Money Heist →  Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Money Heist is a Spanish show and it’s all about a very well-planned heist. The characters come from all different areas of life and they spend a lot of time trying to pull this nearly impossible bank heist off. You will never know what to expect and be rooting for these criminals. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is also about a heist. This book has some fantasy elements, but it also explores a variety of different people coming together to pull off a complex heist.

Hollywood → The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Hollywood explores how a number of different people navigate in Hollywood and what it means to be Black, gay, young, and inexperienced in the early period of Hollywood. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is also about fame and the acting scene in the 1950s-80s, this book also discusses issues such as homophobia and the Hollywood culture.

The Witcher → Throne of Glass series + The Falconer series

If you’re wanting something with magical and badass characters like in The Witcher, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas and The Falconer by Elizabeth May are perfect. All three of these follow assassins/warriors/hunters and they all contain unique elements of magic.

The Politician →  Red, White and Royal Blue

If you’re looking for a politically charged read after watching The Politician then Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston is perfect. Both have great humour, political commentary, and a diverse set of characters.

Elite → One of Us Is Lying

Elite is filled with murder and follows a ‘whodunit’ storyline, if you want another teen murder mystery then One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus is perfect. Elite is a tad more intense and dark, but One of Us Is Lying has been described as The Breakfast Club with murder and will have you at the edge of your seat.

Sex Education →  The Exact Opposite of Okay + Jack of Hearts

Sex Education gave us all the sex education. The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven is all about a girl taking charge and fighting back against the sexist systems she’s been exposed to, so this one is great if you liked Aimee’s storyline in season 2. Jack of Hearts by L.C. Rosen is all about Jack the school ‘slut’ and what happens when he starts giving sex advice to his fellow students. One student starts threatening him and Jack learns that being out can get complicated too.

Queer Eye →  Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek

Queer Eye showed us all that being who we are is enough and sometimes we just need five gay men to assist us in finding our true colours. Popular by Maya Van Wagenen follows Maya herself and her journey in figuring out what makes someone ‘fit in’ and finding her own voice.

Dear White People → The Hate U Give

Are you wanting another head on look at racism in America after watching Dear White People? Then The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is perfect as it follows Starr and what happens after her friend gets shot by the police right in front of her.

Unbelievable →  Know My Name

Unbelievable told the horrifying true story about a series of rape cases. Know My Name is Chanel Miller’s story as most of us have heard about Brock Turner, but what about the girl that he raped? This is her story.

Never Have I Ever → When Dimple Met Rishi

Never Have I Ever is a great insight into Indian culture and what it means to be a teenager. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon is a fun look at teenage dating and Indian family expectations. Both of these are so sweet and funny!

Jessica Jones → Renegades

Jessica Jones is a new take on superheroes. It has a darker undertone and Jessica isn’t the typical hero. Renegades by Marissa Meyer explores the line between hero and villain and gives us a unique superhero story.

What is your favourite Netflix show? Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post What To Read Based On Your Favourite Netflix Original Show appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

In the years since this personal tragedy, my darling boyfriend was too embittered to start all the way over again, but we happily found a gaming groove (I recommend all couples find one); we will actually share games, tagging out and handing the controller over to the other when one of us gets fatigued. I always said that I’d play The Witcher so that we could finally finish it, but the scale of the game was simply too big, and other games were too shiny and interesting.

And then it was made into an English-language Netflix series. I was deeply skeptical about it; was Henry Cavill really the right man for the job? Was this really necessary – it is after all, a series of books. In a world of remakes and seemingly unending franchises, surely this is yet another nail in the coffin of original thought and content and thus should be bemoaned rather than celebrated?

I am happy to admit that I was wrong. On effectively every count.

Geralt seems the role Cavill was born to play, a fact of which I am only more certain since discovering that he loved the games so much he was compelled to lobby for the role. My admiration has only increased upon learning that he dehydrated for three days before his shirtless scenes, and that his biceps were so huge he actually ripped costumes. That’s a man who’s dedicated to his role.

What has emerged as particularly interesting about the Witcher phenomenon is the way the story, characters, and setting, has been so effectively and successfully transposed across different mediums. Making video games from preexisting stories (be it from screen or books) has a long history – several superhero movies, The Lord of the Rings (those camera angles really were abominable in two player mode), and of course, many of the Star Wars games. Interestingly, it is more common for books and films to be expanded out of videogames, although with varying quality (see Pokémon which was a game for the OG Nintendo Game Boy a year before the classic TV show came out, Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia, Resident Evil, Lara Croft Tomb Raider…should we perhaps cross our fingers a hope for a Mass Effect film?).

Yet The Witcher is arguably distinct among these example because of the way it has so successfully straddled the three mediums with such a distinct yet successful versions of the world that uses the same characters and the same basic storyline, but with variances that mean they could be enjoyed independently and without reference or knowledge to the others. They all portray Geralt, and examine the experience of being a Witcher in a world beset by monsters and with a highly complex and changing political landscape. And they all examine Geralt’s relationship with Ciri and Yennefer (although it’s only by the third game, that Geralt’s relationship with Ciri and Yennefer is thoroughly explored as a core part of his identity). But they do so in their own fashion and take the necessary deviations from each other in order to serve the medium and the facet of the story they want to tell.

The book series are the obvious source material as they came first. And the world in its intricacy and cleverness is created by Andrzej Sapkowski. But the games do something interesting with the characters and the world – they tell the continuation of the story after the books end while providing a remarkably visual rendering of the world Sapkowski has created. This alone is an interesting diversion from the Netflix series, as the makers were limited by the landscapes that exist in the real world. The makers did a great job of finding locations, primarily across Central and Eastern Europe (Sapkowski is Polish, so it’s a lovely homage to the landscape and culture which inspired the story), but they invariably differ from the landscapes in a game or a book, as they can be freely rendered from the imagination. However, the rest of the lore is almost entirely pulled straight from the books, rather than created to fit the storylines that are generated by the game.

This is unusual because whereas lore for universes such as Mass Effect and Star Wars were created after the original material was produced by both official and unofficial channels, the world of The Witcher is almost purely derived from a single cohesive canon. The only instance where the world was really added to was in the games where they created a map which was not in the original versions of the books and only partially added by a Czech translation. The most comprehensive maps of the continent were made by the videogames, which is subsequently the one that the Netflix series’ map is based off. The interactive demonstration of the geography and the timelines is interesting as well, as can be see in this excellent piece of bonus content from Netflix.

In part, this is because the focus of all three narratives is on the same characters, but at different points in time. But it’s nevertheless fascinating because Sapkowski, while cooperating with the creators of both the games and the series, only did so to a limited extent. As a result, we also see three different portrayals of the same person at different points in their narrative – in the books, in the games which have created a narrative set after the books, and in the series which has taken the prequel anthology of short stories and spun them into something more cohesive. However, all of these versions pull from the same worldbuilding.

So within the context of the multiple formats, viewers receive something that is fresh, yet contains the same basic components of the storyline. With each new version, a new way of examining the story is made possible, which arguably then offers scope to refine the story or spin it in a few way. Indeed, the directors of the Netflix series noted that they diverged from the books in order to make a better end result.

With the recent announcement of an animated Witcher film to tide viewers over before the arrival of season 2 in 2021, this only confirms the unusual and dynamic nature of the world, characters, and storyline. An interview with one of the people behind the series and film noted:

“literal decades of the Witcher timeline [are] left tantalisingly blank. A film, animated or otherwise, would be the perfect opportunity to fill in those gaps to see what the monster hunter has been getting up to away from his time with Yennefer and Jaskier.”

The fact that Geralt has lived a hundred years even before the beginning of the series, and that it follows his timeline across a decade, checking in with him as his narrative intertwines with other main characters certainly leaves much to be explored and depicted without stepping on the toes of the ‘main’ storyline.

At its core, The Witcher is a really good story, set in a detailed and brilliantly crafted world. But the fact that the series has spawned a successful videogame franchise, a series, and soon, an animated film, puts it in a very special league that marks it as a spectacular narrative phenomenon. I for one, can’t wait to see how it progresses.

What’s your favourite when it comes to The Witcher franchise? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Toss A Coin To The Creators of ‘The Witcher’ Multi-Franchise appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Geralt

Geralt (Henry Cavill) leaves the castle and comes across a man named Yurga amongst the Cintran refugees (which we saw in episode four) trying to wrap the deceased. He warns Yurga, but he ignores it, and so Geralt returns to save Yurga when he is attacked. After this, he orders Yurga to go home, while Geralt remains to fight the creatures. Although he kills them all, he ends up getting bitten and falls.

Geralt wakes up in a delirious state on Yurga’s cart and he dreams of when he was a boy and his mother, where he also sees a small dragon-Borch, who says “It’s magic. It’s not real.”

Geralt takes out a vial from his bag and he drinks half and pours the rest on his leg. Before he passes out, he asks Yurga to take him to the Blue Mountains as he can be saved by ‘him’ and that he needs to go home.

Again, he dreams of his mother, Visenna, who has magic and she abandons him one day when a man named Vesemir (Theo James) approaches.

Ciri

Ciri wakes to find Zola (Anna-Louise Plowman) whom she stole the horse from standing over and sees that the horse and the men are all dead. She takes Ciri to her home and later on, Zola comforts Ciri and says perhaps she was meant to find her as she has everything except for a daughter.

The Battle Begins

There are 60 mages on their way by boat and Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) says they must get to the Elven keep that guard the Yaruga River to stop the Nilfgaard going north. They will hopefully have assistance from Temeria and Kaedwen if they arrive in time. After walking for hours, the mages arrive at the keep and begin preparing weaponry and spells. Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) asks Triss (Anna Shaffer) if she thinks Foltest will bring his army and she learns Triss knew Geralt.

Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni) informs Cahir (Eamon Farren) about the mages fortifying the keep and she pushes Cahir for them to go to the keep. Nilfgaard begin attacking and Yennefer wakes just in time to stop their magical fireball, which was created by the death of a mage. After a second death, Fringilla casts a spell to draw the mages out, which she gives to another mage.

With only 22 mages left, a mage casts a smoke through the forest and Tissaia (MyAnna Buring) directs the mages to their places with Yennefer to look after the tower. Yennefer watches from the tower and she speaks to Tissaia with her thought transference, while Triss places her hands to the ground and causes toxic mushrooms to grow and kill some of the soldiers.

Next up is Coral (Rhianna McGreevy), who takes a group of soldiers with a flick of her wrist Sabrina (Therica Wilson-Read) then readies their arrows and the bottles are thrown into the and shattered. The embers hit the men and burn them.

Things Go South

Cahir orders his other men to move to the other front, while some men go with Fringilla. Vilgefortz portals in to attack the men near Cahir and the pair then face off, while Yennefer tells him to slow down, he doesn’t listen. His blade doesn’t reappear again and Vilgefortz is kicked in the chest and suffers a blow to the head.

Fringilla breaks the gates and creates a portal that the men fire arrows into and the smoke mage walks through shortly after and dies, but drops the box Fringilla gave to him. Tissaia approaches Fringilla to try to appeal to her, but Fringilla throws dimeritium on her and then speaks Elder to open the box the mage dropped at the gates, which releases a group of silver worm-like creatures. Triss then tries covering the gate with her vines, but she is soon set on fire.

Sabrina’s facials change and she gives two boys the magical bombs and then stabs Yennefer, as they are all afflicted by Fringilla’s creatures. Yennefer stops Sabrina and searches for Tissaia, and calls to any other mages. Fringilla answers and tells Yennefer she doesn’t need to fight anymore and she’ll find what she’s searching for with Nilfgaard. However, Vilgefortz is still alive, along with Yennefer and Tissaia.

A Reunion

Geralt wakes and first sees Renfri (Emma Appleton), followed by Yennefer, and then by a red-haired sorceress as Geralt realises she is in his head. Upon realising it’s his mother (Frida Gustavsson), he asks if she likes his eyes and asks why as only three out of ten boys survive the trial. She tells him to not ask more questions as the answers will only hurt them both. She tells him to find her and that it was only a dream. When he wakes, the man offers Geralt the Law of Surprise for saving his life, which he naturally denies.

Tissaia tells Yennefer to let her chaos explode and she begins recalling all of the things people said to her and draws the fire to her and burns all of the soldiers. King Foltest (Shaun Dooley) and his army then arrive.

Tissaia calls out to Yennefer along with Geralt, which sees Ciri wake as she hears Calanthe telling her to go to Geralt. Ciri leaves, when Yurga returns with Geralt. Zola tells her husband of the girl and Geralt overhears and immediately goes to the woods, just as Renfri said. He then sees Ciri running towards him and she embraces him and asks him who Yennefer is.

What did you think of the season one finale? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Witcher Recap: 1.08 ‘Much More’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

During the previous episode, Yennefer and Geralt’s paths cross once again in the hunt for a dragon, while Ciri is captured and escapes on her own and now without Dara.

Returning To Cintra

Geralt (Henry Cavill) overlooks a valley and watches the Nilfgaard army marching. He returns to Cintra and meets with Mousesack (Adam Levy), who assumes he is there for his Child of Surprise. Geralt learns the child is a she, but he merely came as he saw an army in Amell Pass. He then sees a shadow and follows it, but the soldiers keep disappearing so he holds a blade to Mousesack’s throat, who portals them away from Calanthe’s soldiers.

He takes Geralt to Calanthe (Jodhi May) and she asks him to not take Ciri and will pay him whatever he wants. Geralt says he will protect her and bring her back, and so announces that the Law of Surprise has been called.

Geralt walks into a room with Calanthe and Mousesack, who introduce him to Ciri, however, they use an impostor. When he exits, he spies a door and follows it to the outside where he sees the impostor curtsy to Ciri while she plays knucklebones, which we saw in the first episode. Naturally Geralt is not happy, but Calanthe does not care. Eist (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) has returned and escorts Geralt out. He no longer stands up for the Law of Surprise, but rather by his Queen and traps Geralt in the gatekeep.

Nilfgaard breach the gates and Geralt escapes, but he’s gone before Mousesack gets there as we see the completed scenes from episode one of Calanthe asking to bring “him”. Now outside, Geralt hears Calanthe fall so he returns to the castle to search for Ciri, which leads to many deaths.

A Journey To Nazair

Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) arrives in Nazair and Istredd (Royce Pierreson) greets her. He tells her of the runes that described a magnalith, which he found and that is why the so many are digging. Yennefer wonders if what they talked about in the cave before their initiation could still happen and they kiss, despite Istredd’s initial hesitancy. He tells her he came up with so many excuses to be closer to her, but she shot them all down and Stregobor helped Istredd focus.

Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu), who is a fellow mage, approaches Yennefer as Nilfgaard is conscripting mages into service and he says they should go to Aretuza. He tells her Tissaia asked for her as Yennefer is the best student she ever taught.

Returning To Aretuza

When they arrive at Aretuza, she learns Tissaia has no idea she’s there, but Vilgefortz wanted her help with Nilfgaard and how they need allies from the Northern Kingdoms.

As she walks around Aretuza, Yennefer recalls all the things Tissaia said to her and returns to her old room. It is there she finds three students and she decides to show them what herbs are really used for. She gives the girls drug-like herbs and she learns their families paid the Chapter to be in Aretuza. Yennefer then takes the girls to Aretuza’s pool and tells them of the sacrifices when you become a mage and eventually Tissaia (MyAnna Buring) arrives.

The mages are in a flurry and Yennefer sees Triss (Anna Shaffer) and learns an emergency conclave of the Northern Mages has been called as Nilfgaard will be taking Cintra. Stregobor (Lars Mikkelsen) doesn’t care want happens to Cintra and dismisses Vilgefortz’s words as for being more soldier than mage

Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni) then arrives saying Nilfgaard’s fight is with Cintra and under their leader, Emperor Emhyr, they’ve changed by strengthening trade and funding research. She continues on to say they’ve modified what they learned and been guided by the White Flame. However, they have also forced mages into servitude and forbidden magic. Yennefer is blamed for everything as she chose to not go to Nilfgaard. Tissaia believes they should try to save Cintra, but when Stregobor calls a vote, it is decided Cintra must defend themselves.

Tissaia, Vilgefortz, and other mages are going to fight, and Tissaia asks Yennefer to join them.

To Skellige

Ciri (Freya Allan) plans to head for Skellige and when she tries to take some gloves, she gives her mother’s ring as payment. A woman wants to know what’s so important about Skellige and offers to look after her, but instead Ciri steals her horse.

At night, Ciri lights a fire while talking to her horse,when she hears a noise and sees men approaching her and recognises them as Cintrans, including those who she played knucklebones with. The four men grab her causing her to fall to the ground with her head falls back, a different voice to Ciri’s says: “Verily, I say unto you, the era of the sword and the ax is night, the era of the Wolf’s Blizzard. The Time of the White Chill and the White Light is nigh. The Time of Madness and the Time of Contempt.”

What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Witcher Recap: 1.07 ‘Before A Fall’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

During the previous episode, Geralt meets Yennefer as he needs to help Jaskier after the djinn attacked, while Fringilla and Cahir kill Mousesack to trick Ciri into going with the doppler.

A Quest

Jaskier (Joey Batey) sings and pens another song of Geralt (Henry Cavill), who is currently after a monster. The men who asked for his help go to steal his belongings as they believe him to be killed, but Borch Three Jackdaws (Ron Cook) and two Zerrikanian warriors, Téa (Adele Oni) and Véa (Colette Tchantcho), stop the men from taking Geralt’s things. Borch has been looking for Geralt as there is a green dragon and King Niedamir has commanded a hunt after locals searched for its treasure and wounded the dragon, which angered it.

Niedamir wants the dragon killed as he is set to marry a princess from Malleore, his rival kingdom. The prize? The winners get the dragon horde and to lord over a state. Borch wishes Geralt to join his team, but Geralt doesn’t kill dragons. As Borch points out the other teams—the dwarves, the Reavers, and then Yennefer (Anya Chalotra)—and he quickly changes his mind.

Yarpen Zigrin (Jeremy Crawford), one of the dwarves, introduces himself to Geralt, while Yennefer is on the hunt alongside Sir Eyck of Denesle (Jordan Renzo) and Borch notes Geralt’s love for Yennefer. While trying to impress the Zerrikanian warriors, Jaskier comes across a hirikka and Geralt tells everyone to stand down. However, Eyck comes swords ablazing and repeatedly stabs the hirikka. He is advised to not eat the hirikka, but he ignores them and ends up with a severely upset stomach.

Yarpen speaks of Nilfgaard and how they may take many, while Borch comments that Nilfgaard could have been stopped earlier by a stronger hand—looking at you, Yennefer. The topic of dragons come up and Geralt says green dragons are the most common, red dragons less so, and black dragons are the rarest. However, Borch corrects him and says gold dragons are the rarest, but Geralt says they are myth.

A Few Deaths

The next morning, Yarpen finds Eyck with his throat slit and Yarpen talks of a shortcut through the mountains that is known to the dwarves. Geralt asks Yennefer if she killed Eyck, but she believes Boholt (Steve Wall), the Reaver leader, did it. Yennefer needs the dragon as it has alleged healing properties and Geralt can’t believe she wants a child, but it’s the choice to have one that she wants. Geralt speaks of their sterility and accidentally mentions his Child Surprise

The group continue their path alongside a mountain’s rock face, which is incredibly narrow and perfect for dwarves. Suddenly, Borch, Téa, and Véa fall and Geralt grabs the chain, but the three of them let go as there was no saving them.

After making it through, Geralt goes to see Yennefer in her semi-lavish tent and the pair kiss with Geralt remembering several times they’ve been together. In bed afterwards, they converse and Yennefer says she dreamed of being important to someone and Geralt says she is important to him.

A Living Dragon

The next morning, Yennefer still wants to get to the dragon and realises the dwarves have gone ahead. Once she reaches them, she uses her magic to freeze them, enters the cave, and she’s approached by Téa and Véa who are protecting the now dead green female dragon and its egg. A gold dragon comes from above and it’s actually Borch.

The rest of the group arrive and a battle ensues. At one point, Yennefer rushes to Geralt and kisses him to use that for magic. One of the men begin crawling towards the egg, but dragon-Borch burns him alive.

Meanwhile, Jaskier awakes to find himself alone and begins down the path where the dwarves are still frozen. He finds the many men dead and is taken aback by the two warriors. Borch then offers dragon teeth to Yarpen so they can take it to the King, while he thanks Geralt and Yennefer for protecting his child. Yennefer then realises what Geralt’s final wish was, which is why they can’t escape each other. Borch stops them from fighting and tells Yennefer she will never regain her womb and Geralt that he will lose her. However, Geralt’s destiny is still out there. Geralt then turns his anger to Jaskier and blames him for the Surprise and djinn, so Jaskier also leaves.

Deception

Ciri (Freya Allan) asks doppler-Mousesack (Adam Levy) about Geralt and it seems she’s now been filled in on the Law of Surprise and her destiny as they exit Brokilon Forest. Dara (Wilson Radjou-Pujalte) questions Mousesack’s reappearance, who claims he was captured by Nilfgaard and rescued by Geralt. Dara tells Ciri that this off and so doppler-Mousesack produces her Calanthe’s sash to reassure her.

Later on, Ciri asks doppler-Mousesack several questions and it pushes him over the edge. Dara attacks him with his silver blade, and they begin to question him, but the doppler overpowers them causing Dara to hit his head and Ciri running away.

Ciri is then captured by Cahir (Eamon Farren), who apologies and tells her the White Flame brought them together as he wants to fulfil her destiny. However, it isn’t Ciri, but actually the doppler and the two begin to fight, which is a challenge as the doppler turns into Cahir so he knows everything.

The real Ciri is tied to a tree when Dara rescues her, but he believes she will just get him killed like Calanthe and so he leaves.

Meanwhile, Cahir has killed all of the people in the tavern while Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni) tends to his wounds and tells him Ciri is the key, but he is the commissioner. He orders for the men to be gathered as the “time of the sword and the ax is nigh”.

What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Witcher Recap: 1.06 ‘Rare Species’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

During the previous episode, Yennefer attempts to aid Queen Kalis and her baby, Geralt and Jaskier attend the wedding feast of Princess Pavetta, daughter to Queen Calanthe, and the Law of Surprise is involved, and Ciri enters the Brokilon Forest.

Death

When you see crows, you now you’re in for a dash of creepy. With facial features in jars and admiring himself in the mirror, The Adonis (Ben Wiggins) receives a visit from Cahir (Eamon Farren) who claims he knows who and what he is. Cahir says he is different from other dopplers and he is in need of his services.

Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni) greets Mousesack (Adam Levy) who was in a cell of dimeritium to neuter his powers, while Mousesack says this isn’t who she is, but she counters that the White Flame gave her a higher purpose. Cahir appears with Adonis, who isn’t exactly pleased, and Mousesack is released and ordered to run. The doppler then tackles him and turns into Mousesack and as the real Mousesack dies, Cahir says Ciri will end up where she belongs.

At Brokilon, Eithne (Josette Simon) speaks with the Dryad General (Nóra Trokán) and the others as she says Brokilon can help mould her, while Nilfgaard soldiers are approaching the forest. Eithne says Ciri (Freya Allan) can stay. Later on, doppler-Mousesack enters and says he knows where to Geralt. She asks Dara to come with her and so the three leave.

Determined

Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) visits Hemet (Philippe Spall—who reminds me somewhat of Alan Rickman’s Snape) and they’ve chosen a life without the Brotherhood and how Yennefer can fund what she desperately wants. Yennefer opens her own little business to help people, including a couple where they are having some ‘mechanical’ issues, which she helps with. Beau Berrant (Roger Ringrose) then comes in and says if she’s casting spells, he must collect what’s due to the Kingdom, but he takes her with him instead.

Tissaia (MyAnna Buring) comes to warn Yennefer as she is pure chaos and the Brotherhood will not tolerate it. Yennefer is searching for the means to have a baby and Tissaia instead urges her to return to Aretuza.

Djinn

Jaskier (Joey Batey) goes to see Geralt (Henry Cavill) after what’s been some time. Geralt is unable to sleep and he is currently looking for a djinn in a lake. Jaskier believes it might be what Mousesack said about the child, but Geralt changes the conversation to Jaskier’s singing which is “like eating a pie and finding it has no filling”. Geralt finds the djinn’s bottle and Jaskier begins asking for things and winds up smashing the bottle. Jaskier begins choking and Geralt takes him to an encampment nearby and it could be come irreversible. The elven doctor, Chireadan (Lucas Englander) says the must find a mage, but the mage nearby is powerful and malicious, while also being held captive by the mayor.

Geralt is asked for a fee to enter the mayor’s house, but naturally knocks out the soldier and finds a very naked Mayor of Rinde who shortly passes out. Geralt walks into a mass orgy and drops Jaskier down into a trio before approaching Yennefer. He asks her to fix Jaskier, whatever the price.

Dip

With Jaskier in a healing sleep, Yennefer recommends Geralt takes a bath and she soon joins him. Geralt realises Yennefer wants the djinn and she needs Jaskier to make his last wish so she can have the djinn for herself. With the smell of lilac and gooseberries to get in his head, Geralt falls asleep after a kiss. Chireadan wakes Geralt up, who are both in a cell, and asks if his rampage was worth it. Apparently Geralt attacked the pawnbroker and the man from the apothecary to enact Yennefer’s revenge.

Jaskier wakes to a semi-naked Yennefer on the bed with a uterus drawn on her. She demands Jaskier make his final wish, meanwhile, Geralt is getting beaten by the Mayor’s guard. It turns out, Geralt is the one with the wishes as the guard bursts into blood and guts.

Yennefer begins chanting to control the djinn and Geralt realises she wants to become the vessel so she’ll become more powerful. Yennefer’s body is writhing and cracking with her eyes turning red and she’s demanding he makes his final wish. He makes her wish and the djinn leaves, but the roof soon collapses except Yennefer saves them by portalling to the orgy room where they soon proceed to have sex. Meanwhile, Jaskier is being sad over Geralt dead and Chireadan sees the pair together—which sees Jaskier elated and Chireadan miffed. Afterwards, Yennefer asks what he wishes for, but he is fast asleep.

Overall Thoughts?

Currently, Ciri’s storyline is the least interesting with only a scene or two in the last few episodes, but with doppler-Mousesack taking her away, it seems danger lurks around the corner once more. As for the chemistry between Yennefer and Geralt, it was much more believable than her being with Istredd. Now that two of the leads are together and with three episodes left, things will hopefully move more quickly so all the threads of this story come together completely.

What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Witcher Recap: 1.05 ‘Bottled Appetites’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

A Baby

Queen Kalis of Lyria (Isobel Laidler) has given birth to another girl and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) has to hold the baby briefly. As the mage to King, Yennefer loved that she gave up everything, but instead for the last three decades, she’s given up everything to clean up political messes. Their conversation is interrupted when the carriage drivers and soldiers are killed. Yennefer, Kalis, and a soldier escape through a portal. Yennefer informs Kalis it was an assassin to kill Kalis as she’s not provided a male heir.

After jumping through another portal, Yennefer realises they are being traced. Yennefer holds off the monster and opens another portal, but they are followed again. When Kalis calls her a “useless witch”, Yennefer portals only herself.

Kalis offers her baby as a sacrifice, but the assassin slits her throat. As the monster approaches the baby, Yennefer returns and takes the baby through a portal. However, the assassin threw a blade and killed the baby, which Yennefer later buries.

A Feast

In yet another tavern, a man tells the story of a selkiemore and a Witcher being swallowed whole to Jaskier (Joey Batey). However, that Witcher is still very much alive and Geralt (Henry Cavill) walks in covered in selkiemore guts. Jaskier asks Geralt to be his bodyguard at a wedding feast in Cintra where Geralt runs into Mousesack (Adam Levy) while men are vying for Princess Pavetta’s (Gaia Mondadori) hand. According to Mousesack, Crach an Craite (Blair Kincaid), nephew to Eist Tuirseach, is already arranged to marry Pavetta. Queen Calanthe (Jodhi May) then returns from reminding townsfolk who is Queen, orders Jaskier to play a tune, and asks Geralt to sit at her side when she sees him.

Lord Peregrine of Nilfgaard (Dominic Creasey) is introduced as a contender, but gets cut off by music when he goes to speak. After offering his “potent seed”, Calanthe says Nilfgaard is the “shit rag” of the south and he leaves in embarrassment.

Calanthe wonders why they aren’t more Witchers and Geralt tells her they are unable to be created after the sacking of Kaer Moerhen. A disruption occurs and an armour-clad knight named Sir Urcheon of Erlenwald (Bart Edwards) asks for Pavetta’s hand. When Eist (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) removes Urcheon’s helmet, his face is a mix of human and hedgehog. Calanthe orders him to be killed, but Urcheon is there to claim what is rightfully his, which is Pavetta due to the Law of Surprise. He is attacked and a striking blow is almost given, but Geralt intervenes and a fight begins with just about everyone. Calanthe then picks up a sword and demands they all stop.

A Law

Pavetta rushes to Urcheon, who she calls Duny, and says he was to stay away. Duny explains he was cursed when he was young and he saved King Roegner from death and chose the Law of Surprise as payment. Whatever Roegner came home to find, it would be Duny’s—a pregnant Calanthe. She knew Duny would come, but she does not want to honour destiny’s wish.

Just as it seems Calanthe is going to accept Duny, she takes a dagger and goes to kill him but Pavetta screams and pushes everyone back with her power. She begins speaking Elder and herself and Duny rise into the air with a tornado around them. Mousesack uses his powers while Geralt drinks a potion so he can enter through and stop Pavetta.

Calanthe embraces Pavetta and thought her grandmother’s gift skipped Pavetta, like it did with her. She declares Pavetta will marry Duny and Etis declares Calanthe has accepted his proposal. Calanthe conducts the ceremony and the pair kiss, which then sees Duny retch and the curse lifts and returns to his normal self. Duny wants to repay Geralt and so he asks for the Law of Surprise and Pavetta then vomits…and they all realise Pavetta is pregnant.

A Forest

Ciri (Freya Allan) continues to follow the whispering and she is soon surrounded by spears and arrows in the Brokilon Forest. Ciri meets the Dryads, but introduces herself as Fiona to Eithne (Josette Simon) and the Dryad General (Nóra Trokán). Dara has the arrow removed and they are told must drink the waters of Brokilon and if they have ill intent, they will die. Ciri confides in Dara (Wilson Radjou-Pujalte) who she really is and he’s upset as her grandmother ordered his family and village to be slaughtered. Dara suggests she starts thinking for herself.

Dara drinks the waters and they are offered to Ciri so she can leave her past behind, but it doesn’t work on her. Later on, Ciri is made to drink from the source instead and she wakes up in the desert and a tree asks her what she is.

Meanwhile, the Nilfgaard men find Calanthe’s body and a man eats some of her skin before being killed and using his guts to find where Ciri is.

Overall Thoughts?

This episode further connects the dots as we can now easily see that the series is operating on different timelines with Ciri not yet being born, but Geralt already having a connection to her via the Law of Surprise. Unfortunately, Yennefer’s storyline this episode felt subpar, but sets up for what is to come in the next episode. That being said, it was great getting to see her actually using magic as we’ve only seen her open up one portal and conjure an audience previously.

What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below!

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In the previous episode, we are introduced to Yennefer who is brought to Aretuza to undergo a series of magical trials where she also meets Istredd and Tissaia. As for Ciri, she is on the run and seeks shelter at a Cintran camp until it is attacked and she escapes with an elf named Dara. Geralt’s journey sees him cross paths with a bard by the name of Jaskier and they are briefly captured by elves, including King Filavandrel.

A Beast

Just before he dies, a young boy named Mikal (Bogdan Iancu) is speaking to a Witcher of pregnant women dying before their time and the baby growing into a monster—a vukodlak. The Witcher, Remus (Gudmundur Thorvaldsson), searches for the monster and he also ends up being killed.

Meanwhile, Geralt (Henry Cavill) lies in bed with a woman who recognises his scars from Jaskier’s songs and she tells him of another Witcher who was on his way to Temeria. With not enough money to pay for his woman and the room, he leaves Roach behind and heads for Temeria. He offers his services to the townsfolk, while Lord Ostrit (Jason Thorpe) and some of King Foltest’s army tell them to return home. Geralt is in the woods when he meets a witch named Triss Merigold (Anna Shaffer), who serves Foltest, and she wants Geralt to help her save the beast.

She tells him they realised the creature was coming from the crypt where Foltest’s sister, Adda, is buried and rumour has it that she was having an affair. The Brotherhood sent Triss to cure the beast and that the creature is not a vukodlak. Upon seeing the bodies, Geralt realises the liver and heart are missing, which means it’s a striga and likely Adda’s daughter.

A Princess

Triss and Geralt go to see Foltest (Shaun Dooley) and Geralt refers to the princess as an overgrown abortion as she feasted on her mother’s corpse. Foltest orders them all to leave, but Geralt locks the door and asks many questions of Foltest and insinuates Foltest is the father.

Geralt and Triss enter the castle of Wyzim and find Adda’s bedroom where they find letters from Queen Sancia about Adda and Foltest’s affair. They go to see Lord Ostrit and Geralt says he could smell Ostrit on Adda’s sheets. He then spills that he cursed Foltest for what he did and didn’t want to sully Adda’s memory.

Geralt returns to the castle at night and Foltest and his men are there, but Foltest is willing to give Geralt a chance and wonders if his daughter will be normal afterwards. Foltest receives Renfri’s pin as a gift for the princess as Geralt may not see the morning. Ostrit wakes to find himself in the castle and Geralt wants to know how to lift the curse. Upon telling him how the curse was conducted and the chant, Geralt realises he will have to fight the striga until dawn.

Ostrit dies a very gruesome death and we’re treated to quite the ugliest princess ever. Geralt binds her with silver chains but she breaks free and a fight ensues. As the sun begins to shine, Geralt locks himself in Adda’s tomb. When Geralt leaves the tomb, he finds the princess in human form but she attacks him and bites his neck. He later wakes to find himself being cared for by Triss, who says she’s sent the princess to the Sisters of Melitele.

A Betrayal

Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and Istredd (Royce Pierreson) are having sex while at least 15 people watch on, which she conjured. Istredd is bound for Temeria, while Yennefer is meant to work for Aedirn’s King Virfuril after the initiation. Yennefer visits Giltine (Julian Rhind-Tutt) who picks clothing for her and prepares for her transformation.

Tissaia (MyAnna Buring) sits with the Chapter and they speak of King Dagorad banning mages from Cintra and of his daughter, Princess Calanthe. They move on to Nilfgaard and King Fergus is described as “effective and excitable” or in other terms, “horny”. Fringilla, whom is Artorius’s (Terence Maynard) niece, is bound for Nilfgaard, but Stregobor (Lars Mikkelsen) believes she might not be capable and suggests Yennefer. However, Tissaia says Virfuril prefer mages from his country when Stregobor brings up that Yennefer is of elven blood. The Chapter vote and Yennefer is given a new dress by Giltine, one that was picked by King Fergus. With that, she goes to see Tissaia, who tells her it was her blood that prevented her from going to Aedirn and that Stregobor informed the Chapter.

Istredd searches for Yennefer as she wasn’t at the initiation and she wants her father to confirm she is his daughter and not elven. Istredd wants Yennefer to come with him, but things turn ugly and all she wants is to be powerful.

A Transformation

After the initiation, they host a gala with each mage dancing with their King and Virfuril (Ben Lambert) is not exactly pleased to be paired with Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni). We also see a young Foltest and Adda. Meanwhile, Yennefer goes to see Giltine and asks her to prove himself and that she doesn’t need to be asleep during the transformation.

Yennefer is strapped to a chair and asks for her eyes and scars to be left. At one point, Giltine appears to digging deep into her nether-regions and we see later that he has removed her uterus. He burns and crushes her uterus and paints it on to her skin while speaking Elder. What follows is intense screams, burning, and a lot of blood. At the event, the newly transformed Yennefer storms in and introduces herself to the Virfuril and everyone is most definitely pissed.

A Call

Ciri wakes in the woods in a trance-like state and begins walking. Dara chases after her only to be shot at with an arrow, while Ciri is called to by the woods

Overall Thoughts? 

This episode was quite enjoyable as you begin to see all of the elements coming together, which is what truly made it a great episode. It seemed to have a much better flow than the previous episodes, which is largely because the two plots had some overlap, along with the parallels with princess and Yennefer’s transformation from beast to beauty. In my personal opinion, I think ‘Betrayer Moon’ showcases well what the fantasy series holds and if people unsure if they should continue watching, their interest will most definitely pique when it comes to watching this episode.

What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Witcher Recap: 1.03 ‘Betrayer Moon’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

During the previous episode, we meet Geralt in Blaviken where both Stregobor and Renfri ask Geralt to kill the other, which he chooses to do neither until he faces against Renfri and kills her. We are also introduced to Princess Cirilla, Queen Calanthe, and King Eist in Cintra where they are attacked by Nilfgaard. Ciri manages to escape from her captor when she screams and causes a monolith to fall and separate them.

The Crooked Girl

A young couple bully and hit the town’s “crooked girl”, named Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), when suddenly finds herself on a different floor in a cavern. A man named Istredd (Royce Pierreson) asks who she is as it seems she portalled to the Tower of the Gull in Aruteza. He quickly grabs a flower and takes a bite as someone will be coming for her and he begins speaking Elder. He creates a portal that can’t be tracked and she returns home until one day, a witch, Tissaia (MyAnna Buring), approaches and Yennefer’s father sells her off. Locked in her new accommodation, she tries to kill herself.

Tissaia saved Yennefer and introduces herself as the Rectoress of Aretuza. She speaks to a group of girls, including Anica (Szandra Asztalos), Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni), and Sabrina (Therica Wilson-Read), who are “conduits of chaos” and says balance and control are needed for magic. The girls are set to complete a series of trials to see if they can ascend and asked to lift a stone with an incantation, when Fringilla’s hand turns black as magic requires a give and a take. Tissaia shows them they must use the life of the flowers to lift the rock, but Yennefer is the only one who can’t do it. Yennefer then finds Istredd and introduces herself properly.

Weeks later, Yennefer still struggles with lessons, this time with thought transference, and afterwards, Istredd says she can try with him and he shows her things he thought she would love.

On The Run

Ciri (Freya Allan) is in the woods with men after her. After using mud to colour her hair brown, she attempts to eat berries when a boy, whom we later learn is named Dara (Wilson Radjou-Pujalte), warns her they are poisonous. The pair share a rat and she later spies a Cintran flag, but “Rat Boy” doesn’t go with her.

Ciri enters the Cintran encampment and a boy recognises her cloak as one his father made. She notices a necklace of elf ears around his neck, which are trophies for the elves he killed avenging human lives lost in Filavandrel’s uprising, who is the King of the elves. The boy’s brother died when Filavandrel tried to take Cintran land the previous year. Ciri introduces herself as Fiona to his family and they don’t look favourably upon Calanthe. His mother orders Abbott, a dwarf, to give Ciri his boots, which is okay because he is “one of the clean ones”.

Later on, the Cintran encampment is under attack and the dwarf kills the mother in anger when Dara rescues Ciri. After fleeing, she learns that Dara is an elf.

The Bard, the Witcher, and the Elves

In Posada, we are introduced to Jaskier (Joey Batey) who is a bard and adds significant comedy to the series. He spies Geralt (Henry Cavill) in the tavern’s corner and another man asks for Geralt’s help as a “devil has been stealing his grain”. Jaskier follows Geralt as he hopes to tell the Butcher of Blaviken’s tales, but ends up being punched in the gut.

Jaskier and Geralt arrive at Dol Blathanna, which was what the elves called it, when a projectile hits Geralt in the head, followed by the same happening to Jaskier. The ‘devil’ attacks Geralt, but he is a Sylvan named Torque (Amit Shah) and Geralt is soon knocked out also.

Geralt and Jaskier wake to find them captured by elves, including by Filavandrel (Tom Canton). Torque was helping steal for the elves, but they can’t let Jaskier and Geralt live as the people of Posada will come to kill them. Geralt suggests they go somewhere else and rebuild, and Toruviel (Natasha Culzac) wants them to rise up. Geralt and Jaskier leave and Jaskier begins singing a ballad about Geralt:

“When a humble bard / graced a ride along / with Geralt of Rivia / along came this song / from when the White Wolf fought / a silver-tongued devil / his army of elves / at his hooves did they travel / they came after me / with masterful deceit / broke down my lute / and they kicked in my teeth / while the devil’s horns / minced our tender meat / and so cried the Witcher / he can’t be bleat.

Toss a coin to your Witcher / O’ Valley of Plenty / O’ Valley of Plenty / Oh-Oh-Oh / Toss a coin to Your Witcher / O’ Valley of Plenty

At the edge of the world / fight the mighty horn / that bashes and breaks you / and brings you to mourn / he thrust every elf / far back on the shelf / high up on the mountain / from whence it came / he wiped out your pest / got kicked in his chest / he’s a friend of humanity / so give him the rest / that’s my epic tale / our champion prevailed / defeated the villain / now pour him some ale

Toss a coin to your Witcher / O’ Valley of Plenty / O’ Valley of Plenty / Oh-Oh-Oh / Toss a coin to your Witcher / And friend of humanity”

Time To Ascend

During the night, Tissaia wakes Yennefer and she joins the other girls at the Tower of the Gull, which is off-limits to everyone but the Brotherhood of Sorcerers. Their trial? Catch lightning in a bottle. Doralis is struck, Anica catches lightning but it smashes, and then Yennefer is thrown backwards. Sabrina succeeds in capturing it, which angers Yennefer and she throws a bolt of lightning towards Sabrina. Tissaia says what she did is dangerous and she cannot submit to chaos.

Yennefer tells Istredd that Tissaia knows about them and she wants him to help her, but he can’t. He shows her the skulls of dead elves, the elves that built Aretuza. He tells her of the elven mages who taught humans how to turn chaos into magic and then humans slaughtered them to have it all to themselves. Istredd shows her feainnewedd, which only grows were elder blood has been spilled and Yennefer is easily able to create the same portal that Istredd made, which he is surprised by. She tells him that her real father was a half-elf and he died in the Great Cleansing, and his blood is why she is cursed with a twisted spine. With that, Istredd kisses her and afterwards, Yennefer gives the flower to Tissaia in hopes she can ascend. Meanwhile, Istredd tells Stregobor (Lars Mikkelsen) about Yennefer being part elf.

Yennefer is passed over when it comes to ascending, but she follows Tissaia and the girls who ascend and then turn into eels. Tissaia asks Yennefer to push the eels into the pool and Yennefer realises they are instead conduits for Aretuza. So, Yennefer pushes the eels into the pool.

Overall Thoughts?

Seeing as though the book series are made up of both novels and short story collections, newcomers to the television series, like myself, may be hesitant about the interrupted flow with each episode. While I’ve watched the entire season and it now makes sense, but initially it comes off rather off-putting and somewhat confusing, but if you keep watching the series, it’ll begin to click for you, while readers and gamers will likely understand it better.

The highlight of this episode would have to be Jaskier as it’s not often that you have such an openly comedic character in a fantasy series and it helps to shift the tone slightly and add a reprieve (more so to other episodes). The scene with the elves came across very subpar and almost as though it was from a very different series with a lower budget, but I’ll have to watch the completed season to see if they are any final edits (e.g. the lighting and Torque, because my word, what the actual hell).

‘Four Marks’ is my least favourite episode and I still don’t feel a pull or draw to the plot and characters, but really this episode is still setting the world and the characters, especially with the introduction of Yennefer.

What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Witcher Recap: 1.02 ‘Four Marks’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Like any fantasy series, there’s many characters, creatures, and places, so if you need a quick reference, we’ve created episode recaps to help you (or perhaps spoil you because you can’t watch fast enough).

Welcome To Blaviken

The episode dives right in with Geralt (Henry Cavill) fighting a kikimora, which he manages to kill along with a suffering deer that becomes his meal. With Roach, Geralt’s horse, toting the slain kikimora, Geralt heads to a tavern in Blaviken in search of the alderman’s house. We learn that Witchers are not liked at all with Geralt being unwanted and on the receiving end of verbal abuse. Naturally a few men are willing to kick him out, but a woman, Renfri (Emma Appleton), orders the men to stand down before shouting him a beer.

Geralt soon meets Marilka (Mia McKenna-Bruce), the alderman’s daughter, who says they have no use for the kikimora, but suggest Master Irion might. She takes him to plain-looking castle, but upon entering, he finds a lush oasis with naked women and meets Stregobor (Lars Mikkelsen), who has taken Irion’s name as an alias. However, it seems Stregobor has no interest in the kikimora, but wants him to kill Renfri instead.

Stregobor tells Geralt of the Curse of the Black Sun, which was the first full eclipse in 1200 years and marked the return of Lilit, the demon goddess sent to kill the human race. According to mage named Eltibald, 60 women with gold crowns would fill the rivers with blood. Stregobor studied the girls born around the Black Sun and found internal mutations, which he tried to cure but they died—which was the lesser evil. All but Renfri died, who is the daughter of King Fredefalk of Creyden and delivered by Stregobor at birth. Stregobor’s man was killed by her and she’s been on the run since where she has picked up swordskills, kills for pleasure, and she’s also resistant to magic. He believes killing Renfri is the lesser evil, but Geralt will choose neither.

A Royal Family

A girl and a group of boys are playing knucklebones when she is taken back to the castle to stand alongside the Queen and King of Cintra. The young girl is Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan) and she stands with her grandmother, Queen Calanthe (Jodhi May) and her husband, Eist Tuirseach (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson).

Another scene in Cintra sees festivities occurring in the hall when Eist tells Calanthe he saw the wraiths of Mörhogg, who are an omen of war. Calanthe doesn’t care for the omen since the North have been at war since Nilfgaard took Ebbing and 50 ships from Skelligen are on their way so they are prepared. When Ciri asks what they speak of, Calanthe wants her to be unaware, despite the fact Calanthe won her first battle while at the same age as Ciri in Hochebuz. Danek (Tobi Bamtefa) then informs Calanthe that Nilfgaard are on their way to Cintra.

The Lesser Evil

Renfri finds Geralt in the woods and she provides more details about the attack as Stregobor’s man raped her and she’s done what she did to survive. She speaks of Calanthe just winning a battle in Hochebuz, which is a clue that perhaps the series is not running on the same timeline. Renfri asks Geralt to kill Stregrobor because it is the “lesser evil”, but instead he gives her a choice and she leaves.

Later on, Geralt talks to Roach about his first monster near Kaer Morhen and how a young girl was almost raped, so he killed him. Renfri finds him again and says she will leave and the pair end up kissing. Geralt dreams of sleeping with Renfri and wakes up running for the market where he finds Renfri’s men waiting. Ensue Geralt showing off his sword skills in an epic fight sequence with her men, which are no match for him whatsoever.

With the men dead, Renfri holds a sword to Marilka before they face off and she lands some blows to his abdomen and thigh. After several swings, Geralt directs Renfri’s dagger into her own throat with her last words being “the girl in the woods will be with you always. She is your destiny”.

Stregobor is elated to find a dead Renfri and plans to conduct an autopsy on her mutation, which allows her to influence people. However, Geralt will not let him take her and so Stregobor begins turning the townspeople on him who start casting stones. Marilka tells him to leave and so he does.

Cintra Burns

The Cintran army with Calanthe and Eist face Nilfgaard on the battlefield, while Ciri stays behind with Sir Lazlo (Maciej Musial) and Mousesack (Adam Levy). The Cintrans are losing with no ships coming, Eist receiving an arrow to the eye, and Calanthe returns to the castle gravely injured. Nilfgaard breach Cintra’s gate and Mousesack uses his magic to prevent them from getting into the castle. The soldiers continue to attack the castle with fire, and eventually Mousesack can’t hold the wards anymore so Calanthe tells Mousesack and Danek that “it’s time”. The pair leave and shortly after, Mousesack returns saying that “he’s gone”. While Lazlo fetches Ciri’s cloak, she screams causing glasses to tremble and Calanthe tells her to find Geralt of Rivia as “he is her destiny”.

With Cintra on fire, Danek gives families some vials, which contain poison and they kill themselves. As Calanthe looks upon her burning city, she steps from the tower to her death. Ciri, Lazlo, and Mousesack escape, but Mousesack stays behind to protect them. While Lazlo and Ciri flee on horseback, Lazlo is killed with an arrow and they fall. Soon afterwards, Ciri wakes to find her on horseback with a Nilfgaard knight, Cahir (Eamon Farren), and begins screaming, which causes a monolith to fall and divide the earth, allowing her to escape.

Overall Thoughts?

Firstly, I am new to The Witcher as I haven’t read the books nor played the games, but nevertheless, I was very excited to watch a new fantasy series. Pilot episodes are always tricky as they can be a bit hit or miss, and for The Witcher, I think it may have been a bit of a miss. There seemed to be no pull towards the characters and as a newcomer, I felt very uncertain about what I had watched. It wasn’t until further episodes that I became more invested and even after rewatching a few scenes to finalise this recap that I understood some elements better.

With all that said, this can often be the case for a fantasy series as you’re establishing a world, creatures, characters, and lore that is unfamiliar and can typically be quite a significant amount of information for a reader or viewer. If you’re wondering if you should continue watching, I became more invested during episode 3, which was fantastic.

With a second season already announced back in November, it’s clear that Netflix is expecting the series to be quite the hit, so let’s hope that fans of the original source material enjoy it, otherwise they could very well butcher it on social media.

What did you think of the first episode? Tell us in the comments below!

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