Marines read all the books and played half a video game so, of course, she had to also watch the TV show.
—
The End’s Beginning
Marines: Forest, bog, swamp, I don’t know, one of those. All I know for certain is this looks like a place where your odds of getting dead increase exponentially. A poor fawn has not gotten the memo, and is just eating peacefully by a body of murder water. We sit in this quiet for a few moments longer.
Suddenly! A monster rises up out of the murder water, clutching one Geralt of Rivia in its many tentacles. Geralt chops one of those tentacles off and… I know, this isn’t the best looking CGI I’ve ever seen either. Don’t give up on the show yet! Give it another chance!
Our white-haired witcher fights the creature and ends up getting pinned by it under water, losing his sword in the process. As they struggle, nearby, a horse does a little “I hate this” dance. Geralt is finally able to reach his sword and free himself from the monster. As he stands up out of the water, he thrusts his sword into the monster’s head. Blood splatters down on him and we see that his face is pale, his eyes are completely black, and his hotness is diminished by these things… but not completely.
Jessica: Geralt – murderer of monster and cute forest creatures alike. Also – I have to say that the fantasy nerd in me absolutely digs the theme song and basically all music in this series.
Ginny: The CGI might be questionable but the score is not.
Mari: As the title music fades, we watch Geralt ride into town in a black hood. He enters a tavern, and everyone goes quiet when they see him. Geralt approaches the bar and asks the woman there to point him in the direction of the alderman. She starts to tell him, but her boss shuts her up and tells Geralt they don’t want his witcher kind in this here town. Geralt is fine with that. He’s actually just looking for directions to the alderman’s house. Behind him, a man who is much shorter and less strong than, I don’t know, Henry Cavill’s pinky, (J: Ha!) stands up and tells Geralt that he doesn’t give orders around here, calling him a mutant son of a bitch. Now that he’s got backup, the barkeep tells Geralt to leave on his own or at the end of a rope. Geralt is fine with a fight, even as more men stand up to face him.
It’s looking like violence will ensue until a woman who has been trying to just enjoy her meal in peace speaks up and asks the men if they can’t just leave things alone for a moment. The barkeep starts explaining about how witchers are the worst, but she clarifies that she isn’t speaking to him. Turns out that these men threatening Geralt are her men. She stares them down and tells them to get some manners before tomorrow’s market. They apologize to Renfri and back down.
Jessica: And she has just become my favorite character.
Ginny: I love how everyone else looks like townie trash while she has managed that perfectly imperfect messy hair look for her morning at the tavern. I’m honestly jealous.
Renfri orders two beers from the barkeep and offers to buy Geralt some breakfast. (J: So, those are breakfast stouts then? Sorry, beer nerd talk. Carry on.) He turns her down, on account of that monster-mauled-deer he just feasted on. Renfri asks what brings “white hair” to Blaviken and then insults his raggedy-ass clothes. (G: I knew she did her hair!) After the barkeep is rude to Renfri, she pointedly tells Geralt that more and more, she finds monsters wherever she goes. I’d say something about this being a theme of the show, but lol, you’ll get that. This show goes ham on themes.
They share a very heated, super long look, but are interrupted by a young girl who brightly asks how much for the kikimora Geralt killed. He gives Renfri some more bedroom eyes before wordlessly following the girl out as she regales him with stories of killing a rat with a fork.
Ginny: I also have rat killing stories! Come visit me in Boston, Geralt.
Jessica: I admit I got a little fan girl-y at the word “kikimora” because I recognized it from the video game. Gotta enjoy the small things.
Mari: Outside, Geralt and the girl walk back to where the dead kikimora is thrown over his horse’s back. Turns out the gossip mill worked fast and this girl, the alderman’s daughter, came over to check out the monster. She doesn’t think her father will pay up, though. The alderman wanted a graveir killed. Kikimoras are useful as population control. (J: Harsh, kid.) Geralt simply grunts “hm.”
Ginny: How is this so sexy?!
Mari: I don’t know, but I do know we have found our probably one and only entry into The Witcher drinking game! Drink when Henry Cavill goes hm.
Ginny: Toss a coin to your liver, folks. It’s going to be working overtime.
Mari: The Alderman’s Daughter suggests instead that Geralt take the kikimora to the local wizard who pays for odds and ends for elixirs and such. She sold him her dog when it died “mysteriously.” This girl is cute for a murderer. Geralt agrees to see the wizard and Alderman’s Daughter chats his ear off on the way, asking if Geralt has killed various kinds of monsters, explaining that her mother believes witchers are creatures of foul sorcery. She also laments having never never left Blaviken. (G: It’s only breakfast time and he has to listen to this?) She introduces herself as Marilka and asks his name. Geralt! She asks where he’s from. Rivia! Geralt of Rivia! (J: !!)
Marilka doesn’t know where Rivia is but hopefully adds that she could learn, maybe with him…? Geralt says no. Marilka assumes it’s because she’s a girl and girls can’t be witchers, which is big stupid. (J: Agreed though.) Geralt goes “hm.” You are gonna get so drunk.
Jessica: *tilts beer stein a la Leo DiCaprio/Gatsby*
Mari: They make it to the wizard’s place, and Geralt leaves the horse, Roach, in Marilka’s care even though she just reminded us she kills animals pretty frequently. (J: Right? Roach is like, dude, how about you don’t leave me with the budding serial killer.) Inside, Geralt finds an elaborate illusion of naked women in an enchanted wood. The wizard greets him, introduces himself as Stregebor, and explains the naked woman illusion is because he spends all his time hiding inside this here tower. Stregebor notes that they don’t get many witchers in this part of the world. Geralt replies that there aren’t many witchers left. Stregebor would offer condolences, but common knowledge is that witchers don’t feel. They don’t have emotions. Geralt just looks at him.
Ginny: I understand why Geralt doesn’t want to talk to anyone.
Mari: Right? I would grunt a lot, too.
Stregebor says destiny brought Geralt to him. I kind of have to add DESTINY! to the drinking game, but also I love you all and alcohol can kill you? (J: My/our livers appreciate this.) Geralt poo-poos destiny and says Marilka brought him. Turns out, Marilka works for Stregebor. Geralt connects all the dots and figures Stregebor doesn’t give a damn about his kikimora. There is some other monster he wants Geralt to kill. The twist is the monster is a human (~themes~). And it’s Renfri.
The music gets jollier as we take a wide look at a city and pan closer until we cut into the city to a group of kids playing some sort of dice game. The last child to play seems to sense someone is coming, and sure enough, the game is interrupted when soldiers ride up on horseback. The rest of the kids scatter, but the last child stays sitting. The soldiers are here for her.
Cut to this child now all cleaned up, long blond hair groomed, standing perfectly still at a royal function. This is Princess Cirilla, the lion cub of Cintra. In front of her is her grandmother, Queen Calanthe, who is doing some sort of knighting or swearing in ceremony. The man standing next to the princess, Eist, the Queen’s husband, says under his breath that he could use a little “feel-ty” himself right now. Ciri waits a beat before whispering “gross.” Eist says she was late so she doesn’t get to complain. They continue their whisper conversation until the queen whispers back at them to behave like members of the royal family and have some respect. Eist whisper-asks Calanthe to grant him leave because he’s tired from his trip to the Isles and from his duties in the bedchamber. The princess gives another “gross,” but she also smiles at her grandfather. Stregebor’s voice comes in as we still look at Ciri and says that destiny has many faces.
Jessica: I loved this intro to the three of them. It gives a very good glimpse of their personalities and some of the heirarchy between them. It also makes me not hate Ciri immediately, despite her apparent spoiled child status, though later that is tested…
Ginny: Calanthe managing being Queen, wife and grandmother all in one scene.
Mari: Back at the tower, Stregebor is waxing poetic, and Geralt tells him to cut to the chase. The story is that there was this eclipse that was said to bring the return of a demon goddess of the night, sent to exterminate the human race. The demon goddess would be joined by a murdering army of 60 women. Geralt levels him with a “hm,” noting that this doom and gloom prediction doesn’t even rhyme. (J: This made me laugh out loud.) Stregebor ain’t playing, though. He studied the girls born around the eclipse, and he found horrendous internal mutations among them. He tried to cure them, lock them in towers for their own protection, but they always ended up dying. (J: Was that really the only possible cure?? I want to see this guy’s medical degree.) Geralt rewinds back to that whole “internal mutations” thing, seeing as how that indicates looking inside people. Stregebor says the girls were autopsied to confirm his suspicions, but then also that “eliminating the girls was the lesser evil.” Soooo, I think he killed those girls, y’all.
Ginny: Where’s my coin, I want to higher a Geralt to take out a certain wizard.
Mari: Stregebor tries to justify this murder, but Geralt isn’t having it. Innocent women are dead, though Renfri is still alive and is now hunting Stregebor. Renfri is a princess, born under the eclipse. Stregebor claims he had evidence of Renfri’s evil ways as Renfri’s stepmother, truly a trusted source in all fiction, says Renfri strangled a canary and strangled two puppies and gouged out her maid’s eye with a comb. Stregebor had someone follow Renfri into the woods to murder her, but Renfri murdered him instead (G: Yas Renfri!). Renfri disappeared until two years later, she started killing and stealing from merchants. She’s also immune to magic, so that’s why Stregebor is hiding out, scared for his life, illusioning naked women, or whatever. And destiny! has brought the witcher here just as Renfri has caught up with Stregebor.
Geralt says he kills monsters. Stregebor counters that a kikimora kills because it’s hungry. Renfri kills for pleasure. She is a monster with the power to destroy them all. Stregebor says that killing Renfri is the lesser evil. “Evil is evil, Stregebor. Lesser, greater, middling…” I giggled at that bad line. Middling Evil is a great band name, though. Geralt says that he hasn’t always done good in his life, but now, if he has to choose between one evil and another, he prefers not to choose.
Ginny: I hate this wizard and his fake garden of naked women.
Mari: I won’t get started now, but one of my actual favorite themes of this story is what it means to choose neutrality when you are powerful. And the answer boils down to: COP OUT.
Back with the royals, there is some drinking and dancing while Calanthe, Eist and Ciri look on from their dais. They are joined by a man we haven’t met yet, a wizard named Mousesack. Eist says that this party could use a little abracadabra, and Mousesack offers to provide it. Calanthe thinks Eist is actually threatening to disappear. He says he isn’t, but he is gonna be a total killjoy: he saw an omen of war when he was sailing back home. Niflgaard to the north of them is on a war path. Calanthe says they are totally prepared, in a way that seems overly confident and asking for trouble. Ciri asks what they are prepared for, exactly, but Calanthe brushes her off. Eist won’t drop it, though, particularly because he thinks Ciri should know what’s going on, as she’ll be the next ruler should things go badly for them during the war. Calanthe thinks Ciri is too young for this, but Ciri knows better: Calanthe won her first battle at Ciri’s age, the battle at Hochebuz. There’s a song about it and everything. It’s catchy. Calanthe says that if they must talk about this now, here is the first lesson: it’s impossible to be prepared for battle, so keep your sword close and keep moving.
Jessica: I continue to love this set up, even more on second watch. They are doing a great job at introducing Calanthe, with her mix of strengths and flaws.
Ginny: You can tell that Calanthe shelters Ciri a bit, and I don’t blame her. Girl had to lead a battle as a teenager. I was listening to the Spice Girls at that age.
Mari: For sure. That little bit of exposition both shows us Calanthe badass and Calanthe “not for my baby” grandma.
Two men approach the royal table. The older of the men thanks them all for the invitation. The younger asks the princess to dance. She looks like she’d rather die, but Calanthe accepts on Ciri’s behalf. Ciri reluctantly goes to dance. As Eist and Calanthe look on, they reminisce about her daughter’s betrothal feast. It was the night that the Calanthe finally said yes to Eist and made him the happiest man on the continent. Calanthe insists she did it to save her kingdom, but with a smile, tells Eist he may not leave their party. They smile at each other some more as the dancing continues. It’s a really happy 3 seconds before another man approaches the royal table. This one has not great news: the scouting party has returned and Nilfgaard is on its way to Cintra. Calanthe looks gutted as she tells Eist that she stands corrected.
Jessica: Sad trombone sound. Do they have trombones in this fantasy Middle Ages. Maybe like, a strangled sort of long trumpet?
Ginny: Maybe a jester miming a sad strangled sort of long trumpet?
Mari: Perfect.
Geralt is resting by a stream in the woods. He hears a twig crack and waits. Renfri comes out of the woods. She knows that the girl from the tavern took him to see Stregebor, the man Renfri wants to kill. Geralt continues about his business as Renfri tells her side of the story: she was a princess, and the man Stregebor sent after her raped her, robbed her and then let her go. No more princess. After that, she stole in order to feed herself and killed rather than be killed. Her men found her and helped her and will be by her side when she gets her revenge. Renfri swears to take down anyone in her way unless… destiny! intervenes. Geralt deduces that she wants him to kill Stregebor for her. Renfri says it would be the lesser evil. Unfortunately, Geralt is hearing that a lot lately.
Renfri thinks about all the things she could’ve been if not for Stregebor. Queen Calanthe of Cintra just won the Battle of Hochebuz. If you’ll recall, one scene ago, Ciri told us that happened when Calanthe was Ciri’s age so these scenes with Renfri? Must be in the past. With me still? GREAT. (G: Totally missed that the first watch.) Renfri’s point is that she could’ve been a contender, but here she is instead, trying to convince Geralt she’s not a monster. “Are you?” Geralt asks. Renfri asks how she’s supposed to know. When she cuts her finger, she bleeds. When she overeats, her stomach hurts. When she’s happy, she laughs. When she’s upset, she swears. And when she hates someone for stealing her whole life, she kills them. Geralt is like “hm” because one of those things! Is not like the other! One of those things! Just doesn’t belong!
Jessica: Whatever Geralt. You’re telling me you wouldn’t do the same? I call bullshit on that. Bull. Sheeeet.
Mari: Renfri points out that people call Geralt a monster, too. What if they come after him? Geralt says people already have. He doesn’t kill them all because if he did, he’d become what they say he is. Renfri can’t forgive Stregebor nor renounce her revenge. So, what? She’s a monster? Geralt says yes. It’s her choice, but she can leave Blaviken and finally live.
Jessica: I continue to rage at the screen. Wanting revenge makes her a monster? Especially, wanting revenge on a wizard who straight up murdered a bunch of women based on their birthday? No. No I say!
Ginny: Dude deserves to die! Let a lady have her revenge.
Mari: Nobody likes Stregebor, anyway. It’s fine.
Field, in the confirmed future. Calanthe and Eist lead their troops to meet the Nilfgaardian army and wow things look very bad for Cintra. They are vastly outnumbered. We watch the two armies clash and continue to watch as lots of Cintran soldiers are killed.
Meanwhile, Ciri is pacing in the castle, being watched over by Mousesack. Ciri is bored and restless and provokes Mousesack into telling her something of a cautionary tale about once upon a time when sorcerers locked girls up in towers as they were said to be cursed, said to announce the end of the human race, so they were systematically killed. The end. In addition to being one heck of a cautionary tale, it is also the story of Renfri, led by “many many years ago.” Truly, guys, this wasn’t trying to be subtle about the timeline thing. (G: This is one reason why I wanted to re-watch. I knew I missed some timeline hints.)
Ciri asks if her grandmother will be alright. Mousesack says that Ciri will be alright. She is of Calanthe’s blood and the apple never falls far from the tree.
Battle. More and more Cintran knights fall. Eist yells that they are losing. Calanthe asks where his ships, the ships from Skellige are, but there was a storm and back-up isn’t coming. Calanthe says they must keep fighting because they won’t surrender Cintra. Eist is with her… for one more second because he promptly gets an arrow through the eye. Calanthe runs to his side and cries over his body. She sees the horseman in the distance who shot the arrow and runs in that direction.
Jessica: The arrow to the eye got a big reaction from me on first watch, and definitely a flinch on second. That was very much akin to one of those sudden Game of Thrones deaths. Damn. RIP Eist.
Ginny: We barely knew you Eist but you seemed totally fine with letting your wife/queen lead and for that, I tip my hat to you.
Mari: Ciri is walking through the castle until she hears her grandmother’s voice. She runs back to her room to find a badly injured Calanthe, who has even worse news: Cintra is under attack, Eist is dead, and Nilfgaard have made their way into the city. Calanthe asks about how many people are safe inside (100) and the supplies for keeping them so. She turns back to Ciri and reminds her that one day she will rule this land. Ciri asks her grandmother if she’s dying, but with a little smile and a kiss, Calanthe says that when she goes, it will be far more dramatic than this. Calanthe sends Ciri away so she can rest.
Back in the past, Geralt is grooming and talking to Roach about how Witchers shouldn’t be white knights and shouldn’t uphold the law. They don’t show off. They get paid in coin. Roach snorts a him a bit, and Geralt gives him a little “hm.” Geralt continues with a story about one time he killed a man, a would-be rapist, and after he did, the girl he saved looked at him, screamed, vomited, and passed out. He once thought the world needed him.
Jessica: Angry yelling beer-drinker here again. First of all, I call so much bullshit on this story. So much. He’s mad the girl didn’t run and thank him? Maybe she was traumatized by being attacked? Maybe by the being sprayed with blood part? Maybe all of it? This is his best example of how people don’t *like* him? Ugh. Booooo. *takes another swig of breakfast stout*
Ginny: I don’t have much to add here but *smashes beer glass*.
Mari: Sorry to tell you, Geralt, that in your “once a girl almost got raped” story, you aren’t the person we feel bad for…
Renfri once again comes out from behind a tree and asks who he’s talking to. Geralt takes a second before admitting that he talks to his horse. Renfri sits next to him and says she’s made her decision. Tomorrow she will leave Blaviken for good. She loves her men, but it’s been a long time since someone saw her. Renfri keeps talking about her childhood until Geralt stops what he’s doing and looks at her. She leans slowly into him until they start kissing.
Cintra. It’s night time now and the city around the castle is burning. We watch as a barrage of arrows bounce off the magic barrier… until one gets through. And then, the barrier falls and the Nilfgaardian soldiers all cheer and run towards the castle gates.
Mousesack visits Calanthe with the news that his magic could no longer hold. Ciri asks what they do next. Calanthe calls Mousesack closer and whispers, “he’s in the gatekeep.” Mousesack thinks destiny! may yet side with them. Calanthe tells Danek, presumably her captain of the guard, that it’s time. Danek and Mousesack leave to do what they have to do.
Outside, more war and killing.
Back inside, Calanthe gives Ciri war lesson #2: know when it’s time to stop moving. Nilfgaard takes no prisoners, which means that right now, her citizens are being tortured. Cut to citizens being tortured. Cut back inside, when Mousesack returns tell Calanthe that whoever was in the gatekeep is gone. Calanthe advises Ciri to always choose mercy in the face of the inevitable. She calls for Ciri’s cloak, and Ciri starts freaking out. She doesn’t want to go. In fact, she screams, but when she does, everything rattles. It’s like definitely not a normal scream. Everyone looks at her with Big Eyes, but they also don’t have time for this. Calanthe tells her to go. The world depends on it. Ciri says tells her grandmother she loves her. Calanthe tells her to find Geralt of Rivia. “He is your destiny.”
A knight leads Ciri out. Mousesack starts to say something, but Calanthe cuts him off. She saw the glass rattling too. She thinks this is why Nilfgaard came. Mousesack gives Calanthe his word that he will deliver Ciri. Calanthe tells him his service has been an honor to them all and he returns in kind.
The Nilgaardians continue their slaughter outside.
Inside the castle, Danek is passing out poison to everyone left inside. The knight + Mousesack accompany Ciri through the castle. Calanthe struggles to stand. A mother gives the poison to her son, her husband gives it to her, and then he jams his own knife in his throat. Cintra is completely on fire. Calanthe jumps from her tower window.
Ginny: I just have to note that this is not Jodhi May’s first jump to her death to avoid a worse fate scene. Anyone remember that cliff scene in Last of the Mohicans? You have a talent Jodhi.
Mari: Typecast.
As soon as they are outside, a Nilfgaardian finds Ciri and her protectors. Mousesack offers to stay behind. Lazlo grabs Ciri, who chooses now to ask some slightly off questions. “I’ve been protected my whole life, Lazlo. Why?” You a princess, girl. What do you mean? Like I get what she means but the dialogue is a bit off. (J: Agreed. I’m ok with her asking questions, but, these ones are kinda weird. Also maybe focus? Don’t distract your protectors?) Anyway, Lazlo promptly catches an arrow to the throat. He and Ciri fall off their horse and the Nilfgaardian approaches her.
Geralt is sleeping and dreaming of sexy times with Renfri. It’s maybe part memory but also part magic. We hear Renfri’s echoey voice tell him “you were in the market, covered in blood. You say you can’t choose, but you had to. And you’ll never know if you were right. Your reward will be a stoning. And you will run. You will try to outrun the girl in the woods, but you cannot. She is your destiny.”
Geralt wakes up to find he is alone. He knows where he has to go.
In the Blaviken market, Renfri’s men wait for Geralt, and they have a message from her: You have to choose the lesser evil. One of the other men helpfully adds, “IT’S AN ULTIMATUM GET IT.” and there is an especially aggressive [draws sword] sound effect. Yeah, we get it show.
Geralt looks at all of them and just goes, “fuck.” One of Renfri’s men lifts a crossbow and Geralt is able to use his sword to swipe the arrow out of the air. And then the rest of the men attack. I wish I had the words to describe this excellent fight sequence, but here are the best parts:
- Henry Cavil in leather pants
- Very quick, long movements from HC give you the sense that Geralt is just faster than everyone he is fighting
- This is coupled with slow motion used in between clashes
- We get a first glimpse at Geralt using magic. He blasts some men with Aard and my video gaming heart is happy
Jessica: I loooove the fight scenes in this show, and this one was fantastic. Choreography was so awesome, plus we see Geralt use some magic! I just wished they explained some of that part more. But this was amazing.
Ginny: I admit I watched the video of Henry Cavill breaking down this fight scene. They had to shoot it all in one shot to get the right look. “Fuck” indeed.
Mari: Just as Geralt decapitates the last man, he hears Marilka scream his name. He turns and sees that Renfri is walking her toward him, sword to her throat. Renfri looks shocked to see all her men dead. “You chose.” I mean, I know we are new to the world in episode 1, but are all these people new? Why are you surprised a Witcher kicked your ass?
Ginny: I feel like that’s a common theme with the Witcher. Why does everyone seem to think they even have a chance? They literally pay him to kill monsters that no one else can.
Jessica: I read that more of her surprised that he chose Stregobor over her.
Mari: That’s definitely part of it, but the look around at all her dead men is also like girl, you should’ve seen that as a strong possibility.
Renfri threatens to kill everyone in the market until Stregebor comes down. Geralt tries to use a sign on her, Axii, which usually allows a Witcher to magically influence behavior. Renfri tells him that magic doesn’t work on her. Silver does, though. Witches carry two swords, a steel one for humans and a silver one for monsters.
Jessica: I caught that two-sword reference! But I noticed this time that he only seems to be carrying one sword over his shoulder most of the show, unless I missed something? As I said before, I wish they’d found a way to explain more the magic that Geralt has at his disposal. Because if I hadn’t seen the video game, I don’t think I would have picked up on that much.
Ginny: I feel like they were trying to fit so much in with a limited amount of episodes. I agree that I would have liked more of the magic explained, especially as someone who hadn’t played the game and had to pester their husband with questions.
Mari: This is definitely not the last time we’ll talk about the holes left in the story because they didn’t give us enough of the magic.
Renfri tosses Marilka aside and goes for Geralt with her sword. He tries to warn her off, but she tells him she won’t be able to stop.
They fight.
Renfri bleeds from her throat wound and tells Geralt once again, “The girl in the woods will be with you always. She is your destiny.” She dies in his arms.
Jessica: Quick aside to say that this fight was my favorite in the entire series. I have watched it approximately eleventy billion times. ALSO – damn you Geralt. Damn you for killing my favorite character in the first episode. I do not accept this. #JusticeforRenfri
Mari: Future: The Niflgaardian soldier is riding away from Cintra on Fire, Ciri on the back of his horse. She screams her murder scream again and it causes the horse to lose his shit and throw his riders. Ciri keeps screaming her magic scream until a nearby tower comes crumbling down and creates an actual rift in the ground between her and the Nilfgaardian soldier. She runs.
Past: Stregebor enters the market and sees Renfri dead. He wants to grab her body for autopsy, but Geralt is there to threaten to kill him if he tries. Stregebor thinks Geralt is under Renfri’s magic, which is part of her evil mutation. A crowd has gathered, so Stregebor uses this chance to turn them against him, pointing out that, uh, he’s slaughtered a bunch of people in the market square. As per Geralt’s last prophetic dream, they start throwing stones at him. Marilka shows up to add insult to injury by telling him to get out of Blaviken and never come back.
Mari: Geralt limps out of the square to more people jeering… but also keeping a safe distance away from him. Renfri’s voice over reminds us that the girl in the woods will be with him always. She is his destiny.
We watch Ciri run into the woods.
I could add a lot more feelings but I’ll keep it short.
Best: The final fight scene, primarily for reminding me so much of the video games. You get a slow motion final kill shot sometimes when you are fighting multiple enemies in the games. The score. The combination of sword play and magic. We love to see it.
Worst: “IT’S AN ULTIMATUM, GET IT?”
HM-Destiny count: 14
Jessica: I agree with your Best. The fighting especially is amazing! Those marketplace fights are what made me come back for episode 2. My Worst – Renfri’s death. I don’t get it! It still doesn’t make sense to me why Geralt chose Stregobor over her. He definitely did not like Stregobor in their interactions, and called him on all his bullshit. But then like, murdering her is ok because she wouldn’t give up her TOTALLY LEGIT revenge plan? Laaaaame. I know this show is called The Witcher and everything but, in my mind, Renfri wins the battle and kills Stregobor and then heads off to journey the open road with Roach in their own buddy cop flick. Yep, just gonna visualize that for a bit. *pensively sips breakfast stout*
Mari: Yeah, okay, this is actually the worst. I will say that in the book (to be that person), it’s a little more clear why Geralt chooses the way he does. Renfri goes to the market to basically kill people until Stregebor comes down. It’s mentioned kind of in passing here, and only after Geralt murders all her men. You can kind of see that the bones of that idea are here, because they mention the market multiple times, but the detail is lost in how the story is actually told. Also, The Last Wish is all inspired by classic fairytales, and Renfri is Snow White, essentially. Not that that adds anything to the viewing, but as long as I was sharing…
Ginny: No question the last fight scene was perfection and the best part of the episode. My other favorite scene is Calanthe’s death. Maybe that’s a weird “best” scene but it just drives home how dire the situation is and those final moments were emotional.
WORST: We’re all in agreement here. Renfri not getting her revenge and dying. In the words of Geralt, fuck.
Next time on The Witcher: A girl named Yennefer is bought and taken to the worst magic school in S01 E02 – Four Marks.
I'm a 30-something south Floridan who loves the beach but cannot swim. Such is my life, full of small contradictions and little trivialities. My main life goals are never to take life too seriously, but to do everything I attempt seriously well. After that, my life goals devolve into things like not wearing pants and eating all of the Zebra Cakes in the world. THE WORLD.
I'm a chronic book nerd and love storytelling in all forms. I'm particularly excited by the rise of the television show as an art form with long, cinematically beautiful plots and complex character arcs (I also watch cartoons). My travels in the past handful of years have led me through three continents and most recently landed me among the majestic mountains of Colorado. Some day I will compile all my travel journals/blogs into one place. Some day. Until then, you can find me with craft beer in hand, ready at any moment to deeply and passionately discuss survival tactics for the zombie apocalypse.
I'm a legal assistant in Boston who loves reading, snarking, cats and french fries. Oh let's not forget naps - naps are good. I blog about my life and whatever else I feel like blogging about. It's the melting pot of blogs.
