Geek Review: The Witcher Season 2 (Netflix)

This review is based on the first six episodes of Netflix’s The Witcher Season 2. 

Geralt of Rivia is back and alongside Henry Cavill’s return as the sexy monster-hunter, season two promises a ton more monsters that are bigger, scarier and a season that’s a whole lot gorier. 

Season two picks up right where season one left off after the Battle of Sodden, and don’t worry, if you’re a little lost, the first episode gives you a quick recap of who is at war with who, and how Geralt and his Child of Surprise, Ciri (Freya Allan) are all entangled in the mess. 

Speaking of Ciri, she’s grown now and is less of a scared little child. While season one focused on world-building and introducing the characters to viewers who have never read the books or played the games, season two places a stronger focuses on the lore and the relationships between the characters, providing fans with a greater reason to indulge in the series. 

And no, when we say focusing on the relationships, we don’t mean the steamy bonking between Geralt and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) in most of season one. Season two grows and builds upon the father-daughter relationship that Ciri and Geralt have, of the hard-headed and guarded daughter and the reluctant yet overprotective father. As they adjust and get comfortable with each other and their destiny, Geralt suspects that there’s more to Ciri that he does not know about, and is determined to find out. 

Other relationships that take the spotlight this season are the relationships between Geralt and the rest of his Witcher brothers, as well as Geralt and Vesemir (Kim Bodnia), who is making his live action debut ever since audiences saw him in The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf animated series. Fans who ship Geralt and Triss (Anna Shaffer) get to see more of that happening in this season too, since Yennefer is out of the picture.

Where did she go? Well, after saving the mages and defeating Nilfgaard at the Battle of Sodden Hill, Yennefer once again lost something very important to her. So just like how she was chasing beauty, power and fertility in the first season, the witch is running around season two trying to regain what was once lost. 

The world of The Witcher has definitely expanded and fans will finally get to see secondary characters more than they ever did in the first season. Characters who were pushed to the background, like Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni) for example, play a much bigger role in season two as she rises in political power.

With the Continent sharing a hatred towards the Elves throughout season one, season two puts a face (actually, many faces) to whom the Elves are, and what their play is as Nilfgaard attempts to hold Cintra and spread power over the lands. There is plenty to take in in season two so if the first season had you confused, then season two may need a few rewatch here and there – which frankly, isn’t much of a complaint. 

Each hour-long episode slowly moves each of the character’s journeys forward, and there are plenty of characters with a story to share this season beyond just Geralt and Yennefer in season one, and viewers may find themselves wondering when these various separate journeys will converge. Well, that’s the core of The Witcher as aside from all the politics at play, Destiny still decides what comes next. 

And if you happen to not be emotionally invested in any of the characters and their journey, another element to appreciate are the grotesque monsters that make their debut. The second season sees Geralt slaying a different monster in every episode, and these creatures increase in monstrosity with each episode. We’ve seen a dragon, Djinn, and the giant spider-like creature Kikimora in the first season, and the second season brings the brutality to a whole new level, starting with the highly anticipated female vampire Bruxa that fans have been wanting to see in real-life since her introduction in The Witcher video games.

Another improvement is with the budget, and that’s incredibly obvious in the visual effects, where we see more details and substantially longer shots of the creatures and stronger focus on how they look and sound. With each takedown, the action direction is also remarkably different, providing a series with a more solid footing in terms of presenting the world of The Witcher. 

But despite this season’s great strengths in beautiful cinematography, character development and world-expansion, the same problem remains – the rather lackluster dialogue and writing. The Witcher is dialogue heavy and whilst the character monologues have been cut to a minimum this time around, there are alot of interactions and important information that can skip over your head if you’re not actively paying attention. Given how there are numerous plots at play and many characters scrambling for the spotlight, The Witcher is something that should be watched when you’re ready for it, and it’s not a series you can play in the background passively, and rewind 10 seconds when you miss an important plot point. 

But of course, the biggest strength of the series continues to be Cavill, who has grown incredibly comfortable as Geralt, playing the character as if he’s been a fan for a very long time. There are rumours swirling that Cavill might leave the franchise after season three and that would be the biggest loss, as the actor is Geralt and no one else can take on the mantle.

A dark fantasy with a strong cast and incredible effects, The Witcher serves everything you can ask for from the franchise and more. There’s monsters, a fictional world so far, vast and wide, and characters that you love, and in some scenes, lust for, and continues to be one of the strongest original series from Netflix, or any of the streaming services in the market. 

Now toss him a coin because there’s plenty more that we want to see.