I was recently given the opportunity to preview the first episode of season 2 of The Witcher, as well as participate in a live Q&A session with actor Henry Cavill, who portrays Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher himself. This was a dream come true for me, not only because Henry Cavill is absolutely dazzling to look at, but because I'm a HUGE fan of The Witcher series and I was so excited to get that sneak peek of the first episode (Season 2 makes its debut on December 17th). Netflix, you chose the right gal!! So let me share my thoughts on the second season with you (no spoilers, I promise), as well as some of Henry's words from the Q&A.
Disclosure: I attended a live virtual Q&A session with Henry Cavill and previewed the first episode of Season 2 of The Witcher but was not otherwise compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Most photos via Netflix Media. Q&A photos are my own and are not for distribution.
About The Witcher
If you haven't seen The Witcher on Netflix yet, let me just tell you a bit about it. Well, strike that- let me allow Netflix to tell you about it, since it's their show and they can describe it best. This is a direct quote from Netflix Media about the show: "Based on the best-selling fantasy series of books, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together." The Witcher has a huge fan base, made up not only of the book readers, but of the gaming community, too (The Witcher is a role-playing video game franchise available on both PC and console).
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| photo courtesy of Netflix Media |
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| photo courtesy of Netflix Media |
My Thoughts on the Q&A
Henry Cavill, I love you. And I really hope you're out there in the cyber-universe somewhere, reading this and chuckling to yourself (because you did say you read many posts about The Witcher, including Reddit forums and fan comments). I love you not just because you're a human being who was clearly sculpted by the gods, but because you love dogs and computer gaming and making your own pizzas on the grill. And as perfect as you look, you're okay with admitting that you're not perfect (I appreciated you sharing the story of your hamstring injury and knowing what your limits are). What I learned from this Q&A is that you are an actor who cares about this role and the fan base it carries. Geralt of Rivia means so much to so many. People are invested in The Witcher characters because they've read about them and played the games, and clearly they expect a lot from you as their Geralt. But I can attest that you deliver. You care about this character- you've read the books and played the games, too, and you want Geralt to be authentic and real. That is also why I love you.
My questions weren't the ones chosen at the Q&A (much to my dismay) but I was curious if Henry would ever be interested in bringing The Witcher to the big screen as opposed to Netflix. Or does he prefer the series? I also asked if he could choose a role for his dog Kal in The Witcher, who could Kal be? Or maybe Kal is just a behind-the-scenes kinda dog? Those were my riveting questions!
My Thoughts on The Witcher Season 2 Episode 1
So what does Season 2's first episode have to offer? As expected, it picks up literally where Season 1 left off. Everyone is convinced Yennefer died in the Battle of Sodden (why does everyone believe this so readily? I would have totally thought she was still alive). Geralt of Rivia decides to bring Princess Cirilla to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen (do you think it will be a warm and fuzzy welcome home? Hmmm...) but first he has to stop and see an old friend along the way. Meanwhile, the Continent’s kings, elves, humans and demons strive for supremacy outside its walls, and Geralt tries his best to protect Ciri from pretty much everything - I was on the edge of my seat (I know she can probably take care of herself, but still).
I don't want to give away too much but I can also tell you there are awesome character performances in this episode, especially from Kristofer Hivju as Nivellen. "It's been amazing [working with this cast]," said Henry during the Q&A, "They are extraordinary performers...it takes so much hard work to do this and there's some tricky material to work with and they have just poured life and magic into it. It's extraordinary to see. And I don't know if it's my place to say that I'm proud of them, but I'm proud to have worked with them. I think everyone is going to be really, really happy with their performances when they watch the rest of the season." This first episode had a little bit of everything I was hoping for (except a Geralt bathtub scene, but a girl can dream *shrug*). There was a great monster appearance but even saying that is a giveaway so I'm going to shut my mouth now.
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| photo courtesy of Netflix Media |
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| photo courtesy of Netflix Media |
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| photo courtesy of Netflix Media |
Now is the perfect time to binge watch Season 1 of The Witcher if you haven't seen it yet (or even if you want to brush up on the details). Season 2 airs on Netflix December 17th at 3am so mark your calendars or set your alarms or alerts or whatever it is that you do (I prefer Post-It notes, but maybe I'm old school). You won't be sorry you did. And don't forget to toss a coin to your Witcher!
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| photo courtesy of Netflix Media |
