Looking back on the first season, it doesn't seem as good as I initially thought. Over time, since the first season began, leading up to now, the criticisms became more relatable as opposed to the (excessive and exaggerated) praises, even though I was probably more in line with the latter instead of the former.
So, I guess I hardly had any (or high) expectations and yearning concerning the second season. But I think this was a decent start to the second season. It felt completely different than the entire first season. I hope that will remain the case throughout the entirety of this season.
Hell, I'd go far enough to say that this premiere just FELT much better than the entire first season. All I can say is that it felt better. Even if I wanted to deep dive into why it felt better and whether it is better than the entire first season, objectively, I'm nowhere near qualified enough to do that. Maybe the cinematography; and the linear narrative opposed to the non-linear narrative in the first season were contributing factors.
But I can say that there were some improvements, such as:
The cinematography. It's relatively good now, unlike in the first season. I think it was what stood out the most in this premiere: it stood out in the first season, too, just not in a good way. It looked surprisingly crisp and high-quality. I think it was well-done, not only in appearance but also technically. The use of lighting and the angles of some shots. How some shots were filmed and so on.
The dialogue, maybe. I seem to think that it wasn't great in the first season. But overall, it felt like an improvement in this premiere. Of course, there's still room for even more improvement.
The writing remains to be seen. Upon first impression, nothing about it stood out in a semi-negative way, which is good. I hope that continues for the rest of the season. I think this will be a season of improvements over the first season, all-around. And even if there are moments written poorly or conveniently, I doubt they'll be worth it to care about them.
Here are some of my other thoughts regarding the episode:
The contact lenses (?) that Henry Cavill and Freya Allan were wearing gave each of their characters something needed. I'm not sure if Henry was wearing contact lenses in the first season or if the color of his eyes was CGI. I'm pretty sure that neither was the case for Freya. I can see why some people may not like them. They look a little uncanny. But to me, both of them look way better, aesthetically, with the (these) contact lenses. And they're further amplified by the crisp, high-quality-looking cinematography.
Geralt and Cirilla's relationship/dynamic seems wholesome, although they seem pretty close already, which is odd. They're still pretty much strangers. But maybe there was enough time for them to grow closer to each other. Off-screen. Or it could be :sparkles:destiny.:sparkles: Either way, I like their relationship/dynamic already, and I hope it gets even better throughout the season.
I can't be the only one who thought Tissaia was going to do the magic memory search thing on the guy who was on their side that Vilgefortz bludgeoned to death nearing the end of the first season. I'm aware that both locations were different, but they had to have been close to each other. Bodies also seemed to be being brought to where Tissaia was. I think my initial thought had some merit of possibility, yet it was a bit far-fetched at the same time.
MyAnna Buring's acting carried this episode, acting-wise. I'm assuming that'll be a popular opinion and an opinion that most people would find agreeable. As far as Tissaia is concerned, I like the amount of care and attachment she has towards Yennefer; and the lengths she'll go for her. I'm interested to see how their relationship will pan out throughout the season.
The CGI (?) for Nivellen looked pretty decent. There still looked to be a tiny bit of uncanniness, but nothing immersion-breaking. And the animated (?) moments of his mouth during speech and drinking looked decent, as well. If anything, the CGI during those moments looked more uncanny, sometimes, than his entire look.
The acting by Kristofer Hivju as Nivellen was pretty decent as well. I haven't watched Game of Thrones, but I'm assuming that he's somewhat of a high-profile actor who's also a pretty good actor, so I guess it was cool to see him in (only) this premiere. If only he played an important character who'll be a central part of the story at some point.
Unless there's something I missed at the end of the first season, Cahir's capture seemed random. I guess it wouldn't have been impossible for him to be captured and given how many of Nilfgaardians Yennefer took out with her final attack. But it still felt random. Maybe I'm alone on that.
The fight sequence of Geralt against (the Bruxa) Vereena was filmed quite nicely. Choreography-wise, it started pretty decently, but once she transformed into the bat-like creature, there wasn't much to it anymore. Still, something about it made it seem better than the fight sequence of Geralt against the Striga in the third episode of the first season.
Overall, this premiere was somewhat of a slow start to the season. It did pick up further into the episode. Story-wise, the pacing wasn't too fast or too slow. Pretty much, this was a decent/entertaining premiere. It'll likely get better and more exciting starting with the next episode, so I'm looking forward to continuing watching through this season.
Review by LineageBlockedParent2021-12-19T21:59:37Z
Looking back on the first season, it doesn't seem as good as I initially thought. Over time, since the first season began, leading up to now, the criticisms became more relatable as opposed to the (excessive and exaggerated) praises, even though I was probably more in line with the latter instead of the former.
So, I guess I hardly had any (or high) expectations and yearning concerning the second season. But I think this was a decent start to the second season. It felt completely different than the entire first season. I hope that will remain the case throughout the entirety of this season.
Hell, I'd go far enough to say that this premiere just FELT much better than the entire first season. All I can say is that it felt better. Even if I wanted to deep dive into why it felt better and whether it is better than the entire first season, objectively, I'm nowhere near qualified enough to do that. Maybe the cinematography; and the linear narrative opposed to the non-linear narrative in the first season were contributing factors.
But I can say that there were some improvements, such as:
The cinematography. It's relatively good now, unlike in the first season. I think it was what stood out the most in this premiere: it stood out in the first season, too, just not in a good way. It looked surprisingly crisp and high-quality. I think it was well-done, not only in appearance but also technically. The use of lighting and the angles of some shots. How some shots were filmed and so on.
The dialogue, maybe. I seem to think that it wasn't great in the first season. But overall, it felt like an improvement in this premiere. Of course, there's still room for even more improvement.
The writing remains to be seen. Upon first impression, nothing about it stood out in a semi-negative way, which is good. I hope that continues for the rest of the season. I think this will be a season of improvements over the first season, all-around. And even if there are moments written poorly or conveniently, I doubt they'll be worth it to care about them.
Here are some of my other thoughts regarding the episode:
The contact lenses (?) that Henry Cavill and Freya Allan were wearing gave each of their characters something needed. I'm not sure if Henry was wearing contact lenses in the first season or if the color of his eyes was CGI. I'm pretty sure that neither was the case for Freya. I can see why some people may not like them. They look a little uncanny. But to me, both of them look way better, aesthetically, with the (these) contact lenses. And they're further amplified by the crisp, high-quality-looking cinematography.
Geralt and Cirilla's relationship/dynamic seems wholesome, although they seem pretty close already, which is odd. They're still pretty much strangers. But maybe there was enough time for them to grow closer to each other. Off-screen. Or it could be :sparkles:destiny.:sparkles: Either way, I like their relationship/dynamic already, and I hope it gets even better throughout the season.
I can't be the only one who thought Tissaia was going to do the magic memory search thing on the guy who was on their side that Vilgefortz bludgeoned to death nearing the end of the first season. I'm aware that both locations were different, but they had to have been close to each other. Bodies also seemed to be being brought to where Tissaia was. I think my initial thought had some merit of possibility, yet it was a bit far-fetched at the same time.
MyAnna Buring's acting carried this episode, acting-wise. I'm assuming that'll be a popular opinion and an opinion that most people would find agreeable. As far as Tissaia is concerned, I like the amount of care and attachment she has towards Yennefer; and the lengths she'll go for her. I'm interested to see how their relationship will pan out throughout the season.
The CGI (?) for Nivellen looked pretty decent. There still looked to be a tiny bit of uncanniness, but nothing immersion-breaking. And the animated (?) moments of his mouth during speech and drinking looked decent, as well. If anything, the CGI during those moments looked more uncanny, sometimes, than his entire look.
The acting by Kristofer Hivju as Nivellen was pretty decent as well. I haven't watched Game of Thrones, but I'm assuming that he's somewhat of a high-profile actor who's also a pretty good actor, so I guess it was cool to see him in (only) this premiere. If only he played an important character who'll be a central part of the story at some point.
Unless there's something I missed at the end of the first season, Cahir's capture seemed random. I guess it wouldn't have been impossible for him to be captured and given how many of Nilfgaardians Yennefer took out with her final attack. But it still felt random. Maybe I'm alone on that.
The fight sequence of Geralt against (the Bruxa) Vereena was filmed quite nicely. Choreography-wise, it started pretty decently, but once she transformed into the bat-like creature, there wasn't much to it anymore. Still, something about it made it seem better than the fight sequence of Geralt against the Striga in the third episode of the first season.
Overall, this premiere was somewhat of a slow start to the season. It did pick up further into the episode. Story-wise, the pacing wasn't too fast or too slow. Pretty much, this was a decent/entertaining premiere. It'll likely get better and more exciting starting with the next episode, so I'm looking forward to continuing watching through this season.