Critique of The Witcher: Season 2, EP 1 - Grain of Truth - Netflix

[@Cupapet93]

As polish media describing it, "it's a paradise for new fans, but hell for the true fans"

[@vegaa]

No it is not. My wife is constantly asking questions becouse the script is mess, you have no idea about heroes motivations, everything is all over the place. They try to tell the story differently then the books but still they leave plot holes that you can try to cover with great difficulty, if you have knowledge about the books.

[@yigiter9266]

The fact

[@Altrantis]

@@vegaa My main problem is they try to capitalize on things they never set up. It's almost like they expect the viewer to already know things they haven't put on the screen because they're in the books.

[@Annawa1987]

@@vegaa Yeah, what the show fails most is to indicate when time passes. You always feel like things are happening day after day while there are actually months passing. E.g. they should have presented even 1 minute of Ciri having any "lesson" with Triss (like a typical scene from movies where they show a quick process of learning over several months condensed into several seconds). That would give a prspective that time has passed and she actually practiced anything, so then she was able to open the portal for her and Yennefer, etc.

[@polishFantasyEN]

Not sure. I'm interested in getting the non-fan point of view, but even if I try to distance myself from the book, writing and - especially - dialogues in the season don't really make a lot of sense. There's no logic involved whatsoever... And unlike S01, you cannot cover the plot holes with the book knowledge since the main story is fanfic.

[@user-tp6ho4un2c]

It’s kinda insane how they fast traveled from Cintra to Kaer Morhen in a matter of seconds

[@shaunsummers1856]

With Yen shouting the whole way

[@hiimzero7964]

Infact this was curiosly one of my biggest problems. It felt like the northern realms were just one country

[@carlosmendoza9039]

That happens when you change a hard drive for a ssd

[@KvapuJanjalia]

They came across the Fast Travel from Anywhere mod on Nexus.

[@chrsitophercollins1271]

Didn't seem they stayed long in KM either, not long enough for Ciri to learn anything.

[@blobdavies4100]

I just feel like Henry cavil is the only one who actually understands his character

[@sebb3301]

Imo all the actors are doing good job, it's just the writers fault that the characters turn out so poorly I don't give a shit about them

[@lefterismakos5374]

jaskier is actually excellent

[@avercromxd]

Yeah I get the feeling he is the only one who knows what happens in the books (cause he read them) but I hvae to say the actors are doing a good job playing the role they signed up which is not the same as the character in the books.

[@deadgum11]

@@lefterismakos5374 definitely

[@kapilthevkanapathipillai6424]

He and the guy who plays Dandelion

[@fredEM120]

I interpreted the thing about Ciri's grandfather being a drunk as a way of Geralt to cut that conversation short so she doesnt reveal that she's the lion cub of Cintra. The look he gave her was more of a "you talk too much, you'll blow your cover" to me.

[@CaptainMacOfCalhoun]

Yeah surprised by that point, thought it was somewhat obvious

[@timbaldwin]

Same here defo

[@rick1901]

same, that must have been Geralt's/Netflix's intent

[@ZachCottone]

exactly. this what i came to the comments for

[@aleksandramarciniak2521]

Because that was Geralt's intention as he didn't really trust Nivellen at that point. "Don't blow your cover, Ciri, it's enough that they blew this story already" XD

[@CrisM779]

The theme for this whole season was "forgetting the character arcs". I mean, who cares about profound things like that? It's not like the books are based on characters with consistent traits or anything. No, Yen can suddenly turn into a dishevelled mess who (comically) curses and has pathetic conversations with Fringilla instead of being a poised and dignified woman with an ego the size of the Continent... It's all fine for Netflix, it doesn't have to make sense.

[@Mr_Ink0gnit0]

Fun fact : That little Geralt Ciri chat by the fire at the end was actually Cavill’s idea and wasnt in the script.

[@xLetalis]

It would seem like most other things, especially in the following episodes, weren't his ideas then ;]

[@Eth77930]

​@@xLetalis I do not envy Henry. He is a big Witcher fan, knows the books and games, and I am pretty sure he is not happy with the direction the show is taking. And yet he is the one that carries the show on his shoulder, trying to be as true to Geralt's character as possible, within the boundaries set by the script and the director. So much for my favourite fantasy saga having a good adaptation :(. Maybe in 20 years someone else will have another go...

[@blackjack47]

@@xLetalis Blood of Elves е доста скучна книга, нз какво очакваш :Д I am just happy there is witcher show goign on :)

[@deimoslyric]

@@Eth77930 from his interviews where he states he's trying to keep true to the books, within the constraints of the writing, tells me that he is respectful of the show production, but that he is struggling to make the show like the books. I wish he was writing instead of Lauren Fisstech

[@Eth77930]

@@blackjack47 how is it boring? The kaer morhen part is good, the travel with Yarpens convoy is great, the episode on boat on Pontar is hilarious.

[@oceanidmakesmewet3739]

Yennefer really went from someone that knew every word from a dictionary, to someone that has the eloquence of a peasant. Im pretty sure she cannot form a sentence without using a swear word.

[@Shane-hp2mv]

It was really weird how much they changed her character

[@tricwriterr]

Tissaia will be like: When you spent years training them but all they learn is Shitguard, firefucker and shithead

[@andreimocanu2549]

to be fair in the books she curses some people so badly that even a "drunk mercenary would blush"

[@Shane-hp2mv]

@@tricwriterr I cracked up when she called Stregabor a fuckhead, so it wasn't all bad.

[@oliverwood6816]

they did that to make it better that she lost her magic when she got her powers back she even looks more elegant

[@Tonqra]

Poor Henry, he is trying his best to carry...

[@Thz333]

Yea, he is a really good Geralt actor. The show is just run by the wrong people.

[@Tonqra]

@@Thz333 true

[@HNav-qb3we]

With having to carry the entire show, it's no wonder he had a leg injury during production

[@triple1]

@@Thz333 And the wrong platform.

[@Thz333]

@@triple1 Guess im not the only one in pain lol.

[@turldog345]

Throughout the whole season I would feel like I was literally being dragged away from a great moment by some side plot I cared so little about. The writers complained about “having so much content with so little room to put it all in” but then they’ll throw in some totally redundant side story that wasn’t even in the books. No one asked for extra french fries, just give us the damn burger.

[@meatbagkiller7174]

Exactly all they had to do is copy the books and add a few other scenes so all characters get screen time and not just the protagonists

[@knightslayer6161]

Depending on the French fries extra fries aint so bad 🤤 but nah I get ya

[@meatbagkiller7174]

@@knightslayer6161 except they got confused and put so much ketchup you can barely taste the fries

[@knightslayer6161]

@@meatbagkiller7174 ew gross 😂 yea I feel ya. This show is all quantity no quality. Looks nice. So many characters yet they can’t completely tell one story and move on. Any one of the stories for Geralt and his monster hunting could’ve been an episode each. But they do too much and the pay off is so little.

[@turldog345]

@@knightslayer6161 I totally agree hahaha. For the sake of the analogy let’s just say we’re on a diet and only have room for so much. Why fill up on some soggy fries ya know?

[@SkAnD1NaV1An]

I've never understood why fantasy series feel the need to change the story to such an extent. If a book is popular and critically acclaimed, they likely have done something right. The lord of the Rings work because they adhere to the feel of the books, Game of Thrones worked /up until the last seasons) because they followed the themes and intrigues of the books.

[@weddywanderer8322]

I'm asking myself this every time I see a show like this fail. Like, Lotr was SO good, GoT until the last seasons as you said, all because the creators followed the books, like... what more do you need as evidence to understand you should never deviate from the source material, or as little as you can. I really want to know what creators are thinking when doing things like this. Do they think they can make it better? If so I just find it a bit disrespectful.

[@DeepDarkSounds]

You're being very generous to GoT, they followed the books for the first half of the series (S1-S4), then it went downhill.

[@weddywanderer8322]

@@DeepDarkSounds yeah tbh, agreed. But nothing can compare to the shitshow that was season 8.

[@slinksjoch]

lets be fair the books are only as successful as they are now because of the games and the creative liberties it took. not saying i dont like the books but sapkowski did sell the videogame rights for about 10k at the time i think that shows the lack of commercial interest in the witcher at that time.

[@homelesswizard3161]

Because you have to, books are written with the idea that they'll be read. Scenes and dialog can be very different from TV and when adapting they can't just copy and paste. Now include a budget and a schedule which greatly limit what you can do. So you have to cut, change, improvise. And TV attempts to reach a bigger audience, an audience that is not into reading books and won't appreciate aspects of the books that made the books loved by book readers. For example as was said in this video, the chapter from the book that this season was adapting was very slow and difficult to adapt. So changes were expected.

[@wolfieodimm9151]

the more i watch this show... the more i admire Witcher 3 and CDPR.

[@TheAnalgetikum]

So true. Every small Side quest is better than any episode. Sadly :(

[@Lynv]

Especially how they wrote those characters, personalities, dialogue everrything feels like canon to me.

[@wolfieodimm9151]

@@TheAnalgetikum well of course. CDPR understands the culture and lore... netflix is just trying to create a bootleg game of thrones

[@adrianmartinez5043]

read the books, and you will admire them even more than the videogame

[@alexisea8874]

@@adrianmartinez5043 i read the 7 books and played all the games and all are really good but this series is awful

[@Lowkenn_Edits]

what's funny is that the decent scene you said at the end of the video, is a scene that Henry Cavil demanded should be in the episode. He himself wanted it in not the person who wrote and directed the whole show.

[@xLetalis]

oh I didn't know, I can believe it

[@CapitanDePlai]

You can see it in some interviews that he is not really that happy with how they wrote this season.

[@Eth77930]

@@CapitanDePlai I am sure he is not. He is a big Witcher fan, read all the books, played the games, he so much wanted that role, only the be the main protagonist in this defilement.

[@RyanPiano25]

They should just make him the Director

[@Lowkenn_Edits]

@@RyanPiano25 the directing isnt the issue its the person whos writing and producing. if he became a producer he would have a lot more say in the shows outcome.

[@xLetalis]

Best episode of Season 2.

[@THEmurk1nGURK1N]

Agreed

[@atisnicholson1844]

Best episode of the whole show. Which basically means, that it's quite mediocre, but certainly not bad. Unlike the rest of the series

[@shirgall]

I definitely agree.

[@nfohkens20]

Yeah I think this is pretty undeniable regardless if book reader, game player, or only show watcher.

[@qzoid3060]

By far. And it still wasn’t good.

[@Altrantis]

My favorite scene from blood of elves was that one where Geralt's just in a boat talking with a scientist from Oxenfurt. Nothing remotely similar to it in the season.

[@sardaukan]

Same, you really get a good look of Geralt's character with those conversations he's having with the scientist and thus the depth of his intellect, which is sorely missing in this season. Such a waste of potential.

[@masseffect435]

I love how the scientist takes geralt for an idiot and argue with him about a monster with stupid theory while geralt mess with him and observe the water waiting for the monster they're debating about comes to end that conversation.

[@Kvh47]

Love that chapter aswell, it is also where he reads the dear friend letter which says more about Yennefers character than they managed in the entire season on Netfllix.

[@cosmic2750]

Ah I remember that that was such a great moment tbh.

[@verar2247]

In Russia in 2000s, Witcher novels was probably for some time more popular than LoTR, when first Witcher tv series was out many of us claimed it as absolute failure and said it is impossible to make something worse. Little do they knew... btw I personally like polish Witcher quite a lot

[@xLetalis]

I find it strange that they weren't popular at all in Bulgaria, they only started showing up after the Witcher 2, and especially after the Witcher 3

[@lynnthomas8457]

I said it in season one, I'll say it again. In making the stories more "accessible" to modern audiences by increasing combat and changing the timelines, they REALLY dumbed down the story, removing both the political intrigue and the moral greyness, and in doing so lose their impact.

[@Altrantis]

OMG the spycraft stuff is some of the best parts of the witcher.

[@ThomasTZh]

"increasing combat"? To be fair, the combat scenes are terrible as well. I have never seen witchers moving this slow. The show is just terrible in all ways.

[@darko-man8549]

the bruxa was barely a threat which is sad

[@xLetalis]

well said ;[

[@Yenn-Z]

Cant wait till you say this again for season 3

[@hoya1178]

"It would be a straight translation of the books… I think there's just so much material that I don't feel the need to start inventing my own to keep it going." -Lauren Hissrich

[@Eth77930]

Did she really say that? I wonder if she actually believes what she says, or just fakes it.

[@hoya1178]

@@Eth77930 Yep, she really said that.

[@Ignisan_66]

She is a fraud and should not be running this show. She's on par with David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. it's a disgrace to the books and true fans of the Witcher.

[@DexterNewton32]

@@Ignisan_66 no, at least Benioff and Weiss did a great job adapting the first few seasons. They are shitheads for loosing interest at the end and rushing the show in a time where they had less source material to work off of, just to get to their next project. But at least they were doing a great job early on

[@darko-man8549]

@@DexterNewton32 D&D knew how to adapt, they sucked when it came to not having fully fledged ideas to adapt with. Lauren sucks at adapting and just wants to do her own thing. but that own thing is mediocred

[@oweno4478]

I was soo sad that they didn't actually include the dear friend letter, I was soo looking forward to that.

[@xLetalis]

yeah, I called that too!

[@1Shapic1]

But they give it justice when Ciri meets Yen in the temple

[@oweno4478]

@@1Shapic1 I wouldn't say give it justice but I did at least appreciate the nod

[@16Modra6]

Me too

[@lucaprzirembel8979]

Even the games I think included it in a way. I think it was in Blood and Wine with the Witchermutagens

[@TJS44_]

I was stunned with how little I enjoyed this season, the first one had me addicted so hard I stayed up all night to finish it in one go, but this one took me 4 days to watch because I simply didn't care about the plot, after seeing how different nivellans story was to the book was the first bad omen but the amount of unneeded cursing really shows how lacking the writing was this season

[@jonbaxter2254]

I binged it just so I could be done with it qwuicker. Back to Arcane rewatches then...

[@TJS44_]

@@jonbaxter2254 yup, need to start watch no. 5

[@shylockwesker5530]

Same here.

[@carolinepajak6911]

I didn't even finish, still have 3 episodes to go. First sezon I watched 3 times within a week. Such a disappointment. It was just super boring

[@Cirilla___]

Man I rly love how passionate Letalis always is. I rly love this universe and i am a bit sad about what Netflix did to Blood of Elves. Hope they will go back to the source material in season 3. This wasn't close to what we've expected. I am kinda hyped for your Critics video for the rest of the season. Keep it up man. Love your work.

[@xLetalis]

thank you ;]

[@bartoszko9901]

I dont think its possible to go back anymore… unless they say it was all geralt’s dream after taking some fisstech

[@SandevistanTV]

This season got me back into the books, unfortunately for all the wrong reasons..

[@xLetalis]

heh, still not bad ;]

[@SandevistanTV]

@@xLetalis At the end of the day, I'll still be here for season 3 cause I can't get enough of of Henry's portrayal. I'll just keep my expectations a little lower next time

[@Night_Rose_94]

@@SandevistanTV but... Wasn't this Henry's last season? I think his celebrity twin who's name i forgot is acting as Geralt now

[@zordo90]

Same! This show is making me ache for the real thing haha

[@dawnguard1723]

The same reason I started my next witcher 3 playthrough today. This time I am going with a sign build. I rather replay the Witcher games 100 times than watch this season again ever

[@mr.lafitte336]

I've never been so disappointed in a series in all my life. Killing Eskel in the second episode? Yeah, goodbye forever. You don't deserve to summon any bitches!

[@dr.pudu21]

Same, I was so angry when that happen. It was like, hey the boys... Eskel looks kinda ass but ok. He died.... man, he died. This is trash.

[@Can-dd4sc]

And my dumb ass thought that they are going to resurrect him until I saw his corpse. Anyway it is my fault because I underestimated the stupidness of the writers.

[@m_yna_st]

I was so angry watching it. The entire portrayal of Eskel was unforgivable and the exact opposite of his character in the book. I mean…why create all new nameless witchers (who shouldn’t be there and contributed nothing) and kill off one of the important book characters. I like the show and I waited 2 years for season 2, but it’s by far the worst adaptation I have ever seen

[@januszkurahenowski2860]

@@m_yna_st Eskel wasn't an important book character, he was described somewhat but he wasn't involved in the story in any meaningful way. Did you even read the books or did you assume he was important?

[@Can-dd4sc]

@@januszkurahenowski2860 He was one of the original 5 witchers who survived the sacking of Kaer Morhen.

[@sanniichigo949]

I wish the soundtrack was more stylised. I can't remember a single motif after watching this season two times already not to mention that the whole show starts to feel like a generic fantasy franchise when one of it's strengths was the cultural background or atmosphere behind it which cd projekt and percival captured perfectly

[@xLetalis]

yeah, Season 1 had it better in that department I guess

[@snowcune9342]

Burn butcher Burn was a good song. Joey Batey did a great job with it. I loved the line 'Did you even care with your swords and your stupid hair'.

[@sanniichigo949]

@@snowcune9342 yeah, burn butcher was great

[@racernatorde5318]

Kaer Morhen had one good song. Though I didn't bother to look it up afterwards. Apart from reusing the season 1 main motif, it was the only piece that cought my attention

[@Spherrum]

How is it different from season 1? I only remember the main theme (because it plays in the intro in each episode) and that god damn coin song.

[@XaeeD]

Agree with Yen's speech. She's constantly swearing and cussing. I mean she sounds like an old geezer down in the pub: "Fuck, shit, shitface, firefucks". Not that her character should never use profanity, but this is a very different Yennefer than the one in the books, or the games even. Yennefer in the game sounds how she looks: elegant, intelligent, sophisticated with a touch of irony, but always dignified. Love her or hate her, but at least she expresses herself right. She can be supportive or patronizing, commanding or caring, humorous or serious, as the situation demands, but overall game Yennefer's speech can be described as eloquent and classy. Series Yennefer sounds like a sarcastic broad after a bottle of white wine. She sounds more like that wench in Oxenfurt: "You don't believe me either! Fuck you! Fuck you all!!"

[@Puppy_Puppington]

Lmfao. Funny u mention her. It stuck in my head when I did that mission.

[@justhair17]

Defo agree about Yen. Her dialogs are absolutely amazing in the game and most of her lines are funny as hell. Here, she just curses

[@kilyann]

"Love her or hate her" - Never understood how someone could hate her. In the books or games. In this trashy series everything is possible.

[@goncalobaia1574]

Man you really ended that comment with a classic didn't you

[@Nara.Shikamaru]

I feel like Henry Cavil’s character is the only one the writers understand. He’s a big fan of the games and some of the other actors have read the books, but a lot of them are less devoted to the world they’re playing a part in. This season seemed better overall, even if they changed some aspects of the characters and books. They approached Eskel really poorly, especially considering that Lambert has always been more “cruel” or “crass” than the other witchers. If they were going to kill off a character it should’ve been Lambert, at least that story arc would have fit Lambert’s character better than it fits Eskel. We didn’t need the gratuitous, cheap drama that the Kaer Morhen story added, and especially not at the cost of a fan favorite character. The Deathless Mother story was good for Ciri’s character develops emt but it ultimately comes at too high of a cost to the narrative as a whole. The addition of a loss of chaos to Yennefer’s story line not only has no precedent in the books, but it serves as little more than a plot device to reunite characters that aren’t supposed to be reunited yet. Having Yennefer be prepared to sacrifice Ciri, the girl who she’s supposed to view as her own daughter one day, is too far of a departure. With this betrayal in mind, it’s hard to imagine how Geralt could forgive her or come to love her again, let alone Ciri (who would’ve been sacrificed). If they wanted to approach this change in Ciri’s character they should have waited until her adventures and heartbreaks with the members of The Rats in a future season. Having Ciri become possessed and bring more unnecessary death to the witchers of Kaer Morhen wasn’t necessary. It sets up a situation that should have too much strife between Geralt and his brothers. On another, related note, the characterization of Vesemir was botched. Vesemir was previously established to be greatly remorseful over the actions of the witchers and their indoctrination, experimentation, and subsequent murder of children. In the Wild Hunt (I know the events in the games don’t have a bearing on the story from the books, but the characterizations should at least be noted) he is specifically opposed to the idea of using the trial of grasses on Avallac’h, so the idea of him wanting to use it on the girl who’s essentially his granddaughter is far too vast a departure from the Vesemir we know and love.

[@Fuerto203]

I agree with most of what you're saying, but I have to object to the last part about Vesemir and Ciri. Specifically because the show takes place when they are just getting to know each other. Vesemir WILL view Ciri as basically his granddaughter eventually, but the show takes place far too early in their relationship. Right now, Ciri is simply Geralt's child of surprise to Vesemir

[@Nara.Shikamaru]

@@Fuerto203 I understand that, but I’m saying I don’t know how they’ll ever get to that point now.

[@rendolf454]

I was looking forward to this video! Honestly, the saddest part about this season (and the show in general) is that people who are very immersed in the lore of The Witcher cannot enjoy the show for what it is because of all the odd plot holes and lack of story depth that the books and the games have (which arguably makes The Witcher such a good series). I can't help but wonder what this show would be like if it was my first encounter with The Witcher universe.

[@LorenzoEliasGiuseppone]

I played a bit of witcher 1, a bit of witcher 2 and all witcher 3. I red 1 book of short stories and nothing from the ciri books. For me, as an absolute ignorant of the story, the show is quite enjoyable.

[@thelouisjohnson]

This is really the crux of the show, for us newbies: it’s nice to have the books to look forward to.

[@justyourordinarytom6528]

i just cant stand the show its utter bullshit. Yes im die hard fan witcher games and books are my childhood but the show is just garbage

[@hannamkit4303]

I don’t know why it makes me angry, but it does. I feel like shaking every person who keeps yelling they love the show… I want to throw the book at them and scream READ!

[@Comissar_Carolus]

@@hannamkit4303 I get you SO much :)

[@19megusta97]

Episode 2 be like: Oh boy, Eskel is a bit young and hot headed. Bet he will be the calm badass we know and love by the end of the season! 30 minutes later: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NETFLIX???!!?!?!?!?

[@maxmustermann369]

would be my last critique. they fudged up much more with other characters, their interaction and the story as a whole imo...

[@Sumowning]

Yeaaaah.. I'm not the only one

[@harrycake9407]

Yup I really can't believe it, just the whole Lambert, Eskel or the witchers in general felt so underwhelming, these dudes should have that heavy Viking feel, not the hey we're generic model boys who look pretty.

[@agilemind6241]

@@harrycake9407 Skellige is the viking analog, not the witcher. The witchers are supposed to be more like warrior-monks - Kaer Morhen is their monastery, Vesimir is their sensei, purging emotion & emphasis on technique & training granting them super human abilities, their unique special weapons and the fact they are politically neutral. All very much monk-ish. Even the "training of children that borders on abuse" is far more associated with monks than with vikings. It's why I found most of the witchers being portrayed as filthy, vulgar, horny, morons very disappointing. The witchers should be extremely competent but narrow in their knowledge, and emotionally reserved not making dumb jokes, and criticizing each other all the time.

[@Mercobenzine]

It’s sad to see these great books and story line go to waste, if done properly this could have been an incredible series

[@bangbus2350]

Yeah thats basically my take on the series as well " just sad"

[@oliverpasztor788]

What really hammers home what you just wrote is Arcane. It had a similar budget, but it had what the Witcher series lacks, namely competent and passionate writers. With someone, who is truly a fan of the books and a good writer himself this show could've been great. Such a shame.

[@Grivehn]

@@oliverpasztor788 Riot remained there to help making the series. Yeah, the writers cared and knew what they were doing. So rare these days. Plus it may look woke at first, but its really not. Arcane might be the best game adaptation we'll ever get. On the other hand, Witcher is insufferable. Even Ciri was bad this season. Cavill stands out like a sore thumb alongside a few other MALE actors. Liked Vesemir too, for example. Eskel was also good while he lasted, but Lambert was butchered figuratively, while Eskel was literally.

[@hugocorreia8039]

The series is not for people who read the books

[@michaelallen9571]

I hate to hear that ive only watched the first episode and noticed major differences from the books. Kind of disappointed reading your comment about the series lol

[@AgedCheese123]

I think one of their major problems in this episode and in the series in general is that they stray off the original story and in the way they miss the core points of it so the chages just feels like a big downgrade. I think some changes could be good but in this case I think it would be better if they just stick to the actual story from the books. Why fix something thats not broken

[@asdefasdef1]

He says "her grandfather was a drunk" to remind Ciri that she shouldnt be revealing her identity. They share a knowing look while he does it

[@fatchildcookie]

And this is, in my estimate, the best episode of the season. It's only going more downhill from here bois and girls and leshies! The remark about removing the Netflix stamp from Blood of Elves book is spot on too. Honestly, the dialogues in the books are almost 1:1 adaptable to the series, and they are insanely well written, by far one of the strong points of the whole franchise. How did they manage to screw that part so magnificently I still cannot comprehend. I don't want to comment about the whole Francesca and token elf Filavandrel plotline. Just like the driads, dopplers and co., Netflix really has a way of butchering minor races (full on irony on this one)

[@Eth77930]

I love Sapkowski, but I am not blind enough to ignore the fact that he is not so good at writing a novel, but he is great at short stories, character portrayal, and BANTER! The dialogues are witty, hilarious, often sarcastic, sometimes philosophical, but I don't think there is a single weak dialog in the books. And they completely abandoned that. I hate when the scriptwriters think they are better than the author of the original. They could have seen you can make true adaptation that is good (LoTR), and that deviating can often be for the worse (GoT later seasons). But no, they had to explore the wrong path themselves.

[@bartoszboboryko4684]

@@Eth77930 with GoT example , the scenes with Aria and Tywin, are Perfect example of how to make something better than in books which is very rare

[@DexterNewton32]

@@bartoszboboryko4684 they are aldo a prime example of how you include your original material without intruding on and ruining the main story beats.

[@bubbles574]

I wish they did more with nivellan’s garden. I really wanted the scene where one of the girls would ride on top of Nivellen to scare visitors. I absolutely hate the contact lenses they got most of the actors to wear. They look super fake

[@Altrantis]

I like yen's contacts, Geralt's are OK. But most of them are way too obvious. And Ciri doesn't need them, the actress' natural eyes are fine for the character.

[@blacknauthiz]

Btw some people wonder why Geralt doesn't have cat pupils. I've been wearing weird colorful contact lenses for years and I think I know the answer. You have to constantly check if they didn't twist :p you can imagine how stupid this looks

[@bubbles574]

@@blacknauthiz that does make sense. But they spent so much on CGI. Wish they did more with making the lenses look more natural

[@MddHound]

@@blacknauthiz More expensive lenses can be leaded, this is also done for people with those "warps" in their eyes and need a precise degree in the glass/lens to make the two images slide into one. All in all they put a little lead into it to keep the low point fixed. That could have easily been done with the cat-eyes as well, no problem if they had decent contactlens makers. The current lenses are hideous, I have seen much older movies with better jobs done..!

[@hellothere-ij2ij]

I knew I wasn't the only one who spotted the sad geralt face Also hello there

[@xLetalis]

hey

[@k0rnd4wg69]

General Kenobi!

[@MandalorSkyrd]

General Kenobi

[@Contact_Mike]

General Kenobi

[@bilalk85]

GENNAARRALLL KANOBEEE!!

[@listless22]

Grain of truth was my absolute favorite story in the books. The tense and subtle interactions between Nivellen, coupled with the moral complexity presented, is absolute master craft of story construction with more being said between the lines than the written dialog itself. The show strips that all away with abusive editing. They took a living, breathing story and made it something suitable for a half assed cw adaptation. Making them old friends instead of complete strangers was the biggest mistake.

[@GO0DWOLF]

I haven't finished season 2 yet, but one of the things that I miss about the books, at least the first couple, were the underpinnings of them being dark versions of familiar fairy tales. A Grain of Truth was Beauty and the Beast. Butcher's source material borrowed heavily from Snow White with nods to Rapunzel. Also, in seeming to try to make it more modern, they've stripped out a lot of the moral ambiguity of the source material. Like leaving Nivellin to live forever alone when in the source that wasn't part of the story at all.

[@Maijolin1]

I agree on the profanity part: saying "fuck" too often cheapens the word and can get annoying at times. I loved "Shitgaard" though, that one made me laugh. Anya Chalotra is brilliant at delivering her (profane) lines, which is why I believe the overused it a little...

[@steviebro0538]

I think we also have to note that in the show version she's at her lowest point because of her lose of magic to the point of bargaining with Voleth Meir.

[@MandalorSkyrd]

@@steviebro0538 doesn't mean she has to become Season 1 Geralt with her swearing ;)

[@oceanidmakesmewet3739]

@@steviebro0538 she's +100year old but acts like a teenager, i find her lines kinda weird :/

[@steviebro0538]

​@@MandalorSkyrd That's what a cynical person would do though, and she hasn't done it too much as I can describe every time. Fire fucker as the description was used as even in the books they didn't know much about Rience while trying to flee to protect Ciri's identity. The fuck uses were done each time she recognised the situation, mainly because of being captured.

[@AB8511]

@@MandalorSkyrd Perhaps, but as was noted above it IMHO fit the characters under circumstances (If i lost my magic - thing which would define me as a person for decades and had doubts if i will ever be able regain it I would not mind my language either). And comparison with Yennefers letters from books is a bit misleading here. People express themselves differently under different circumstances. But generally I think that Letalis´s problem here is that he can not get over the books / games (and I understand it - CD projekt could consult him about the their own games). And do not get me wrong, I like both, but at second episode it became clear, that we are watching different version of main story, set in the witchers world. We can argue about its pros and cons, shortcomings and advantages and do all glorious fandom stuff. Personally I have no problem accepting this version of story is another legitimate variant and artistic expression of Netflix...

[@isabelcopeman5325]

can't wait for the episode 2 review! It's gonna be a fun controversial one :)

[@xLetalis]

oh boy...

[@elizabethalderman8749]

I stopped watching. Absolutely infuriating and I spent a good 5 minutes just shrieking into a pillow to vent. My sister and I have read the books, multiple comics, short stories, played the games and even watched the old attempts at live action but THIS was horrendous.

[@Shane-hp2mv]

@@elizabethalderman8749 Once I stopped looking at it as an adaption of the source material and started seeing it as it's own independent entity, I realised it can be pretty enjoyable.

[@elizabethalderman8749]

@@Shane-hp2mv I was of that same mindset UNTIL they hurt destroyed some crucial details and characters. There is SO MUCH POTENTIAL for the story and so many ways to achieve the same goals but Netflix keeps dropping the ball. It’s not ALL bad but I can’t stick with it.

[@Shane-hp2mv]

@@elizabethalderman8749 I feel exactly the same way. There's enough that I like about it to keep me watching and hoping for better, but it is still a relentless butchering of the source material.

[@justonionbro314]

I feel really cheated that the Leshen was completely side tracked...

[@xLetalis]

Yeah, the built up the whole lore of mutated monsters only to sweep it aside in favor of new peculiar monsters with yet another origin

[@Moonshadowad]

Haha yeah, the "leshy" ffs :')

[@Witcherino]

Actual leshen or Eskel leshen? :v

[@DexterNewton32]

@@Moonshadowad so im not the only one who was confused by them saying 'leshy'?

[@TheWolverine1984]

9:15 They removed the rape from Nivellen's story just for it to be the "punchline" of the episode. So that Geralt and Ciri would pass judgment on him in the end and be disgusted with him. Which will send a very progressive, nowhere before heard message to the viewers, that rape is bad. It's as if raping the priestess 12 years ago is the worse thing Nivellen did. While having a hand in the countless men and women being **murdered** by the Bruxa is not that bad. Ciri even shows compassion to the Bruxa even when she knows she's a murderer. But no compassion for Nivellen. Rape is bad, don't you know? Murder? Nah... That's OK. This ruins the whole redemption arc of Nivellen. He was a good guy who did a bad thing and then regretted it, was punished for but he's still a good guy. In the story, you supposed to feel compassion towards Nivellen. Yet in Netflix, he never was a good guy and he isn't now, he deserves every bad thing that happened to him and the audience supposed to feel contempt towards him.

[@Mrityugata]

To add to that, I think they made a mistake by having Nivellen mention "falling in with a bad lot" and being "high on mushrooms" in relation to the raid. The "rape worse the murder" stance could have made sense if one crime involved some mitigating circumstances, while the other did not.

[@karlmodry716]

Not a single female character is a bad person from what they wanted to show us. Renfi and her planed massacre (poor girl, cry me a river), now this nice little HUGE VAMPIRE WHO KILLED SO MANY PEOPLE AND POSESSED NIVELLEN (his dreams) just doesn´t want to hurt Ciri, she is her friend. Writers of this show are silly with those naratives.

[@peterschattmann8298]

This series is as woke as all the others out there. What a shame.

[@velianlodestone1249]

@@peterschattmann8298 It's not really about being woke, it's about our society as a whole. Rape is worse than murder in our society, I think that's skewed, but it is. Anyway in our society, in our light, as soon as you hear "Nivellen raped the priestes" - he's the bad guy, so bad in fact, whatever he says or does now does not matter. He's evil.

[@KrIsstyanuS]

That because the Bruxa is a woman .

[@krono069]

"Was he a drunk?" It went over your head. Garalt was trying to hide who Ciri is with that statement.

[@phoenixguild8375]

Season 2 is really difficult, because for me, its like the writers promised one thing in all the press, and delivered another entirely. I agree that Episode 1 was easily the best, but man, it feels like the characterization of everyone but Geralt is just off. It sucks so much that the writers have changed so much to make it inferior to the books. I have no issue with changes so long as they improve, but I don't feel that any of the changes here improve. Also, is it me, or does anyone else feel like most of the other Male characters in the show are either wholly monstrous or bumbling idiots. It feels like the only "good guy" is Geralt and that's really disappointing given the moral ambiguity presented in the books. As a side note, I'm gonna have to re-read Grain of Truth, when I originally read it I was freezing my butt off in a tree stand and missed some of the details you pointed out. Great stuff as always

[@Sarah-og3mp]

You make the exact point I've been thinking since season 1. Changes are good, but only if they improve. I feel like theyre changing things just for the sake of it. I can't tell you how many times I've watched a scene and thought "ok, but why". What are the changes trying to do? Maybe there is a reason and plan behind this but i seriously dont understand

[@xLetalis]

[@phoenixguild8375]

@@xLetalis Curiously wondering, I dislike the idea that they're going to make a "Family Friendly" Witcher story, which to me makes no sense in a world that prides itself on adult moral ambiguity and philosophy. What's your take on it?

[@Sp4rKzTV]

I liked some of the changes but mostly season 2 was a disappointment. I thought having monster coming from other sphere everytime Ciri uses her power, and having them attracted to her like a magnet was a cool idea. The monolith aren't in the books but I liked this idea. It's a good way to get more action into a TV show, to introduce alternate universe earlier and I think this is not a bad change. Also having Istred and Geralt working together (knowing the short stories and everything between them) was pretty cool, ironic and funny. Istredd doing all the research on the Monolith was also fine to me. I liked the actor in season 1 and I think he is doing a good job in season 2 (although Istred is not an important character at all in the books). Anyway those changes were ok for me. I also thought having Vilgefortz taking credit for Soden was fine. In the books the battle of soden is only mentionned, there's no PoV of the event. History is often written by the victors so having Yennefer being the one who saved everyone in Soden but not getting credit for it because officially the history book will say it was Vilgefortz made sense. It's not necessarily a choice I love but it was OK and a huge step in the right direction (before they fucked everything up again anyway later in the season). I hated the deathless mother. Terrible villain and I don't see book Yennefer, Fringilla or Fransesca ever making a deal with a Demon anyway. It was totally unnecessary to drive the plot forward. Also disliked what they did with the other witchers, Vesemir and the Leshen possession. It wasn't good or necessary.

[@Spherrum]

@@phoenixguild8375 In which way is it family friendly?

[@srdjanvukojevic5755]

I was waiting for this review like Christmas ever since i binged all season in one sitting.

[@xLetalis]

hope it was worth it

[@srdjanvukojevic5755]

@@xLetalis Definitely,cant wait for rest of the episodes(they are pretty bad)

[@theofficialguy]

About Eist being a drunk: I might have misinterpreted Geralt's and Nivellen's relationship, but i thought Geralt said that Ciri's grandfather was a drunk to hinder Ciri from talking more about her family and accidentally revealing herself to be a princess.

[@xLetalis]

hm... I don't know, I suppose it could be the case

[@ethanangmar3549]

That’s exactly what I thought too. His look to her after saying it isn’t something spiteful, but it’s got a warning as if to say “now is not the time”. Same look you get from your parents when you say something at the dinner table that isn’t appropriate

[@Om-iq1oh]

That's definitely how I took it too !

[@Kareemcatalan]

Isn't King Roegner technically Ciri's grandfather?

[@colcasey3853]

@@Kareemcatalan This.

[@mjameshenry]

Thanks for making this video. Since I've never read the books, there are a lot of things I didn't understand about the characters in the Netflix show, and these videos provide a lot of the context that Netflix didn't. I was completely lost when trying to figure out Vereena's personality or motivations in the episode, so it was difficult for me to understand what was going on or how I should feel about any of it. Once the episode was over, I wasn't really left with any strong impressions about what had just happened. It seems like the books provided a much more emotionally impactful experience, but, in fairness to Netflix, I don't know they could have fit all of that backstory and nuance into a single hour-long episode.

[@xLetalis]

My pleasure :) To be fair, the story of Nivellen and Vereena is about 30 pages long, perhaps if they had focused the entire episode on it they could've presented it well enough.

[@jeanzhao3661]

Why you can't enjoy this show: They expect you to remember the books/games in terms of world building, backgrounds and characters, While simultaneously forget about the books/games in terms of the Plot. This makes it ultra confusing for new fans (As I was when I watched S1 before the books/games), and disgusting for familiar fans (As I am now). Nobody's happy in the end.

[@JaspWomanizer]

I watched a part of the Graham Norton Show where they talk with Cavill about season 2. Henry looks genuinely disappointed and not very proud, not even happy when talking about it. And knowing he's a fan of the books and the game, I can fully understand why that'd be the case.

[@einindividuum5428]

I didn’t like the conversation about fear at all, because in the books there is a clear statement of fear being useful. It is written more complex than I stated it here but it is kind of the opposite in the books. It is one of my favourite passages so this scene is certainly one of the cringeworthy moments for me. Either way, I love your reviews of the show because you explain why you like or dislike things, compare everything to the books and I feel like you have a good eye for details. It is a pleasure to watch the videos :)

[@jjnull8108]

I think it depends. Both the series and the books are right here. Fear can be useful to keep you alive, but too much fear can become an illness if it isn't faced. It can become paralizing.

[@Intelligenzbestie]

@@jjnull8108 fear being viewed as negative is the obvious "you need to overcome your fears" trope tho, whereas the interpretation of the books is an interesting twist on the concept. In many instances the show sacrifices the interesting (I wouldnt necessarily say complex) themes of the books for straight up standart tropes and clichés in my opinion.

[@TrykusMykus]

Every time the screenwriters of the show use a book quote it seems like they do not understand the content of the book and the meaning behind the written words. So it ends up being just random quotes with completely different meaning (or no meaning at all like with "something more").

[@jjnull8108]

@@Intelligenzbestie I mean it's not like "use your fear" and seeing a positive side of fear itself is an original trope. I'd say both are often used. Honestly, the books are great and they normally play outside of the box but often I just see fans putting them on a pedestal and it just makes me think they're just not very well-read.

[@einindividuum5428]

@@TrykusMykus That’s my impression as well. I have the feeling the writer marked some quotes and wrote it into his script but the context of the situation the quotes derived from or even the relation to whole story of the books is lost somehow. It feels strange.

[@elizabethalderman8749]

So glad I have someone to talk to about this monstrosity because they’ve done wrong. Totally abandoned the series after “the incident”

[@SImrobert2001]

What Incident?

[@MandalorSkyrd]

The incident?

[@snowcune9342]

@@MandalorSkyrd maybe he's talking about the battle of Sodden idk

[@caiomarques8968]

Im with you Elizabeth!

[@Contact_Mike]

I think the incident is season 1 XD

[@saliuarts]

I was so disappointed with how they handled the Nivellin arc, the books version was so emotional. Really drives home how the showrunners don't understand the material they're adapting.

[@shoazdon7000]

That episode was the best of the season, for a tv depiction I feel like they did pretty good I mean what else would you want them to do to make it more emotional, that episode was funny, terrifying, sad and will have been shocking for new fans . The show runner is a dumbass don’t get me wrong but at this rate I think people’s expectations are too high and Witcher fans are being too critical over little things. There’s needs to be a balance

[@NerdyPanda-td1tz]

Yup… also why was ciri there? Geralt meets nivellin in the first book, before he gets to ciri… they totally rewrote the story, they meet eachother by chance, parting as friends. In the show, they made it as them knowing eachother before he became a monster. In the books he’s supposed to have head of a bear, in the show he looks like a boar? And again why the fuck was circi there? If your gonna rewrite a story entirely then don’t put it in? That was so pointless and so upsetting. It’s one thing to do adaptation of a story, it’s another to completely rewrite and just throw shit together. Very sad thing. As a polish person who loves the Witcher books and games so much, I’m very sad what Netflix is doing :(

[@NerdyPanda-td1tz]

@@shoazdon7000 the expectation is to not rewrite the story. Netflix promised to follow the source material. They threw that away this season.

[@cybervoid8442]

@@NerdyPanda-td1tz who cares if it's not the same as book? The games are different from the books and so is the show. I like having different stories of the witcher

[@NetAndyCz]

@@NerdyPanda-td1tz ' In the books he’s supposed to have head of a bear, in the show he looks like a boar? ' There are a lot of questionable changes but this is not one of them.

[@TejasK21]

Damn! what a capturing storytelling! I think we need xLetalis reciting or reviewing the chapters from books!

[@xLetalis]

:)

[@monikaczech1337]

They cant call this an adaptation... Maybe just this 1st episode.. From there, it just gets worse.. I love how you describe Nivellen and Vereena´s strory that was described in the books. Cant wait for your reviews of the next episodes, and especially the behaviour of Vesemir in the series... :( Love your channel :)

[@jankominek3017]

Exactly, main villain from this season is not even mentioned in the books. They twisted the whole plot upside down and dont let me start about Vesemir. No zkrátka chová se tam jako debil.

[@AB8511]

As I wrote to someone else comment - at second episode I realised that they created their own version of story set in the Witchers universe. I enjoy both books and games, but I can accept the show also as long as it is still witcher universe, with its basic characters, laws and facts (which they did not change to unacceptable degree). So I think that Letalis and other guys in the discussion is too harsh in its opinion - we should simply accept the fact, that he is not watching books or games 1:1 and enjoy the ride...

[@rukiamaneki4026]

I watched the anime version about vesemir’s story, they can’t go from that to this selfish Vesemir (the serie’s one), it was awful

[@jankominek3017]

@@AB8511 I know what you mean, but even if I dont compare it with books Its simply bad written. Ok Vesemir is childish, does stupid decisions and has to apologize for them like three times but hes like that whole season. What about Yenefer she is on a roller coaster, upps and downs, somtimes shes wise somtimes stupid, she would sacrifice Ciri then sacrifices her self.

[@elliothough7238]

To me its more like an Inspirational other than an Adaption

[@minecraftherobrine1234]

Teenager fanfic

[@stephen8805]

But it SHOULD be an adaptation though. People wanted the books brought to life, not a botched job like the show did. We wanted Lord of the Rings but instead we got GOT seasons 5-8.

[@LNER985]

It is adaptation and is it that hard to understand.

[@overlord580]

@@LNER985 Adaptation is 2/10, so we can say it's ''Based on books'' instead.

[@alexisea8874]

@@overlord580 adaptation 1/10 just for cavill and jaskier

[@abro.0]

Yay it's finally here , I've been waiting for your review ever since i finished watching season 2. Love your witcher content mate!

[@xLetalis]

thank you :) hopefully it was worth the wait

[@abro.0]

@@xLetalis it surely was! 🙌

[@Witcherino]

This is where the fun beggins. As I said before, I enjoyed your reviews way more than the actual season last time and since this season was an irredeemable utter mess I was looking forward to this reviews. This season was 10% books and 90% new stuff, terrible and most things didn't even make sense. They changed so much that I'm sure we're not getting the story of the books any more. About the episode I liked it, it was the only good episode because it was the only one that had to do with the books. Nivellen was pretty good, I had my doubts but he killed it, great acting, looks great. Vereena was awesome, probably my favorite part of all season. 10/10 I'm simping for her. The adaptation wasn't perfect, making Geralt already a friend of Nivellen kind of ruined the suspense they had in the story. In the book they don't trust each other but they decide to still go with it, that was lost but still worked. They botched the ending, in the book it's never black or white, they simplified it here and I didn't like that but it wasn't bad. Overall, good episode, some things were changed but it worked and in general it was good, enjoyable. Everything went downhill from there.

[@xLetalis]

indeed...

[@TheGoldenLynxx]

I adore the Witcher, having read all the books multiple times and put hundreds of hours into the games, it's a truly wonderful, dark and unique fantasy world with so much depth. As disappointing as season 1 was, I had hope for season 2, yet 3 episodes in and I just can't be bothered to waste my time watching the rest of it. Thanks for putting a lot of my thoughts into words, your videos are brilliant as always!

[@aarone1981]

Lydia and Phillipa were interesting characters, and The Fire-f*cker was awesome as a character, but the dialogue describing him was Cringe-worthy! Lots of great actors doing all they can with poor writing overall.

[@steviebro0538]

I haven't read all the books but the description was as fast as Netflix when Geralt was trying to protect Ciri's identity. Correct me if I'm wrong as I know I'll need to reread. I still don't know the proper reading order.

[@Spinosaurus44]

Wasn’t Philippa an owl for the duration of this season though?

[@steviebro0538]

@@Spinosaurus44 No, several times she spoke with the Reince and Dijkstra and a few mages.

[@aarone1981]

@@Spinosaurus44 She spoke telepathically as an owl and is revealed to be a beautiful lady with owl feathers on her dress at the end of episode 8 which I thought was very well done.

[@MandalorSkyrd]

Rience (the firefucker) felt kinda weak. He's presented as dangerous and all, but just the scene with Yen where she scar him proves how unthreatening he really is.

[@alexkatreniak6559]

I have not finished watching the season, but the first episode is absolutely best out of the Netflix serie, it has some mistakes and some meh moments, but still very very solid, good emotional ending which reminds that bittersweet story endings by Sapkowski and I was delighted after watching it… but than came the second episode and boy, oh boy…

[@nevar23]

As a huge fan of the books and games I really want to like this series SO much, but dang they're making it... difficult. Can't wait to see what your take on ep 4 is.

[@Abhisheksengupta923]

"Grain of Truth" is a detective story in the books, Netflix made it a teen love drama in a bad way.

[@silo2829]

A Grain of Truth is the best story in the whole Witcher series imo. I would have happily spent an hour just on that story.

[@theofficialguy]

I was Just checking your community tab checking for when the review was gonna come out, xLetalis must have heard my prayers

[@free_your_mind2130]

Looking forward to watching your critique on Episode 2.. I feel like it's going to be a long one..

[@xLetalis]

oh...

[@christosroumeliotis6695]

on the “drunk Eist” topic I think that Geralt wanted to hide who Ciri is. putting emphasis on the “protector” role they want to display

[@Lao_moon]

Nivellens story was my favorite short story in the books. I think it was one of the best episodes of S2, but they didn't do it justice in my opinion. You managed to put into words what I was thinking and I couldn't agree more. Can't wait to hear your opinion on the other episodes!

[@xLetalis]

thanks for the comment, I already have one for the 2nd episode

[@yetipotato8567]

I agree, Nivellen story was great in the book. I found the lewd twist to story of beauty and the beast. I liked the idea of girls coming and going and being treated like princesses and having sweet concensual shrex with them. So Nivellen had things going for him until Bruxa showed up. A More wholesome story.

[@ninthvalkyrie]

This short story was the most unforgettable. Thanks for covering it! I like TV version too but agree that Netflix missed that opportunity to show the original, which was beautiful and haunting.

[@Okkotsu86275]

I was waiting on hearing from you. Probably the best episode of the series so far. Episode 2 however was pure trash, don't give a shit about "motivational" reasons behind it, it was spit in the face of the people. And down right disrespectful to the character. I haven't watched the rest yet, don't know if I will. This show doesn't give two fucks about fans

[@xLetalis]

my favorite episode as well, ironically the first one was also my favorite from Season 1

[@Okkotsu86275]

@@xLetalis great minds man. Same here, the Netflix live action is two packs of ass

[@miccull9250]

i havent read all the books, i stopped after the Thanned Coup, but just playing the game made me dislike the show so much, first episode was ok, second made me stop watching. I think its hard to like it if you just played the game, let alone reading everything. The changes they made seem in such poor taste.

[@LNER985]

The Cuse One Lies and clearly you don't care about the Witcher.

[@Okkotsu86275]

@@LNER985 Oh how so

[@sannescarlett7285]

What a wonderful review. Respectfull and with all the needed references. With your review you hit the nail on the head. Much love and thanks for all your hard work, i look forward to the next video.

[@xLetalis]

hey, my pleasure

[@desinihilist5916]

Everything about the season was horrible. It takes me longer to travel using fast travel points than it took them on the show to travel from Cintra to Khaer Morhen! And that awesome scene of Yen just running away with Cahir...from a meeting with all the northern kings and their guards...they just got up on a horse and ran...no one followed them...no one could stop them...a mage with no magic and an intelligence officer with no weapons!

[@MandalorSkyrd]

They changed map, they NPCs were enable to follow ;)

[@jiminsworld6745]

Yeah, I personally loved season 2 even though it's not accurate and Yen is my faviourite character but it made no sense why she saved Cahir

[@brettbolt8479]

I know it was laughable.

[@mynameiswritinwater]

they are both covered in impenetrable plot armour, so there was nothing anyone could do... /jk

[@agilemind6241]

@@jiminsworld6745 Yeah, I get the feeling they are trying to do a "Danaerys, Breaker of Chains" type character for Yen in season 2. But that doesn't make any sense with what she did during the Last Wish, nor during the Dragon episode of season 1.

[@polishFantasyEN]

"this is likely the best episode of season 2" - agreed. And that speaks a lot, that despite cutting out all the best nuances and twists of the original story, it still stands out in comparison to the rest of the season.

[@kevinxin1545]

The more I watch your videos, the more I see how passionate of a witcher fan you are. Than you my good sir. Thank you.

[@xLetalis]

My pleasure :)

[@kevinxin1545]

@@xLetalis OMG HE REPLIED! MOOOOM!

[@Dogwater420]

i really enjoyed the nivellen and vereena story in the show, but now i realize how much better it couldve been

[@Llanovanya85]

yeah, could be, if the story was 8 episodes long! Imagine how Letalis needs 20 Minutes to explain some more depth of the story and what a clusterfuck it would be if everything would be cramped into 50 Minutes. No one would get anything, the script would be 30 pages longer, the fight 20 Minutes longer etc. THAT's why it is an adaptation. We follow the books along on a side track, sometimes sped up, sometimes we take a detour or take a shortcut. That's what it's about. You cannot have 7 action packed monster slaying dark fantasy episodes AND understand the universe. Movies are always a compromise. 11 hours of lord of the rings with uber long 3 hours of horseriding could not satisfy the silmarillion fans in Lord of the rings, it will not work. I enjoy the series as it is. good entertainment within some witcher lore.

[@spikey288]

@@Llanovanya85 I agree, it seems a lot of people don't understand how difficult it is to fit a book series into a tv program effectively. It's inevitable that it will be more condensed.

[@xLetalis]

the story in the book is reasonably short, it won't actually need that much screen time

[@spikey288]

@@xLetalis I’m talking about the show in general, it’s naturally going to be shorter, and they won’t be able to capture as much information. Our imagination can paint a bigger picture than a screen can.

[@malcolm4737]

​@@spikey288 I really don't think time is an issue. Blood of elves audio book is around 10 hours and I'm pretty sure that you can show something quicker than describe it with words. But even if we assume that time constrains are to blame, it doesn't help that netflix is spending this limited time on thrilling and completely logical stories like Leshy in Kaer Morhen or some Monoliths or Yennefer's Grand Escape instead of, you know, crafting a proper story.

[@connorosborne9709]

"FUCKITY FUCK FUCK FUCK" - Yennefer probably

[@ivann200]

After medidating about the show (since season 1), i've came to the conclusion that you either have to just accept the show as its own thing (being only superficially based on the books), or you can choose to find all the little deviations from the source material and go insane in the process. I realized in episode 2 of this season that the changes were to big to be constantly doing that analisis. After freeing yourself from the books, you can have a much greater time with the show.

[@MandalorSkyrd]

I'm not even sure the show is *that* enjoyable even once seeing it as it own thing

[@alexisea8874]

@@MandalorSkyrd yes pretty awful show it almost seem like a 15 year old wrote it

[@deadlyydude5522]

@@alexisea8874 yeah the dialogue in season 1 was pretty bad at times, but this season the writing feels so off. I can’t really say exactly why, it just feels wrong, I have a hard time understanding what they’re even talking about half the time.

[@jamienorth8028]

They did eskel dirty

[@THEmobius77]

how do you free yourself from the books? If you have read them, you can't just forget them and its impossible not to compare the show to them. I always expect adaptations to be weaker than the source material, but in this case they axed so much of the quality from the books you have to wonder about the screenplay writers/show runners competency.

[@Armandex98]

I haven’t read the books, only played The Witcher 3, and the first thing that comes to my mind when I watch an adaptation of anything, is “how faithful is this to the original source?”. And although while watching S2 I wasn’t okay with some of the choices (Vesemir turning Ciri into a Witcher, Yen selling Ciri, Eskel being a monster out of nowhere, Ciri being possessed by a devil), I kinda understood what they were trying to do in order to “develop” some of the characters… but then I found out that they butchered all the lore. I hope they change the show runner or at least admit this is a different universe inspired by the books, and not an adaptation of them.

[@bangbus2350]

But the problem is they also completely butchered the characters. Its just sad. The show is nothing but wasted potential.

[@TheresOnlyOneIanGere]

I binge watched the whole of season 2 in the early hours of Saturday morning, then rewatched the whole of season 1 and then 2 again, just so I could get a good handle on what they had done to the story. I have to say that I hardly recognised any of season 2 from the source material. It is all changed so much that it hardly bears any resemblance to Sapkowski’s universe. I did enjoy watching it and part of my enjoyment was in not knowing what would happen next, since my memory of the books was of no help to me, but yeah, they definitely need to get rid of those “As Seen On Netflix” stickers, since they fucking well haven’t been seen on Netflix at all, ffs! (Gratuitous swearing intended, lol!)

[@363TOMTOM363]

Personally I've liked both seasons when compared to other TV shows, I mean I'd re-watch the witcher a dozen times before I put on GOT ever again. But yeah if you get bogged down on book/game details you're going to give yourself a headache 🤣

[@beefedcorn]

damn bro how much free time do you have?

[@Azakadune]

Yea, when I finished this episode I got really excited for the rest of the season, it seemed like they were at least trying to be faithful to the source material, and well… will see in your next critiques lol.

[@jamescopenhaver720]

This was actually a very great adaption of the short story, it wasn’t the same but with all good adaptions, the changes work fairly well. It wasn’t perfect, not every change worked(Verena personality stuff) but after this episode I foolishly believed the show was moving in a much more accurate and good direction before seeing the rest of the show

[@xLetalis]

[@Abhisheksengupta923]

its a detective story in the books, Netflix made it teen soap drama

[@wes8723]

They again missed the essense of the A Grain of Truth short story in this episode - in the original story, we learn from almost the start that Nivellen is cursed because he raped the priestess and so as readers, at first just like Geralt in the story we should hate Nivellen because of what he did.. but as the story goes and goes, we learn more about Nivellen's character and what his life was after he was cursed and how he is really sorry about his actions when he was young, how he truely regrets them and how he is a changed man - what the story in the books was telling us was that "don't judge too soon" and is all about redemption.. but of course the writers at Neflix read the story, they read that Nivellen raped someone so of course they decided to change the meaning of the story and decided that Nivellen doesn't deserve a redemption or mercy because he is a man that raped a woman.. no, they again changed the moral of a Witcher story to a simple "Humans are the true monsters", which they did repeatedly already in the first season.. well, they didn't learned anything since then.. for fuck's sake

[@selcal1948]

to be fair, humans ARE the real monsters. thats the big plot in all witcher-games. there were so many points in my playthroughs, where i thought, i would be better of as an assassin instead of a witcher ^^ i still get your point regarding Nivellen.

[@deadlyydude5522]

They butchered it. Even with Ciri being there they still could have wrote it to actually capture the themes of the original story. But no, they had to ruin it. I’ve watched the first three episodes of the season and I’m really not impressed. Don’t even get me started on Eskel

[@agilemind6241]

@@deadlyydude5522 They did butcher it, but partly that's because it doesn't really fit with the rest of the season... at all. That story should have happened right after the Butcher of Blavikan episode so Geralt is also feeling like a monster and can use Nivellen as a mirror for himself and have it end with Geralt attaching Renfri's amulet to his sword.

[@ThePipojp]

He really didn't deserve redempetion though, no one who raped does. As much as I like the books, Sapwoski comes up with some pretty weird stuff regarding woman and this is one exemple

[@agilemind6241]

@@ThePipojp That's extremely short sighted. Rehabilitation and forgiveness can be just as beneficial to the survivor of rape as for the perpetrator. Branding and ostracizing people forever because of one mistake isn't good for society, nor the people involved. However, there is a difference between rehabilitiation and forgiveness and excusing the behaviour. Rape should never be given an excuse, being young and stupid isn't an excuse, peer pressure isn't an excuse. In the responses to the Nivellen story I've seen people trotting out both of those excuses for Nivellen for why Geralt shouldn't have treated him so poorly and that is just wrong! That said in the original story, it is actually much more clear that Nivellen has been rehabilitated by seeing himself as the monster he is, and getting to know all these women that have been basically prostituted to him by their fathers and treating them with respect. Vereena becomes basically a test, an instigator pushing him back into monstrous, predatory ways, so it is only by rejecting her and killing her that Nivellen can earn forgiveness and break the curse. Now, I don't think the original story quite gets there which is a shame and why the "he was young and stupid & peer pressured so rape is ok" wrong interpretation is still out there, and why the show runners changed the story so much. But IMO all that really needed to change was for Geralt to tell Nivellen what Vereena was doing to him and having that be the reason Nivellen kills her ("I will not be used to hurt others") rather than the wishy-washy "kill her to save my new friend's life".

[@selenast7561]

I'm so happy to find your channel (God bless youtube recommendations). It's not only interesting videos but also a good English practice (unlike many others, you speak pretty clearly and not too fast). Thank you for this content

[@IQXLYI]

“Am I your destiny” “How about a game of Gwent?”

[@RastaGamesful]

I agree with your critisism this season. I only watch your videos because you understand the witcher lore, perhaps even more than myself. And in general, you offer good ideas, of course videos are not a script, but they point to the right place and important things are the main thing. I personally love in the first episode few things: interaction between Geralt and Ciri and Nivellen dialogues with Geralt. And that the most upsetting thing...

[@livnatkris]

I think you might want to consider covering the Witcher books at this point too, or at least just the short stories if it's too much work. There is so much input you give that have escaped me when I started to read (And I am still in the process of), and I loved hearing more of the input you gave about the original story of "grain of truth" including the input of what happened in the games when you compared the show to the books to the games. Awesome review as always :)

[@xLetalis]

Thank you :) I might do it after the show

[@livnatkris]

@@xLetalis That would be amazing! :D

[@kurshtop8299]

I had a laugh when I watched episode one. It's so sad that from original story with Nievellen was left almost nothing. From a deep and complex story about complexity of love and what toxic relationship is we got a boar man who can summon stuff from roof and hides vampire for no good reason. It's awful to see those shortcuts from first season being even worse here. 2/10 from me.

[@Basketcase642]

At the end they also figured out that Nivellen was complacent in the mass murder of the nearby village

[@catrionadughlas5972]

Thank you indeed my friend, these videos are beautifully made and actually everything makes more sense now.

[@nfohkens20]

Ohhhh one episode at a time? hey I'm not going to argue with more xLetalis content xD

[@xLetalis]

I did the same for Season 1, though I might combine 4,5 and 6 into 1 video, we'll see

[@kachucho872]

If one thing this series did good was to bring the whole community together to hate it.

[@dr.embersfield1551]

The silver linings. It's all about the silver linings...

[@NetAndyCz]

I do not think the series is bad, but it could be better. The political background is not given enough exposure and especially the moral greyness from the books is missing or poorly implemented. And I quite often see changed from the source material and question them. They seem mostly neutral at best and quite often make for the worse story telling by leaving stuff out imho.

[@karost]

Your Critique made me come back to read a book and realize Neflix trade us like a fool. I keep looking your work in the next EP. Thanks.

[@erikaantonsson9327]

I'm actually a little upset with how they changed when and how Nivellen tell Geralt about the rape. In the book, at least to me, it always felt as if he was pressured into and didn't actually want it, which I thought was always reinforced by how kind he was to the girls that stayed with him. Rape, obviously, isn't okay in any way and it's a sensitive subject to handle, but it's something I wish they would've kept closer to the book for a lot of reasons (that I'm not going to list here). I also think it's a little annoying that they didn't keep the "are you alone?" "witcher, i've seen you glance around and strain your ears this entire conversation. you know i'm not alone"-part, but that might just be because it's one of my favorite parts of the story.

[@pedrojuan8050]

Hurry, guys, before KZbin and Netflix take this video down! Good luck XLetalis, lol.

[@BURGATRON]

I wish I could cast axii on the showrunners to redo the entire show and hand full creative control to xletalis.

[@markpjf85]

A lot of Witcher signs are use this season that cool 👍

[@MandalorSkyrd]

One of the highlight of the season, I agree

[@alexisea8874]

im sure that was because of henry cavill the others seems to have no clue about anything of the witcher

[@MandalorSkyrd]

@@alexisea8874 quite likely

[@jeanpierrepolnareff6903]

Ufff that Gascon soundtrack hits hard. And it fits perfectly with the story in the video. You trully never dissapoint Xletalis.

[@tdub7130]

Thank you so much for doing individual episode reviews!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your the best Witcher source!!!!!!!!!

[@tboonx]

Thank you very much for this great review of the first episode! It really helps understanding why some people dislike the netflix adoption. I like all adoptions tho and comparing it with the written story to highlight details, missed chances and give more lore aspects to the scenes is awesome! I look forward to the next reviews!

[@xLetalis]

my pleasure :)

[@liorberes]

Excellent video. Thank you so much for putting all this into words! I find myself seeing articles and comments of non-readers about how this new season is so great, while all I see is just a very very pale, flat and boring representation of the real story. About the actual episode, I didn't realize that this peasant family in the beginning that were killed by Vereena were actually a father bringing his daughter to Nivellen. And omg, what you said about Netflix not wanting to uncover the rape story earlier to not have Geralt linger with a rapist, I think that theory is spot on. In general it feels like Netflix is trying to simplify and flatten all the complex and very not one-sided stories and dilemmas that make this book series what it is. Just disappointed but can't say I'm surprised.

[@TheAbabinili]

I'm sure I'll enjoy your reviews more than episodes itself, so keep them coming.

[@antondalsgaard8081]

In the show, Geralt only asked for Triss because he thought Yennefer was dead, but, if i dont remember incorrectly, Geralt actually chose Triss because he was afraid of Yen and their relation, thinking it would be awkward or sum. This parred with the "Dear Friend letter" would be much better for character development, and on how Geralt looks really brave and cold fighting monsters and kings, but when it comes to Yennefer he's not so brave anymore, giving his character more debt

[@christophtrispec3083]

This is why we love you. You love the Witcher. And we feed on your passion through your analysis and reviews. Ty sir. Cheers