Why the Social Commentary in Netflix's Witcher Doesn't Work

[@alienplatypus1596]

WARNING: This video tackles numerous themes that can be difficult to approach to some, including bigotry, mental health & gender issues. I have labeled each individually so that you may skip to any section you wish. Reach out for help. Your pain matters and you are not a burden. It will help - RESOURCES: The Samaritans - 116 123 or www.samaratins.org UK : National Suicide Helpline UK 0800 689 5652 New Zealand helpline: Youthline 0800 376 633 or text to 234 (New Zealand helpline) or youthline.co.nz United States: Suicide and Crisis lifeline at tel:988 Crisis Text Line - text HOME to 741741 Crisis Service Canada - txt at 45645 (Canadian helpline) or call 1833 456 4566 Lifeline Australia - call 13 11 14 The Trevor Project - call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678 678 The South African Depression And Anxiety Group 0800 567 567 South African Schizophrenia & Bipolar Disorders Alliance 011 326 0661 France : SOS Help ([phone] Norwegian Ungdomstelefonen ([phone] Finland: Suomen Mielenterveys [phone] Lists of mental health helpines by country: www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html www.depressionalliance.org April fools KZbin! I don't monetize my videos! How are you going to stop me now?

[@Robert-iu4bx]

Thank you for splitting the video and marking times - I initially though I am ok with that, but decided to skip after few minutes. Without disclaimer I would most probably did not consider it as option. Also thank you for great video.

[@TheGruntski]

May I suggest something of a practical nature to you. Out there in the world there are hundreds of thousands, nay millions, of writers working very hard to connect with audiences, to tell an entertaining story, all while attempting to also provide insightful social commentary. Of those millions of writers, posting material online, running limited runs of softcover books, only a few hundreds really have the skill to connect with a large audience. Only a few hundreds actually succeed. When a little group of screen writers take successful material and completely alter it and assume that they can leapfrog all those millions of writers who failed, don't you think that is a bit egotistical? Don't you think they just might be putting the livelihoods of everybody else who works on such movies at risk. Can that sort of person really make useful social commentary. I'm more inclined to call them narcissists than writers.

[@OGslays]

Lmao the crisis hotline. If there any kind of people that would acceptable loses it would be the liberal left. Those people attack and hurt others to make themselves feel better. By all means they can take eachother out battle royale style and atleast make their end worth existing

[@music-is-my-world-83]

This was beautifully done with so much sensitivity and nuance. No pressure but I hope one day you'll want to return and make more content. I think a large part of the problem is Americans (and I am speaking as one) are not given a nuanced education about how to actually think about these issues and how systemic they are. Your bit about gender equality really makes me think about radfems targeting trans people, trans women in particular, and enacting the same patriarchal b.s. on the trans community as they complain about men enacting onto women. It's so transparently bigoted and hypocritical and I love that the book series explores that so well. I hate what this show did to the franchise.

[@witcheraficionado]

Looking at the witcher exclusively through an american lens is such a waste of these books potential and such a misrepresentation of polish history and culture. Thanks again for this detailed analysis, this is such a unique and well developed and articulated perspective.

[@potman4581]

Well, what do you expect? Americans think America's the whole world.

[@beenokok529]

I wonder what went wrong with the show and why the game is great. This video hit it on the mark. The game was made by Polish who understand what the setting is about while the show is made by American who can’t understand polish politics. When they try to inject American politics into polish politics, it all fall apart.

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

Lots of zerrikanians in the northern realms eh?

[@shawnamiller191]

@@beenokok529 the games are great because the devs are made up mostly of fans of the novels

[@0n0thing0]

You're comically naive if you think a company like Netflix represents the "American lens"

[@NighttimeLibrary]

It's honestly so sad how much these writers (and some Americans) will demand people respect other cultures and celebrate them, only to spend 0 effort understanding other cultures and shoving an American lense onto them. Why does every adaptation nowadays, regardless of the setting, have to talk about THEIR issues, have THEIR representation, THEIR struggles? It makes them come across as idiotic and aloof. Which is a shame since there are many wonderful writers and people there but the spotlight is given to those that, ironically, end up looking like the people they supposedly condemn.

[@CableAnna]

100% agree

[@Martin-lm8xp]

It's funny and sad at the same time. Americans who talk about respecting other cultures, celebrating them, who talks about how colonialism was wrong and putting european values and mindset on other ppl was wrong. But at the same time those same ppl often want to bend entire world to their american mindset. It doesn't matter if something is from Eastern Europe or Japan. They must be adapted to American world view, because it's apparently the only one that matters.

[@riahka1357]

You said it so well!

[@SwetlanasCozyplace]

I don't even understand what this story is trying to tell. Is it that people in power are bad and victims deserve empathy. Then the victims should rise against the oppressors? Does this show support native americans now? And what does the show expect the americans to do or feel?

[@yeetnama9094]

Because leftwing Hollywood Jews truly. eleven that they are the epicenter of the entire universe.. Oh and OF COURSE they had to drop Holocaust references in there 😂😂😂😂 Jewish people hate Poles almost as much as they do Russians for booting them out of power after the iron curtain fell.

[@ToonGrin]

It's funny the writers will say "We did it with America in mind" then you do compare and contrast to the source material and you see how much they dumb it down to such a remarkable degree one must ask "what do the writers think of American audiences if they have to overly simplify it to this degree?"

[@zoetje9817]

I wonder how she’d adapt a book about math lmao.

[@magicdog9523]

I suspect - and I say this as someone with fairly progressive social values in most areas - that there is a tendency among some progressives to look down on America and Americans.

[@yeetnama9094]

In fairness, as an American myself, our Country has lost several SEVERAL IQ points over the last few decades. We are a Country of dummies

[@shilohnotavailble4135]

As an American, I will say many white liberals tend to poke at Americans (especially lower class, uneducated Americans) as a way to shield themselves from the privilege they hold.

[@revanel]

@jodiegarner791 What I find most ironic out of all of this is that: for all their criticism of imperialism, they literally applied cultural imperialism by presenting the Witcher universe through an American lens.

[@noamergi1464]

I’m so annoyed at Hollywood taking old stories and changing them to fit an American world view, and then have an audacity to claim it’s for a global audience.

[@riahka1357]

Yep.

[@MWBalls]

Not an American point of view. A Californian social activist point of view.

[@victora.1329]

​@@MWBallsyeppp, these people do not represent the majority of Americans and I find it depressing that the rest of the world think they do.

[@landmindssoul4636]

​@@MWBallsnot even California's. Bro the show writers do not rep Californians.

[@Synthia17]

It's extremely depressing to see people with massive egos tackle incredibly complex issues without consideration or care. Watching those hacks speak about the show is disheartening, once again, through your essay I was shown additional things I didn't even realize while already being deeply disappointed. I truly hope the show flops after Henry left and gets a reboot with actual talented people on the helm who want more than to embellish everything with their own agenda for nothing more than to put themselves on a glorified pedestal.

[@Michal235]

We have to hope for a new series / films of the Witcher (made by someone else than Netflix obviously) in 10-20 years. It's very likely imo.

[@Synthia17]

@@Michal235 Hopefully yeah, third time the charm

[@virtualalias]

@@Michal235 HBO would be the only ones to get me remotely interested and even then, it would help if they cozied up to CDProjekt.

[@KaiHung-wv3ul]

29:03 Also, Falka....was literally only a quarter elf and didn't fight for anything resembling rights for minorities. Falka having elven ancestry DOESN'T MATTER! Ciri is connected to Falka because Falka placed a curse on the Elder Bloodline, and she was fighting for the throne of Redania, for political reasons. (If anything Falka's rebellion is more of a class war rather than a race war.)

[@karlosbourne8795]

Thank you! That's 100%

[@jullikm1133]

For me as an Eastern European fan of Sapkowski's books it's very sad to see how this original masterpiese of the fantasy genre, a tribute to the European (and especialy Eastern European) history and culture, is turned to the generic American fantasy blockbuster to meet the expectation of the American viewer. Isn't it a real cultural appropriation - turn everuthing from fantasy settings to medieval Europe and Ancient Greece to distant planets in the future into the modern USA with their racial divercity, social problems and moral values in order to let American viewers watch something familiar and relatable instead of showing a glimpse of another culture and different way of life?

[@SchulzEricT]

I would argue it's to meet the skill of the American storytellers rather than to meet the American *audiences'* expectations. I think the audience is much smarter and more capable of nuance than they/we are given credit; the problem is much more commonly that the show-runner(s)/writer(s) can't handle the material.

[@irena4545]

100% agree that it's cultural appropriation!

[@frostbittenskater995]

Not just that, they passed up (not missed) the opportunity to actually explore Polish culture. I have Polish heritage, and the Witcher was my introduction to all of that. So as someone who knew nothing about Polish culture and customs and all that stuff, to see it come alive on screen would've been awesome!

[@gijane2cantwaittoseeyou203]

What way of life? Polish fascist culture that even polish people want to get away from?

[@stoweby]

Most Americans who watched the show feel the same. This was not what The Witcher community wanted to see AT ALL.

[@benl2140]

31:41 "History is written by the victors" Funnily enough, the books pay quite a bit of attention to how history is remembered _by the losers_ . There's the discussion in the Shaerrawedd chapter about the how the elves remember Aelirenn's rebellion, and the Battle of Brenna chapter starts with how it is being taught many years later by the Nilfgaardians.

[@blackshard641]

The deepest irony here is that while Netflix has poured tons of money into Hissrich's repeated failures season after season, they'd probably be a lot better off funding the second season of a different fantasy show of theirs, a show that ALSO uses morally gray characters to tell a story about generational cycles of violence and is unquestionably better at it in every conceivable way, and oddly enough a show that is based *entirely* on a video game... Arcane.

[@NebLleb]

Dude, no. Just... No.

[@disturbedenvironmentalist2313]

Fr. I can’t wait for season 2

[@lebioda2]

As a Polish person seeing Witcher being so far from it's original form is so depressing. Sword of Destiny was our required read, the themes like knighthood, folk believes and tales were analised by our teacher for many lesson. Seeing this reduced even in games was kinda bad but Netflix show raised the bar with their nonsense too high. And lets not even start with book's politics which were nearly in my opinion perfect.

[@Jasmixd]

Mieliście wieśka w szkole? Zazdroszczę.

[@Rabarbarzynca]

I wonder if Elves end up in SS-like units, like they did in the books. Writers cheering their radicalism really miss the mark of what books were trying to say about that.

[@yeetnama9094]

What is wrong with yall? This mythical German "ss" crap has officially supplanted the devil and his angel in the Bible. Its like the only supposed bad guys to ever exist in history was Germany and "muh diabolocal Nazis" Still having absolutely no basic empathy or basuc understanding for Germany even over a century later. STILL Anti German American warmongering propoganda 😂

[@dBl8418]

I still listen to the audiobooks some times, and I’m glad I never associate the Netflix actors as the characters in my head. I love the way Henry tried to play Geralt, and I’m actually glad he decided “I’m out” after they were forcing a bastardization of the books. Another great video, I look forward to the next one.

[@FeuerblutRM]

Uh...it was a bastardization right form the START and Cavill took the role nevertheless. makes him irredeemable in my eyes. And let's not even speak about how bad his acting was. It was nothing but bad Cosplay. he isn't Geralt and never will be.

[@hal3908]

@@FeuerblutRM Calm down man its just a TV show he was excited for no-one new what the show would be truly until it was made. He signed a contract and in my opinion got out pretty early all things considered. I didnt favour him as Geralt personally either but he still worked well with what he was given. CHILL

[@dtsv33]

THANK YOU for addressing and condemning the orgy scene in Rinde. I was always bothered by the fact that these people were forced into se xual contact because Yen got pissy. The unwanted pregnancies, STDs and emotional anguish inflicted on random people because the town's mayor wanted taxes and Yen didn't want to pay. And it's never questioned in the show. And even Hissrich doesn't condemn Yen's actions. Wtf. Hypocrisy at its finest.

[@MultiKamil97]

Yeah, Yen's actions are NEVER condemned in the show. She sacrifices her fertility in order to be beautiful and powerful but then she blames others for it and the show never tries to make Yennefer feel like it's only her own fault. Later she frees Cahir and betrays the Brotherhood of Sorcerers even though she barely knows Cahir while having decades of experience with the Brotherhood. It doesn't matter though because in Season 3 she is quickly forgiven and sorcerers act like nothing bad really happened. The last is Yennefer wanting to sacrifice Ciri. For this Ciri and Geralt are only a bit angry for her but when Ciri asks her why she wanted to do it, Yennefer just answers "I just gave up". That's all, everyone's happy, all sins are forgotten only because she gave up lol She is an ultimate Mary Sue in the show. She's better at everything than anyone she meets, whatever bad she does, she's quickly forgiven and she constantly makes it all about her, no one else matters, it's only what she wants and others are to blame.

[@Fcknaziss]

​@@MultiKamil97exactly. Book yennefer would never NEVER even think about sacrificing ciri

[@possiblepuzzles8137]

You know what REALLY sucks about them calling it an "American lens" ? It's also overlooking the nuance of native American history which, much like the elves, had it's own share of atrocities and invasions... To act like they were nothing but victims is an insult.

[@burnout21]

Native Americans committing atrocities? No way, they were a monolithic, peaceful, agra-communist utopia before those damn colonizers showed up.

[@w7x509]

I think you've hit the nail on the head: the adaptation oozes constant childish moralisation, forcing the viewer with a one-dimensional vision of the characters and the scenario. On the contrary, in his original work, the writer succeeded in creating complex, nuanced characters and social relationships without forcing the reader to irrevocably condemn or heroised certain characters or plot choices ; undoubtedly, the writer wanted us to understand that there is no absolute morality; on the contrary, morality is subjective, which should lead us to try to understand and even sympathize with all the characters and their motivations, without discrimination.

[@illusion513]

I love the commentary section on Self-Harm. Triggerwarining my own story: If I could, I would get rid of my scars. It is NOT something that makes me feel powerful. It is a reminder of a painful part of my life, and when a tattoo covered some of them up I felt relief! They have no idea how self harm affects people.

[@cookieluver2323]

This is so fascinating to me as an opposing presspective when I feel the opposite. They are what got me through hard times, I could of done so much more to myself, and I didn't. I chose to change and get better. They remind me that no matter how hard life gets again, I can get through it because I did before. Now, I dont glorify or romantize them, I actually have a tattoo covering them on one section on my body, and I love that I've repurposed the area. However, I can still faintly see them and I wouldn't have it any other way. I suppose we all just heal a lil differently

[@odalicio]

It's the same inane racial metaphor as Bright. As a black LGBT, I refuse this representation. If their goal was to move and sympathize to me, they failed. Something we must understand is that there are regional and widespread allegories to any art piece. The Witcher talks to me on general terms, but I do realize all the racial tensions are based off of a country I know nothing about in a time I wasn't alive. Never have I ever felt bad about it. It's just not about me and that's ok. What IS about me in the work of sapkowski is enough.

[@siginotmylastname3969]

It's so stupid because they COULD put some representation in for black LGBT Polish people with both historical research and an understanding of what the series was doing. I'm not even sure how you can write good black American rep with this attitude, where minorities don't have to be written with care towards where they actually live the culture or country they come from etc. Idk it makes me so mad. These companies are incapable of great social commentary because they forget countries outside of the US have just as rich history. I don't think there are good fantasy worlds you can't write literally any minority into, you just have to write them well.

[@RachaelTheFirboldDruid]

44:21 that line confused the hell out of me when I heard him say "this is going to really piss Geralt off." I couldn't help but go "why?"

[@carynfisher9463]

"Ignoring how a professional writer was proud enough of that affront to English grammar" is just delicious.

[@mrthewhite2620]

Regarding the town orgy, what's funny about the writer's justification is that, removing inhibitions is exactly what drugs and alcohol do in the real world, but we generally accept that it's still rape if you have sex with someone under the influence because we understand their inhibitions were removed in an artificial way, not because they genuinely had a change of heart on what they were and weren't willing to do.

[@TheMone22]

As a huge fan of the Witcher books, this has got to be the best critique i have seen of Netflix's Witcher show.

[@fawkescullen]

@alienpatypus1596 THANK YOU for bringing up the mind control, lack of consent, and hipocrecy of Yennefer's sex orgy!!! That scene really weirded me out, and it frustrated me that it was just brushed under the rug by the show as well as many viewers.

[@noctoi]

Ugh thank you. Very, very well said. I've had some extremely heated dressings down when I dared to say Yen is - particularly in the show - a r*pist. I mean even in the books she roofied Geralt, but the show makes this SO much worse... but no she's "a victim" and she's portraying "female power". I mean if they REALLY wanted to make statements, this COULD have been a brilliant example of how women can also be abusers, and men can also be victims... and that abuse is STILL violent and tragic... but nope comical statement about "girl power". Actually, after having watched most of the vid now, rather than commenting at around the 1/3 mark: Holy shit, I never explicitly noticed it before, but you're right! SO many of the villains in the show are either queer coded, portraying the bad behaviour as justified in the name of "taking power back", or flat out retconned. And holy Mary Sue batman! Poor Yennifer! Her character in the show is even more infuriating now and I can't unsee it.

[@Sam-mf8pj]

Extraordinary patience this creator has. As someone who writes scripts for TV and games, thank you for taking the time to dissect all that's wrong here and give shape to my instincts about this series. As lovers of the source material, whose knowledge is often deeper than professionals (whose attention is constrained by contractual timelines) fans have a valuable role in adaptation and should be listened to.

[@inger-marenfjeldheim4910]

I was really excited about the inclusion of A Grain of Truth in season two. Especially since I’m Norwegian and Hivju is playing the monster. What disappointed me the most is how we come to like him so much during the episode so that in the end, when the showrunners want us to hate and punish him, I couldn’t do that. So even the execution of what they wanted falls flat. One of the biggest criticism we have of The US in Norway is the prison system, which really shows the punitive justice that the showrunners rely on in this episode. In Norway we treat prisons as a rehabilitation and truly believe that people can improve and rejoin society. If you are a victim of sexual abuse, of course you shouldn’t believe in the betterment of your abuser. But to function as a society, we have to let people move on from their mistakes and try again. And that is what the show fails to understand. Love these essays. I’m binge watching them on a rainy summers day. ❤

[@rostkowianka]

what pissed me off abt. Nivellen's story changes, is that in the book he was a young teen when he did what he did, goaded and pressured by grown men who he at the very least wanted to save face in front of, if not was genuinely afraid of. the curse scaring away all the members of his household ironically helped him, because it afforded him space to grow up without all the ppl who'd been pushing him first into continuing family "profession" of a robber baron, and then to committing atrocities as a "leader" of grownup bandits. in that period he not only had time to reflect and find genuine remorse, but to learn to have healthy, consensual relationships. Then Verena the vampire tried to make him into that person again, and he categorically rejected that, despite being truly in love with her. the story changes that threw all that away were - i think - in part made because Ciri was there and the writers didn't know how to finesse telling that kind of story with a young girl being present (nevermind Ciri's future career as teen bandit, doing awful things for a sense of belonging and safety of a group, that the show could've made this bit be in conversation with) instead they went with "dad figure saves girl from predator(s)", and flattened everyone accordingly

[@KaiHung-wv3ul]

Oh....oh no....are they going to replace Regis helping Geralt and Dandelion escape from the Temerians in Baptism of Fire and change it so it's the Squirrels INSTEAD? Why would they save humans? They're literally elven supremacists who kill random humans for the fun of it. Why on earth would risk their necks for Dh'oine?

[@Michistudios]

I'm so happy, that I found these videos. Often when I watch people analyses art, especially if the art includes social issues, it seems to come from a place of hate or disdain. And while of course, you get angry at how they butchered the source material, it feels like you are only angry because you care - not because you could not care less. (I hope that makes sense.) People will be angry at female characters without trying to understand them - or hate on them for being female characters instead of how badly they are written. I don't often comment on videos, but its nice to hear someone speak so sincerely about what they love. That no - its not bad that they added dark skinned characters nor that they talked about gender issues. Its bad, that they seem to not understand, what they are saying with their work. And even if they ignore the source material and you judge the things they apparently tried to say - they still were not capable of actually saying anything. I often feel like people are quick to judge as soon as they feel any kind of politics are in a story. Either they love or hate it - but way too often not for what the story did with these themes, but for what they think about these themes. Thank you, I really enjoyed your videos and you made me buy the Witcher Books.

[@tomdelaat19]

Nicely said. For years I was looking for a witcher essay that wasn't a dipshit conservative upset about "netflix forcing their agenda "

[@Calypso694]

"even though she just slaughtered an entire city of babyes, i still sympathize with her and understand where shes coming from" WHAT?!

[@konradvonschnitzeldorf6506]

I always thought, all the race swapping watered down the racism aspect. Same with the Design of the older races. There is Humans of every possible ethnicity in every shitty little village, but I should believe people are incredibly racists to a few guys with pointy ears or 5 Inches less. It's not really unrealistic though, considering Real Life and History. Just less credible as a viewer.

[@Pulapaws]

Yes it is true in history make so white people really hate red head Irish people. How people don’t care for super small people. Yes humans if a race was born with pointed ears will hate on them plus they are a different species which will build the hate more. Think about it even if you look like the group but your born very different you would be look at and picked on.

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

Portraying “historical” settings as being modern day multiracial western urban society is horrifically offensive. It’s a way to manipulate people into having a misconception on the nature of reality.

[@siginotmylastname3969]

Yep. It's so stupid that we can't deal with this since people elsewhere will just complain about racism being an element at all. I mean, I kind of wish we could just write fantasy where populations of people who idk have different supernatural abilities life spans etc are discriminated against and it's called speciesism instead, because as a writer I really think entirely made up types of discrimination are actually interesting to write about, but to the audience it's expected to sell to it has to translate to social commentary about commonly spoken of issues in the US or it's not social commentary worth having.

[@yeetnama9094]

Or Sapowski was making a practical point that forced diversity and "multiculturalism" is a really stupid idea.

[@themanofshadows]

Multiculturalism at this point is a failed experiment.

[@AsFlowingWater]

I've stopped watching the series and videos about it (it felt like I was banging my head against the wall and being surprised that it kept hurting at some point), but this one's title just stood out to me and I was curious. So glad I ended up watching! Your analysis was insightful and articulate, and I definitely plan to watch the other parts now. I strive to be as socially conscious person as I can be, but... well, pretty much all of the social commentary in this series just fell flat, and it was sometimes hard to fully articulate why. You haven't just pointed out what I already saw, but added even more insights that I hadn't fully considered. Thank you so much for this video!

[@roiking2740]

for anyone who hasn't read the books. the only reason the second war with nilfgaard happened was cause an elf killed a human who he never knew just because he wanted to kill another human.

[@beregondibram2985]

Eh, you're exaggerating. The tension was rising for a long time the war would happen anyway, but yes, it was the elf that caused it in its actual iteration

[@roiking2740]

@@beregondibram2985 mate the writer made sure to point out this event as what caused the war to start in the first place. there is a good chance that if that elf did not kill the messenger war could have been avoided. at the very less for a few more years.

[@beregondibram2985]

@@roiking2740 where exactly did he point it out? I would actually argue to the contrary- in tower of swallow king of Kovir (esterad or something like that), while reminiscing about the war tells Dijkstra that he is not going to guess who created the provocation and for how many hours he overtook the other side. Which hints at the fact that nilfgard was preparing to strike simultaneously with the kingdoms of the north

[@roiking2740]

@@beregondibram2985 bro you know why there was raising tention? the north did not want to attack first because they would be the provokers and therefor wont be receiving any support from neighboring nation. likewise Nlifflguard did not attack the northern kingdoms outright because it would lose support from neutral and allied nations. Its why the northern kingdoms planed a false flag operation to make it appear like the south was the provokers. But they canceled all those plans and the messenger that was sent to halt the attack on Nliffgaurd (that is not the false flag operation) was killed by an elf looking to murder a man for being a man. That lead to the north being the aggressors and creating the worse case scenario for the north. If that massage reach the front in time. 1. there would have been no attack therefor no excuse for Nliffgaurd to attack. 2. Vilgarfurts Betrayal would have proven to Emyre that he should hold all aggression until he deal with that problem. 3. it would also mean that the north would no longer have sorceress after the cue on agastraza which would have giving them less of a reason to have a preemptive strike on Nliffgaurd. in short if the messenger would not have been shot war would have being halted for at less a few years since neither side wanted to start a war.

[@leahmarie112]

@@roiking2740 if a war can be started by the murder of one man it means the war was bound to start regardless. It’s one thing to say the killing was the CATALYST but to say it was the REASON is misleading and just false. A nation doesn’t lay waste to another and conquer its lands as systematically as Nilfgaard did because one man was killed.

[@foltrap]

Best analysis ever, criminally under viewed. Subbed, keen for anything else you make!

[@KaiHung-wv3ul]

BTW, with all of their blatant favoritism for the elves, it would be REALLY entertaining to see them get to Lady of the Lake.

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

It’s crazy. These people are disgusting. These are some of the least sympathetic elves in almost any fantasy world. Amazon made elves in Rings of Power more human and real. Making their superiority and purity seem like BS. While Netflix witcher makes the actual disgusting brutal warmongering elves seem more sympathetic. These people intentionally mess with our cultural works to try and better control what people think. It’s actually evil.

[@ReraltofGivia]

Wow, what a seriously impressive video, I was dreading covering this topic in the longform review of the show that I’m working on, and now I probably just won’t, because I don’t think I could possibly do it better.

[@KaiHung-wv3ul]

17:40 Ughh....the show's treatment of the kings and queens are terrible. They seem to go out of their to turn flawed but nuanced and ultimately interesting characters, Calanthe, Foltest, Enid an Gleanna/Francesca Findabair(btw the elves should be calling her Enid rather than Francesca because that was her human name), etc, and turn them into one dimensional villains.

[@3shutarmurg]

I cannot seem to understand why Netflix thought Francesca was the one to show the queer awakening metaphor through when clearly we get many better queer characters later on in the story that can be adapted to give the audience that exact message without completely butchering both the metaphor and the character

[@martar.2085]

Yeah.

[@erbelisle]

Writing from arrogant ignorance, from the top of mount stupid, looks exactly like the Witcher. Characters of a story always tell something about the writers. Writers can't write smarter, or deeper, kinder, or more empathic characters than what they are themselves since they can't feel nor express these traits and emotions. And when most characters - included the ones you are supposed to root for - are morally bankrupt, selfish, evil, or stupid, and the story implores you to feel sympathy for them, it also tells something about the writers, or maybe an agenda they must/want to push.

[@TVeldhorst]

Ofcourse writers can write morally better or smarter characters then they are themselves, if they have enough imagination, self awareness, knowledge and empathy. Lacking that though, it gets messy....

[@erbelisle]

@@TVeldhorst Good point. Well said.

[@newperve]

Here's the thing, depicting the elves as only being violent when pushed to the brink is NOT representing Amerindians very well. Lots of tribes were incredibly violent, and much of European success was based on exploiting the continual tribal violence. In fact trying to depict the Elves as Amerindians begs the question, which ones? Because there's a world of difference between the Iroquois and the Navajo or between the Comanche and anyone who weren't violent lunatics.

[@Pulapaws]

The USA didn’t defend all the tribes that was here. In fact the USELA have a country within a country sue to it where a tribe bet the white man for their land. The USA don’t like to talk about the tribes that bet it. In fact a couple of tribes in Africa also another tribe e that never got touch by outsiders even to this day for being 💯 violent their black tribe off the coast of India that a white man thought it would be good to travel there and they killed him. They still violent to this day they never let they guard down for any outsiders and that why they still have all their land. Like a say again those things the power that be don’t let to talk about at all. The friendly tribes is what made it even possible down the road for their land to be took in the first place because they taught them the land, etc. Also like the devil killing, stealing and destroying (the world biggest liars) and don’t believe a people should try to defend themselves or their culture unless it is the other way around, the rules change. I find this funny you want everything on earth just to completely roll over and take it the few things that did got completely wipe out. The things that was once peaceful how go on the attack and you view it as crazy, violent etc but again if the show on the other feet it order(tea party), it defending one’s rights (independence war), It not stealing or rebelling at all. I believe some people or just pure crazy and if the double standard was show in their faces which it is in a lot of cases they want to live and be in a fantasy world and not face real reality even if it completely destroys them. That the sad truth.

[@falkyrie5228]

As a brazilian who read first hand accounts of Europeans who were part of the colonization effort, I hate when media portrays native americans as a monolith. Some tribes were allied to the Portuguese, others where allied to the French and so on. The idea that every single native tribe saw the Europeans as invaders is BS - heck, some Mesoamerican tribes saw the Spanish as liberators, helping them fight against the tyrannical Aztec Empire. TL;DR: Humans are complex, the indians were no different.

[@yuptooyoungtoknowanything8654]

@@falkyrie5228 that's because these people cannot see complexity, they only see black and white. Americans are nitpicking on history portraying everything in a black vs white manner to make their narrative appealing.

[@mjbull5156]

An interesting thing is that the Spanish government initially intended to incorporate their native allies into the structure of the Kingdom as subjects, but were opposed by the local governors. In the end, because the king, Charles V needed ready cash as wars he had been conducting in his role as Holy Roman Emperor went badly, the central Spanish government decided to squeeze as much money out of the America's rather than keep their commitments to good governance. A possibly interesting "what if" is if the Spanish had been able to keep to their original idea.

[@siginotmylastname3969]

I think there's a problem either way. Their version sounds like the "noble savage" trope which is racist, even though they're supposed to be a positive portrayal. But I wouldn't argue that the literally hundreds of native American tribes, empires, federations etc were ALL violent against each other at all. Because it's reductive and often also racist, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that there were some indigenous people who were bad at defending themselves because there were literally two continents' worth of people and cultures to refer to. BUT! Portraying that accurately in this universe would be depressing as fuck if you don't have a saviour sweep in and singlehandedly rescue them via "training". That doesn't portray those people as pacifists as much as incompetent and unlikely to survive in a world like this in time for their rescue.

[@Geralt546]

For me the most underused theme in the show is the racism against the witchers - they don't have "different shaped ears, different height" or anything of that sort(they have cat eyes I guess) yet some people treat them as if they had leprosy. Only thing that differentiates them from other humans is they had shitty/unlucky parents and they somehow survived body-altering mutations. It's heartbreaking when you read how young Geralt learned how most people treat witchers and that it took him some time to figure out how to approach them in "acceptable way". This show is just so disappointing on so many levels that I honestly can't.

[@protomato6427]

Holy shit, I just imagined how epic it would've been if in Yennefer backstory they would've shown her becoming friends with mages and later, as Geralt reads their names on the memorial stone, we would see each of them die in a series of quick flashbacks from the time of the battle. Geralt would hesitate to read the last name as the flashback shows Yennefer's figure on the top of the hill with her back to the camera as it slowly approaches and she slowly turns around. And when Geralt would finally reads Triss's name, Yennefer turns around and yells Triss's name as we see Triss consumed by the wall of fire

[@larenarte4142]

One of the thing i loved from the novels and game was how the scoia'tael were stuck as being seen as criminals both by the humans and by their own government who sold them for a bit of land. What they did of the whole elf conflict sucks to no end.

[@sagathestoryteller7920]

How I read "A Grain of Truth" is that Nievelln was forced to commit SA. It's explicitly said his crew made him. He also takes full responsibility for his actions, fully takes on his punishment without hesitation. He was upset early on, but when we meet him in the story he understands why what he did was so wrong. Also, it takes away from the story that Geralt knew him for any length of time. It's a glimpse in time, they just met in that story and Geralt is willing to sit down and listen to him.

[@tephlin1405]

I think the Witcher Tales: Thronebreaker addresses racism in a very interesting and nuanced way (spoilers below). Your very own subjects carry this sentiment strongly, and when the invader you are fighting against makes more progressive reforms, you have the choice to repeal them or keep them to make your now freed subjects happy. A lot of the choices in this game are two-sided and their weight shows throughout the game. Even if you choose to undo the progressive, anti-racist reforms against the elves, the queen says something like "I hated what I did, but I know that I would have changed nothing in these men by keeping the reforms." Yet contrary, when you take the chance take make gradual choices that are fairer for all races, elves and dwarves are said to slowly integrate into the north and not "live in fear of their [human] neighbors." I know it's a complex topic and I'm probably not giving it justice, but I just really like this game and its narrative. I'd like to hear any thoughts.

[@Claudiu233]

1:04:45 - thank you. As a woman and a feminist, i've been saying this to other feminists that have become radicalized. I've been saying this over and over again to anyone that would listen. It saddens me what feminism has become and what people with aspirations to power do in its name.

[@3MB4R]

In the books the only reason Geralt and Jaskier survive their encounter with the elves in The Edge of the World is because a literal god shows up to basically intimidate them into letting them go. In the show the elves just let them go… because. Invented a pregnancy/baby just to kill it for shock and edge factor. Trying to be like GoT. Important to remember that Nivellen was 12 in the books when he was pressed into raping the priestess by the gang and is also a victim.

[@janorgaWB]

In Polish, we pronounce "ó" and "u" a bit like like "uː" sound in words like to, you, new, two... Another thing, it is sad that the netflix show has nothing to do with European/Slavic culture, the series could highlight some things unique to my culture, but the show is so bland and "globalized" it has nothing to do with Poland. The books often criticise certain aspects of our culture, they have some little jokes that I think only native speakers would notice, and nothing of it is transferred to the Netflix show.

[@KaiHung-wv3ul]

28:37 Not to mention the last time Dandelion met the Squirrels(or I guess the predecessor of the Squirels), they tried to kill him and Geralt and will probably kill him on sight before he can get any rallying done.

[@angrynerdgirl]

I haven't finished the video yet but watching that scene of Francesca doing her war crime just reminded me of all the Jewish viewers who commented on how the Witcher showrunners accidentally made the elves into an anti-Semitic caricature complete with blood libel. The creators just tried to do so many things and failed on a big picture level over and over again. ETA: ah, you mentioned that. Well done. I'm really loving this series.

[@hampusgranberg6382]

I suppose it's not all that strange, but rather hilariously ironic that The Witcher's simplified reflection of morality aim towards a "modern audience", depicting contemporary politics, shows exactly that very real bias the American political landscape holds, swinging wildly between the left and the right extremes erasing all nuance of discussion and interesting points it holds to do so. It's like the writers and creators of the show are so blind to their own biases the whole thing becomes essentially a meta-parody of Hollywood itself.

[@alarsonious2071]

Magnificent essay. Commenting for tge algorithm.

[@bigeye6606]

The Witcher is a show that shows what happens if everyone involved with authority is vain and arrogant. In so many scenes you can literally see them sitting in the writers room tapping themselves on the shoulder feeling super clever and ingenious.

[@majorbombas]

I said it once and i say it again. If Liam needs to play Geralt then im fine with it, just not in Netflix series. Scrap it. Bury it. Start from nothing, new cast and new writters.

[@LadyAhro]

Always nice to see people actually tackling the politics of The Witcher when some people claim there is none, that it's all "made up wokery" rather than things that do turn up in the books. The problem is that so much of what's in the books is misunderstood or misapplied. That many changes render the show less progressive rather than moreso. (Something that also happened with my other favourite fictional world. Pratchett's Discworld in BBC America's dreadful take on The Watch series. Although due to the nature of that world, a total melting pot of character races isn't much of a big deal. Choices made for the gender, ages and body sizes of characters became more serious problems. Not that there weren't issues with the race of some characters. Like making one prominent murderer black was certainly a choice. Another bizarre choice was making a Watch captain black when a white man is intended to impersonate him. Sure...)

[@l.t.4897]

People should get the witcher audiobooks. Those dialogues are one of the best ever written.

[@KayD]

I found the elves so hideously unlikable from day 1, i never even considered that the writers had attempted to make me like them 😂😂

[@raph3699]

I always thought that Jaskier’s song would end up being a bad thing because, yes, twisting facts into marketable fearmongering stories is great for selling but it has repercussion. We see Jaskier make this song, twist reality for clout, the song takes off, it improves the quality of life of Geralt who is more accepted by humans, however it should also show the other side of the coin. That now most elves hate/fear geralt because he was portrayed as an elf slayer. That it could light up tensions between humans and elves, etc…

[@Paleoknight]

Just found out this series of videos (while watching the first part of the witcher S3 what a coincidence !) And I got to say i'm impressed. My whole night went into listening these videos 😅 and it is now the morning.... But really good exlanation, well in depth in very different aspects of the series (i like that it is not only about the writing specifically but also in the production as a whole). Very interesting also, i think it is always a very good idea to analyse things that are not working ( and not just repeating it's bad without much arguments) to understand what makes a story/production work or not. Thanks for taking the time to make the research and this videos, it was very interesting and well done, bravo. Sorry for the rambling, i'm tired now i'm going to sleep.

[@destinyhntr]

This is why the writers history needs to be taken into account when hiring. A writer who writes teenage dramas like her will excel in that genre, because teenage girls will like the drama and cheesy lines. But that same writer likely won't excel in fantasy, which requires more serious and complex issues. Teenage drama and mystical wars require completely different skills. Some writers could do both, but some can't.

[@revanofkorriban1505]

Frankly I am tired of the stereotype that badly-written tripe is good enough for anyone--teenagers included.

[@ryszardsikora6894]

I'm so happy somebody actually took the time to analysise the social commentary in the Witcher and explained why it's poo, instead of just saying that it has black people and therefore it's bad cause there were no black people in Poland or something

[@TheMrShnickers]

I mean there weren't but yes, the writing is atrocious even if they casted the characters rightly. It's still so terrible

[@SatanofScience]

I like the long essay format and fresh perspective. This must have been difficult to prepare. Looking forward to your future essays.

[@anita_2000]

I appreciate this series of videos so much. Thank you for making them, it is really helping me understand everything more while also inspiring me to play the games and read the books because I understand how great they really are and can appreciate them more.

[@someone-you-do-not-know8522]

With “Toss a coin to your Witcher” playing around with the narrative is a good idea, actually, but the way it’s done ends up painting Jaskier unfavourably and doesn’t play with narrative at all, just as said in the video. One way they could’ve done it differently, still have their song, and actually make it work would be if there was two versions of the song. One Jaskier sings which tells the truth and asks its audience to empathise with the elves - and then the one we got, which in universe has been rewritten by racist humans and ends up being the popularised version, much to the dismay of Jaskier.

[@misstweetypie1]

I went back and did a rewatch after the Vilguefortz “plot twist” at the end of season three. I was so confused as to where the writers laid a foundation for his evil character. It took a rewatch to find that scene where he killed the mage after Sodden, because it was so un-memorable. It was so out of character compared to his actions for all of season 1 and 2, that even I, a fairly oblivious watcher, noticed and was irritated. Glad to know that I’m not the only one who noticed. Also… you should not have to make a whole other tv show to show alternate sides of characters/races! (I’m looking at you, Blood Origin!)

[@meg3465]

incredible video overall, but the 3 second good omens clip was just icing on the cake lmao

[@TheMrShnickers]

This really is the best critique you said the words that was bouncing of my head watching those seasons.

[@pedrolevipereiracarvalho5832]

Excellent video. You were the only person who managed to make me sympathize with the fans of this saga. I found out about this story through the Netflix show. I always thought this requirement that stories should be apolitical is stupid. Art serves to show, reflect and criticize our society. I wish the channel success. #DunePartTwo #LongLiveTheFigthers! #ForMuadDib

[@DevilishDropout]

Great video, I'd point out an extension that the discourse on racism that is present in the source material does reckon with the cultural *and* material catalyst of racism something that is particularly absent in the Western cultural discourse on the topic. I'd suggest checking out some of the research on the economic trends that coincide with various pogroms [There is a large-scale study of Pogroms in Russian Empire that might be enlightening on the topic]

[@sylwiakruczek5939]

During communism period in Poland The "Klub Tfurców" (also Tfurcuf Club, Tfurcuff Club or Twórców' Club) was formed. Many of members graduated from the science fields of study (physics, mathematics, engineering) because, as they used to say in Poland, "communists are too stupid to introduce censorship there". Thanks to these people, many wonderful, allegorical and really deep fantasy and science fiction stories were created. And although Sapkowski did not belong to this club like Lem, they created with a similar attitude and motivation. It was an extremely interesting and fertile time for Polish science fiction. And fantasy is not considered in my country as "shallow literature entertainment" only.

[@sylwiakruczek5939]

Just for those who appreciates good fantasy and s-f, to that club belong for ex. : Zajdel, Komuda, Grzedowicz, Pilipiuk, Ziemkiewicz, Kres. All great, deep and playful writers with mostly science background. I just want remind you that they become master of alegory and metaphor to avoide censorship.

[@Jasmixd]

About fantasy not being considered shallow entertainment in Poland, while I'd personally agree, our education system and academia have a lot of catching up to do, sadly. The most I've got was a short story or two of Lem's in middle school and Hobbit (which was a huge innovation at the time!). From what I hear, it's not been getting much better since :/

[@taylormoorey]

Y'all got any more of them Witcher videos? I'm hooked, buddy.

[@Rough_Estimates]

It will never cease to amaze me how fictional Poland has every race under the sun. I was excited to watch and learn about Polish culture, I'm even more uneducated about it than before 😅

[@PokemonkaDub]

Americancentrism is such an annoying thing for the entire rest of the world, because, there is SO EFFING MANY STORIES seen throught those lences its boring and feels like the entire universe should work like that, while other nations.... don't really care, have different problems and views. Seeing the same old same old americancentrist metaphors makes me roll my eyes because it's everywhere and everywhere it is it's the exact same.

[@GreatGreebo]

Well done sir; this videos is brilliant, thank you! *BRAVO* 👏👏👏

[@sukerbole2463]

Thanks for going through the series like this! I love fantasy but this series kinda left me with a foul taste but I couldn't really put my finger on why, but you explain so much that I kinda noticed as well as things that I had overlooked!

[@wywrd_mtnt]

oh my god I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you talk about all these issues without the neckbeard lense...cause I despise what this show is doing but it's so hard to find people who critique it properly and not just because "uhh women bad!" like truly thank you for having nuanced and logical takes!

[@notatheist]

So, what your saying is Dhar Mann took over the writing team sometime near the end of season one...

[@Gilleban]

Sapkowski knew what he was talking about when it came to genocide...at the time he was writing the series Yugoslavia broke apart into several lesser states, two of which (Serbia and Croatia) attacked several others and added the term "ethnic cleansing" to our vocabulary.

[@blane2472]

It really is the difference between American racism and European racism, when you look at the difference between bigotry in the books vs the show. And as usual, Americans do not understand how racism is different in Europe and try to force their idea of racism on everyone, making them seem juvenile.

[@marcomongke3116]

I am curious if the showrunners have played or watched the game stories. There are several endings and consequences depending on the choices. That makes the game experience unique. The show overall felt shallow even with all the budget, spectacles and Henry Cavils inclusion.

[@JohnDoe-os3mc]

thanks for the analysis. haven't read the books, i would've never known about their depth otherwise and cause for contemplation.

[@fallenwarlock2418]

Honestly, it’s such a breath of fresh air to see a critic of The Witcher that isn’t just “SJW destroyed the show >:(“ and instead is a nuanced analysis of the subjects tackled in the show and how it fails with sensitive topics

[@noahshue5579]

5 mins in and I LOVE THIS the only ever complaint I hear about the show is anti woke stuff when that’s not the issue at all it’s just lazy

[@greendalf123]

This is a brilliant review, may be the best Witcher review I’ve seen.

[@wintersparkOG]

Pretty sickening listening to that woman "sympathize" with a baby murderer.

[@henaymali3866]

Now they are doing the same thing with Hamas.

[@karlosbourne8795]

😆 ... You know ... I never noticed that about the song! ... In fact the only thing I remember of it is the chorus

[@michaelroach2959]

I think part of why they don't include all the allegory and themes is that some of them can be unpopular in Hollywood, especially when you transpose elves and dwarves onto American Indians and African Americans. The Edge of the World and The Sword of Destiny have a common theme, and a common message from Geralt towards the elves and the dryads-the world is changing, and you can either change or die. The elves weren't a post-agrarian society, it appears as though nature actually acted differently before the Conjunction brought humans to the continent, altered how the world worked, and permanently altered magic. It wasn't the evil humans, it wasn't a handful of evil, oppressive governments, it couldn't be tied to one bad person-sometimes shit just happens, and you have to move on. Which is the sort of outlook you might expect from someone who grew up behind the Iron Curtain, having been born shortly after World War 2 ran roughshod over your country twice.

[@ZombieOfMist]

Me, grinding my teeth everytime I hear show's Jaskier sing that song: ***He would not fucking say that***

[@landmindssoul4636]

26:40 thank you for clearing something that has been nagging at me. I love contradictory characters but most of the time people lump them in with confusing characters that flip like pancakes. They are not the same. Like you said when the characters show hypocrisy, they are revealing nuance, a truth. Meanwhile pancake characters reveal nothing. They are one way then the other. Why? "Because they are grey characters" while lacking to show their greyness or complexity.

[@dariovirga7711]

Sorry for the late comment. Very interesting and well done take. As for the Nightmare of the Wolf story, I admit that the plot point of Witchers creating the same monsters they later exterminate as some sort of scam was a plot I thought myself that could happen in universe, before being better informed

[@Nebulorum]

Extremely interesting analysis. Thanks for the discussion.

[@HishamMFahmy]

Great video! Do you know of a complete English translation of Sapkowski's essay?

[@alienplatypus1596]

Hi there. I added a link to the essay in the description of the video. Hope that helps!

[@pamburton5203]

While I agree with almost all of your points, the portrayal of Jaskier as a major contributor of racism against the Elves in the now-famous song in the timeline when he first meets Geralt makes sense...back then. Fast forward 25 years later, (Even though the showrunners haven't aged Jaskier in appearance!) I believe they are trying to convey Jaskier's ethical growth in being not only sympathetic to the Elves plight, but an actual agent in helping them. But the showrunners once again fail to show how and/or why Jaskier evolves in his ethics.

[@hey_mickey1981]

The fact that JRR Tolkien hated allegory is why LoTR was extremely popular across so many cultures. It’s messages are timeless. It’s also why the Rings of Power failed because the show runners tried to fill it with modern allegory.

[@ryszardsikora6894]

How does that relate to the Witcher? Sapkowski loves allegory and he's usage of it id one of the reasons the books are so great

[@sniped96you]

LOTR is great without using allegory and The Witcher is great with its use of allegory. Different paths to greatness.

[@pawlle]

Great video man! It's been some time since I read the books, so I forgot WHY so many things, that even seemed "well" adapted, were off somehow (mainly talking the Last Wish story from S1). But I do have to say that I disagree with the ending, the "reinterpret for modern audiences" bit. Not because I think you are wrong, but because, to me, reinterpreting such a series would make it lose some of its edge and would stop serving the purpose of being a bit of a time capsule for the socio-political grievances of the time and which allegories were used by writers to talk about, what were then, difficult topics. It gives us perspective to see how much things have changed, even though people view 30-years ago as so recent that nothing has changed just the technologies we use, but it truth, a lot has changed, some for worse some for better, but that perspective provides something important for us even today, something more if you will...

[@Leo_ofRedKeep]

2:53 "Make sure that any person who wanted to watch the show felt that they were represented in the show". This is not about saying something, not about providing an insight or making a point. This is about selling to everyone. This is not abput promoting inclusiveness, only about inviting everyone under the sun to buy the product. It doesn't have to make sense, so it doesn't. The Witcher is dumb becasue it wants to sell to dumb people. Looking smart is the first mistake it could make.

[@czechowa]

Thank you for this video! I knew that some of the themes didn't make sense to me, and it was hard to explain why I hate this series so much.

[@kyros905]

The books might've been polítical, but it's a very specific polítical context about a very specific place with very specific People. Woke writers see that and think "let's make it just like America", that cultural colonization.

[@freddy9646]

Why do i need to be represented in a show in order to enjoy the show? Should the writing and storytelling take utmost importance if you want people to watch?

[@jannikatsoulis5422]

Man you make such good videos. I destroy my bed routine because of you😂 its sad to see that content which is not even 1 % as good as yours get so much more attention😢 watching one of your Videos is more fullfilling than the whole netflix-witcher-franchise

[@mirra0arrim]

Oh my god, I just felt your pain of this wasted opportunity 😢