Destiny has a weird way of working sometimes. Whether you believe in it or not, there is sometimes things that come to pass that others can look at and call destiny. Some people have other names for it. To some, it is baked into religious beliefs. To others, it is just something that we believe is the universe’s way of guiding our footsteps. About seven years ago, I walked into my destiny as a husband. At the time, I was touring as a road pastor with a band from Texas. One of the stops happened to be at a venue not from where my now wife lived. During the band’s set, I happened to speak and do some guest vocals. Well, my wife really liked what I had to say.
She even turned to her friends at the time and said “I’m going to marry that man one day.” Little did she know how much weight her little joke carried. A couple of days after that stop on our tour. The band and I ended up back in their own hometown, where my (now) wife had wrote on my band’s Facebook wall. It’s also worth mentioning I was a vocalist in a band at the time as well and we also played that same show. She proceeded to tell me about how she liked the band and our message. This was the gateway for a number exchange. Or as we would look back on it: destiny. Destiny has its fingerprints all over the first season of Netflix’s The Witcher.
In its’ first season, The Witcher chronicles a dual journey of an impending war between rival kingdoms and a father’s search for his daughter. At its’ core, The Witcher has three central arcs running side by side. At the forefront, you have Geralt (Henry Cavill). Geralt is a mutant and monster killer. Next up you have Yennefer, portrayed by Anya Chalotra. Yennefer is a Cinderella story of sorts. A rejected daughter and forced farm hand who is also a gifted mage. A girl who ultimately makes a trade for beauty and in essence, also power. Finally, you also have Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan), a daughter searching for her father with a powerful secret.
All three of these arcs, while they do have something to keep viewers entertained, largely operate independently of one another. For most part, so do a large portion of the episodes. The Witcher use of narrative is both brilliant and painfully idiotic. There a multiple scenes where characters will approach other characters and say something along the lines of “oh, I haven’t seen you in years.” As an audience member, that’s an incredibly frustrating thing to experience. Sure, the timeline seems to be a bit more relevant within the penultimate and season finale, but it’s an incredibly confusing journey to get there. Not to mention, the way in which the show will pick up character arcs and drop them off whenever it is convenient. The narrative can feel sloppy at times. A good portion of that boils down to how it handles the sense of time. In a small aspect, it is brilliant, but that road is filled with filler content along its way. Its’ narrative feels better suited for a movie or perhaps a shorter series, The Witcher feels like it operates in the wrong medium.
Even with all of its shortcomings, The Witcher does still have substance. Its’ dual leads in Cavill and Chalotra are worth the investment of time. Cavill, not only has some of the season’s best fight sequences but also some of the funniest moments. The comedy within The Witcher mirrors the dark fantasy elements of the show. Its dark, dry and sarcastic – brilliantly written in the same breath. At the center of most of the show’s dark humor is none other than Cavill. Perhaps, even more than him though, Chalotra may have the best arc of the series. Finding the strength to go from a Cinderella styled beginning to power and ruthless to actual hero. She is compelling, heartbreaking and riveting within the series.
Overall, The Witcher: Season One, might have the strength of Henry Cavill at its core but even the former Superman actor isn’t enough to save some of its weaker moments. Being a dark fantasy show, The Witcher definitely veers into territory in need of CGI. Much like the content within its eight-episode season, it can be a hit or miss. The Witcher has three core arcs throughout its season of Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allen. The majority of the arcs operate independently of one another until the finale – as does most of its earlier episodes. The show aims to tell an overarching narrative but mostly fails until its final few episodes. Cavill boasts a strong performance through dark humor, charisma and well-choreographed fights. Though it’s Chalotra that is the true star of the series. Boasting a heartbreaking, compelling and completely gripping character journey. The Witcher: Season One is not as terrifying as its star’s power, yet still boasts awesome fights and enchanting characters.
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