Netflix’s The Witcher was easily one of the most popular series of last year. It gave many fans of the video games and books a chance to delve into the life of Geralt of Rivea once more, and fans (or people deprived of their usual Game of Thrones binge-watching) certainly tuned in to see the adventures of Henry Cavil’s take on the character alongside Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) and Ciri of Cintra (Freya Allan).
It wasn’t exactly an easy series to watch though, as its different stories that jumped around in a timeline separated many decades apart, didn’t always make sense. Something which the series producers are looking to address in season 2, by having it follow a more linear plot. Which I guess is easier now that most of the backstory has been established. in an interview with The Wrap, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich explained that while season 2 will follow a more traditional structure, flashbacks and flashforwards will still be incorporated into the narrative for the forthcoming season:
What that allows us to do story-wise though is to play with time in slightly different ways. We get to do flashbacks, we get to do flash-forwards, we get to actually integrate time in a completely different way that we weren’t able to do in season 1. Because, if you can imagine, if we were in three different timelines (in season 1) and then flashed forward or flashed back, we would have been in four or five or six timelines — even I know that’s too much. But there are still going to be some fun challenges with time.
Flashbacks and flashforwards can work to great effect if used correctly. We know that from some of the recent casting announcements, such as Kim Bodnia as Vesemir, Yasen Atour as Coen, Paul Bullion as Lambert, and Thue Ersted Rasmussen as Eskel. All Witchers, that the series could explore more of the history of the enigmatic warriors.
Having diverging timelines is a gimmick that can work to great effect for unveiling plot twists (like in HBO’s Westworld series), but one that can also easily overwhelm audiences who are just trying to follow along. If season 2 of The Witcher can build on the foundation laid out in its debut series, it could make the series more compelling and not lose too many people along the way by trying to make it too ambitious.
Or using the word “destiny” too many times.
Last Updated: June 15, 2020
Incubus
June 15, 2020 at 11:42
Henry was great and all, but I am still pissy about the supporting cast. They bleat cultural appropriation but it’s fine to high jack originally white characters from a fictional version of a country that’s been predominantly white for most of their recorded history. People might disagree with me, but I’ll stick to the books thank you very much.
Chris
June 15, 2020 at 12:05
The books are brilliant!
For the Emperor!
June 15, 2020 at 12:12
The time thing had me a bit confused, but as soon as it clicked, I liked the season more! Now, if someone would go out and make a chronological super-cut…
Llama In The Rift
June 15, 2020 at 12:22
Only one man for the Job….and he rhymes with Ryder.
BradeLunner
June 15, 2020 at 13:12
I think this show got a abit of a free pass for numerous reasons; good timing during December, GOT thrones hangover, attractive cast and hype. It just wasn´t as good as the general consensus makes it seem, and it didn´t need to be that confusing – that was just a bad job. I did like it and think it was entertaining, just not as good as the reviews say.
Caveshen Rajman
June 15, 2020 at 14:00
They had a tough challenge, with trying to set up three separate characters’ storylines, where for one (Yen) barely any story existed, and for another (Ciri) the story came long after a lot of the story of the third (Geralt). I appreciated the timeline stuff because it makes it fun to re-watch, and also gives each character adequate time and setup before catching up and aligning ahead of season 2. It was exquisitely done.
Y’all need to stop checking your phones while watching series lol.