The Witcher Review Eps. 4.5.6
Update: 2020-01-18
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Emty Seats is a weekly podcast where we review science fiction, fantasy, horror, and super hero shows and movies. Sometimes we’ll discuss video games and comic books
This Game of Thrones-style series is based on the fantasy book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, it is a story of fantasy, fate, and family. Geralt of Rivia (Cavill) is a solitary monster hunter who struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts.
Created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich for Netflix
The Witcher timeline:
Starring:
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher
Freya Allan as Ciri
Anya Chalotra as Yennefer
Eamon Farren as Cahir
MyAnna Buring as Tissala
Wilson Radjou-Pujalte as Dara
Adam Levy as Mousesack
Gaia Mandadori Pavetta
Bart Edwards Duny
Summary of episode 2:
1210 Yennefer is sold to Tessaia
1210-1249 Gerald becomes “The Butcher of Blaviken”
1249 Gerald evokes “The Law of Surprise”
1263 Gerald and Ciri meet
Witcher timeline
Creatures of The Witcher
The Witcher Ep. 4, “Of Banquets, Bastards, and Burials”
-Cripples, bastards, and broken things
Geralt is asked by Jaskier to attend a DInner party in the Court of the Kingdom of Cintra. It is a courting party for the hand of Princess Pavetta, Calanthe’s daughter. Geralt’s job is to protect Jaskier from the lords and nobles who wish revenge on him. Instead Queen Calanthe takes an interest in the Witcher and attempts to hire his services. This is because Calanthe knows of a beast who will crash the party and take away her beautiful daughter Pavetta. Sure enough the party is crashed by a helmeted knight who has “claim” over Pavetta according to the Law of Surprise. It turns out the knight is cursed and so he has the head of a hedgehog and so this is why Calanthe enlisted the Witcher’s help and demands the Knight be slain. Geralt refuses and instead defends the knight. This starts a brawl and ultimately it is found that the knight, named Urcheon or Duny and Pavetta are already in love with each other. So despite her reluctance, Calanthe accepts Duny and allows him to marry her daughter. This lifts the curse on Duny who turns back into a human. To repay Geralt for saving his life Duny offers him whatever reward he wishes. Geralt claims the Law of Surprise as payment and it turns out Pavetta is pregnant. The child will become Princess Cirilla and thus bind her and Geralt with Destiny.
Q- What do you think of the show choosing this scene to show that all 3 storylines are in different time periods and showing that this dinner party was at least 15 years before the Fall of Cintra.
Q- Did you like the story of the cursed knight falling in love with the princess and being able to lift the curse, reverse Shrek style.
Q- Did this scene make sense? I found myself having a hard time following a lot of the dialogue and events.
Q- The Law of Surprise is introduced here and it, plus destiny, becomes one of the defining themes of the Witcher story. Did they do a good job explaining it and do you buy it as a lynchpin of the show moving forward.
25:30 Elsewhere this episode
Yennefer has been in the court of Aedirn for 30 years now. She is accompanying Queen Kalis when their carriage is ambushed by an assassin who wants to kill the Queen. Yenneger tries to defend the Queen for some time before leaving her for dead and taking the child, who also dies.
Q- just one question. Why tho?
29:03 Ciri is taken in by the Dryads of the Brookilyn forest. They discuss with her about the magic in the forest and in the water especially. The waters are supposed to rid someone of their memories and thus their fears and identity. Ciri is unaffected by it. Q- again, Why tho?
Witcher Ep. 5, “Bottled Apetites” 35:45
This episode sees Geralt’s path cross with Yennefer as Geralt seeks help to heal Jaskier. Geralt is found fishing for a Djinn or genie, in a river. After 3 years Jaskier just casually strolls up on him and finds that Geralt is looking for one because he cannot sleep. Geralt does indeed find a bottles Djinn and him and Jaskier unleash it. It nearly kills Jaskier who instead has his throat wounded and so Geralt takes him to the nearby town to find help. There an elf healer, Chireaden, tells him of the dangerous mage in town who could help them. Geralt goes to the mage who turns out to be Yennefer. The two of them trade verbal barbs and Yennefer takes an interest in the Djinn they unleashed. She heals Jaskier and puts a spell on Geralt to black out and assault the town council who had been threatening Yennefer since she arrived. Yennefer had healed and kept Jaskier alive because she thinks he has one more wish to be granted before she can capture the Djinn. Turns out it was Geralt with the wishes and so he goes to save Yennefer as he knows that she will not be strong enough to defeat the Djinn. With his “Last Wish” he is able to save Yennfer, and the two of them then have sex in the destroyed house of the nobleman.
Q- There isn’t too much to unpack here. So what did you think of this tale broadly speaking? Did you like how this is how they had them meet? If anything its more about the time period I think.
Q- Do you like, what is essentially, their love origin story?
Q- at the time, what did you think was his Last Wish?
Yennefer wants everything start of second recording
Elsewhere on the continent
Ciri is found by her friend Mousesack, who is actually the Doppler, finds Ciri and convinces her to come back to see Geralt, but is instead taking her to see Cahir, who is the winged-helmet rider of Nilfgaard.
43:55 Episode 6, “Rare Species”
Geralt is out hunting a monster when Jaskier is saved by Borch, real name Villentretenmerth. Who asks Geralt to join his team to kill a dragon rampaging the kingdom of Caingorn in Kovir. Geralt refuses until he sees Yennefer has joined another team to hunt the dragon. Geralt immediately agrees and so they go on a quest to track down and kill the dragon. Along the way you meet a group of dwarves led by Yarpin Zigrin, a foul mouthed angry Dwarf and they team up with Geralt to beat the “reavers” to the prize. Geralt and Yennefer have the chance to reconnect after their fight with the Djinn. They seem to make up and fall in love again as they then make it to the Dragon’s lair. There they find the common green dragon dead while defending a dragon egg. They also find Borch defending the egg as its revealed he is a mythical Gold Dragon. Seeing that the dragon is already dead, Geralt, Yennefer, and Borch defend the egg from the Reavers. Later on, they are all talking and Borch reveals Geralt’s last wish was to bind him to Yennefer. Fearing their Love isn’t real Yennefer leaves Geralt and in his anger, Geralt leaves Jaskier.
Q- How about this for a fantasy quest. This show is now going full fantasy where GOT really shied away from it and stayed in reality. Do you like this difference.
Q- What did you think of the story? Did you ever suspect that Borch was the dragon? What about his ability to shapeshift into a human?
Q- what do you think were Borch’s motivations for recruiting Geralt?
Q- What about Geralt’s last wish to tie him with Yennefer forever.
Q- Do you like the episodic nature of Geralt’s travels or do you want more of a narrative that can be followed throughout the season.
53:00 Ciri is being taken by Mousesack, but her and her elven friend Dara become increasingly suspicious of who he is. Eventually it is found that he is a doppler and they fight before Ciri is captured and tied up. Later, it is seen that Ciri is confronted by Cahir, before it is realized that it is the doppler who took her form. They fight and, injured, the Doppler flees not to be seen again this season.
1:07:00 ending remarks
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