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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User Reviews

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  1. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. Orzel94
    Dec 25, 2021
    4
    Technically good, good actors(Henry cahil well done) but the plot.... Forget what you read on books... Season one had strange ideas but season two is ****
  6. radixlecti84
    Dec 20, 2021
    5
    I much preferred the more episodic structure of the first season, I found the main arc of the story quite dull.
  7. Hakaiju
    Dec 23, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Basically everything the Book introduced got ignored. The Yennefer and Ciri storyline didnt make any sense and even prevents the future development of the stories in the book, travel distances were ignored and character traits were reversed. Apart from episode 1, this season is not based on the books at all. The show on its own is a 5/10, if you would judge the adaption of the source material it would be a 2/10.… Expand
  8. OhNoFly
    Dec 19, 2021
    4
    Why does ciri have cakes of makeup on. Looks immaculate after being in a fight in the woods and the makeup stays perfect throughout the series. Why is geralt always grunting he can talk he’s not a dog. How did the big bad flame magic guy(already forgot his name) find kaer morhen? Doesn’t make sense. Hopefully next seasons sticks to source material and doesn’t let Netflix writers destroy it.
  9. OhitsStefan
    Dec 20, 2021
    4
    This review is specifically meant for Season 2, just so you know.

    When Season 2 was announced I was really excited, I was one of the ones that quite liked Season 1 despite the problems it had. Upon release though I realised that it's just too different from the books. This is mostly due to the changes they made which, in my opinion, do not improve the overall story in a substantial    This review is specifically meant for Season 2, just so you know.

    When Season 2 was announced I was really excited, I was one of the ones that quite liked Season 1 despite the problems it had. Upon release though I realised that it's just too different from the books.

    This is mostly due to the changes they made which, in my opinion, do not improve the overall story in a substantial way. Characters often behave nothing like their book counterpart which its based on which makes it feel like a totally different story, and not in a good way. Social commentary on real life issues, which I normally enjoy in media, is shallow and on several occasions the show demonstrates very clearly that it is ill-equipped to tackle said subjects. Pacing is definitely better compared to Season 1 but it's all sort of lost because the plot did not interest me apart from a few scenes that were well done, but you can count those on one hand.

    Such a shame because the amount of time, money and passion that went into this shows. On a technical level, it's an improvement over everything Season 1 did. Cinematography is stunning, effects look more lifelike and blend better into the environment but again, since it's not supported by stellar writing, it all falls flat for me.

    I am glad it's doing well because it brings more people to these amazing stories but sadly the show seems to be for an audience that I am not a part of.    … Expand
  10. KodiakB
    Dec 27, 2021
    4
    The first episode gave me hope that the season might be good - showing an interesting, morally ambiguous and self-contained story that doesn't need preliminary introduction or complex interaction of characters, events etc. in order to understand and enjoy. However, the rest of the season delved into exactly that - explaining how numerous storylines combine into a single plot about theThe first episode gave me hope that the season might be good - showing an interesting, morally ambiguous and self-contained story that doesn't need preliminary introduction or complex interaction of characters, events etc. in order to understand and enjoy. However, the rest of the season delved into exactly that - explaining how numerous storylines combine into a single plot about the "chosen one". In my opinion, it just doesn't work. Exploring that many storylines and treating them like cogs in a "chosen one" plot machine means you don't treat any of them in a meaningful way. Additionally, I think that the way scenes were shot was pretty bad - e.g. seeing how Geralt was standing in the background doing nothing in the final fight scene was ridiculous. It doesn't even matter if it went along with books or games, one can make a good series by not relying entirely on the source (or side-source) material.… Expand
  11. bertobellamy
    Jan 3, 2022
    6
    I think this is not as bad as a lot of people are saying, but of course, it has some issues. Geralt indeed has nothing to do, at least in the first three episodes. But I like Yennefer's story, which has some intrigue and surprises in there. Either way, I hope there's more action in the remaining episodes.
  12. Ahlgren
    Dec 18, 2021
    4
    So i played the game first and loved it.
    Even thou its not based on the game, i cant help for compering the show to the game.
    That´s part of why i don't really liked this show. Henry cavill is the reason i came back for the 2 season, but i have only watched 4 episodes. I find my self distracted by another things that's more interesting. In the game Triss is one of my favorite    So i played the game first and loved it.
    Even thou its not based on the game, i cant help for compering the show to the game.
    That´s part of why i don't really liked this show.

    Henry cavill is the reason i came back for the 2 season, but i have only watched 4 episodes.
    I find my self distracted by another things that's more interesting.

    In the game Triss is one of my favorite characters in the game, shes strong sex and interesting.
    In the show shes non of this...    … Expand
  13. YorkMan
    Dec 20, 2021
    4
    The first Season of The Witcher wasn't brilliant, but it at least moved along at a reasonable pace and with it's 'out of sequence' storytelling around the three central characters it kept you wanting to find out more. The ending, in which 'The Witcher' finds his destiny in the Princess Ciri lead into the second Season quite well.

    So after a prolonged wait that second Season is upon    The first Season of The Witcher wasn't brilliant, but it at least moved along at a reasonable pace and with it's 'out of sequence' storytelling around the three central characters it kept you wanting to find out more. The ending, in which 'The Witcher' finds his destiny in the Princess Ciri lead into the second Season quite well.

    So after a prolonged wait that second Season is upon us.... And dear, oh dear.

    There are good points. Namely the commitment to the acting, the fantastic cinematography and the (seemingly rare) action sequences. But beyond that, this is a sh*tshow of annoying proportions. Annoying because (as others have pointed out in other reviews) it is no longer an adaptation of a book series, but more an 'inspired by', as the narrative and characters are vastly different.

    And it's the narrative where everything falls apart. The first Season worked well because we kind of knew where the main plot element was going, and the various subplots existed to be dipped in and out of.. This second Season seems to move along (slowly) to solely introduce more and more characters, plot points, and insane amounts of meandering exposition. All without really explaining anything... Characters outside the 'big three' are mainly there to say something which is clearly meant to be important, whilst we (the audience) are still waiting for something to happen which helps us understand the last three big 'reveals' that have come along.

    Ultimately this is a massive disappointment. Too much plot, not enough action, too much exposition, not enough pace.

    I'm wanting to see Season 3, but only to see if Geralt actually uses his sword in an actual swordfight in 8 hours of television... He didn't this time round!    … Expand
  14. Datojet
    Dec 25, 2021
    4
    While I enjoyed season 2 a bit more than the first one, I still don`t understand who is this adaptation for.
    If they wanted to attract the folks who loved the games to take the advantage of the hype The Wild Hunt generated, then they missed terribly. If they targeted the novel fanbase, then they misfired even more dramatically, since not a single character in the series even remotely    While I enjoyed season 2 a bit more than the first one, I still don`t understand who is this adaptation for.
    If they wanted to attract the folks who loved the games to take the advantage of the hype The Wild Hunt generated, then they missed terribly. If they targeted the novel fanbase, then they misfired even more dramatically, since not a single character in the series even remotely represents those from the books. And that`s the problem we have with modern trend of "lets try to push in several books into an 8-episode TV series". The narrative feels underdeveloped and rushed, the number of characters vs the number of episodes ratio denies their proper exposure, a terrible miscast alienates you from feeling sympathetic to at least somebody on a screen. I have a lot of respect to Henry Cavill, but he is just not a proper Geralt, he just isn`t. He`s too buffed, too brutal, too handsome, too perfect. That`s not how a witcher must look. And when you fall short so hard with your main character, there`s no surprise the rest will go even worse. The only two I can sorta comply with are Ciri and Jaskier. And what the hell happened to Eskel? Why does he look like a mentally unstable, 17-year old junkie who is in the middle of his puberty? WTF? And what about Vesemir? Where is that old, calm, and experienced witcher who replaced a father and became a mentor to the rest in Kaer Morhen? What we got insted is a middle aged man who seems to have a drinking problem and is incapable of holding his **** together, making one bad decision after another. WTF, Netflix?!
    So, the show fails to deliver the atmosphere and experience the books and the games were able to, leaving to core fanbase unsatisfied, while simultaneously being too rushed to explain anything to those who know NOTHING about the Witcher universe. It is just ok enough to sit through it for a couple of evenings while having a snack, but has nothing to add upon or improve regarding books and games, making it completely not worth your time.    … Expand
  15. MustafaSaidK
    Dec 22, 2021
    4
    Besides first episode, which still has some flaws and controversial elements in my opinion, it was overwhelmingly boring, bland and convoluted mess with no regards to consistency, conciseness etc. Cheap Hollywood entertainment in a nutshell. From adaptation POV it was mostly unforgivable. A bad fanfiction at best.
  16. MrJimmy
    Dec 18, 2021
    5
    A step down from the first season. The first episode is the best of the season in my opinion. Its the only one which felt like it could stand by itself whilst still having moving the story as a whole forward. The season as a whole drags with not enough happening to justify its run length. Nowhere feels unique or different from anywhere else. Unless you are really keyed into where eachA step down from the first season. The first episode is the best of the season in my opinion. Its the only one which felt like it could stand by itself whilst still having moving the story as a whole forward. The season as a whole drags with not enough happening to justify its run length. Nowhere feels unique or different from anywhere else. Unless you are really keyed into where each place is all you need to know is whether the characters are trying to get away, or get to there. The overall design isn't bad, its just the same across every location making the entire continent feel the same and giving no sense or scale to the world or ever makes you believe there is a livingg briefing world past where the camera shot ends. All the exposition and in the world cant make up for this which is a shame as the main focus of the season seemed to be setting up that everything is in danger. Outside of Geralt of Rivia, who Henry Cavill does a great job as, every ones character motivations seemed a bit muddled and confused. Alligiances seemed to change on a whim and no one can decide what it is they are fighting for or why.… Expand
  17. Neskel
    Dec 22, 2021
    4
    It'll be much quicker to share the positives:
    -Geralt played by Henry Cavill is really good, I see Geralt on screen when Henry is shown and that is really something considering how much Henry differs visually from Geralt described in the books. He feels what Geralt is and it shows. Great actor. Same thing goes for Joey as Jaskier. These are great casting choices, and I really wish they    It'll be much quicker to share the positives:
    -Geralt played by Henry Cavill is really good, I see Geralt on screen when Henry is shown and that is really something considering how much Henry differs visually from Geralt described in the books. He feels what Geralt is and it shows. Great actor. Same thing goes for Joey as Jaskier. These are great casting choices, and I really wish they could play their characters with better script written for them,
    -First episode "Grain of Truth" was pretty good. It showed what adaptation is all about: It doesn't have to be exactly like in source material, some freedom is needed but if the show is called "The Witcher" it should stay true to the atmosphere of the original and don't change the story at it's core. Wasn't awesome, but it filled my heart with hope.
    And that hope was gone after 10 minutes of watching the second episode of this season. Bad storytelling and usage of characters from the original story without understanding their personality and values (not gonna mention changing whole story of some them, cause that could be fun if done right) Boring dialogues, boring music. Maybe the fighting scenes were pretty fun but that's it. Show is rotten, I truly wish someone else would make series about the Witcher, it deserves much better.    … Expand
  18. Quickmiratius
    Dec 22, 2021
    4
    Весь сезон происходит какой то сумбур, скачки из одного места в другое, пустые диалоги которые вообще не двигают сюжет, персонажи все пустые абсолютно, мотивация у всех на уровне - ну надо, значит надо. Ближе к концу сезон более или менее разгоняется, но так и остаётся максимально средним по ощущениям. Помимо, нам пытаются показать масштаб событий, разворачивающихся на площади несколькихВесь сезон происходит какой то сумбур, скачки из одного места в другое, пустые диалоги которые вообще не двигают сюжет, персонажи все пустые абсолютно, мотивация у всех на уровне - ну надо, значит надо. Ближе к концу сезон более или менее разгоняется, но так и остаётся максимально средним по ощущениям. Помимо, нам пытаются показать масштаб событий, разворачивающихся на площади нескольких стран, но масштаб этот не чувствуется абсолютно, все персонажи в шаговой доступности друг от друга оказываются в течение сезона, будто там всё в одном районе находится. И вот вроде специалисты по декорациям и костюмеры постарались со своей частью, создав определённый антураж, но сериал все равно не погружает в себя и чувствуется пластмассовым.… Expand
  19. CheesyDaddy
    Dec 28, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As someone who only played the games, I didn't hate this season, but I didn't love it either. The show looks good and the acting, for the most part, is great. The writing however just doesn't always do the story a lot of favour.

    I understand that some changes need to be made in order to translate a story from a book to the screen and, to be fair, some things I understood were changes are definitely for the best. I think showing Ciri's teleporting abilities and foreshadowing the Wild Hunt was very necessary, and Voleth Meir provided a much needed and very Witcher-esque antagonist that could tie the season togather. However, how Eskel was handled was a completely unnecessary slap in the face of anyone familiar with the franchise.

    While most people zoom in on Eskels death, the worst change in my eyes was Yennifers arc, which just doesn't make sense even to someone unfamiliar with the franchise. Stregobor casually interrogating Yennifer and getting away with it was **** Yennifer turning against the brotherhood and Aretuza was **** Yennifer making her grand stand, of all opportunities she had, in front of a delegation of sorcerers and kings was **** Yennifer, after completely whiping out a complete Nilfgaardian army, deciding spiring Cahir was necessary was **** Yennifer and Cahir actually getting away completely unarmed and without magic from what has to be an impossibly tightly guarded area was **** Yennifer trying to sacrefice Ciri to a demon was **** and puts a lot of strain on her relationship with Ciri and Geralt that future seasons will have to try very, very hard to rectify.

    If you're going to play around with the source material, please look at the games for an example of how to do it sensibly and respectfully. Don't have characters make decisions that are completely out of character. Don't break the internal logic of the world. And while you're at it: Stop making unnecessarily diverse casting choices. Xenophobia is a big deal in the Witcher universe. Lean into it. I would've 100% preferred all black elves and white nords over every race being completely random real-life ethnicities.    … Expand
  20. Jollukka1
    Dec 19, 2021
    5
    This review comes from someone who has read the books, so my rating is lower than a reviewer who has not read the books:
    Season two would have been the perfect time to "characterize" the characters, to create identification with the characters. Deepen the world and use source material in dialogues.
    But no! The story has been heavily edited from the source material to make it more    This review comes from someone who has read the books, so my rating is lower than a reviewer who has not read the books:
    Season two would have been the perfect time to "characterize" the characters, to create identification with the characters. Deepen the world and use source material in dialogues.
    But no! The story has been heavily edited from the source material to make it more fast-paced action-packed. Also all this magic comes from chaos is irrelevant in books.
    Fabula is excellent, but because of the sjuzhet, the story is only mediocre.
    Season 2 was still entertaining and I would have given it 8/10 if they had been more faithful to the source material.    … Expand
  21. Berik
    Dec 21, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In December 2019 the first season of Netflix's The Diverse Witcher launched, and after two years the second season has finally released. Ciri and Gerald have finally found each other through the bs powers of destiny. Does destiny also have the strength to make a good follow-up season? No!!

    The season starts out strong with an atmospheric and dark first episode, but quickly becomes a mediocre dramashow that features hours of insecure people needing constant reassuring (Was the writer of The Old Guard involved in this?) and **** their way to the end of each episode. Ciri has turned into a whiny stubborn nuisance that needs a baby sitter all the time. Geralt can't turn his butt or she has started new drama somewhere.

    You'll probably have guessed it by now, but I'm very annoyed and frustrated with the characters in this season. What were once strong, focused and disciplined characters have turned into whiny insecure parodies of themselves. Yennefer is nothing, Cahir is cooked air and Fringilla is just a shadow of the bad ass Nilfgaard Mage that made the counsel **** their pants. Geralt is kinda there, but follows the plot points around him for contrived goals.

    And then there are the new characters. Vesemir... is an old grumpy goat that has an one track mind. The Witchers are a joke, being killed like disposable soldiers. For a bunch of mutants that are specialized in killing monsters they die pathetically easy. You can't sneek up on a Witcher... except through Ciri's plot armor and contrived powers -_-

    After eight episodes it feels like the season wasn't done, yet was filled to the brim with filler that could have been cut out. People teleport from one location to the other as if traveling doesn't matter, and they find each other because... Destiny again? It's contrived and dumb writing.

    Apart from the first episode and Yennefer's low cut dress there was little in this season that i found entertaining. Once again, the sets look so clean as if it was made on the set of a low budget porn movie. Geralt barely fights anything, and when he does it is over in 60 seconds. Phillipa Eilhart is latest character to have been black washed by the compulsive 'pro-diversity' movement, and now there are even black witchers, a red-head Lambert and Eskel is killed off... Yup.

    Dissapointing. By now Netflix is already marketing spin-offs like Blood Origin, even if The Witcher has yet to make a lasting mark as a tv-series. I give this season a 4/10.    … Expand
  22. shmitzles
    Dec 21, 2021
    4
    I wanna love this so much but the writing is so poor and the majority of each episode is so much of a slog focused on characters that are so one note and boring I can't recommend this. If feels like the writers think I'm stupid. The game and books are much better. Geralt, Ciri, Yen, and the bard are the only characters I enjoy in the show. Please for season 3 stop focusing on such boringI wanna love this so much but the writing is so poor and the majority of each episode is so much of a slog focused on characters that are so one note and boring I can't recommend this. If feels like the writers think I'm stupid. The game and books are much better. Geralt, Ciri, Yen, and the bard are the only characters I enjoy in the show. Please for season 3 stop focusing on such boring characters with basic storylines we've seen a dozen times before.… Expand
  23. Roghul
    Dec 21, 2021
    4
    Story is written in a terrible way, it doesn't remind the original story. It's sad but sometimes I was laughing due to dialogues or CGI effects. Camerawork is impressive, acting was good.
  24. BearRaven
    Dec 17, 2021
    6
    There's no doubt the second season improved on many things and I'm fine with most of the changes to the story even though I would prefer more closer adaptation. In fact, I've been enjoying this season quite a lot. But I despise the fact they completely destroyed the dynamic between Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer. The whole storyline with Baba Yaga wannabe is so dull and unnecessary! YenneferThere's no doubt the second season improved on many things and I'm fine with most of the changes to the story even though I would prefer more closer adaptation. In fact, I've been enjoying this season quite a lot. But I despise the fact they completely destroyed the dynamic between Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer. The whole storyline with Baba Yaga wannabe is so dull and unnecessary! Yennefer would never betray Geralt and never sell out Ciri (even before she became her "mother").… Expand
  25. HellxDamage
    Dec 20, 2021
    5
    It shows the budget has increased, the CGI is much better than 1st season and all the visuals have improved. Ciri (Freya) and Triss (Anna) are a lot more flashed out in every regard, and Chris Fulton was a perfect choice for Rience, just as Kim Bodnia for Vesemir. BUT, this season had major deviations from the book (and not for the better) and worse than that, Vesemir and Yennefer actedIt shows the budget has increased, the CGI is much better than 1st season and all the visuals have improved. Ciri (Freya) and Triss (Anna) are a lot more flashed out in every regard, and Chris Fulton was a perfect choice for Rience, just as Kim Bodnia for Vesemir. BUT, this season had major deviations from the book (and not for the better) and worse than that, Vesemir and Yennefer acted out of character, moreover Yen's made up story arc was uninspired and cliché.
    The writing and dialogues were stupid, cringe and out of place a good couple of times.
    And the ending.. like WTF? Literally nothing in the last episode was from the book this season was based on (Blood of Elves), the story the creators made up was just an unimpactful mess, that did not add any real value to the whole, while they left out important relationship moments between certain characters. They also made a big reveal at the very end of the last episode, but it was something that should've been secret until the last book/season.. and the way it happened will most likely ruin how the stories of the characters will lead to where they're supposed to.
    Oh and the unique Slavic/eastern European vibe is now totally gone, and turned into a generic, Americanized pile of c..
    This show has become a display of the "I know better"-attitude from the showrunner's and the writers part, but they do NOT know better, it's just ego and arrogance. Don't fix what's not broken.    … Expand
  26. Cloneus
    Dec 23, 2021
    4
    Honestly disappointing, I really wanted to like this season since the first one was so entertaining. The writers inserted so much cheesy dialogue that it killed the vibe halfway through the season. Many of the actors did a terrible job in conveying the emotions of their characters with Geralt being the only consistent character with his development being built upon in a good way. A lot ofHonestly disappointing, I really wanted to like this season since the first one was so entertaining. The writers inserted so much cheesy dialogue that it killed the vibe halfway through the season. Many of the actors did a terrible job in conveying the emotions of their characters with Geralt being the only consistent character with his development being built upon in a good way. A lot of plot points make no sense and nothing is explained by the end of the season so you come out of it with more questions than answers which I don't think we should be having as an issue from the second season of the show. I'm going to look at reviews before using my time on the next season after seeing this one get botched so badly.… Expand
  27. Motoserdar
    Dec 18, 2021
    5
    Nothing special! Avarage on everything. The first season had some character and it was worth to watch. There was great music, deep character stories, variety of original monsters, amazing places and costumes and furthermore every detail were sexy and charismatic. There is none of them in the second season. It feels like a stretched 2nd class movie not a full season series.
  28. ThisGuy1
    Dec 20, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Watched both seasons. Read the books and played the games. I loved them both. I heard they didn't intend to adapt the games, which I thought was a good decision. The books are solid enough on their own.

    First, the positives. When adapting specific bits from the books, this show is fantastic. Although it starts rough, the more immersed you get in the universe, the less noticeable some of the bad acting becomes. For season 2, it's probably genuinely good for most people with no background in the Witcher (books or games).

    Cons.

    The timeline of season 1 was mishandled and unnecessary. I get it. They were adapting two books based that were collections of short stories. But rather than accepting the challenge and telling a coherent story, the writer's cheaply went for the "it's all different timelines" gimmick. Still, get through the first 3 episodes and season 1 was enjoyable. If I recall correctly, 2 episodes were mostly made up of content that was not in the books. However, not a huge concern as the events of these episodes were events that did occur or were hinted at in the Witcher books.

    Season 2 has me at a loss for words. The content was solid if you haven't read the books. However, I understand the concern/frustration by people who have read the books. There was so much additional content. I'm comfortable saying 80% of the content was not in the books (or the games). Considering there were 5 more books to adapt, plus a slew of unadapted short stories from the first 2 books, I don't know why new content was deemed necessary. This is incredibly unusual as most movies/TV shows based on books get into hot water for cutting content rather than adding unnecessary content. There are also some concerning deviations from the books - that started really in season 1. These can still be redeemed, but looking back on previous seasons will make little sense if/when redemption occurs. On that note, I'm incredibly concerned with the future of the show. Between the new content and deviations, it seems like they are telling a story in the Witcher universe with the same characters from the books that's just close enough to the books to maintain the "based on The Witcher books" without actually bringing this magnificent tale to life - which is what the fans of the books were excited to see. Lastly - and again, probably not a huge concern for people who didn't read the books - the season 2 finale twist was very disappointing to see. This twist isn't revealed until near the end of the final book. It was a huge moment that explained so many past events and gave a third dimension to Nilfgaard's invasion of the North/Cintra. Not sure how the writer's intend to maintain relevance of this huge reveal over the remainder of the show. Again, it feels like a cheap trick by the writer's that will ultimately look wasted later on (as I think things will for a few characters that are being incorrectly written based on their character arcs in the books).

    Ultimately, I still give it a 6 out of 10. It's still watchable. It's not doing a good job of bringing to life the characters and events laid out in the books. However, it's introducing new people to this universe and the quality of season 2 was much more consistent than season 1.

    One last thought: The show runner says Eredin is going to be the "Thanos" of the Witcher universe. Please stop. He's far more relevant in the Witcher 3 video game than the books. In fact, he's barely in the books. Eredin is still a huge threat. He doesn't orchestrate anything. He interacts with Ciri but not Geralt or Yennefer. He's fairly one-dimensional. I don't recall him ever even making it to the same realm as the Continent. There is another character in the books that's pulling all of the strings and is incredibly formidable. Focus on being faithful to that "big bad" and you'll have a complex, brilliant show.    … Expand
  29. Zappy9
    Dec 29, 2021
    5
    It was okay but not as good as the first season. Was a very generic script writing style. Just standard Ciri is the key to everything and a big bad guy is on his way. Yadda yadda. There wasn't really much story or depth to the season. Nothing really interesting happened.
  30. bluewitch84
    Dec 21, 2021
    5
    This season is a bit boring and shows no nudity which I was looking forward to, especially with yennifer. Instead, they toned it down and even in a batch scene with all women, they shot it on purpose to not show nudity. That's lame. Nudity is what gave the 1st season an edge and an alure. It's nice to see many of the main actors return, but it's not the same diamond as the 1st seasonThis season is a bit boring and shows no nudity which I was looking forward to, especially with yennifer. Instead, they toned it down and even in a batch scene with all women, they shot it on purpose to not show nudity. That's lame. Nudity is what gave the 1st season an edge and an alure. It's nice to see many of the main actors return, but it's not the same diamond as the 1st season was. I'm on episode 4 and really don't care to continue because the formula from the 1st season is not there.… Expand
  31. shoulderoforion
    Dec 19, 2021
    6
    Loved the first season of The Witcher, but this second season I just finished was just alright, didn't kick into gear until the 6th episode out of 8, which was too much front padding. It looked nice, but it was plodding. Guess we'll be getting plenty of more seasons which I'm fine with.
  32. Blackjohny117
    Dec 19, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Even if we pretend the show is something on its own and has nothing to do with the source material, its still a bad show.

    -ACTING: Other than Geralt and Jaskier everything else was bad to mediocre. No joke, Fringilla is the worst actor I have ever seen. She has the same dead emotionless face throughout the whole show.

    -WRITING: Absolutely terrible, weird unnatural and cringe dialogues (with a few exceptions) and a story full of plot-holes and holywood cliches. The pacing of the series is horendous. I am sure like at least half of the people who watched the show have no idea wtf is going on with the politics, the mages, the races and stuff cause the writing is so weird and confusing you dont even bother trying to anderstand.

    -CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: Absolutely trash for the most part. Yen spends the whole season trying to get her powers back and is willing to secrifice Ciri to a **** demon. Then we have Vesimir, who has zero personality in the show and is portrayed as an old weak dumb Witcher who has no idea what he is doing, then for some reason he wants to use Ciri as a blood vessel to make new generation of Witchers and doesn't mind **** poisoning Ciri to see if works? Triss ,after all the bonding scenes with Ciri, is disgusted with her all of a sudden because she is powerfull? Also Geralt uses Ciri as bait at some point? Like wtf is this? All the other characters (except Jaskier) have no character development or personalitty. Tell me do you even care about any of the characters of the show other than Geralt, Jaskier and Ciri?

    -PRODUCTION: Other than some landscape shots, maybe Kaer Morhen and the city which looked pretty good everything else is laughable. Like seriously can't they afford some qualitty contact lenses instead of using the 2$ version from Walmart? Also the costumes look like they came out of a fairy tale Barbie show. They look super clean and fancy and that makes it super akward to watch. Some special effects also looked so so weird and badly made. Like when Geralt chopped the head of that monster and it rolled in front of the camera or when Geralt punched a dude's tooth off.

    -ACTION: How much action was there? Like 4-5 scenes in the whole season 2? And were they even mindblowing or something? No, they were just ok.

    I would give the show a 6 or maybe an overated 7, but if you watch this show having in mind the source material the books and the games this is a 3-4.

    It's a shame cause Henry is a great actor and a really good Geralt but almost everything around it is just bad. Don't even know if I will watch season 3, probably not.    … Expand
  33. Ltlombardi
    Dec 22, 2021
    5
    This season is really disappointing.. Difficult to say... The quality just is inferior.
  34. Willar
    Dec 27, 2021
    5
    It's alright in parts but the main story is a bit of a mess. In the end, it might be best to avoid if you have read the books.
  35. KayVen17
    Jan 11, 2022
    4
    Eines vorweg. Ich habe nichts gegen das Casting. Im Gegenteil ich finde die Darsteller sogar okay bishin zu sehr gut.

    Was mich wirklich stört ist das Drehbuch. Einige Änderungen zur Vorlage verstehe ich einfach nicht. Ich hätte mir tatsächlich lieber eine Staffel die Ausbildung von Ciri angeschaut und wie sie 8 Stunden den Hindernis-Kurs versucht anstatt das zu schauen, was ich gesehen    Eines vorweg. Ich habe nichts gegen das Casting. Im Gegenteil ich finde die Darsteller sogar okay bishin zu sehr gut.

    Was mich wirklich stört ist das Drehbuch. Einige Änderungen zur Vorlage verstehe ich einfach nicht.
    Ich hätte mir tatsächlich lieber eine Staffel die Ausbildung von Ciri angeschaut und wie sie 8 Stunden den Hindernis-Kurs versucht anstatt das zu schauen, was ich gesehen habe...

    Die politischen Konflikte verstehe ich zwar, sind aber für Leute ohne Vorkenntnisse einfach zu schlecht erzählt.

    Der Produktionswert ist super. Nur bitte bleibt lieber bei der Vorlage. Denn eure Erzählung ist leider einschläfernd...    … Expand
  36. TomWish
    Dec 29, 2021
    5
    I know neither the books nor the games, so I approached this series without any preoccupations. But while I didn't have any problems with the discontinous narrative of the first season, and actually quite enjoyed this fantasy world which was completely new to me, I was rather annoyed by the second season.

    For the first half of the season I was totally confused about what's going on, who    I know neither the books nor the games, so I approached this series without any preoccupations. But while I didn't have any problems with the discontinous narrative of the first season, and actually quite enjoyed this fantasy world which was completely new to me, I was rather annoyed by the second season.

    For the first half of the season I was totally confused about what's going on, who all these people are and what they want. By the end of the season you have a better idea, but then I was rather annoyed by the cheap B movie narratives and the shallow and unconsistent characters. All woman suddenly find their soft spot and become nice. Geralt becomes almost boring in his flat good guy role.

    Special effects are much better than in the first season. But this doesn't help if the story is not interesting. This series lost me, I probably won't watch a third season.    … Expand
  37. WatchinMovies
    Jan 15, 2022
    6
    Man, is this season confusing. Visuals are great, for TV. Set design is very nice but the story is quite disjointed. Too much going on at once to follow properly; remember, this is TV so one doesn't want to study the TV without interruption.
  38. CrazedCucumber
    Dec 23, 2021
    5
    It's hard to know whether I'm watching the Witcher TV series, or a TV series called The Witcher.
    Adaptations to source material are needed especially when trying to make an entertaining show however season 2 is painfully average. With the rich source material, the show potential is quite high, though they seem to have done a GoT season 8 in their season 2.
    Knowingly making huge    It's hard to know whether I'm watching the Witcher TV series, or a TV series called The Witcher.
    Adaptations to source material are needed especially when trying to make an entertaining show however season 2 is painfully average. With the rich source material, the show potential is quite high, though they seem to have done a GoT season 8 in their season 2.
    Knowingly making huge adjustments from the source material when a good proportion of the fans have been brought in due to that source material Seems foolish. it makes a disconnect between the material and the show thus meaning that the show must fall back on its simple quality.
    Here it isn't all bad, because of noticeable improvements in acting, costume design, set design and visual effects, meaning it doesn't fall flat on its face.
    Reading the reasoning behind an unexpected death in the series, probably the most notable change from the source material doesn't provide any clarity.
    It just seems that they were unable to do proper character development and fell back on people knowing the character from the source material and the games to make that death more impactful.
    Though season 1 was a testament to character development especially for Yennefer It's absent here.
    Although, it's still entertaining and will bring in the views. The showrunners seem to have divided its view base to no clear gain.    … Expand
  39. Jormonation
    Dec 25, 2021
    5
    Season 2 does an excellent job of fixing whatever season 1 slightly confusing with the different timelines much like westworld (which didn't bother me, but I get why some people I talked to didn't like that), they fixed the characters so they look more like what I was familiar with. Eskel was a pretty big disappointment, but thats was my only real gripe
  40. rugaljoeken
    Dec 26, 2021
    5
    Marvellows adaptation, the time line issues in the first season were solved and the characters history is deeppened
  41. Makestar
    Jan 11, 2022
    4
    Ужас, растянули сериал. Рассказывают глупые истории. После игровой адаптации, я не могу смотреть на Йениффер, а тем более на Трисс. Боже какое же убожество!!! Господи много чернокожих персонажей. Генри Кавел конечно молодец, но вот остальное аж глазам больно. Лучше бы не ибали мозги, и просто скопировали игровую адаптацию.Ужас, растянули сериал. Рассказывают глупые истории. После игровой адаптации, я не могу смотреть на Йениффер, а тем более на Трисс. Боже какое же убожество!!! Господи много чернокожих персонажей. Генри Кавел конечно молодец, но вот остальное аж глазам больно. Лучше бы не ибали мозги, и просто скопировали игровую адаптацию.
  42. MarinoMele
    Feb 9, 2022
    4
    I get the critics. The overall quality has drastically improved, especially the CGI.
    But the writing is just SO bad you can't think about anything else.
    As the showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich herself said: "She didn't know how to adapt the third book, so she made up a whole new story to replace it." Such a bad idea. Especially since the books are just that good. Sadly, Lauren's inability    I get the critics. The overall quality has drastically improved, especially the CGI.
    But the writing is just SO bad you can't think about anything else.

    As the showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich herself said:
    "She didn't know how to adapt the third book, so she made up a whole new story to replace it."
    Such a bad idea. Especially since the books are just that good.

    Sadly, Lauren's inability to deal with this series is highlighted (aggravated) by the terribly written dialogues and a completely off-character cast.

    The Witcher is just a multi-million-dollar FANFICTION.    … Expand
  43. Dee-Jay_Deli
    Jun 26, 2022
    6
    While season 1 took some serious dedication to push through, due to its non-linear story telling, unclear stakes and lackluster drama, season 2 has a much clearer focus.

    While the story-telling certainly improved over season one, it's still not great, suffering from the lack of subtle world-builing, characters motivations and clear stakes that define good fantasy stories. None of that    While season 1 took some serious dedication to push through, due to its non-linear story telling, unclear stakes and lackluster drama, season 2 has a much clearer focus.

    While the story-telling certainly improved over season one, it's still not great, suffering from the lack of subtle world-builing, characters motivations and clear stakes that define good fantasy stories. None of that is present here and none of the overall solid acting and set-design can gloss over that.

    The show really needs to do a better job at establishing the different kingdoms, their relationship to one another, their different leaders and their respective agendas, a clear explanation on the rules and limitations of magic and what is at stake.

    Without this ground work, it won't ever live up (or even improve) on the source material.    … Expand
  44. hammbone18
    Jan 31, 2022
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It’s fine. It’s not great and it’s barely good. I’m not going to lie, season 1 I hated the Aretuza plot. But I started to like some of those Aretuza characters (mainly just Fringilla) in season 2. I wish there were more episodes in a season to get more monster hunting/Geralt stuff. You have Henry Cavill who is perfect for the role. Don’t waste that. Give me more of season 2 episode 1 type of episodes.

    Netflix will never give this show the budget it deserves because they have a formula that every show is going to follow, for max profitability. Netflix should never have taken on the Witcher if that was their plan for this.    … Expand

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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