Finished the series last night. Really enjoyed it! It took me an episode to warm up to Cavill but once I did, he was great. Most of the actors did a great job. Subtitles was a requirement for me; so many times even late into the series you'd have folks talking at normal volume and then someone would say something at almost a whisper. Once I turned them on, I didn't have to rewind anymore haha. I know it was expensive but costumes and effects were really pretty good.
Some minor things that I wasn't a fan of:
1) The timeline stuff was tough. Even later into the series I was trying to figure out which of the 3 or so timelines we had going was where we were. I can see why folks with no ties to the series were confused and may give up early.
2) Along with that, the series felt rushed? Maybe it's Game of Thrones influencing, but a couple more episodes might have helped. Leading up to episode 8 felt pretty rushed and the ending felt really rushed.
3) Not sure how I feel about Triss. The actress did a great job but she didn't have enough screen time to completely win me over. Of course they can always re-cast and come up with some magic reason for her now having red hair or something.
4) Folks have already mentioned but the religious thing with Nilfgard seemed weird. Having only played the game, they didn't at all come off that way. But it looks like a TV thing.
5) The dragon CGI was a bit off lol. Again maybe comparing to GoT but it looks like CGI from 10+ years ago.
Also I wasn't impressed with episode 8:
It fell into sort of lazy fantasy/sci-fi stuff that gets used more than it should in TV/Film.
1) Magic can do anything and we don't have any rules around it. Star Wars is a good example of this with the Force. The force is basically whatever the content creator needs it to be. I prefer a slower more thought out "magic" that has limitations and rules. We get that folks have different "power levels" as it were and using chaos drains them. I just wish they had a bit more setup before 'magic overload' episode. Perhaps some more training scene's as post initiation with the girls, idk. Also the Khan thing was dumb and I didn't like it in Khan, let alone the cheap knock off here. It leads to my other annoyance.
2) The other thing that annoys me is not respecting your own world. There are a couple examples, like when Fringella mentions the Skellige fleet got lost in fog and shipwrecked. Logically you'd never do any sort of massive military movement without mages; or have some counter to "chaos". The Cintra hates mages thing is fine if they have a crap ton of dimeritium or something, otherwise it doesn't make a lot of sense to go into a fight against people who can control weather, shoot fire, or whatever else and not have the same or protection. Also the Nilfgard mages that sacrifice themselves to be ammo? Normal human behavior would tell us they'd get the F out of there after seeing mage #1 die (or even before the battle if they knew). Maybe that's why they went with the religious angle, though those mages didn't look very committed and Istredd seemed to make it sound like mages found Nilfgard convenient. As mentioned in 1, the Khan worm thing was really dumb. If you have that item, you could use it to either A) control the kingdoms of the north and have them join Nilfgard or if it's temporary, at least have people in the position of power kill themselves or whatever to destabilize before attacking.
I'm going to order the Last Wish and Sword of Destiny to start with. Having only played Witcher 3 and now watching this show, there are a lot of gaps or things that don't make sense haha.
For example:
In the game it was the Lodge of Sorceresses but here it's the brotherhood. So I'm guessing at some point men and women split?
As someone whose only Witcher experience is the TV show, the impression I got from Nilfgaard was
that they had some sort of prophecy that foretold Ciri (or someone like her) as Bad News. I was kind of thinking that the whole White Flame thing was built around that prophecy specifically, as in like, it's a more fringe sect of their religion, and it is only coming up as a big thing because the current emperor buys into it. I don't have a whole lot of actual basis for that though, that's more just an overall impression (probably colored by my own love of Roman mystery cults).
As someone whose only Witcher experience is the TV show, the impression I got from Nilfgaard was
that they had some sort of prophecy that foretold Ciri (or someone like her) as Bad News. I was kind of thinking that the whole White Flame thing was built around that prophecy specifically, as in like, it's a more fringe sect of their religion, and it is only coming up as a big thing because the current emperor buys into it. I don't have a whole lot of actual basis for that though, that's more just an overall impression (probably colored by my own love of Roman mystery cults).
I disagree.
If she's bad news then people would have been able to kill her.
But Nilfgaard seems to be going out of its way to take her alive.
Re: The White Flame. Spoilers just incase but I'm not really sure its necessary.
Emhyr var Emreis is referred to As The White Flame Dancing on the Barrows of His Enemies so the White Flame is basically a short way to refer to The Emporer of Nilfgaard without having to say all that dumb stuff
Re: The White Flame. Spoilers just incase but I'm not really sure its necessary.
Emhyr var Emreis is referred to As The White Flame Dancing on the Barrows of His Enemies so the White Flame is basically a short way to refer to The Emporer of Nilfgaard without having to say all that dumb stuff
Ah oh my god I can't spoiler sorry sorry
This is true, but the framing in the show has a particularly religious bent to it.
It's not super in your face, but that's how I'm reading it at this point
I didn't peg it as a religion just like I don't peg PRK as a religion.
0
Options
DepressperadoI just wanted to see you laughingin the pizza rainRegistered Userregular
I declared the Law of Surprise on my dad this morning because I grabbed him to keep his clumsy ass from falling down the stairs carrying a plate of cracker snacks (he's fallen down those stairs four times. He's broken both legs falling down those stairs).
But my mom came back and had, on a whim, picked him up a sweet sweet Cherry Coke and I was like LAW OF SURPRISE YEEHAW and took it from him.
Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
Guy at work today who I've never spoken to started singing Toss a Coin and I wanted to punch him in the face because it was then stuck in my head for the rest of my shift
I declared the Law of Surprise on my dad this morning because I grabbed him to keep his clumsy ass from falling down the stairs carrying a plate of cracker snacks (he's fallen down those stairs four times. He's broken both legs falling down those stairs).
But my mom came back and had, on a whim, picked him up a sweet sweet Cherry Coke and I was like LAW OF SURPRISE YEEHAW and took it from him.
I hope at some point today your dad grabs something from you and says "Fuck destiny" and then immediately stubs his toe or something.
Guy at work today who I've never spoken to started singing Toss a Coin and I wanted to punch him in the face because it was then stuck in my head for the rest of my shift
The OST was amazing, they did a great job. Is it available to stream? I didn't see it on Tidal.
Not yet, and that's definitely one thing that Netflix dropped the ball on, especially considering the show's popularity. Doubly perplexing since one of the composers has confirmed that the tracks are ready go, but Netflix has yet to green light things.
Hey guys! Super Merry Christmas!!! I hope you’re all enjoying a fantastic holiday season!!! I wanted to address all your questions regarding when the official soundtrack for The Witcher is going to be released. We have the soundtrack ready to go and can’t wait to get it out, however there’s no ETA at the moment since it is up to Netflix whether or not to make it happen. We also wanted to let you know that the only 4 tracks released so far (Geralt of Rivia, Toss A Coin To Your Witcher, The Song of The White Wolf, The Last Rose of Cintra) have been released via our official SoundCloud. Anything you hear so far on YouTube and anything that claims to be “official” is, in fact, low quality leaks and, in some cases, music that has nothing to do with us or the show. With that being said, be sure to let Netflix know on their social media channels how much you’re looking forward to The Witcher soundtrack! We all hope we can make this happen as soon as possible because, trust me, we can’t wait to get the soundtrack out to you guys!!! P.S. Here’s a sneak peek of the soundtrack tracklist that includes CD1 original score, and CD2 songs, dances and tavern folk tunes
The OST was amazing, they did a great job. Is it available to stream? I didn't see it on Tidal.
Not yet, and that's definitely one thing that Netflix dropped the ball on, especially considering the show's popularity. Doubly perplexing since one of the composers has confirmed that the tracks are ready go, but Netflix has yet to green light things.
Hey guys! Super Merry Christmas!!! I hope you’re all enjoying a fantastic holiday season!!! I wanted to address all your questions regarding when the official soundtrack for The Witcher is going to be released. We have the soundtrack ready to go and can’t wait to get it out, however there’s no ETA at the moment since it is up to Netflix whether or not to make it happen. We also wanted to let you know that the only 4 tracks released so far (Geralt of Rivia, Toss A Coin To Your Witcher, The Song of The White Wolf, The Last Rose of Cintra) have been released via our official SoundCloud. Anything you hear so far on YouTube and anything that claims to be “official” is, in fact, low quality leaks and, in some cases, music that has nothing to do with us or the show. With that being said, be sure to let Netflix know on their social media channels how much you’re looking forward to The Witcher soundtrack! We all hope we can make this happen as soon as possible because, trust me, we can’t wait to get the soundtrack out to you guys!!! P.S. Here’s a sneak peek of the soundtrack tracklist that includes CD1 original score, and CD2 songs, dances and tavern folk tunes
It's times like this that I wish I had more of a social media presence so I could help out and demand the OST lol.
Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
0
Options
Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
So how come TV Geralt doesn't have Game Geralt's gnarly scar? Did they add it for the games? Or does he get it at some point in the books, and if so, how?
Picked up Witcher 3 back up over Christmas and now I'm nearing the end of the main quest
Pretty sure I'm heading for the "bad" romance option
It seems I've previously declared my love for both Yennefer and Triss and it seems like I'm past the point of turning either of them down
At Kaer Morhen, there was a cutscene where Yennefer kissed Geralt in front of Triss
Then when we got back to Novigrad, Triss kissed Geralt at the start of the final preparation quest
Tried to chat with Triss and she talks both about how it's so nice that me and her are together and also about how sad she is that I'm with Yennefer now
Finished the series and I liked it, but felt that Ciris part was uninteresting.
Going from point A to point B to wait for terrible thing to happen to run to point C got old.
I think the timeline shit mostly paid off, but the clear pauses in dialogue for someone to drop a line about how old someone is or how long they've been somewhere was really noticeable. Worse was the lingering camera shots on various royalty as if to mug to the camera "Remember those adults from that earlier scene? Now they are children! Time is a flat disc!"
I would absolutely watch a Queen Calanthe spin off of how she brutally fortifies Cintra after her husband died and makes googly eyes at that guy from Skellige.
Other scene that seemed off to me vis a vi Law of Surprise.
Okay, I get the idea of the Law of Surprise and I like it. But during the Feast of Cintra things seem to escalate...a little too quickly? Mousesack (Jason Mantzoukas where the hell were you in that casting room?) explains how it all works and the importance of tempting Fate and Destiny. But then Geralt and Skellige Guy starts killing Cintra soldiers over it! Didn't seem to be necessary.
Also Skellige Guy immediately jumping into kill the guards of the Queen he clearly loves (and planned to marry) to defend the historical right of the law of surprise just seemed wild.
Some people hold fate / destiny in really high regard, particularly in the time period this is set in, so much so that it can override love.
It seems royalty doesn't really care that much for common folks or soldiers anyways. So him killing some of her men to try and make her see his side of things, doesn't seem that off.
Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
+4
Options
GrogMy sword is only steelin a useful shape.Registered Userregular
Other scene that seemed off to me vis a vi Law of Surprise.
Okay, I get the idea of the Law of Surprise and I like it. But during the Feast of Cintra things seem to escalate...a little too quickly? Mousesack (Jason Mantzoukas where the hell were you in that casting room?) explains how it all works and the importance of tempting Fate and Destiny. But then Geralt and Skellige Guy starts killing Cintra soldiers over it! Didn't seem to be necessary.
Also Skellige Guy immediately jumping into kill the guards of the Queen he clearly loves (and planned to marry) to defend the historical right of the law of surprise just seemed wild.
I honestly thought that the sudden escalation was planned on their part, as a means to murder some dudes they wanted out of the way?
doesn't really hold up given they seemed like regular soldiers, idk
+1
Options
astrobstrdSo full of mercy...Registered Userregular
The thematic importance of both destiny and choice felt kind of weird to me.
"Things are going to happen as foretold! Once you make your choice...which is foretold!"
The thematic importance of both destiny and choice felt kind of weird to me.
"Things are going to happen as foretold! Once you make your choice...which is foretold!"
Ciri's entire thing is that she's the setting's Messiah/Antichrist. Everything about her is wrapped in prophecy and portent.
I get that. And this isn't the only fantasy series to play with these themes and concepts (Star Wars trades in "destiny" and "choice" stuff as well), but this series seems to lampshade both in a way that is more jarring to me than normal.
Finished the series and I liked it, but felt that Ciris part was uninteresting.
Going from point A to point B to wait for terrible thing to happen to run to point C got old.
I think the timeline shit mostly paid off, but the clear pauses in dialogue for someone to drop a line about how old someone is or how long they've been somewhere was really noticeable. Worse was the lingering camera shots on various royalty as if to mug to the camera "Remember those adults from that earlier scene? Now they are children! Time is a flat disc!"
I would absolutely watch a Queen Calanthe spin off of how she brutally fortifies Cintra after her husband died and makes googly eyes at that guy from Skellige.
Other scene that seemed off to me vis a vi Law of Surprise.
Okay, I get the idea of the Law of Surprise and I like it. But during the Feast of Cintra things seem to escalate...a little too quickly? Mousesack (Jason Mantzoukas where the hell were you in that casting room?) explains how it all works and the importance of tempting Fate and Destiny. But then Geralt and Skellige Guy starts killing Cintra soldiers over it! Didn't seem to be necessary.
Also Skellige Guy immediately jumping into kill the guards of the Queen he clearly loves (and planned to marry) to defend the historical right of the law of surprise just seemed wild.
It probably means something very regal and profound in the original Polish
Nope, his name is literally Mousesack. It's just the word 'sack' is used in a kind of... opposite of diminutive form, which doesn't remind one of testicles.
Posts
Some minor things that I wasn't a fan of:
1) The timeline stuff was tough. Even later into the series I was trying to figure out which of the 3 or so timelines we had going was where we were. I can see why folks with no ties to the series were confused and may give up early.
2) Along with that, the series felt rushed? Maybe it's Game of Thrones influencing, but a couple more episodes might have helped. Leading up to episode 8 felt pretty rushed and the ending felt really rushed.
3) Not sure how I feel about Triss. The actress did a great job but she didn't have enough screen time to completely win me over. Of course they can always re-cast and come up with some magic reason for her now having red hair or something.
4) Folks have already mentioned but the religious thing with Nilfgard seemed weird. Having only played the game, they didn't at all come off that way. But it looks like a TV thing.
5) The dragon CGI was a bit off lol. Again maybe comparing to GoT but it looks like CGI from 10+ years ago.
Also I wasn't impressed with episode 8:
1) Magic can do anything and we don't have any rules around it. Star Wars is a good example of this with the Force. The force is basically whatever the content creator needs it to be. I prefer a slower more thought out "magic" that has limitations and rules. We get that folks have different "power levels" as it were and using chaos drains them. I just wish they had a bit more setup before 'magic overload' episode. Perhaps some more training scene's as post initiation with the girls, idk. Also the Khan thing was dumb and I didn't like it in Khan, let alone the cheap knock off here. It leads to my other annoyance.
2) The other thing that annoys me is not respecting your own world. There are a couple examples, like when Fringella mentions the Skellige fleet got lost in fog and shipwrecked. Logically you'd never do any sort of massive military movement without mages; or have some counter to "chaos". The Cintra hates mages thing is fine if they have a crap ton of dimeritium or something, otherwise it doesn't make a lot of sense to go into a fight against people who can control weather, shoot fire, or whatever else and not have the same or protection. Also the Nilfgard mages that sacrifice themselves to be ammo? Normal human behavior would tell us they'd get the F out of there after seeing mage #1 die (or even before the battle if they knew). Maybe that's why they went with the religious angle, though those mages didn't look very committed and Istredd seemed to make it sound like mages found Nilfgard convenient. As mentioned in 1, the Khan worm thing was really dumb. If you have that item, you could use it to either A) control the kingdoms of the north and have them join Nilfgard or if it's temporary, at least have people in the position of power kill themselves or whatever to destabilize before attacking.
I'm going to order the Last Wish and Sword of Destiny to start with. Having only played Witcher 3 and now watching this show, there are a lot of gaps or things that don't make sense haha.
For example:
Seems like a natural way to interpret the show
I disagree.
But Nilfgaard seems to be going out of its way to take her alive.
Ah oh my god I can't spoiler sorry sorry
This is true, but the framing in the show has a particularly religious bent to it.
It's not super in your face, but that's how I'm reading it at this point
But my mom came back and had, on a whim, picked him up a sweet sweet Cherry Coke and I was like LAW OF SURPRISE YEEHAW and took it from him.
I hope at some point today your dad grabs something from you and says "Fuck destiny" and then immediately stubs his toe or something.
O’ Valley of Plenty
O’ Valley of Plenty
Not yet, and that's definitely one thing that Netflix dropped the ball on, especially considering the show's popularity. Doubly perplexing since one of the composers has confirmed that the tracks are ready go, but Netflix has yet to green light things.
It's times like this that I wish I had more of a social media presence so I could help out and demand the OST lol.
Want to play co-op games? Feel free to hit me up!
you know which one i mean!
I'm tempted to get the games, but I don't have much time to play the ones I already own
Dad: oh that doesn’t seem like something I’d want to watch
Also Dad: well, maybe I’ll check it out -watches the first 3 episodes in an afternoon-
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Pretty sure I'm heading for the "bad" romance option
At Kaer Morhen, there was a cutscene where Yennefer kissed Geralt in front of Triss
Then when we got back to Novigrad, Triss kissed Geralt at the start of the final preparation quest
Tried to chat with Triss and she talks both about how it's so nice that me and her are together and also about how sad she is that I'm with Yennefer now
I think the timeline shit mostly paid off, but the clear pauses in dialogue for someone to drop a line about how old someone is or how long they've been somewhere was really noticeable. Worse was the lingering camera shots on various royalty as if to mug to the camera "Remember those adults from that earlier scene? Now they are children! Time is a flat disc!"
I would absolutely watch a Queen Calanthe spin off of how she brutally fortifies Cintra after her husband died and makes googly eyes at that guy from Skellige.
Other scene that seemed off to me vis a vi Law of Surprise.
Also Skellige Guy immediately jumping into kill the guards of the Queen he clearly loves (and planned to marry) to defend the historical right of the law of surprise just seemed wild.
doesn't really hold up given they seemed like regular soldiers, idk
"Things are going to happen as foretold! Once you make your choice...which is foretold!"
I get that. And this isn't the only fantasy series to play with these themes and concepts (Star Wars trades in "destiny" and "choice" stuff as well), but this series seems to lampshade both in a way that is more jarring to me than normal.
What's wrong with Ballsack/Balzac/Balsac?
No boob armour or mail bikinis in sight!
It's true. Mouse balls have been really hard to come by. It's all damn lasers these days.
I mentally changed his name to Ratballs and it makes everything better
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Yeah like Ratbag
Nope, his name is literally Mousesack. It's just the word 'sack' is used in a kind of... opposite of diminutive form, which doesn't remind one of testicles.