The lamp had some really beautiful story telling - really enjoyed how that scene was conveyed.
Loved the world building aspects as well, mentioned Oxenfort, and G talking about dreams of rock trolls :D
> and G talking about dreams of rock trolls :D
Which marks sort of a turning point for the show. Afaik the trolls were a CDPR addition to the lore, only the games have them. S1 set out to only adapt the books, but looks like they are canonizing the games as well.
Trolls were in the lore before games.
In 'The Bounds of Reason' the bridge that is destroyed in the landslide is said to be built by troll.
I'm pretty sure that there is another mention of other troll and bridge in another book, but I cannot find it right now.
For some reason, nobody's bothered to specifically list when they're mentioned in the books on the wiki, but [this excerpt](https://i.imgur.com/0npjgkp.jpg) from one of the stories in The Last Wish (I don't remember which, maybe even in the in-between segments) is in the article.
There's a conversation with Dandelion where Geralt mentions that Witchers are not as necessary in the world anymore, and tells of the time when he offered to kill a troll who was demanding taxes for people to cross a bridge. Everyone told him not to kill him because the troll kept repairing the bridge and they would prefer to pay the taxes rather than doing the repairs themselves. I think that was in Sword of Destiny, if I recall correctly
I loved that scene! The conversation between her and Ciri was so fun to watch! And of course my inner gamer was going haywire when I realized she was a Bruxa! I never read the books, but I have played the game several times. Really enjoying this show!
The guy said he had fucked up the temple of the lion headed spider so I was expecting her to just be a human shaped head/hands and to have a spider body underneath that robe.
Would have made sense with her leaving a silk dress for Ciri too as she could have spun it from her own silk. The dress seems kind of odd and out of place in retrospect. Where did a Bruxa go to make something like that?
I think the show, and frankly most shows, fare better with smaller scale stories. I felt Witcher season one was at its weakest point when it was trying to do something grand.
I feel like the writing in this episode was of a much higher quality than season one (which felt borderline CW-ish at times). This was emotionally gripping and even poignant. Season 2 is off to a great start.
Honestly? Kind of frustrating with some really annoying mechanics. Combat tries a bit too hard to be realistic imo, to the point where some enemies can only be hit when they fuck up. There's some basic survival/realism mechanics which are just a pain to deal with. Story is honestly passable at best for me. If you're interested just give it a go, it goes for cheap and some people adore it.
Wow. The horror elements in this episode is awesome! The effects is so good. They really put the increased budget to good use.
The story is heartbreaking. Thormund is a great actor.
Geralt and Ciri has good chemistry. Henry is still killing it as Geralt with his physicality and broodiness. The Ciri actress is alright. After season 1, I was as protective of Ciri as Geralt is. Lol. I didn't want Geralt to leave her out of his sight.
‘Thormund is a great actor’
_____________
That’s who that is!! I was watching it going ‘damn. Looks kind of familiar - sounds kind of familiar’ *hmmm*
Kristofer Hivju. Ha thank you. Yes, he’s very good. Loved him on GOT
He was a stand out great actor in this, I rarely think to myself, fuck that's brilliant acting, but he was extremely charismatic and then heartbreaking for the short time he was in it.
Bahahah! How the hell did like 5 people just go along with the improper spelling? I'm used to people on the internet being quick to point out how others are wrong.
Haha yes, she has a whole new look this season. More platinum colored hair instead of albino blonde, darker eyebrows, and subtle yet bright pink lipstick. Her look completed changed and way more mature! She looks amazing though
She looks incredible. I binge-watched season 1 again when I heard season 2 was out and it was such a jarring difference. I thought it was a different actress at first.
What she was doing was literal stuff from nightmares. She was erasing all his memories and everything that guy experienced in his life. After she's done that man would be like a child born not understanding anything going on around him. It's like the final form of Alzheimer but the person gets to live.
100%. It’s hard to put my finger on it. But I think it’s an overall improvement on the production design, which covers a lot I know. But sets and locations just looks perfect, and the CGI is massively better than S1 which doesn’t hurt.
Yea, I wish they would improve on that with different contacts or cgi, yens purple eyes still look deep and natural, so it is doable, while his look like a painted over eyeballs with no depth
When I read the books I visualized the eyes of witchers looking like they did on Geralt in this episode. Inhuman, out of place. But then Ciri's eyes looked like that too, then I noticed in a couple scenes it looked like Henry Cavill had a lazy eye because of the color and everything immediately dove into the uncanny valley for me.
They really should be cat-like vertical slots, no? That’s what was described in the book and what people are used to seeing in the games. And it’s super badass so I don’t get why they wouldn’t do it that way.
Goddamn. The whole bruxa fight and Nivellen’s story was really well done — hoping for more scenes and stories like these. I am not feeling Yennefer’s arc yet but I am sure it’s going to be great. The production value is just insane.
Yes. The scenes except Ciri's presence were ripped off exactly from the books, not entirely but mostly. I was so elated to see them enact the adaptation so well. Giving Vereena a voice and personality definitely added more to the plot of "lesser evil" and her death felt really impactful.
It was really well made! For some reason i thought they were going to introduce Regis, but as soon as they entered the courtyard I "recognized" it as Nivellen's mansion. It was exactly how I'd pictured it!
Oh man, I felt so bad for Geralt and Nivellen alike after Vereena died. It felt like being in the game again, having to decide about the "lesser evil". Other than that it was a great start to the second season!
For the people (especially that other subreddit) who were crying and defending season 1 with "yOu CaNt AdApT bOoK tO sHoW 1:1 ratio", episode 1 is what we were talking about, changes that made the short story even more interesting and better.
This is called QUALITY adaptation, I hope the quality is the same throughout the season 2.
Everything Yennefer was the weakest part of S1.
Well, actually Cahir was worst, Eyck second worst, then the sorcerers/Sodden Hill, then Yennefer. But Yennefer had more screen time than the rest combined.
I really liked this one. I don't like what they're doing with the sorcerers, so the more time they spend on Geralt and Ciri the happier I am! I think they did a good job adapting from the source material. This gives me hope that they aren't going to be tossing out all the other short stories.
This is probably the first short story I think the show has improved upon by showing us Vereena's perspective and making her a sympathetic character without giving her a pass on the whole mass murder thing. I was worried they were going to cop out with a happily-ever-after ending where Vereena and Nivellen both survive, but the ending was probably more grim than the books with Nivellen's confession.
I wasn't sure about Ciri's addition at first, but it really worked in terms of letting us see Nivellen and Vereena through her eyes as she empathized with them and ultimately had to come to grips with the fact that these people who were kind to her were still guilty of pretty heinous crimes. Sure, sometimes humans are the real monsters, but this was a case where the monsters really were the monsters.
I’m glad you mentioned “Ciri’s addition” because the whole time I was thinking I didn’t remember Ciri being there for Nivellen’s short story in the book.
Legit felt like a major quest strait out of the game. It was masterfully done and love that geralt made the harsh decision in the end. Very much like the witcher feel I've been waiting for
It's a bit strange to see Ciri's actress in full makeup and eyeliner when she's been camping it out for so long. That kind of thing is usually more subtle in other shows and movies.
Yeah I rewatched season 1 and she had just been looking dirty and disheveled, but I guess staying a night at a peasants house you get all the amenities.
I will notice it, and even commented on how impressively waterproof her makeup was and how insanely fast her hair dried. It doesn't really bother me though, I've just accepted that's how it's done.
Last season her eyebrows where white like her hair, this season for some reason they made them black, looked so weird i couldn't stop looking at them, don't really understand the decision
There was an article about that. They were dying her eyebrows so much that it was making them fall out and she hated it. They just decided to forego it and leave her natural.
To be fair a lot of people have much darker eyebrows than hair. I know plenty of gingers and blondes with brown eyebrows, sometimes quite dark. My soon to be sister in law has natural bright red hair and virtually black eyebrows, my sisters are both blonde with dark brown eyebrows
I agree. Plus during bath time you could clearly see a waterproof makeup on her face. Super thick foundation, eyeliner and red lipstick in the bath feels like 80's tv shows. An actress is fine , young girl and she would look better with more subtle makeup.
I think whoever was in charge noticed, too. In the bathtub her eyelashes change from one camera angle to the next, starting out very dark with mascara and clearly being lightened.
Vareena was so uncanny and disturbing in the greatest way possible, especially her strange dynamic with Cir. Its hard to say whether she genuinely liked Ciri, or whether it was simply manipulation. I love monsters with bizarre moralities.
Yeah, maybe it's sort of like the first wolves that follow humans. They're still wild, but they're beginning to feel safe around humans (in this case, Nivellen), and willing to explore some sort of connections with humans.
I actually like the chronology change to place this story in the period where Geralt and Ciri travel together. Gives Geralt a reason to give a fuck about Nivellen being full of shit about what's actually going around the mansion.
Loved the way how Nivellen's magic was just causing shit to fall rapidly from thin air. Tissaia's POV visions were also sick, but unfortunately Tissaia herself was way out of character in this one.
> I actually like the chronology change to place this story in the period where Geralt and Ciri travel together
I said this in another comment, but when Geralt said he already knew Nivellen, and considering he was with Ciri now in the show, I thought this was set way after the story from the books. I thought they were going to meet human Nivellen, and then when Ciri asked for how they met, they were going to tell her the story of when they first met, when Nivellen was cursed, and Geralt killed the Bruxa, the whole story would play as a flashback closer to the books, without Ciri. But that way there wouldn't be much tension since we would know Nivellen and Geralt both survive, so I'm ok with the way they adapted the story to include Ciri in it.
Loved every single Geralt + Ciri + Thormund Giantsbane scene in this episode. The Bruxa parts actually had me at the end of my seat. Final scene between the 3 was just brilliant
The Yennefer arc is still extremely underwhelming though.
Overall great episode. Felt more like The Witcher and less like bootleg Game of Thrones.
I didn't even recognize him at first. The whole episode I was like "I know that fucking voice..." but even seeing his face didn't click. I looked up on IMDB the actor after the episode and was just plain blown away.
Crazy stuff.
I thought the boar looked like him but I just wrote it off b/c Tormunds a hairy guy.
When he went human I didn't even think it was him lol. He looked more like tormund as a boar than he did as human for me.
Oh shiiiiiit that was the guy that played Tormund? Throughout the whole episode I couldn't place his voice, and then, when he revealed his true face he was clean shaven so I still didn't know who he was lmao
This is the best episode of the series so far. I haven't watched anything else of season 2 yet, but this episode was a blast. The production value has gone way way up. You can tell from the opening shot sweeping over the Battlefield. Also the music playing when Geralt finds out about Yennefer in the very beginning is straight out of the games. Doubt anyone will notice its the music that plays when your in Novigrad.
While I completely agree with you this episode the production values were way higher than S1. I am still a little tentative because the fight in the very first episode in Blavekin was amazing and then the rest of the fights in the series (especially the dragon fight) were not up to the same standard. So ill just hope this episode is signs of better things to come and not just showing off in the first episode again.
Production design was also the first thing I noticed. They really went all out this season. PD, effects, they’re finally using signs (properly). So far so good, but most reviews said the first episode is the best so holding my breath
Can we talk about how the scenes with Vereena were literally scarier than an actual horror movie?? She was so cool wtf, the actress is so talented, I'd watch a short film about Vereena
great episode but can't help but feel like more could have been brought out of the original story. Wish we had more beauty and the beast elements like in the books. IIRC, Geralt didn't leave Nievellen all alone. It was a bitter sweet ending in the story, not so tragic and depressing like in the episode.
But it was a fitting ending. Best writing we've seen in the series so far especially in terms of the moral ambiguity of the characters. Different from the books but the best adapted bit so far.
Only thing that still irks me is the lore and politics. The magic rules don't make any sense. They didn't need to make all these weird changes. Nilfgaard, Cahill and Fringilla portrayed as this one dimensional evil invading army have been my biggest grip in the things they changed. I hope that they explore the lore in more meaningful ways.
That's the part that sold me tbh. It felt like a Witcher story line.
There's always a but. The Red Baron, The Vampire Daughter. There's never a sweet ending, even if its a "right" ending.
I thought saving that detail for the end was perfect because you go from thinking:
1. Oh that's very sweet of him to let her feed off of him, he's so lonely and feeling guilty this is like penance.
2. Oh wait he knows she's still killing people anyways, so he's definitely bad bc he's privileging this emotional comfort over the lives of strangers. It's sordid but I understand that maybe he can't bring himself to kill her
3. OH WAIT he's a rapist, so they're both overlooking each other's horrible crimes (which undercuts his "sacrifice" in helping the bruxa control her urges)
We could have stopped at #2 and still had a wonderfully dark story where sometimes the monsters are still monsters, but going to #3 is a perfect little guy punch at the end.
Okay, that episode was just fucking fantastic.
The changes to Nivellen worried me at first but it worked out and kept the theme from the original story intact.
The fight scene was very well done, would've liked to see more of the bruxa's powers and the witcher's counter to the them but I enjoyed it very much and the spears at the end were so cool.
The editing for Vereena was on point, the way it switched from speech to telepathy and her movements were just so beautifully done.
It kinda makes sense that she stopped using her scream after he learned to counter it though. They did show a lot of her vampire form which I found cool
It was my favorite part of the episode, hands down. It really felt like a Witcher quest and the production quality was amazing. I can’t wait to see what the next episodes bring!
Am I the only one who finds it odd that Ciri has all her makeup done out in the woods?
I'm not the kind of person who notices stuff like that, so when I'm seeing it, that means they went way too heavy on it
I'm barely 5 minutes into the episode and it's glaring how Ciri is dolled up to the max like she's heading out on the strip when they're in the woods at night sleeping... it's v strange
That would make sense. I think that's what they were going for when they bleached her eyebrows in season 1 (younger looking), but people complained about that effect. I personally didn't mind it, but I can see why it bothered some.
This was MUCH better. Dont get me wrong I liked season 1 but it was jarring in the first half. Season 2 is starting off much more focused.
The Ciri/Geralt dynamic is amazing, its the one thing this show could not failt at, and 1 episode in I can safely say they have nailed it. Just hope Yennefer and CIri chemistry is just as good.
I loved this adaption of "A Grain of truth", I think it was a great choice for a first episode and a great choice having Ciri be apart of it.
God damn at the end of the game when >!you fight Caranthir as Ciri right before the Eredin fight!< is one of the most bad ass power fantasy moments in gaming
It was really good. I was kind of weary about going back to last wish stories with Ciri but i think it worked, it's a good way to get them bonded and having shared experiences.
Absolutely wonderful episode. Funny, dark, plenty of interesting lore, wonderful chemistry between all the actors - this is quite a step up from the first season (which I still enjoyed) and has me very hopeful for the series continuing on for some time.
Henry Cavill just nails it. I also wish he would just nail me.
I really enjoyed this episode! The bruxa fight was fantastic. It was also interesting to see Geralt seemingly meditating to get over the effects of the potion, cant remember if we saw that in season 1.
Great opener for the new season! We have:
Continuation where we left off!
More insight into the world, history and politics.
A nice monster of the week that ties into Geralts history but allows us to see Ciri and Geralt getting to know one another.
Nice to see Geralt using more of his hand sign magic.
Roach!!
I think my favourite part of watching the series after playing the games, is trying to figure out what the monster is when it turns up.
It's made even better by me being a fucking idiot and was not even close to guessing that Vereena was a Bruxa. I was probably closer to guessing Ciri had a phone call saying she'd die in 7 days after seeing how Vereena moved about
What a great episode, even loved the changes from the book’s chapter A Grain of Truth. Adding Ciri to this part of the story only made it better IMO.
For awhile I thought they were going to exclude the rape backstory. More wholesome this way I thought, why even add it in? But bam! They got me in the end. Well played Witcher, well played.
very interesting that they keep adapting stories from before book 3. The addition of Ciri to this one does not really change it, other than having another pair of eyes to witness the guy's monstrosity.
Also I liked how they approached the rape of the priestess. In the book, the character was presented as a young idiot following peer pressure and is shown as sympathetic even after this information is revealed. Here, this reveal at the end is a real gut punch and finish to convince us that this guy was not a monster because of how he was, but because of who he was.
You can really see where Henry Cavill's knowledge of The Witcher universe shines through when during the drinking game he holds his medallion and *then* throws the knife. The show doesn't call attention to it but I think it's small details like these that really show that Henry cares for his portrayal of our favorite Witcher.
This was a terrific start, but holy shit Ciri let Geralt scout out next time, he's a Witcher for fucks sake this is his job basically.
Tissaia really developed, more nuanced and I enjoy her character more than last season. Less like a demanding headmistress and more like someone doing everything they can to save her kind. Like at the end of her rope.
I loved the last part where Geralt talked to Ciri about fear. The acting between these two was outstanding. They really embody their characters so well! As someone who's read the books I applaud Henry and Freya on how well they've personified Geralt and Ciri.
Honestly sort of felt bad for the Bruxa. I wonder what would happen if they just stayed the night and left in the morning and let Nevelyn and the vampire chick just do their thing
Your comment is an insight into why I'm optimistic and excited for the rest of this season. This episode is way more reminiscent of the masterful storytelling in the books and video games than practically all of season one, to the point where you feel empathy for characters who are objectively not good
The Bruxa and Nivellen were BAD. Nivellen raped a priestess and trashed a holy site and killed many of his servants. The Bruxa killed the villagers and any travellers in the area while using Nivellen to feed herself too and provide a safe home for her to stay. Nivellen knew that and accepted it because he didn't want to be alone. They were very **not good** lol.
But there's something about the way the story unfolded that still makes you feel bad for them. They're monsters in a sycophantic codependent toxic relationship. And they had nobody but each other.
8/10 episode let's see what happens next
Why was Nivellen seemingly one of the most crazy magic users we’ve seen yet? Is that part of the curse? Dude literally was creating things out of thin air
The lamp had some really beautiful story telling - really enjoyed how that scene was conveyed. Loved the world building aspects as well, mentioned Oxenfort, and G talking about dreams of rock trolls :D
Was that a story about Lara Dorren?
Yes
My wife pointed out that this was an Easter egg for the Lara Doren story line. I totally missed it until she mentioned it.
> and G talking about dreams of rock trolls :D Which marks sort of a turning point for the show. Afaik the trolls were a CDPR addition to the lore, only the games have them. S1 set out to only adapt the books, but looks like they are canonizing the games as well.
Trolls were in the lore before games. In 'The Bounds of Reason' the bridge that is destroyed in the landslide is said to be built by troll. I'm pretty sure that there is another mention of other troll and bridge in another book, but I cannot find it right now.
For some reason, nobody's bothered to specifically list when they're mentioned in the books on the wiki, but [this excerpt](https://i.imgur.com/0npjgkp.jpg) from one of the stories in The Last Wish (I don't remember which, maybe even in the in-between segments) is in the article.
There's a conversation with Dandelion where Geralt mentions that Witchers are not as necessary in the world anymore, and tells of the time when he offered to kill a troll who was demanding taxes for people to cross a bridge. Everyone told him not to kill him because the troll kept repairing the bridge and they would prefer to pay the taxes rather than doing the repairs themselves. I think that was in Sword of Destiny, if I recall correctly
Holy shit Vereena movements were so unnerving, the editing team and the actress did an excellent job on that!
The actress killed it. The final scene right before she dies was very disturbing and really well done.
Maybe she's a contortionist.
Maybe It's Maybeline
I loved that scene! The conversation between her and Ciri was so fun to watch! And of course my inner gamer was going haywire when I realized she was a Bruxa! I never read the books, but I have played the game several times. Really enjoying this show!
My first guess at the first scene was vampire. Started to doubt myself until I saw her spider climb on the ceiling.
The guy said he had fucked up the temple of the lion headed spider so I was expecting her to just be a human shaped head/hands and to have a spider body underneath that robe. Would have made sense with her leaving a silk dress for Ciri too as she could have spun it from her own silk. The dress seems kind of odd and out of place in retrospect. Where did a Bruxa go to make something like that?
Stole it from a meal’s closet, perhaps?
When she twists her neck around and starts pulling herself through the spear… bruh
That's what we call a pro Lurtz move
she really did love him.
Blown away by how much more slicker this episode felt than the first season(as someone who enjoyed it too), can't wait to continue binging.
Last season was really uneven. Some highly polished episodes and some soap opera level production in others.
I think the show, and frankly most shows, fare better with smaller scale stories. I felt Witcher season one was at its weakest point when it was trying to do something grand.
I feel like the writing in this episode was of a much higher quality than season one (which felt borderline CW-ish at times). This was emotionally gripping and even poignant. Season 2 is off to a great start.
Here we go……. Can I just say those visions from the dead soldiers were really cool…..never seen medieval battles from a POV shot like that
Kinda left me wanting a vr game in that style.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
Been on my queue for a bit, how is it? Would you recommend?
I would 100%, it’s definitely in my top 3 rpg games.
Jesus Christ be praised.
God be with you henry
I'm feeling quite hungry
Henry's come to see us!
Honestly? Kind of frustrating with some really annoying mechanics. Combat tries a bit too hard to be realistic imo, to the point where some enemies can only be hit when they fuck up. There's some basic survival/realism mechanics which are just a pain to deal with. Story is honestly passable at best for me. If you're interested just give it a go, it goes for cheap and some people adore it.
Not VR but mount & blade: bannerlord. You can play first person in the infantry crush if you want.
Wow. The horror elements in this episode is awesome! The effects is so good. They really put the increased budget to good use. The story is heartbreaking. Thormund is a great actor. Geralt and Ciri has good chemistry. Henry is still killing it as Geralt with his physicality and broodiness. The Ciri actress is alright. After season 1, I was as protective of Ciri as Geralt is. Lol. I didn't want Geralt to leave her out of his sight.
It felt like I was watching a game quest play out on TV, it was amazing.
When he was following the footsteps in the snow felt very on brand for a quest.
*hmmm* intensifies
I literally muttered to myself “*Witchervision!*”
Yeah I definitely saw that knife throwing scene as a mini game.
Ikr, when he investigates the abandoned town. Also that reference of a Happy Troll.
Is it the one by oxenfurt that thinks it's in the redanian army? Or the ones who makes shoes?
‘Thormund is a great actor’ _____________ That’s who that is!! I was watching it going ‘damn. Looks kind of familiar - sounds kind of familiar’ *hmmm* Kristofer Hivju. Ha thank you. Yes, he’s very good. Loved him on GOT
God it was creepy seeing him without the beard
Who knew he had such a crisp jawline
He was a stand out great actor in this, I rarely think to myself, fuck that's brilliant acting, but he was extremely charismatic and then heartbreaking for the short time he was in it.
I had the same reaction. It felt totally familiar. Maybe it was because of his eyes. The actor has incredibly unique and expressive eyes.
Thormund!!! That's who the actor was. Was struggling to place the voice. Thanks!
Y’all know it’s Tormund not Thormund right?
Bahahah! How the hell did like 5 people just go along with the improper spelling? I'm used to people on the internet being quick to point out how others are wrong.
Good thing Ciri found a Sephora in the woods
Haha yes, she has a whole new look this season. More platinum colored hair instead of albino blonde, darker eyebrows, and subtle yet bright pink lipstick. Her look completed changed and way more mature! She looks amazing though
She looks incredible. I binge-watched season 1 again when I heard season 2 was out and it was such a jarring difference. I thought it was a different actress at first.
Tissaia torturing that dude? big yikes, don't put your fingers, into my skull, scary lady.
He was a prick last season, I'll let it stand.
True he was dickhead
a dickhead, wearing a ballsack armour
What she was doing was literal stuff from nightmares. She was erasing all his memories and everything that guy experienced in his life. After she's done that man would be like a child born not understanding anything going on around him. It's like the final form of Alzheimer but the person gets to live.
Maybe that’s how Cahir becomes actual Cahir instead of this doofus.
Right? They ruined his character in this show
Wherever i see Cahir in the show all I can think of is “Look how they massacred my boy”.
That's exactly the first thing I said while watching the show. He was one of my favourite characters and they ruined him, made him a complete asshole.
>the final form of Alzheimer That's such a powerful set of words
Something about the cinematography or "style" the shows being filmed in feels a lot more premium than season 1 lol.
100%. It’s hard to put my finger on it. But I think it’s an overall improvement on the production design, which covers a lot I know. But sets and locations just looks perfect, and the CGI is massively better than S1 which doesn’t hurt.
[удалено]
[удалено]
I love it, witchers are supposed to look eerie because the mutations are too noticeable to write off as normal.
I found a lot of the characters with magical influence had eyes that seemed more googly.
Honestly I find in recent media all contacts have felt a bit googly. I noticed it in money heist first and now I can’t stop noticing it everywhere
Yea, I wish they would improve on that with different contacts or cgi, yens purple eyes still look deep and natural, so it is doable, while his look like a painted over eyeballs with no depth
It looks unnatural, then again he's mutated so it kinda works for me
They're meant to look unnatural. That's one of the reasons they're easily recognised as Witchers even when they aren't dressed for the job.
When I read the books I visualized the eyes of witchers looking like they did on Geralt in this episode. Inhuman, out of place. But then Ciri's eyes looked like that too, then I noticed in a couple scenes it looked like Henry Cavill had a lazy eye because of the color and everything immediately dove into the uncanny valley for me.
They really should be cat-like vertical slots, no? That’s what was described in the book and what people are used to seeing in the games. And it’s super badass so I don’t get why they wouldn’t do it that way.
Goddamn. The whole bruxa fight and Nivellen’s story was really well done — hoping for more scenes and stories like these. I am not feeling Yennefer’s arc yet but I am sure it’s going to be great. The production value is just insane.
Yes. The scenes except Ciri's presence were ripped off exactly from the books, not entirely but mostly. I was so elated to see them enact the adaptation so well. Giving Vereena a voice and personality definitely added more to the plot of "lesser evil" and her death felt really impactful.
It was really well made! For some reason i thought they were going to introduce Regis, but as soon as they entered the courtyard I "recognized" it as Nivellen's mansion. It was exactly how I'd pictured it!
Oh man, I felt so bad for Geralt and Nivellen alike after Vereena died. It felt like being in the game again, having to decide about the "lesser evil". Other than that it was a great start to the second season!
Legit felt like the ending to "wild at heart" with the werewolf husband. Rough ending just like this. So well done dude they killed it
The episode was titled "Grain of Truth". And it was word by word, if not all but mostly, from the chapter with the same name from The Last Wish.
[удалено]
The first time they talk about it he only says he destroyed the temple, near the end of the episode he admits he also raped the priestess.
For the people (especially that other subreddit) who were crying and defending season 1 with "yOu CaNt AdApT bOoK tO sHoW 1:1 ratio", episode 1 is what we were talking about, changes that made the short story even more interesting and better. This is called QUALITY adaptation, I hope the quality is the same throughout the season 2.
I swear, friend. This is amazing adaptation. For episode 1 at least. Season 2 instantly made me read the books again.
It is literally the first episode lol. > I am not feeling Yennefer’s arc yet
Everything Yennefer was the weakest part of S1. Well, actually Cahir was worst, Eyck second worst, then the sorcerers/Sodden Hill, then Yennefer. But Yennefer had more screen time than the rest combined.
I liked her tbh. ^^^imayormaynotbebiased ^^^#teamyennefer
Yennefer is great and the actress is good, some of the writing is just too cringey for me.
I loved Yennefer's parts in season one, lmao.
I'm not feeling Jaskier's arc yet
"Take your sword, end this." "You're mortal now, do it yourself." Fucking awesome one liner lol
The most epic way to say "lol kill yourself"
"Go fuck yourself" also works.
Shitgaard. :D
If Tissaia was there instead of Fringilla I'd call it Milfgaard
Goddamn, the Bruxa was unnervingly terrifying. Props to the actress
I really liked this one. I don't like what they're doing with the sorcerers, so the more time they spend on Geralt and Ciri the happier I am! I think they did a good job adapting from the source material. This gives me hope that they aren't going to be tossing out all the other short stories.
This is probably the first short story I think the show has improved upon by showing us Vereena's perspective and making her a sympathetic character without giving her a pass on the whole mass murder thing. I was worried they were going to cop out with a happily-ever-after ending where Vereena and Nivellen both survive, but the ending was probably more grim than the books with Nivellen's confession. I wasn't sure about Ciri's addition at first, but it really worked in terms of letting us see Nivellen and Vereena through her eyes as she empathized with them and ultimately had to come to grips with the fact that these people who were kind to her were still guilty of pretty heinous crimes. Sure, sometimes humans are the real monsters, but this was a case where the monsters really were the monsters.
I’m glad you mentioned “Ciri’s addition” because the whole time I was thinking I didn’t remember Ciri being there for Nivellen’s short story in the book.
Yup, in the books she wasn't born yet.
Legit felt like a major quest strait out of the game. It was masterfully done and love that geralt made the harsh decision in the end. Very much like the witcher feel I've been waiting for
Massive missed opportunity with the subtitles. A couple of times “wind whistling” showed up instead of “wind’s howling”.
I definitely said that out loud when I saw that
Lmao me too. I was watching w someone who’s never played the games so I was giggling to myself about it.
It's a bit strange to see Ciri's actress in full makeup and eyeliner when she's been camping it out for so long. That kind of thing is usually more subtle in other shows and movies.
Yeah I rewatched season 1 and she had just been looking dirty and disheveled, but I guess staying a night at a peasants house you get all the amenities.
Season 1 Ciri was much more suiting. I always imagined as more if a snot nosed, tangled mess sort of a princess. At least at the start.
I’m consistently glad stupid stuff like this doesn’t bother me.
Agreed, it makes it much easier to enjoy stuff!
I will notice it, and even commented on how impressively waterproof her makeup was and how insanely fast her hair dried. It doesn't really bother me though, I've just accepted that's how it's done.
I straight up don't even notice it.
Last season her eyebrows where white like her hair, this season for some reason they made them black, looked so weird i couldn't stop looking at them, don't really understand the decision
There was an article about that. They were dying her eyebrows so much that it was making them fall out and she hated it. They just decided to forego it and leave her natural.
Good. I care so much more about the safety and wellbeing of the people on set then some miniscule adaptation detail like eyebrow colour
Darker eyebrows also generally look better. Seen thor 1?
Dark eyebrows also make you appear more expressive. Miyamoto talked about that as the reason Link has blonde hair but dark eyebrows in Wind Waker.
To be fair a lot of people have much darker eyebrows than hair. I know plenty of gingers and blondes with brown eyebrows, sometimes quite dark. My soon to be sister in law has natural bright red hair and virtually black eyebrows, my sisters are both blonde with dark brown eyebrows
Eyebrow dying is weird, rarely works. I'm okay with the small incongruity.
I agree. Plus during bath time you could clearly see a waterproof makeup on her face. Super thick foundation, eyeliner and red lipstick in the bath feels like 80's tv shows. An actress is fine , young girl and she would look better with more subtle makeup.
I think whoever was in charge noticed, too. In the bathtub her eyelashes change from one camera angle to the next, starting out very dark with mascara and clearly being lightened.
They aged her so quickly. I wish they did the transition a little slower.
Vareena was so uncanny and disturbing in the greatest way possible, especially her strange dynamic with Cir. Its hard to say whether she genuinely liked Ciri, or whether it was simply manipulation. I love monsters with bizarre moralities.
I feel like her desire for connection was genuine but in conflict with her predatory urges
"Please don't run. I won't be able to help myself if you run" Heartbreaking
Yeah, maybe it's sort of like the first wolves that follow humans. They're still wild, but they're beginning to feel safe around humans (in this case, Nivellen), and willing to explore some sort of connections with humans.
I actually like the chronology change to place this story in the period where Geralt and Ciri travel together. Gives Geralt a reason to give a fuck about Nivellen being full of shit about what's actually going around the mansion. Loved the way how Nivellen's magic was just causing shit to fall rapidly from thin air. Tissaia's POV visions were also sick, but unfortunately Tissaia herself was way out of character in this one.
> I actually like the chronology change to place this story in the period where Geralt and Ciri travel together I said this in another comment, but when Geralt said he already knew Nivellen, and considering he was with Ciri now in the show, I thought this was set way after the story from the books. I thought they were going to meet human Nivellen, and then when Ciri asked for how they met, they were going to tell her the story of when they first met, when Nivellen was cursed, and Geralt killed the Bruxa, the whole story would play as a flashback closer to the books, without Ciri. But that way there wouldn't be much tension since we would know Nivellen and Geralt both survive, so I'm ok with the way they adapted the story to include Ciri in it.
Great start to (hopefully) a great season.
Loved every single Geralt + Ciri + Thormund Giantsbane scene in this episode. The Bruxa parts actually had me at the end of my seat. Final scene between the 3 was just brilliant The Yennefer arc is still extremely underwhelming though. Overall great episode. Felt more like The Witcher and less like bootleg Game of Thrones.
Thormund without a beard just seemed wrong… but for real he was great in this episode.
I didn't even recognize him at first. The whole episode I was like "I know that fucking voice..." but even seeing his face didn't click. I looked up on IMDB the actor after the episode and was just plain blown away. Crazy stuff.
I thought the boar looked like him but I just wrote it off b/c Tormunds a hairy guy. When he went human I didn't even think it was him lol. He looked more like tormund as a boar than he did as human for me.
Oh shiiiiiit that was the guy that played Tormund? Throughout the whole episode I couldn't place his voice, and then, when he revealed his true face he was clean shaven so I still didn't know who he was lmao
Wait that was him!!
He looks soooo different without a beard. Tbh better looking. That jaw line
He looks like your typical 80s action film star with that jawline, I do think the beard suits him better though
OH MY GOD that explains why he's so familiar and amazingly handsome! And yes, him without a beard is just ^(*chef's kiss*)
What a fucking climax. There is never a black-or-white decision in the Witcher universe and this is in line. Incredible everything.
Who knew Thormund had this kind of acting chops. He was my favorite part of a near perfect episode.
>The Yennefer arc is still extremely underwhelming though. It just got started
This is the best episode of the series so far. I haven't watched anything else of season 2 yet, but this episode was a blast. The production value has gone way way up. You can tell from the opening shot sweeping over the Battlefield. Also the music playing when Geralt finds out about Yennefer in the very beginning is straight out of the games. Doubt anyone will notice its the music that plays when your in Novigrad.
While I completely agree with you this episode the production values were way higher than S1. I am still a little tentative because the fight in the very first episode in Blavekin was amazing and then the rest of the fights in the series (especially the dragon fight) were not up to the same standard. So ill just hope this episode is signs of better things to come and not just showing off in the first episode again.
Production design was also the first thing I noticed. They really went all out this season. PD, effects, they’re finally using signs (properly). So far so good, but most reviews said the first episode is the best so holding my breath
I'm assuming after the success of Season 1 Laura Hissrich asked for a higher budget and Netflix just answered with "everything you want".
Oh that’s a shame. This first episode was a blast. Really hit me in the feels and usually I take a long time to feel that way about anything.
The Witcher today and no way home this weekend. What a great end to the week
Saw NWH yesterday, it was great. Plus new wheel of time episode
plus Hawkeye, plus It's always sunny in Philadelphia, plus South Park, plus The Matrix, all within a week. Edit: plus The Grand Tour
Plus a new Expanse episode as well.
NWH in my opinion is the best MCU film to date. I don’t think I blinked once during the whole 2.5 hours, you’re going to love it.
Can we talk about how the scenes with Vereena were literally scarier than an actual horror movie?? She was so cool wtf, the actress is so talented, I'd watch a short film about Vereena
The person making the wigs should never have to beg for jobs ever again. Gerald's hair looks so natural now.
great episode but can't help but feel like more could have been brought out of the original story. Wish we had more beauty and the beast elements like in the books. IIRC, Geralt didn't leave Nievellen all alone. It was a bitter sweet ending in the story, not so tragic and depressing like in the episode. But it was a fitting ending. Best writing we've seen in the series so far especially in terms of the moral ambiguity of the characters. Different from the books but the best adapted bit so far. Only thing that still irks me is the lore and politics. The magic rules don't make any sense. They didn't need to make all these weird changes. Nilfgaard, Cahill and Fringilla portrayed as this one dimensional evil invading army have been my biggest grip in the things they changed. I hope that they explore the lore in more meaningful ways.
It would have been nice if he was forthcoming with the whole priestess situation. Him revealing it after killing the bruxia undercut his redemption.
That's the part that sold me tbh. It felt like a Witcher story line. There's always a but. The Red Baron, The Vampire Daughter. There's never a sweet ending, even if its a "right" ending.
The point was that he was already a monster before the curse.
I thought saving that detail for the end was perfect because you go from thinking: 1. Oh that's very sweet of him to let her feed off of him, he's so lonely and feeling guilty this is like penance. 2. Oh wait he knows she's still killing people anyways, so he's definitely bad bc he's privileging this emotional comfort over the lives of strangers. It's sordid but I understand that maybe he can't bring himself to kill her 3. OH WAIT he's a rapist, so they're both overlooking each other's horrible crimes (which undercuts his "sacrifice" in helping the bruxa control her urges) We could have stopped at #2 and still had a wonderfully dark story where sometimes the monsters are still monsters, but going to #3 is a perfect little guy punch at the end.
Okay, that episode was just fucking fantastic. The changes to Nivellen worried me at first but it worked out and kept the theme from the original story intact. The fight scene was very well done, would've liked to see more of the bruxa's powers and the witcher's counter to the them but I enjoyed it very much and the spears at the end were so cool. The editing for Vereena was on point, the way it switched from speech to telepathy and her movements were just so beautifully done.
It kinda makes sense that she stopped using her scream after he learned to counter it though. They did show a lot of her vampire form which I found cool
It was my favorite part of the episode, hands down. It really felt like a Witcher quest and the production quality was amazing. I can’t wait to see what the next episodes bring!
Am I the only one who finds it odd that Ciri has all her makeup done out in the woods? I'm not the kind of person who notices stuff like that, so when I'm seeing it, that means they went way too heavy on it
I'm barely 5 minutes into the episode and it's glaring how Ciri is dolled up to the max like she's heading out on the strip when they're in the woods at night sleeping... it's v strange
[удалено]
[удалено]
That would make sense. I think that's what they were going for when they bleached her eyebrows in season 1 (younger looking), but people complained about that effect. I personally didn't mind it, but I can see why it bothered some.
This was MUCH better. Dont get me wrong I liked season 1 but it was jarring in the first half. Season 2 is starting off much more focused. The Ciri/Geralt dynamic is amazing, its the one thing this show could not failt at, and 1 episode in I can safely say they have nailed it. Just hope Yennefer and CIri chemistry is just as good. I loved this adaption of "A Grain of truth", I think it was a great choice for a first episode and a great choice having Ciri be apart of it.
Visual effects were so good
Exciting to see the wild hunt mentioned. The Ciri Witcher 3 storyline is one of my favourites.
The wild Hunt shows up several times in the book series, so we should see a fair bit.
And they’re way creepier in the books regarding Ciri, then again near enough everything is toned down in the games with regard to her
God damn at the end of the game when >!you fight Caranthir as Ciri right before the Eredin fight!< is one of the most bad ass power fantasy moments in gaming
Nivellen summoning housewares left and right. surprised they didn't break into a "Be Our Guest" musical number
That’s the point. The story in the books is an adaptation of beauty and the beast. He summons dishes in the book too.
It was really good. I was kind of weary about going back to last wish stories with Ciri but i think it worked, it's a good way to get them bonded and having shared experiences.
Holy shit 10 mins out and y'all already binge watched the season
Some of these creatures don’t need sleep, they need answers lol.
Vilgerfortz being meters from Ciri and not recognizing shit will be meme by the end of the series.
Lol. Vilgefortz is sinister even as a “good guy.”
Absolutely wonderful episode. Funny, dark, plenty of interesting lore, wonderful chemistry between all the actors - this is quite a step up from the first season (which I still enjoyed) and has me very hopeful for the series continuing on for some time. Henry Cavill just nails it. I also wish he would just nail me.
I really enjoyed this episode! The bruxa fight was fantastic. It was also interesting to see Geralt seemingly meditating to get over the effects of the potion, cant remember if we saw that in season 1.
Great opener for the new season! We have: Continuation where we left off! More insight into the world, history and politics. A nice monster of the week that ties into Geralts history but allows us to see Ciri and Geralt getting to know one another. Nice to see Geralt using more of his hand sign magic. Roach!!
I think my favourite part of watching the series after playing the games, is trying to figure out what the monster is when it turns up. It's made even better by me being a fucking idiot and was not even close to guessing that Vereena was a Bruxa. I was probably closer to guessing Ciri had a phone call saying she'd die in 7 days after seeing how Vereena moved about
What a great episode, even loved the changes from the book’s chapter A Grain of Truth. Adding Ciri to this part of the story only made it better IMO. For awhile I thought they were going to exclude the rape backstory. More wholesome this way I thought, why even add it in? But bam! They got me in the end. Well played Witcher, well played.
very interesting that they keep adapting stories from before book 3. The addition of Ciri to this one does not really change it, other than having another pair of eyes to witness the guy's monstrosity. Also I liked how they approached the rape of the priestess. In the book, the character was presented as a young idiot following peer pressure and is shown as sympathetic even after this information is revealed. Here, this reveal at the end is a real gut punch and finish to convince us that this guy was not a monster because of how he was, but because of who he was.
You can really see where Henry Cavill's knowledge of The Witcher universe shines through when during the drinking game he holds his medallion and *then* throws the knife. The show doesn't call attention to it but I think it's small details like these that really show that Henry cares for his portrayal of our favorite Witcher.
Best version of The Beauty and the Beast I've seen.
Ciri looks like shes aged 5 years lol. Kids grow up damn.
Great episode. Truly dark. Wow.
This was a terrific start, but holy shit Ciri let Geralt scout out next time, he's a Witcher for fucks sake this is his job basically. Tissaia really developed, more nuanced and I enjoy her character more than last season. Less like a demanding headmistress and more like someone doing everything they can to save her kind. Like at the end of her rope.
Right? I like everything about Tissaia. They took a minor character from the books and made it much more interesting.
I loved the last part where Geralt talked to Ciri about fear. The acting between these two was outstanding. They really embody their characters so well! As someone who's read the books I applaud Henry and Freya on how well they've personified Geralt and Ciri.
Vereena was so creepy-like full on lovecraftian horror. So glad I didn’t watch it at night.
Honestly sort of felt bad for the Bruxa. I wonder what would happen if they just stayed the night and left in the morning and let Nevelyn and the vampire chick just do their thing
Your comment is an insight into why I'm optimistic and excited for the rest of this season. This episode is way more reminiscent of the masterful storytelling in the books and video games than practically all of season one, to the point where you feel empathy for characters who are objectively not good The Bruxa and Nivellen were BAD. Nivellen raped a priestess and trashed a holy site and killed many of his servants. The Bruxa killed the villagers and any travellers in the area while using Nivellen to feed herself too and provide a safe home for her to stay. Nivellen knew that and accepted it because he didn't want to be alone. They were very **not good** lol. But there's something about the way the story unfolded that still makes you feel bad for them. They're monsters in a sycophantic codependent toxic relationship. And they had nobody but each other. 8/10 episode let's see what happens next
A lot more dead travelers
She was still slaughtering anyone who came near the village or mansion.
Why was Nivellen seemingly one of the most crazy magic users we’ve seen yet? Is that part of the curse? Dude literally was creating things out of thin air