could’ve been a passable Witcher story. It wouldn’t have made any sense after the first season was an adaptation, but it might’ve still been enjoyable.

    But for the first episode, I would’ve given it a lower ranking.    … Expand
  18. Gongora
    Dec 17, 2021
    0
    What even is this garbage? This is the worst series off all time! Terrible cgi! The acting is so bad.. The story is horrible, everything about this show is crazy bad, advise people to not waste their time on something this bad, trust me you will waste time if you watch this!
  19. salp
    Dec 19, 2021
    1
    They destroyed all characters from books and logic of they actions. One point only to Henry.
  20. Mully79
    Dec 18, 2021
    0
    Absolute garbage. This was no mere tweaking of source material. A complete alteration and defilement is a better description. Truly sickening to watch Sapkowski’s masterpiece ruined.
  21. Noe11
    Dec 18, 2021
    0
    Loved the books, loved the games. The show is unfortunately an utter garbage. I had minimal hopes after a terrible 1st season but somehow they managed to make a story, acting and characters even worse in this one.

    Lauren Schmidt (shows director) should seriously consider a change of career as anything creative apparently isn't her cup of tea. Seriously what sort of a mental midget you    Loved the books, loved the games. The show is unfortunately an utter garbage. I had minimal hopes after a terrible 1st season but somehow they managed to make a story, acting and characters even worse in this one.

    Lauren Schmidt (shows director) should seriously consider a change of career as anything creative apparently isn't her cup of tea. Seriously what sort of a mental midget you have to be if cant even copy from an excellent sources material such as the books and games.

    The director has no understanding of source material, what makes it attractive and so compelling and whats worse even has no understanding of her own craft, story and character building, camera, script etc.

    Cavill the only spark of light in this abomination does what he can but cant fight alone against an idiotic directors decision. In Henrys position i would leave this show as soon as possible even if I had to cancel the contract just to not have my name attached to it.

    The beautiful world built in a book series by Mr. Sapkowski deserves much more than this stinking heap of excrements.    … Expand
  22. MERT22
    Dec 19, 2021
    0
    Watching this after reading the books and playing the games feels like having a frontal lobotomy done by a rusty metal **** attached to Lauren Schmidts hips.

    Seriously, if you had even limited experience with the source material and you still think that this is a quality show then you have some problems, most likely with assessing the quality of the product that you are being fed.    Watching this after reading the books and playing the games feels like having a frontal lobotomy done by a rusty metal **** attached to Lauren Schmidts hips.

    Seriously, if you had even limited experience with the source material and you still think that this is a quality show then you have some problems, most likely with assessing the quality of the product that you are being fed.

    After watching first season I thought that Lauren Schmidt, director of the show is just lazy and therefore doesn't care much about the accuracy to the source material. After watching the 2nd season I am convinced that she must actively hate both the books and the games and most likely even their fans.

    There is no logical explanation to any of the drastic changes that she has done in the script compared to the books. The changes serve no purpose to the story, they don't simplify it for the wider audience, they don't make it more compelling, cool or attractive. They made changes for the sake of changes and all of them made the story worse compared to if they would just copy & paste. Utter lack of talent from the shows creative team.

    The director had it all for this season, budget, great source material for the story (books) great source material for the costume design and how the original characters should behave outside of the original story (games), Henry Cavill, etc. but she still couldn't do even half decent job of bringing this to the screen.

    I have honestly tried to like it but this is beyond disappointing for the fans.    … Expand
  23. KeraTerra
    Dec 18, 2021
    1
    This show is so bad it's even awesome. It shows that screenwriters are perfectly aware of the source material which is a book and game series beloved by many fans across the world. But instead of adapting the source, the authors consciously decided to use a famous franchise to tell their own (very mediocre) story.

    Even if we put aside that the series is not true to the source, the show    This show is so bad it's even awesome. It shows that screenwriters are perfectly aware of the source material which is a book and game series beloved by many fans across the world. But instead of adapting the source, the authors consciously decided to use a famous franchise to tell their own (very mediocre) story.

    Even if we put aside that the series is not true to the source, the show completely flops as a standalone material. Character plotlines are completely made up and lack motivation, the pacing is so chaotic that trying to figure out what's happening is exhausting, and there is no logic in character dialogues or actions whatsoever.

    When the show was announced, it was expected to be a successor to the Game of Thrones in the fantasy genre. The books and games proved it has such potential. With Netflix's budget baking up the series, it had everything necessary to define the genre... besides the showrunner who would love the world and the characters as the fans do. Unfortunately, it is not the case.

    As another reviewer here mentioned:
    "Everything that I loved was worn out and mutilated before my eyes. For those who have read books, it will be very painful to look at it. I have one question: Lauren, why did you treat us so cruelly?"

    I sign under every word. Us, fans, had one chance for the true TV adaptation of the story and characters we love. There will be no other series, not after this disaster the show turned out to be. Why Lauren? You just had to adapt what was already there. Did you think that you may handle twisting the characters so badly to push whatever agenda you had instead? Well, that didn't work out. Crafting a cohesive story requires some storytelling skill, so it would be better for us all if you just stuck to the source.    … Expand
  24. Thecrazyjoke92
    Dec 17, 2021
    0
    This is a disgrace! people cannot be serious watching this garbage? the acting is bad, the cgi is even worse! the series jumps from one place to another in such a bad way that it is actually gut wrenching watching this! its so far from the books and even the games that is laughable! why change the story from the books this much when the books are great? the thing with Eskel is not accurateThis is a disgrace! people cannot be serious watching this garbage? the acting is bad, the cgi is even worse! the series jumps from one place to another in such a bad way that it is actually gut wrenching watching this! its so far from the books and even the games that is laughable! why change the story from the books this much when the books are great? the thing with Eskel is not accurate at all... so stupid that i had to write a review.. i will rather watch the old Hercules series or samurai cop than this low budget crap.. they even have a transformers looking monster.. horrible… Expand
  25. Orgeorg
    Dec 17, 2021
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It was one of the more tiring watching experiences I had, even though I watched it in company. The others were the first to start playing with their iphones. I don’t have an iphone so I started playing with the cat. Unfortunately for me even the cat grew tired from the show and went to sleep.
    The story is irrelevant, the characters more so. There’s not a shred of logic even in basic human interactions. Let me give you some examples:
    Triss and Ciri walk in a dream – magic don’t ask. Triss is worried says: “Let’s leave, Ciri!”. Next scene Triss silently follows Ciri| Ciri is in a gown outside in the night and snow. She has a cape inside the manor. Ciri and Geralt leave manor without entering it. Next scene in the forest Ciri wears cape, gown is gone. Pity, it was a nice gown, could fetch a small fortune./Geralt and Istred assault and knock down two Nilfgaardian riders. “Let’s leave them and the horses. Let’s leave two Ferraris with the keys on them while continuing on foot”/Mage kidnaps, tortures Yen for info and gets caught. “Why punish him? Is torturing your colleagues illegal? Let’s punish Yen instead.”|Yen unable to use magic, instead of executing Cahir, he releases him in front of all the northern kings, the mages and their guards. She nevertheless makes her escape without magic. When asked by Cahir why she did it she answers “I’m saving my life”. I rest my case./Geralt to Ciri: “We’re Witchers we have the luxury of cracking our head. You don’t”. Next scene Geralt takes Ciri climbing in a mountain during winter in 90 degrees aptitude. Witchers don’t use climbing tools./Vesemir wants to train more witchers. He wants to train professionals held in lesser regard than whores, gravediggers and **** collectors although he feels guilty about the high risk process of creating such a professional. “Grandpa Vesemir did you take your medicine?”/And our personal favorite: Kaer Morhen, keep full of Witchers. Monster attacks. Whores and Ciri hide. Gerald and Vesemir fight monster. Rest of Witchers status unknown. They certainly aren’t protecting Ciri and the whores. I would.
    And that’s only a handful. The only specimens seemingly saving face are Cavil and Ciri because of acting but mostly because their characters have a shred of plausibility. Some scenes are good because of the cameramen and usually because none speaks. And once or twice during the five episodes we laughed because we were so tired.
    It’s a 10/10 experience. Everyone must watch!    … Expand
  26. Zhilkata
    Dec 18, 2021
    1
    Giving a 1 simply because Henry Cavill keeps this **** somewhat intact. Can't afford to give more though - dipped in wokeness, you're constantly hit with "progressiveness" you can't ignore. Even with the politically correct agenda aside, there simply isn't anything worth the time to watch this show - extremely poor casting choices for 95% of the actors, the script tries to change stuffGiving a 1 simply because Henry Cavill keeps this **** somewhat intact. Can't afford to give more though - dipped in wokeness, you're constantly hit with "progressiveness" you can't ignore. Even with the politically correct agenda aside, there simply isn't anything worth the time to watch this show - extremely poor casting choices for 95% of the actors, the script tries to change stuff around, succeeding by completely losing the point of the characters and the world they live in, music is forgettable, effects are admittedly better, but still not breathtaking for the $15+ million-an-episode budget. An expected disappointment for every fan of the real Witcher story and atmosphere.… Expand
  27. arckmeez
    Dec 18, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I know there is a lot of wokeness on the show casting selection, but to my surprise, was a lot better than the first, with only a main character (well two that might anger hardcore readers, in a way, I understand it, Yennefer for example, I will never understand, why they try to make her out of character likeable, when the Lannister proves, that you can be a bastard and beloved, and Eskel there's a lot of fun with him in both games and books and Now is gone forever, for some woke nobody Witcher who might replace him) from the original books and games been sacrifice.

    I happy to report that the season just scratch the surface and might give more seasons come and yet give some bone to eat to the normies. The change from the script I liked more, at least the woke Characters are doing a lot more than the original characters on the first season, in general an excellent season to be honest with a good story been told from it, Henry kept his word... I do recommend though, that read the damn books and played the games, those media deserves to turn you into a show hater...    … Expand
  28. Jishnu
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Trash show butchered my fav characters yennefer, eskel and fringilla . Vesemir acting like idiot, yennefer simply swear words for no reason . Eskel turn in to leshen i dont know how a witcher turn into leshen . Yennefer betrayed ciri in the show that she will never do in the books . Cahir is innocent person in books . In the show he is evil . Fringilla doest look like yennefer . Fringilla only appeared in 2 books why show giving more important to her in the show when the character doesn't look like from books . Why stregobor is stronger than vilgefortz. I don't understand what relationship is going between main 3 character… Expand
  29. willerkiller
    Jan 16, 2022
    1
    Feels like a bad fan-fiction. Only, the writers of this show evidently aren't fans of the original source material. Just turn your brain off while watching to laugh at what it is: More woke trash from Netflix.
  30. moonknight93
    Jan 21, 2022
    0
    Blood of Elves, the third book in the saga of Geralt of Rivia, witcher by trade, is not the easiest books to adapt. It contains a lot of worldbuilding and it doesn't have a clear main antagonist to create drama. Despite this, But an adaptation can expand on elements that are only mentioned in the book. It can create additional action, or transforming monologues and thoughts in dialogueBlood of Elves, the third book in the saga of Geralt of Rivia, witcher by trade, is not the easiest books to adapt. It contains a lot of worldbuilding and it doesn't have a clear main antagonist to create drama. Despite this, But an adaptation can expand on elements that are only mentioned in the book. It can create additional action, or transforming monologues and thoughts in dialogue between the characters.

    But this season is not an adaptation. It contains a lot of fan fiction od dubious quality, which create plot contrivances and changes characters compared to Season 1 or the anime spin-off. It feels rushes, the worldbuilding is almost non existent. All different cities in different kingdoms feel culturally the same. Dialogues are more a generic declaration of intents by the characters, rather than confrontations on issues or feelings. Travelling feels like teleportation, and the whole pacing is off. Rushed, almost like the showrunner is afraid of boring the viewer. They are treating this show as a generic teen fantasy made for CW, rather than the mature dark fantasy it's supposed to be. The Sapkowski's saga is one where the characters take center stage and drive the plot forwards. But this show doesn't take its time to establish the characterizations of its characters and their relationships with each other. In some way, it's reaping the fruits of what they did in Season 1. Skipping important character moments to rush the story forward.

    Season 3 cannot save this, because the entire show is build on rotten foundations. A terrible show, and a terrible disappointment.    … Expand
  31. heroes005
    Jan 15, 2022
    2
    the show started one a reasonably good foot with the first episode. but then it strayed from the book so much and its downhill from there. now they cant hide how badly written it is. its no longer an adaptation its a badly written fanfiction
  32. Vandel0001
    Jan 24, 2022
    0
    completely out of the story. The stupid show, All thanks to imbecile showrunner. People read a book it is much better if you don't know this story yet. Calvin, you and this blond hair girl are the only reason why this movie shouldn't be burned. But as a beautiful story how actor tries to save the original story.
    If you respect book or at least game - press 0
  33. Sigmaboy
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    This is **** joke of a series that dont match an inch to the book's original story
  34. Tradewind
    Feb 2, 2022
    0
    It's just incredibly average. The monsters are neat and interesting but the quality of the dialogue especially just doesn't come close to something like Game of Thrones' seasons 1-5, even 6 and 7 had better writing. The dialogue is either stilted or too contemporary and the result is that you cannot immerse yourself in the show like you could with GoT. In GoT the dialogue was soIt's just incredibly average. The monsters are neat and interesting but the quality of the dialogue especially just doesn't come close to something like Game of Thrones' seasons 1-5, even 6 and 7 had better writing. The dialogue is either stilted or too contemporary and the result is that you cannot immerse yourself in the show like you could with GoT. In GoT the dialogue was so excellently written and delivered that you almost forgot you were watching actors play characters, the scenes took on a life of their own and became more than the sum of their parts, here you're keenly aware that it's just actors, ESPECIALLY because Henry Cavill insists on doing that voice. It takes you completely out of it when you know for a fact that it's not what he sounds like, it doesn't immerse me because it's silly.… Expand
  35. playahater
    Feb 16, 2022
    3
    I really hope Netflix is paying attention to these reviews! Stop adding character arcs that don’t exist! Stop pissing on the source material! You have a fantastic cast. Let them play the parts as written at least close to the books. Half the season never happened in the books!
  36. winzentween
    Jan 25, 2022
    6
    Season 2 is significantly better than season 1. Though it suffers from many of the same mistakes. The writing is still poor and the show runner is still mucking things up. The sex and nudity is long gone because the show runner thinks it covers up bad writing which it does but now we just have bad writing and excessive violence. Because the bodies we all share is far more offensive thanSeason 2 is significantly better than season 1. Though it suffers from many of the same mistakes. The writing is still poor and the show runner is still mucking things up. The sex and nudity is long gone because the show runner thinks it covers up bad writing which it does but now we just have bad writing and excessive violence. Because the bodies we all share is far more offensive than cutting off people's limbs. It sickens me to hear an adult professional justify multiple decapitations but insisting that a man's bottom is somehow offensive.

    The cgi is still far from perfect but it is alot better in that it's now acceptable to good rather than bad. The acting is still strong among the lead characters though minor ones struggle with the weak screenplay. Though the overall story is far more vague with far less actually happening and lots of names or places and people without much explanation. There are actual monsters now to fight so a real result and the action scenes are far more competent. Geralt is still as good as ever though he's a little more loving now. Yen is yen but with more clothes. Vesimir is quite good. The mages still scheme. Same old same old. The budget of ten plus million dollars doesnt feel like it's being spent well. There is still room for significant improvement. This is no game of thrones but atleast it's no longer Xena warrior princess. 8/10    … Expand
  37. szopenik
    Nov 2, 2022
    2
    Everything went wrong. Only the role of Geralt is close to the original novel.
  38. AngryShark92
    Feb 10, 2022
    0
    Amazing how my critical reviews of woke political nonsense movies and shows get deleted, but thousands of 10/10 bots supporting this trash do not.

    Season 2 improves over season 1 in one singular aspect, CGI got a decent upgrade. Everything else is a downgrade. Episode 1, which was based on a short story within Spakowski's novel called "Grain of Truth" was the only episode in this    Amazing how my critical reviews of woke political nonsense movies and shows get deleted, but thousands of 10/10 bots supporting this trash do not.

    Season 2 improves over season 1 in one singular aspect, CGI got a decent upgrade. Everything else is a downgrade. Episode 1, which was based on a short story within Spakowski's novel called "Grain of Truth" was the only episode in this throwaway of a season that has any relevance or faithfulness to the source material. The love story between Nivellen & Vereena is one of those parts of a book that become memorable years after reading it, and while the show does a good job of depicting it, there are even a few errors and missing elements (albeit forgivable ones) that take away from the darkness of it all.

    After that, the creator takes the show in a completely different direction, a story she feels she needs to tell. Problem is, your audience isn't a bunch of progressive sissies without an ounce of comprehension or understanding for narrative storytelling... your audience are loyal fans of Sapkowski's work, whether by his books or CDPR's adaptation of the games, you did not earn this fanbase or following, what you did is get thrown into a position you have no business being in because you are a progressive female "producer" and coast on the coattails of a writer that actually possesses talent.

    You are the female version of DB Weiss & David Benioff, except you are starting at Season 8 of GoT and pulling the IP down with you. Henry Cavill is the only saving grace from this disaster you call an "adaptation", and when he has to step in and remind you that Geralt is the main character and should probably show up on the screen more often, perhaps it is time to acknowledge that you lied when you said you were going to "remain faithful to the source material”. The diversity casting, altered characters, awful pacing, terrible storytelling, political injections, and even this user score and universal condemnation from the community, tell me you are not a “Witcher fan”.

    Step down, delete this abomination, keep Cavill, hand the keys to HBO or someone with some sense of awareness, and go make your own IP with your own ideas and let us know how that works out. The only reason this show has not been canned is because of the gigantic fan base and its loyalty, again, something you did not earn. Oh, and this upcoming spinoff? Cancel it. Nobody cares about your diversity hire fan fiction.

    + CGI improvement
    + Henry Cavill is an excellent Geralt and actually cares

    - Terrible writing
    - Terrible casting (outside of Geralt & Dijkstra)
    - Character portrayals are inaccurate
    - Source material abandoned
    - Contrived plot that is a jumbled mess
    - Story is riddled with plot holes and none of the plots make sense
    - Diversity casting makes no sense for the relations in the narrative
    - Creator's political views are pushing important characters to the side
    - Pacing is all over the pace, show gets really boring
    - Another beloved IP torched by Netflix

    Overall, it is what you have come to expect from Netflix shows & showrunners, talentless hacks that have no business being in the position they are in and decimating beloved IPs in the name of political positions and money. Originally a 2/10, but Metacritic deletes my reviews because they have progressive bot moderators who delete well-deserved criticism, here’s a zero.    … Expand
  39. toxicbits
    Dec 27, 2022
    0
    Woke garbage by a writer whose priority is to indoctrinate the viewership with her demented agenda.
  40. Nemos
    Jan 29, 2022
    3
    Way to ruin something. Fantastic game, decent season 1... and now just poor writing and extremely boring.
  41. Bruterake
    Mar 3, 2022
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Até que diverte um pouco, o momento no bar com o Jaskier com o truque da Yeneffer cuspindo fogo foi muito legal e nossa o cg melhorou 10x no mínimo. Agora que já foram os positivos, a série ta muito mal escrita nossa, tudo muito muito previsível e chato os personagens são muito caricatos e unidimensionais. Eu não li os livros mas o que fizerem com o menino Vesemir to vendo as reviews e todo mundo concorda é uma afronta aos personagens ninguém tem profundidade todo mundo é preto no branco. E nossa dessa vez ta incomodando as lentes são muito feias vei se tirassem elas dava pra ter uma cena séria sem olhar como ta esquisito a cara do Geralt.… Expand
  42. wojtekbe
    Oct 2, 2022
    0
    So bad, that I haven't even finished watching season 2... I just can't watch it...
  43. Jurfy
    Apr 3, 2022
    0
    вот что бывает, когда ставят бесталанного шоуранера который думает только про повесточку.
  44. ZynAndrij
    Jan 25, 2022
    3
    Andzej Sapkowski was a racist. Netflix said there would be a canon of books, so why black characters in The Witcher? Seriously?
    !!! I am tolerant of blacks, but that is not the canon !!!
  45. Darksolunicorn
    Jan 29, 2022
    1
    Disappointing.
    Same locations.
    Jumpy plot.
    It's barely about Gerald, more about everyone else but him actually.
    CGI is still bad, but not as bad as in S1.
    In general everything looks cheap, it could have worked for a show with a good plot but unfortunately there isn't.
    If S1 was confusing for you, buckle up
  46. plukas
    Feb 12, 2022
    0
    This work is an insult to the book's series and it simply becomes a very poor adaptation. Don't waste your time.
  47. Waco1994
    Jul 2, 2022
    1
    My expectation wasn't high, but as something that was about to adapt the witcher lore and story t is a profanation. That is weak even as a separate series for those who dont know the witcher books. I'm sorry for Henry Cavill because he tryes his best, he can't rescue that.
  48. bustermuster
    Dec 25, 2022
    0
    What happened to this, it's now nothing like the original source material, Netflix again destroys another classic series.
  49. Qlauud
    Dec 21, 2022
    0
    i have no idea what happened here but it's not the witcher it's just netflix crap, the level of this series is below the floor.
  50. Brilz152
    Dec 5, 2022
    1
    Lauren ruined the show! Its not only about "read the Book". Its random Situation in random place with random people in this movie.
  51. Arnagard
    Dec 22, 2021
    2
    Only technical part of the show is OK (not great). All the rest (plot, dialogues, characters motivation...) is terribly bad.
  52. thevilnside
    Dec 25, 2021
    0
    Watched it with my mom and we both tried to keep each other awake because the episodes were boring as hell. It's so disappointing to wait for S2 that long and seeing this garbage. Season 1 was okay but Season 2 is a disaster.
  53. underdoge
    Dec 25, 2021
    3
    This tvshaw has nothing to do with the books by Andrzej Sapkowski or even the games by CD Project. Characters' identities are lost and the original plot are wasted.
  54. Rudyhell
    Dec 25, 2021
    1
    The writing is just dumb. It’s hard to understand some decisions and I don’t think the writers understand them themselves. If not a famous franchise, no one would watch it
  55. Vlaho
    Dec 26, 2021
    0
    Piece of sh*t! This is an insult for books fans... Netflix please cancel this show.
  56. TiJ
    Dec 21, 2021
    1
    Henry Cavill and some remainings of the great original story save this series from complete failure but screenwriters are utterly incompetent (all their changes are almost always much worse than the original). Geralt-Ciri interactions were the best part of the season, Joey as Jaskier is great as well but everything else in terms of storytelling is comparatively bad. Screenwriters areHenry Cavill and some remainings of the great original story save this series from complete failure but screenwriters are utterly incompetent (all their changes are almost always much worse than the original). Geralt-Ciri interactions were the best part of the season, Joey as Jaskier is great as well but everything else in terms of storytelling is comparatively bad. Screenwriters are definitely wanted to piss the books and games' fans (like whores in the Kaer Morhen, Vesemir agreeing to poison Ciri, Yennefe almost betraying Geralt and trying to sell Ciri - everything bad didn't exist in the books) We need to start a petition to change the showrunner while it's not too late (or is it?)… Expand
  57. ypablo
    Dec 28, 2021
    0
    Absolutely nothing makes sense in this show. The story is ridiculously illogical and has nothing to do with the original story. it simply doesn't add up. Whoever created that script is either incompetent or dumb or both. It was painful to watch it. Unbelievable garbage.
  58. Tajfun92
    Dec 26, 2021
    2
    Poor quality and boring. Most of it have no sense at all. I had some hopes after the first season, but not anymore.
  59. theTRUTHson
    Dec 29, 2021
    3
    Season 2 is disappointing. This is not how you do Witcher.

    Not enough action, not enough tension, not enough epic moments, not enough humor, not enough Geralt.

    Too much filler, too much build up, too much information thrown at the viewer, too many actors that don't fit the part (Yennefer).

    It's a pity but at least it's a motivation to pick up the books again.
  60. Purveyor
    Dec 26, 2021
    2
    In comparison to the highly successful and exciting season 1 season 2 feels woke and underwhelming. Many characters are done Injustice and the tone of the show has shifted to almost boring and predictable. Feels more like game of thrones season 8 rather than season 1. A mistake I hope can be remedied before the soul of everything that made the show great is ruined completely.
  61. knighttimesone
    Jan 9, 2022
    6
    Я считаю, что это не провал, как многие его называют.
    Да, 2 сезон ушел от книжного канона. Ушёл неудачно. Действительно, авторы начали придумывать что-то своё и это испортило повествование, так как сценарист не равно писатель. Писатель скрупулёзно прописывает арки, твисты, образы. Сценарист делает работу весь в дедлайнах и лишь соединяя А с Б, не запаривайся над проработкой, а зачастую    Я считаю, что это не провал, как многие его называют.
    Да, 2 сезон ушел от книжного канона. Ушёл неудачно. Действительно, авторы начали придумывать что-то своё и это испортило повествование, так как сценарист не равно писатель. Писатель скрупулёзно прописывает арки, твисты, образы. Сценарист делает работу весь в дедлайнах и лишь соединяя А с Б, не запаривайся над проработкой, а зачастую ещё и добавляя всякого хлама.
    Что угодно говорите, но я не считаю разноцветный и разнорассовый состав проблемой в сериалах и фильмах. Если они действительно талантливо играют и прошли конкурсный отбор, то почему нет. Это не документалистика, а художественное произведение. Кстати об этом.
    Я воспринимаю этот сериал как самостоятельное произведение, чего и вам желаю. Не сравниваю ни с книгами, ни с играми. И от этого смотрится гораздо проще.
    Повторюсь, персонажи как не крути слабо прописаны, их логика порой вообще улетает куда-то в стратосферу - они откровенно неестественно тупят.
    Лишние сюжетные раскрытия второстепенных персонажей? Мне кажется люди забывают, что это сериал, а не длинный фильм раз в год. Может, создатели хотят выделить других персонажей, которые были плохо раскрыты в книге и показать их с другой стороны, по своему?
    Практически моментальный уход некоторых ключевых персонажей с тупым объяснением этого - тоже шокирующий и больной минус. Тут уже создателям не отвертеться - это конкретный обсёр.
    Понравилось то, что теперь сюжет линейно построили, не приходилось прыгать во времени несколько раз. Графика стала круче, доспехи Нильфгаарда стали норм (хотя такое ощущение, что они после захвата Цинтры ещё и моду их переняли )))) )
    В общем, надо бы подсобраться людям, которые отвечают за сюжетную составляющую. Потому что это было всегда главным аспектом Ведьмака: как в играх, так и в фильмах. И если уж они хотят уйти от книжного или игрового канона, то пускай прописывают это качественно. Либо пусть не страдают хернёй и делают по книге, это проверенный вариант)    … Expand
  62. Zeitgeistical
    Dec 28, 2021
    0
    Honestly I have no idea how the official critique got better score than Season 1 in some platforms. Season 1 was decent, I could accept the changes from the source material and the pace in that one. Season 2 however, every build-up from the previous season, quickly turned sour.

    Season 2 was all about character arcs corruption, and also of the Witcher universe. The stories are    Honestly I have no idea how the official critique got better score than Season 1 in some platforms. Season 1 was decent, I could accept the changes from the source material and the pace in that one. Season 2 however, every build-up from the previous season, quickly turned sour.

    Season 2 was all about character arcs corruption, and also of the Witcher universe. The stories are meaningless, character choices are irrational, the world means little and less considering the characters just simply go to extreme distances in a scene cut (and no, not using the conventional teleportation methods laid by the show).

    The worse character development (if you can even call it that) was by far from Yennefer. Not only she lost all the build-up from Season 1, from wishing to be a mother so hard that she'd almost kill herself to protect a random baby, to go to extreme lengths to chase a dragon for that kind of power, even to consider giving up HER OWN CHAOS to do so. What does she do instead in this Season? - I'll spoil it for you, because it's that bad - when she loses her power, she decides the only thing that is reasonable is to sacrifice a child to get the chaos back. Not only a simple child, Geralt's child.

    And why did Lauren do that? Because, as she said herself, she wanted "women to be at the center of the story" and to "create another story for Yennefer" which she found more fullfilling. And by doing that they created a terrible, meaningless, clueless, irrational story, in which the script is so bad the acting feel like a submediocre soap-opera.    … Expand
  63. KateJaden
    Dec 26, 2021
    0
    LAUREN SCHMIDT HISSRICH - THE REAL BUTCHER OF THE WITCHER UNIVERSE. Season 1 of The Witcher had its flaws, I know, but I wanted to give the writers a chance. They attempted to write parts of the story, that Sapkowski only had mentioned in the short stories (like Yen's for example), it wasn't easy, but they managed well. I had such high hopes for season 2, they seemed like they understoodLAUREN SCHMIDT HISSRICH - THE REAL BUTCHER OF THE WITCHER UNIVERSE. Season 1 of The Witcher had its flaws, I know, but I wanted to give the writers a chance. They attempted to write parts of the story, that Sapkowski only had mentioned in the short stories (like Yen's for example), it wasn't easy, but they managed well. I had such high hopes for season 2, they seemed like they understood the universe and what they really needed was a little bit of time and patience from fans. I gave it to them. And I regret it. You see, The Witcher is not 'a complicated story', 'difficult to adapt to screen' - it's really not. Unless you miss its point. Unless you let your ego get in the way. Unless you think the show's popularity is your own achievement. It isn't Lauren! It isn't! All those, who love the witcher universe are gamers and readers. These people came to you to watch the story they know and love because someone BEFORE you worked hard and made them fall in love with it. These are not your achievements! You should respect this fact. People watched your show because they love the games and books + because you released it for Christmas, in perfect timing for an already created fanbase. Not because they loved what you did to it! WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO YENNEFER is unforgivable, the Yen we know would never have done this to Geralt because she is smarter than that! I'm not gonna even touch on bad dialogues, ridiculous last episode, what you did to the witchers, Vesemir... Bad, bad, bad... This is the true nightmare of the wolf... You had one job, Lauren... Burn, butcher, burn...… Expand
  64. Marcoo
    Dec 28, 2021
    0
    Trash. Too many liberties, they ruined Geralt’s character and vibe, women ARE NOT supposed to be witchers, whole thing is pandering to the max. Really sad effort and just another example of Hollywood trying to please it’s liberal base
  65. Hellspeller
    Dec 21, 2021
    0
    Not gonna bother writing a review since they didnt bother to write a script
  66. DrIlic
    Dec 20, 2021
    3
    For the fans of books is not okay. Lauren you lied to us, Why did you say this show will be based on the books. Like, you posted a tweet that shows pictures of books and says '' This is what adaptation looks like.'' You clearly creating a new story.
  67. joobminty
    Jan 4, 2022
    2
    Cringeworthy due to weak writing and indescribably poor acting by many of the supporting cast. Elf storyline is boring and none of the actors are remotely believable. Henry Cavill is good - along with some of the older actors - hence the 2 points. All the basics of story telling are missing. This entire concept is a write off. Best case scenario is this dies after a couple more seasons -Cringeworthy due to weak writing and indescribably poor acting by many of the supporting cast. Elf storyline is boring and none of the actors are remotely believable. Henry Cavill is good - along with some of the older actors - hence the 2 points. All the basics of story telling are missing. This entire concept is a write off. Best case scenario is this dies after a couple more seasons - and allow some time to pass so people can analyse how it all went wrong - like Ghostbusters 2016 or Percy Jackson. Then maybe consider a proper remake.… Expand
  68. ofash
    Dec 23, 2021
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. ngl my boy Henry Cavill is pretty much the only good thing about Witcher season 2. vesemir acting was so bad.. Story has nothing to do with either the books or the games, Triss and Yen feels like woke propagenda because we cannot have white women nowdays on Netflix shows now can we..
    and why the hell did they kill eskel so early on. Season 1 was pretty good but 2 is pretty much **** up big time. Can't wait for black Letho and Indian Shani    … Expand
  69. WreckWren
    Dec 22, 2021
    1
    I enjoyed the first season enough to re watch several times. Sure, it was a bit hard to follow at first, but otherwise the quality was just barely enough.

    This is nowhere near that "good". The casting is somewhat better but the acting has dropped through the floor Metacritic's mobile site is as bad as this season, so I can't finish that sentence. I can't add any more below this either,    I enjoyed the first season enough to re watch several times. Sure, it was a bit hard to follow at first, but otherwise the quality was just barely enough.

    This is nowhere near that "good".
    The casting is somewhat better but the acting has dropped through the floor

    Metacritic's mobile site is as bad as this season, so I can't finish that sentence. I can't add any more below this either, also because their site is as bad as this season.
    2/10 at best.    … Expand
  70. Pietrazsko
    Dec 23, 2021
    1
    I have very negative emotions after watching the season. The plot is completely broken. The main messages are displaced. The characters are not revealed. There are a lot of bloopers throughout the entire series.
  71. Jubus
    Dec 28, 2021
    3
    This second season was very poorly done, a big disappointment after what was a promising first season.
    The writers have tried to strike out and put their own spin on the original plot and characters but have done a poor job overall which has led to a story that is boring at best and utter nonsense at worst, I quickly lost interest in what was happening and really had to force myself    This second season was very poorly done, a big disappointment after what was a promising first season.
    The writers have tried to strike out and put their own spin on the original plot and characters but have done a poor job overall which has led to a story that is boring at best and utter nonsense at worst, I quickly lost interest in what was happening and really had to force myself through those last episodes.
    I think Henry Cavill is portraying a great version of Geralt still. It is rumoured he did have to influence some of the writing of his own character during filming, which is likely why his character is the the most enjoyable and consistent throughout but highlights he himself saw how flawed the writing was.
    No other characters stood out unfortunately, mostly keeping me bored anytime Cavill was off screen.
    Ultimately wherever all that extra budget money went for the second season, it definitely wasn't put towards the writing, and the show suffers because of it.
    A real shame as with better thought out writing for their new plot or alternatively just sticking much closer to the original source material the show had the potential to be something special. I won't be tuning back in for a third season    … Expand
  72. Rydhar
    Dec 30, 2021
    1
    This thing can only be called a profanation of Sapkowski's work, the script looks as if it was written by a 12-year-old on the basis of the book's cover. If anyone expects to see in this thing... a good Witcher story in a cruel, racist, greyish world full of deep moral dilemmas and intrigues, it is better not to even start it, and best to forget that such a thing was ever made.
    The plot is    This thing can only be called a profanation of Sapkowski's work, the script looks as if it was written by a 12-year-old on the basis of the book's cover. If anyone expects to see in this thing... a good Witcher story in a cruel, racist, greyish world full of deep moral dilemmas and intrigues, it is better not to even start it, and best to forget that such a thing was ever made.
    The plot is completely chaotic and nonsensical, while the first episode is quite good, the following episodes make people completely brainless (do you really have to explain every emotion and event to the viewer because the viewer is, according to them, so dumb that he does not understand it?). Construction of characters and the world does not exist, it lacks any authenticity, the kings are shown as total pigs without brains, generally the image of the world saying "look how patriarchal and chauvinistic it is, but women are strong and the greatest" and probably that's all that **** focused on, but the best thing is this, But the best part is that the effect is completely opposite, as a viewer it felt like the women in this fanfic were ridiculed, shown in the most stereotypical way possible, devoid of any elegance, seriousness, calculating and intelligence that in the book basically controlled the world from the back seat. This series only leaves some of the more clever donkeys in the form of women further portraying them as annoying mood swings. Also if Lauren's goal was to promote strong women then something went wrong.
    Another issue regarding world building is. the distance, all the scenes feel like they're just across town. For the uninitiated, kaer morhen was far to the north in the keadween, the only people who knew the way there were the witchers of the wolf school and those to whom the witchers had told the location of their habitat, the rest of us could not have known, but anyway it took months to get to kaer morhen from cintra, and according to the series it was a small castle maybe 20 minutes away from the larger cities that even the whores knew the way to.
    All of the above are just the tip of the iceberg of **** that this series is. Lauren is telling fans of the books and games that she doesn't care about their opinions, that she doesn't care about making a good series based on the book and keeping the level. It was created by a person who doesn't understand the Witcher phenomenon, doesn't understand why people love it so much, she despises the source material, doesn't give a damn whether it's going to be good or not, it's obvious that she has no idea what this world looks like, so she created another generic fantasy series as if it was based on Xene or Hercules but with the Witcher tag attached to it, so it's just a cash grab and it's just a way to kill the popularity of the title.

    The good part is of course Henry trying to save it as much as he can, but he can't do it. The special effects are also on a good level, and that's about it, because everything else is hopeless if you still call it The Witcher, but if you call it something else and don't refer to the world of The Witcher then it's just a generic fantasy series that you can play in the background.    … Expand
  73. konraddddd
    Dec 30, 2021
    1
    There is no logic in decision made by characters and results of them. Racism problem reduced to long ears = embarrassing simplification. And so on, and so on. Movie Makers resigned of books and they goal to stupid audience.
  74. jurkiewka13
    Dec 30, 2021
    1
    This season is a PROFANATION of everything the Witcher has to offer. The world of The Witcher is multidimensional, and each character is not unequivocally good or bad. The series looks realy flat against the background of books - everything is black and white, and the viewer is treated like an idiot. Everything that is good in the books has been turned into a vision of screenwriters thatThis season is a PROFANATION of everything the Witcher has to offer. The world of The Witcher is multidimensional, and each character is not unequivocally good or bad. The series looks realy flat against the background of books - everything is black and white, and the viewer is treated like an idiot. Everything that is good in the books has been turned into a vision of screenwriters that is illogical and bland. I appreciate the work of Henry and Joey, but the rest of this show is a tragedy. I'm not waiting for season 3. I go back to books and games to forget what I saw in season 2 of this thing.… Expand
  75. Revles
    Jan 4, 2022
    0
    Terrible what they made with story presented in books. I know it was planned to be interpretation, but it's abomination, not interpretation.
  76. Wiesmak
    Dec 22, 2021
    0
    This sh** is just disrespectful towards the books and the games. The world building is broken, it’s not the Witcher universe that I know for sure and fist and foremost the story is just stupid, Netflix took one big dump on the books.
  77. wrathofguts
    Dec 21, 2021
    3
    It’s clear they're just using the Witcher name to tell their own mediocre story without any respect for the source material. Let me be clear, you don’t have to make a 1:1 adaptation of a work to be respectful to it but the changes have to make sense and not drastically take away from what made the original work so great. With that said, a lot of the characters from the original stories getIt’s clear they're just using the Witcher name to tell their own mediocre story without any respect for the source material. Let me be clear, you don’t have to make a 1:1 adaptation of a work to be respectful to it but the changes have to make sense and not drastically take away from what made the original work so great. With that said, a lot of the characters from the original stories get a complete change in personality and aside from having the same names as their book counterparts they are almost unrecognizable. Judging the show on it's own merits, it plays like a generic fantasy that's trying too hard to be GoT without the clever dialogue or interesting character development. Seriously, the writing is atrocious at times and some of the choices characters make are downright illogical. Often it feels there are scenes that don’t add a whole lot to the main story, there are characters that travel between places that are supposed to be thousands of miles away in minutes and conveniently arrive in time to meet other characters. On a side note, Henry Cavill and Freya Allan do a fantastic job despite the script they are given. It’s a shame really, this feels like a huge missed opportunity to show what made the Witcher books so great. If you’re completely new to it and haven’t read the books, there will probably be more to enjoy here.… Expand
  78. dstnR
    Dec 22, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Butcher of Blaviken is nothing compared to the butchers from netflix xd
    I only respect Henry Cavil for doing the best he can to portrait Gerald better than the lame showrunner wants.    … Expand
  79. Mattheusheck
    Dec 23, 2021
    3
    As an adaptation of a book, the series is terrible. As a generic fantasy - at best mediocre. Nice filming and CGI, but very poor script full of logical inconsistencies. Also, it shares with the books only character names and 3-4 minutes per episode (except for the fisrt one). I'm dissapointed!
  80. acdbrd
    Dec 24, 2021
    2
    Poor writing meets bad acting.

    There are a lot of scenes that don't make sense and don't affect the story. Those affecting the story are often inconsistent with each other. Characters talk about their feelings constantly instead of expressing them.

    Tissaia's advice to The Witcher fans: "Now is not the time to be weak. Now is the time to be strong."
  81. Jonny_Kung
    Dec 27, 2021
    2
    I am a huge fan of the books, having read them all and a massive fan of The Witcher universe. I can honestly say that I have no idea what happened to this season. Almost nothing that happens has anything to do with the books and the storyline. Instead we are given painfully generic dialogue, a plot that is as boring as it is nonsensical. Characters with no development or investment,I am a huge fan of the books, having read them all and a massive fan of The Witcher universe. I can honestly say that I have no idea what happened to this season. Almost nothing that happens has anything to do with the books and the storyline. Instead we are given painfully generic dialogue, a plot that is as boring as it is nonsensical. Characters with no development or investment, characters that are completely disrespected and lastly, pandering to the "message of wokeness". This is how NOT to write an adaptation or any show for that matter. Henry and Freya do as good a job as they can but i do feel sorry for Henry, as he must be wondering what on earth Lauren has done to the show. It's a Witcher show in name only at this point and does feel disrespectful to the actual books and the fans. Lauren (the show runner) has completely butchered this for her own means, clearly.

    Season 1 followed plots from the books and whilst the broken chronology sometimes made things difficult to know where in the books you were; a reasonable job was done. Season 2 however....well.... it made no sense. I was so confused as most of what you see never happens in the books and it really shows. Bitterly disappointed and yet another trashy, bad-faith show to add to the vault of shame to be forgotten about. Such a wasted opportunity!    … Expand
  82. GOONER759
    Dec 30, 2021
    0
    Bad storyline. Boring episodes. What a disappointment. Don’t waste your time.
  83. zodbullion
    Jan 2, 2022
    0
    F**** you Netflix for doing this to the Witcher, everything from dialogues to the casting is off, and the usual forced diversity to top it up, because F*** historical accuracy, classic Netflix. The only thing the writer had to do is follow the extensive character descriptions widely available in the books, hell there even almost perfectly portrayed in the games, it was that easy! But no,F**** you Netflix for doing this to the Witcher, everything from dialogues to the casting is off, and the usual forced diversity to top it up, because F*** historical accuracy, classic Netflix. The only thing the writer had to do is follow the extensive character descriptions widely available in the books, hell there even almost perfectly portrayed in the games, it was that easy! But no, instead they even made changes to the story thinking themselves better than Sapkowski at creating his own world resulting in this despicable show.… Expand
  84. Vauldt
    Jan 13, 2022
    2
    This second season is to The Witcher what Kraft Singles are to cheese. The first season showed a lot of promise. Sure some liberties were taken, but different story telling mediums call for different approaches. Besides, the show seemed to understand both the source material and the core fanbase essential to its success. Season two doesn't do that.
    Beyond a couple events, what happens this    This second season is to The Witcher what Kraft Singles are to cheese. The first season showed a lot of promise. Sure some liberties were taken, but different story telling mediums call for different approaches. Besides, the show seemed to understand both the source material and the core fanbase essential to its success. Season two doesn't do that.
    Beyond a couple events, what happens this season doesn't happen in the books and the content it's been replaced with lands more like modern, finger-wagging allegory than compelling and creative writing. The actors' performances were strong, but what they were asked to perform left no excitement or even cautious optimism for the future of the series. At the least, the excellent books and games will still be here.    … Expand
  85. capt_morgan
    Dec 28, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok, its not as good S1, 1st season was more rough (which for the Witcher is good), better pacing and more to the point. S2 was hard to follow because of all the factions introduced and their motives, think of GOT with all the players and motivations squeezed into eight concurrent episodes with endless dialogue forcing the issues. Also, I found the whole witch possession overwhelming and lacking explanation. Now for some good, the last two episodes did manage a decent buildup for promising next season (hopefully).… Expand
  86. Asiia
    Dec 23, 2021
    0
    It can't be adaptation because it's not a Witcher. Except names all rest have no sense .

    I feel sorry for Henry Cavill because I know that he tried his best to make it a worthy show. Great respect for him for that.
  87. Pyter
    Dec 19, 2021
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I must say if You read books or played games you would be really disgust how they destroy universe. I do understand they wanted to build something on their own but they manage to piss off all fans. Plot have so many holes like whole lost of Yen powers and how she befriend with Ciri in 5 seconds. Many things here felt like made as mix of books, games and own storytelling ideas. For someone who know nothing about books etc season 2 is boring or average at most. Sadly after watching whole season I got only bad feelings about 3rd one as it cannot be connected again with books/games plot line.

    As for landscapes I do admit they improved themselves although I find Melitele Monastery a bit odd, like some indian guru stuff. Also Nenneke is very poor casted. Despite book Nenneke, one from season 2 does not have value to plot. She could be skipped as well or replaced. Both Ciri and Yen had very poor written scripts. They acted very illogically. I dont buy it. Same as Triss wanting Geralt in bed without giving watchers background of their relationship. I guess no random witch offer other guy spending night at the very first day. Overrall it is poor quality nonwitcher show    … Expand
  88. Ergi
    Dec 19, 2021
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Eskel is dead
    Yen meets Cahir
    xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD    … Expand
  89. Matiokso
    Dec 21, 2021
    2
    Fact is that this whole series start to look like some fanfik not a book adaptation
  90. Marones
    Dec 21, 2021
    0
    No words about it. Same with all the other negative reviews. They butchered the atmosphere of the books and of the 1st season.
  91. romanchikkotik
    Dec 21, 2021
    2
    Второй сезон оказался еще хуже первого. Сущий кошмар. Полное незнание книжного канона.
  92. epictroller
    Dec 22, 2021
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Show had its moments, but 'm not a fan of pointless changes in the story. Sorry but Eskel was totally different person in books, also his death ugh. Plot around Yennefer... That was mistake. WTF happened to Vesemir? He looks like him but... WHY IN THE HELL HE WANTS TO CREATE MORE WITCHERS?! In books Vesemir didn't want to create more witchers. Btw about the witchers, there was no money to make them look like ones? Also Where are other schools?!… Expand
  93. trevorcj66
    Dec 19, 2021
    2
    Guys, just know that elves live in Mayan pyramids and there is a YAGA under it.
  94. Tonzqha
    Dec 21, 2021
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My 11 reasons not to watch this modern day **** below:

    1. Political correctness 2. Too much diversity 3. Unfaithful to lore 4. Feminism 5. Wokeness 6.Unfaithful to the Polish Eastern European vibe 7. Filler actors 8. Ruined characters 9. Bad place and time explanations for newbies 10. Ruined storylanes 11. Killing Eskel 12. Making no sense    … Expand
  95. HappyNoobek
    Dec 22, 2021
    1
    Tragic history mrs Lauren Schmidt Hissrich should be fired i dont be enemy changes but changes in this serial is very very tragic
  96. Angryfunnydog
    Dec 20, 2021
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Guys, I had not such high hopes after season 1. Though it was overall enjoyable. But this thing here is pretty much awful. Yep, I'm a fan of the books, but even outside of the books - the show's script is pretty stupid by itself. I laughed so hard over such chain of thoughts of main characters
    Vesemir: We can make mutagen out of your blood
    Ciri: Test it on me, sure, I can die and you won't be able to make more mutagens. Or I can mutate and probably you won't be able to make more mutagens either. Win-win situation, you know
    Vesemir: Yep, I'm old and wise witchers mentor, I think this is a good idea

    I mean, wtf. Who wrote this script? Did anyone actually read it thoughtfully? This completely makes no sense. I'm not even mentioning bringing whores to hidden keep and explanation "They're drunk and won't remember their way here" I guess they will also go back on autopilot as well. Or they plan to knock them out and drop somewhere in the forest? Or Eskel
    -I thought I can fight it, and I though you will help me.
    I mean, this guy didn't tell anyone anything, didn't do anything apart from drinking and having sex. How the hell did he plan to cure himself?

    It's just lol. I understand that this move has good actors. Cavill is great as always (though I also have questions about all his fanboy statements in interviews after he played main part here), other actors are ok as well. But all the rest - as I said - it's just lol    … Expand
  97. alexmordan
    Dec 19, 2021
    3
    Ужасный сезон. Ждал с нетерпением, а по итогу вышло одно разочарование. Нелепая сцена с проститутками в Каэр-Морхене, куча нелепой отсебятины, которая порой вообще не коррелировала с событиями вокруг. Но самое отвращение вызывает каст актеров. Нэннеке – чёрная лысая женщина? (Лол). Дийкстра – брутальный и накачанный дед с бородой? Ну, про чёрных эльфов я вообще промолчу. Равно как и проУжасный сезон. Ждал с нетерпением, а по итогу вышло одно разочарование. Нелепая сцена с проститутками в Каэр-Морхене, куча нелепой отсебятины, которая порой вообще не коррелировала с событиями вокруг. Но самое отвращение вызывает каст актеров. Нэннеке – чёрная лысая женщина? (Лол). Дийкстра – брутальный и накачанный дед с бородой? Ну, про чёрных эльфов я вообще промолчу. Равно как и про чёрных ведьмаков. Эра толерастии достигла апогея. Последняя серия сезона вызвала недоумение. Сценаристы попытались в креатив, а вышло недоразумение с непонятным сюжетом и примитивными монстрами. Спасибо, что хоть Эмгыр не лысая чёрная женщина! 3/10 чисто за переработанную подачу «сюжета» без рваного повествования и за улучшенную съёмку экшн-сцен.… Expand
  98. higemori
    Dec 20, 2021
    3
    This is not an adaptation, it's a completely new story that is not very interesting, nor complex, nor enjoyable. Personalities of some characters were also altered and not in a very good way. The only two things they improved this season are graphics and variety of landscapes.
  99. rita_duh
    Dec 20, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a parody of the book and mocking of all the Slavic culture, with no understanding or any will to understand it. I guess the scriptwriter never opened the original.
    Looks like people at Netflix that have approved this did not read the books either and therefore they saw nothing wrong.

    Even if reading is too much of an exercise for someone, you still see how the scenes are off, the dialogues are illogical, the design is of a vague generic fantasy and has nothing to do with Poland or any other Slavic country. Aa an example of bad design, there is Leshiy. If the showrunners felt such a strong urge to add him to the show, although there was no stock scene in the book, he should have been at least interesting.
    They obviously wanted to improve the book, otherwise why change it at all, so something should have been improved... Eh, what exactly is better now?
    Their Leshiy is but a clot of tentacles with no shape, color, interesting animation. Was there even a concept art? Have you even seen any of our illustrations? Baba Yaga is... the most offensive thing I ever saw on Netflix. I cannot... Such a generic design, speech, lighting, acting, the whole scene. With this cast combined, this is utterly disrespectful towards us.
    All of us who saw it were enraged. We wanted to throw something at the screen when we saw the first 3 episodes and we can't watch this any further.
    _No one in Russia likes these scenes_. This is not how Baba Yaga looks like in our mythology, this is not what she does, this is not how it all works! The hut is awful too! Why couldn't you at least get a Consultant? This is an amateur attitude to other people's culture which the showrunners do not understand because they've never even been here, never read our mythology, they steal our heritage and use it as they think fit and it looks Terrible and out of place.

    Further on. Crying Yennefer. That never ever cries, this is her essence. This is not Yen. But they never opened the book, as we already understood. The full-grown glamorous Ciri always wearing full makeup. This imposter does not act. She wears the same facial expression all the time. She is not a war child, she's not Ciri-brat, that angular, curious, rogue kid, but she is rather a rich and well-fed woman from Instagram that never feels cold and walks around in the snow undressed, with her long wig always styled. This is not Ciri.
    Put her into a Siberian wood in Winter. We'll see how she will look then without warm clothing. She's never seen harsh life, that American woman. It shows. Neither did the costume designer and the makeup artist. I could go on forever scene by scene, tearing this nonsense is a show apart, but I gotta stop at some point. All in all, very bad writing, lots of cringe scenes, inappropriate cast and costumes. I am deeply disgusted by this adaptation and its authors and I cannot watch it any further. My personal cancelation.    … Expand
  100. Lekhter
    Dec 23, 2021
    1
    That's not witcher. Plot is f***ed. Miscast and no books atmosphere. Netflix, please, change showrunners.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed TV Season of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Polygon
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rivera
    Jan 6, 2022
    80
    The show has earned a sizable amount of goodwill in an impressively short time, and even if we can no longer see the destination, The Witcher still feels like a hell of an adventure.
    Read full review
  2. IndieWire
    Reviewed by: Ben Travers
    Dec 19, 2021
    67
    Watching the foundation get laid isn’t always exciting, but it does feel like showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is building toward rousing sequences and cares about each of the characters equally. Whether you feel the same doesn’t really matter. “The Witcher” is in it for the long haul, and even if Season 2 feels longer than it should, you won’t regret the ride.
    Read full review
  3. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Brian Tallerico
    Dec 17, 2021
    50
    “The Witcher” constantly struggles to balance its dialogue-driven scenes with pushing the plot forward. It can be an exhausting show in terms of pace—every single episode feels longer than it actually is.
    Read full review
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