Notes:
Man: "You mutant son of a bitch."
Marilka: "I don't know what to do in Blaviken for the rest of my life, except go to the boring old market."
Geralt: "And kill rats."
Marilka: "And dogs."
Geralt: "You don't want my monster. You want me to kill yours."
Stregobor: "Very clever. Indeed."
Geralt: "What kind?"
Stregobor: "The worst kind. The human kind. Its name is Renfri."
Geralt: "Wizards are all the same. You talk nonsense while making wise and meaningful faces. Speak normally."
Renfri: "If I tell you, Witcher, that I can neither forgive Stregobor nor renounce my revenge, is that it? I admit I'm a monster?"
Geralt: "Yes. Or... you can leave Blaviken... and finally live. You choose, Princess."
Ciri: "And why are you not there? Wherever they are."
Lazlo: "My duty is to protect you."
Ciri: "You're resentful of that burden."
Lazlo: "It's the greatest honour of my life."Mousesack: "Many, many years ago, sorcerers were known to lock little girls in towers. I'm beginning to understand why."
Ciri: "You know cautionary tales don't work on me."
Mousesack: "The girls were said to be cursed. They were said to announce the end of the human race."
Ciri: "Ooh."
Mousesack: "So they were systematically killed. The end."
Ciri: "No!"
Boy: "What are you doing?"
Woman: "It's me, my son."
Boy: "What is this?"
Woman: "It's okay."
Geralt: "If we cross swords..."
Renfri: "I won't be able to stop."
Marilka: "Get out of Blaviken, Geralt. Don't ever come back."
Review
That was an interesting start. The time flew by and each storyline felt easy to follow. I don't know—we'll see how it goes. Otherwise, it's a promising beginning.
Review by Martin RBlockedParent2019-12-20T12:30:07Z— updated 2019-12-25T09:34:04Z
Important note: If I sound joking, ironic, or condescending, I apologise in advance if my words hit you. I have a sharp tongue and usually joke about things, including myself. For example, I came up with the nude girl example in the last paragraph, because some part of me like the book's version with one girl better, so I was joking about myself more than any of you readers :sweat_smile: Thanks for reading!
I've recently re-read the short stories for the forth (or so) time and played two out of the three main games, so I cannot not compare the different interpretations of The Witcher. But I won't spoil anything beyond the first episode and it's all tagged.
First of all: It was obvious there was and is and never will be a way to cater to all fans. It is impossible if there are only two fans in the whole wide world which have only read the books. Or if there a many of them, all with different first contacts with Geralt and his story, and different backgrounds. A German fan has a different approach to many of the stories compared to for example an American one, because he had heard the fairy tales, which Sapkowski wove into his stories, reinterpreted. Just an example.
So obviously that was something Netflix had in mind and it seemed they cared about it. I would have preferred a different decision (sticking closer to the books), but I see why they did what they did and I think it's the right decision.
So what did they do? They chose to use different timelines to introduce Geralt and Ciri with their defining moments: "The Lesser Evil" for Geralt, which marks him as the Butcher of Blaviken, and Cintra's fall for Cirilla (Ciri), which introduces us to her possibilities and sets her on her path. It also hints at the connection between the two stories, but that's for another time.
They also decided to sway in the minor and sometimes bigger details, sticking to the red line of each story and weaving a new telling around it. It reminds me a little of Neil Gaiman's "Norse Mythology", where he admits that his retelling is deviating from the source in some points, because he is re-telling the stories, not copying them. And that's a good thing. Yes, we might not see some moments of dialogues in Netflix's version, but imagine them as someone telling you Geralt's story as you sit around a camp fire. You don't care about the details, if Stregobor did know Geralt beforehand or not, or if Geralt met the Alderman or his daughter. You want to hear the story of the Butcher of Blaviken, how he had to face this dilemma. It doesn't matter if Renfri and the witcher f*cked (Do I need to censor this word here?) in a room or a forest. You want a good time and you'll have it.
And we had it. It was a great first episode, telling two very interesting stories, defining characters, setting up the story. Compared to so many other first episodes of shows, this was a great one. And comparing it to other great first episodes, it doesn't loose either.
Yes, some people may be hurt that they experienced a story that wasn't exactly what they expected. Maybe they are not sold on the cast, maybe they hate that there were more than one nude illusion girl in Stregobor's tower or that Geralt didn't cut someone in two. And that's okay. The Witcher fans are a passionate bunch coming from many different directions. Let's give this retelling of our favorite story a chance. It deserves one.