Toss a coin to your Witcher, O Valley of Netflix viewers. Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf himself has returned to the Continent for a second season. Still effortlessly inhabited by Henry Cavil, Geralt now has to carry on after the horror that was the Battle of Sodden Hill, where we saw his love-interest/mage, Yennifer, (Anya Chalotra), incinerate the invading army with forbidden fire magic.
Geralt now has to lick his wounds and focus on his destiny, as it were, Freya Allan’s feisty Princess Ciri, the Lion Cub of Cintra. (Apple must really appreciate the unintentional publicity) Being duty-bound to protect her, he takes her under his wing and becomes both father figure and drill sergeant.
There is plenty of drama and conflict to go around in the second season. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissirch managed to find a balance with each of the main characters getting a significant amount of screen time to flesh out their characters and plights, going through satisfying if somewhat predictable story arcs.
The fight scenes, of course, are always where it is at. For all its deep world-building, complex characterizations, political intrigue, and shadowy maneuverings, all of which are engrossing in their own right, audiences come to see the Witcher kick monster butt. That is a Witcher’s main purpose in life, after all.
There is a fair bit of monster-slaying this season. One of the aspects of the material, be it book, game, or show, that sets it apart from other high fantasy franchises is the influence of Slavic folklore as opposed to the usual Anglo-Saxon or Nordic mythologies that have usually garnered more attention. The flavor of fantasy the Witcher offers is familiar yet invitingly different, and this is possibly reflected in most of its monsters.
From season one's Striga to this season’s menagerie, they make formidable foes for our hero and his companions.
Geralt seems to use his magic a bit more freely this time around, and this really opens up the possibilities during combat with foul creatures as well as foul-smelling human troublemakers. Parries and attacks interspersed with occasional bursts of force give a much appreciated visual punch to the combat.
With the animated movie, Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf already streaming and a prequel show Witcher: Blood Origin set for release sometime next year, it seems the Slavic –inspired world of the Continent and its inhabitants intend to stay awhile. And this reviewer for one is just fine with that.
I have many a coin to toss.