The Witcher - Season 4

Can Liam Hemsworth fill Henry Cavill's boots? And does this new season of The Witcher finally reach the level it deserves? Alright, let's start with the sour, and then we'll finish with the sweet. In Chinese cuisine, that's a great combination. Maybe it works here too.

Some viewers, like me, will only know The Witcher from the games, such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. A game is a completely different medium than a TV series. The role of the gamer is more active than that of the series viewer. The pace is different, and details often serve to help the gamer progress in their quest.

The Witcher as a TV series might only be truly understandable for those who have read Andrzej Sapkowski's books. And perhaps more than once. The adventures of Witcher Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Princess Ciri become more complex with each season, and I must confess, more confusing. Admittedly, there are plenty of moments with magic, action, and intrigue. Yet, the storyline never really gets going clearly.

The way scenes are sometimes edited doesn't help either. But the biggest problem with The Witcher is that the creators try their best to capture the entire world of Geralt. In doing so, everything that the other main characters and supporting roles experience is sometimes extensively told. In the first four seasons, we're already talking about more than fifty characters! Add the impressive number of countries, place names, and local rulers, and you'll need a notebook to keep track of everything.

We generally watch series for our entertainment. Streaming services have room for 'popcorn series' where you can enjoy the events shown without thinking. There's also room for smart thrillers and detectives that engage your brain. But these series must always be entertaining. Once they become too slow, too complex, or downright nonsensical, many viewers drop out.

The Witcher is sometimes very entertaining and other times very slow, almost sluggish.

The scriptwriter must mold the source material into a digestible form. Here, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has slightly faltered. Perhaps at Netflix's behest, perhaps out of her own enthusiasm. The result is a series that you need to watch a few times to fully understand all the intrigues and characters.

The question is whether you want to do that. Because, to be honest, The Witcher is sometimes very entertaining and sometimes very slow, even sluggish. Many scenes gave me a hint of 'fanfiction'; extra content created by fans that is occasionally quite good. They are forgiven for having to cut corners due to a limited budget. They are often not professionals, so we cover things with the cloak of charity.

Netflix would have done better to hire someone for The Witcher who knows how to separate main issues from side issues. Trying to literally depict a book series is rarely a good idea. Making up parts of the story isn't always great either. As evidenced. It's also a shame that they let the names in the subtitles differ from the real names. Even more confusion for the viewer.



Moving on to the sweet part of the series. Unfortunately, that's much shorter than the sour beginning.

Yes, Henry Cavill was the perfect Geralt. However, Liam Hemsworth is an acceptable replacement for the less fanatical fans of the series. The love for the world of Geralt is present, and there's an attempt to do justice to the epic story. However, it never reaches the level of a Game of Thrones, or even that of its own first season. And that's very unfortunate.

After season four, there will be a fifth season. That will be the finale of The Witcher. A good decision, because milking The Witcher any further certainly won't make it better.