User Reviews

You kill a central character to end it all with, but introduce meaningless sides without conversations or plots to fill a quota or something. Yennefer and Geralt love has gone soft, and lack the lust and directness of the books.

Where is the monsters that define this universe. Stop with all the meaningless dialog with cheesy spins.

Geralt lacks his goodness "witchers don't feel" - Yennefer lacks the cold low, but also the ambition that made her a fan favorit in the games.

And triss, where is the romance with Geralt, where is the wits.. she made it fun to wonder who will end with Geralt..

And Djykstra! He seems like a powerless desperate man, he is cynical and cold, where is his ambition.. Eilhart has no magical ambition, but takes his place totally.

In general the show is missing the woods, the swamps, the monsters, the mystery, the fisety comments between main characters. Remove the sides and use all time on the central three, but mostly Geralt, he is the main.. it seems like that has been forgotten in useless dialog, new "powerfully" women, who takes a way for the female characters with depth, whom the fanbase love.

The leader of the show has failed, the show has sadly lost the parts that made the books a hit, and the games a gem that keeps on giving, and for what? Because someone wanted to write their own story in a 1/10 of the time the author did, expecting it to be a succes.

I only give it a 7 because of a farewell to Henry Cavil. I don't know and don't care what happened behind the scenes but nor Henry and neither the fans deserve such a bs season. Rush editing, weak storylines and plot holes that ruins it easily! I mean what was that Ciri centered episode in the middle of the desert for an hour!? No point at all! I don't think this show should be renewed at this point!

I thought I was the only one who had problems with this season but it seems Most of the Fans and of Course Henry Cavill Himself are not happy whit the outcome of this potentially Game of Thrones Rival!

Anyway Hope something else happens in season 4 and I don't really think Liam Hemsworth can save this mess!

Adapted from Andrzej Sapkowski's third novel in the series, namely "Time of Contempt", "The Witcher" S03 starring Henry Cavill started off on a high note and kept tensions taut.

Though they stayed true to the book this time round, there were a handful of creative differences that had to be followed. You can read all about the changes in "Witcher" season 3 from the books on a well-detailed article on IGN.

The eight episodes featured in this season contained plenty of crucial characters and alluring action sequences. Heart and humor were also woven into the plot, bringing balance to a lore-packed third season.

Cavill was, as expected, outstanding in the role. It's a shame to see him go. Hopefully, his 'younger Witcher' version, Liam Hemsworth will follow well in his footsteps. That remains to be seen in season 4 of "The Witcher".

I have a lot to say about Cavill's departure, but it's best to let bygones be bygones. There have been rumors about how 'difficult' he is to work with, but fans know that Cavill demands perfection and excellence. I, personally, find that empowering instead of belittling. Sadly, some others might have felt a lazier approach was the way to go.

Allow me to add that Cavill is going to be almost impossible to replace in the hearts of fans like myself who have played the games, read the books, and watched every season on Netflix. After searing the fact that Geralt and Cavill are one and the same person (in a way), Netflix is now gambling big on making us shift our allegiance to another. Let's hope S04 does not literally create a 'time of contempt' for this otherwise amazing franchise.

Back to the 'story so far' in season 3. Fate was apparently not done with Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri. Their desperate need to find sanctuary only led them deeper into a game of political cat and mouse, not to forget monsters and sorceries.

Yennefer was teaching Ciri to use magic. This was a highly anticipated plot-element, one that reflected her need to control the ancient magic brewing inside her. The Wild Hunt wanted Ciri expressly for the power hiding in her Elder Blood, so learning to master her potential was a key step in her journey.

Those homely scenes were beautifully balanced. It genuinely gave us a peek into the non-combat side of Geralt, particularly in connection with Ciri (his beloved adopted daughter) and Yennefer (the sorceress with whom he's always had a complicated relationship, even after the incident with the Djinn).

Also, Geralt still hadn't completely forgiven Yennefer for the secret she withheld last season where she'd aimed to reclaim the magic she lost (through a powerful fiery spellcast wielded in battle) and went on to betray the Witcher by deceptively taking Ciri to Voleth Meir (the Deathless Mother).

They addressed these (and other) important lore points going forward and created a nice bridge between this season and what came in seasons past. I also liked the way they branched out their earlier portrayals of Elven expectations, schemes, beliefs, and prophecies, and gave the Scoia'tael a bloodier role to play. Human and sorcerous politics were both granted captivating flourishes this season, with an eye for schemes and strategies.

I genuinely loved how natural and heartfelt Anya Chalotra's performance as Yennefer was this season. Freya Allan as Ciri was also quite the revelation. Their emotive acting strummed all the right strings and made me genuinely commit to their characters.

On a related note, I appreciated the attention they gave various foods and festivals in the Northern Realms, not to forget court politics and diverse costumes (another major S03 highlight).

Moreover, all locations (new and old alike) - Nilfgaard, Redania, Shaerrawedd, and Thanedd Island (Aretuza) - were stunning. They captured such a vital slice of the beauty and wonder this franchise is also known for. The team even introduced the Dryads and the 'Rats' - pivotal characters from the books.

Some exquisite monsters also came to the fore in season 3 "The Witcher". Fans like myself recognized a few of them from the books as well as the games. We had a Jackapace, a Werewolf (one of the good ones, and in human form), an Aeschna, a Wyvern (baby, though), and a magically maligned monstrosity made of different body parts. The creature designs for each were extraordinary. And let's not forget the Wild Hunt themselves who were showcased, albeit briefly, in "Witcher" season 3.

I was surprised when they delved into Geralt's past, particularly about his mother. Kids were known to be sold to Witchers who later put them through a near-fatal Trial of the Grasses to see who survived and could, therefore, train to become a Witcher.

Henry Cavill's performance was the perfect blend of 'emotions stripped out of us in the Trial' witcher and 'remembering how things used to be' Geralt. This sequence in E03 felt so much like watching the digital game-version of Geralt.

Oh, and Netflix? Don't divide your shows into volumes or parts. Just give us all or nothing. Your own streaming platform has so much to see and enjoy that I - like plenty of other viewers - can't care to sit through recaps just to appreciate one good show.

The two-volume division for "The Witcher" season 3 made me enjoy it less than I would have if the whole season had been served up at once. I can attest to that, because I had to re-watch the first few episodes when Vol.2 released and discovered that round-2 was more satisfying.

Admirable character-arc branching and a remarkably well-detailed plotline kept me hooked to every episode of season 3 "The Witcher". The last three episodes were stunning, to say the least. All the dialogue-driven sequences and unpredictable betrayals were well-layered. Oftentimes, I felt like I was watching a Witcher feature film.

The team did good by several elements in Sapkowski's "Time of Contempt" book, and took clever liberties where needed. I was surprised at how well this season turned out. They truly put in the effort and it showed.

Well, the last two episodes were so awful that I wasn't sure if they were made to make fun of everything. I never thought that I will leave a comment about dialog, but the dialog is a disaster. The pace and the stories are so slow and boring that you feel like you're wasting time. No, you know you're wasting time but you're hoping that something is going to happen and that this can't be all that there is and then it's the end. Awful. I thought that the worst show ever was Ring of Powers but these 2 episodes took over. If you think about it, it's disgraceful not only to the books/game fans but to those who liked the show without any previous knowledge about The Witcher. The worst ending of a season ever. From a good show it transformed to some kind of strange show for kids... Mommy and daddy love each other while their precious princess for 30 min walks around desert saying on repeat "Hang on, you can do it". On repeat. She cries, parents cry, friends cry, they all cry and repeat the same sentences for 2 episodes. I gave it 2 stars because it's the last season for Henry... I don't understand why they didn't end it with first part.

After 8 episodes it's very clear that there was a decision made by showrunners from the start of the season to sideline Geralt and focus far more heavily on Yennefer, Ciri and the all-female Brotherhood. They did this under cover of saying it was a "more direct adaptation of the books" which simply can't be true because Geralt was always the star of the books.

This episode was truly the endgame of sidelining Geralt where all we got were a few quick scenes of him struggling to heal up and a mostly meaningless fight with some level 1 guards, cuckolded by the showrunners who would seem to prefer that he not even exist. Even in his final fight scene we get an interminable voiceover from Yennifer through the entire thing, who says nothing meaningful only platitudes, seemingly just there as a final shot at Henry Cavill to steal his thunder before he (understandably) leaves this sinking show.

I would say that I hope they replace LSH as the showrunner to try to salvage something in season 4, but I don't think I'll be watching anyway so what does it matter. Thanks for the first two seasons and good luck with Johnny Drama as Geralt in S4.

The episode follows the aftermath of the Nilfgaardian attack on Aretuza, which triggered a war between the Northern Kingdoms and the Empire. Geralt and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) must face the consequences of their choices and try to reunite with Ciri (Freya Allan), who is in grave danger. Meanwhile, new alliances and betrayals are forged among the sorcerers, kings, and elves of the Continent.

The episode is a mixed bag of emotions, action, and intrigue. On one hand, it delivers some satisfying moments of character development, such as Geralt's healing journey in Brokilon, Yennefer's reunion with him, and Ciri's discovery of her true power. On the other hand, it also leaves some loose ends and unresolved plotlines, such as Tissaia's (MyAnna Buring) tragic fate, Philippa's (Cassie Clare) coup in Redania, and Francesca's (Mecia Simson) deal with Emhyr (Bart Edwards). The episode also suffers from some pacing issues and uneven tone, as it tries to balance humor, drama, and horror.

The episode is not a perfect farewell to Cavill's portrayal of Geralt, but it still offers some memorable scenes and performances. Cavill and Chalotra have great chemistry as Geralt and Yennefer, and their emotional reunion is one of the highlights of the episode. Allan also impresses as Ciri, who shows her strength and vulnerability in equal measure. The episode also features some impressive visual effects and production design, especially in the scenes involving magic and monsters.

Overall, The Witcher Season 3 Episode 8 is a decent finale that wraps up some of the main arcs of the season, but also leaves some questions unanswered and some fans disappointed. It is a fitting end to Cavill's era as Geralt, but also a promising start for the next chapter of The Witcher saga. I would give it a 7/10 rating.

(909-word review) Surprisingly (although it shouldn't be), this was worse than the previous episode: which, while a pivotal one, was tedious to get through, not to mention the landing and impact didn't complement the intention of giving Ciri sole focus and being an introduction to more of that, specifically in the next season.

Besides being a lousy, strongly underwhelming closing finale, my biggest gripes were Milva's character (especially Zhang Meng'er's acting; it was painful to watch - and, by the way, circling back to one of many problems of this show: the costume design for Milva was atrocious, as is Ciri's main outfit, both of which are essentially the same) and the introduction of The Rats, who were immediately dislikable, and their fight sequence reeked of forced intent to give them (annoyingly overconfident) panache.

Furthermore, the majority of the choreography (though some of it was decent) and camerawork were subpar. And the poor, artificial lighting, a key factor that keeps popping up - it appears that a Game of Thrones-level budget is insufficient; you need to pump up those numbers, Netflix - was dreadful.

Yeah, I know, that's the point, disliking The Rats and their palpable cockiness and arrogance because that's how they were in the novels from what I know, except all I got from them was the unwaveringly acute desire to witness their demise in a very negative way, not the mindset of hating them but acknowledging that they're "well-written" because of that outlook.

In a more positive light, Mecia Simson's acting in the scene with Francesca and Fringilla where a critical plot point of the past was revealed (and I completely forgot about that and how it was something we, the audience, knew, but not Francesca) was exceptional. She's among the few pillars of acting who're propping this show upward, acting-wise (which doesn't include Henry Cavill, to paint a picture).

And similarly, Anya Chalotra's acting in Yennefer's first scene with Geralt was also exceptional; hell, her performance throughout the episode seemed the most natural it's been - and shockingly, Henry Cavill himself, notoriously void of conveying romantic attraction in this show, possibly generally as an actor, seemed to try (which never seemed to be the case until now; nevermind whether it's a success) to sell the necessary chemistry between Geralt and Yennefer in that scene, so that was a pleasant surprise.

Stating the obvious, she's one of those pillars, alongside the magnificent MyAnna Buring, whose performance as Tissaia de Vries was the best of everyone. And she'll be sorely missed and treasured - the show will also suffer from her absence to whatever depths it can even go lower at this point; she was a significant lifeline. Mecia, Anya, and MyAnna have been doing so much carrying, yet everyone's been fawning over Henry Cavill. Shameful.

TL;DR: Henry Cavill's send-off is minimal, which I couldn't care less about, and this finale was lousy and underwhelming, with Mecia Simson and Anya Chalotra's acting being the only bright spot.

Side thoughts:

• The cinematography and blue lighting in Geralt and Yennefer's first scene looked good, even elevating it beyond what I've already brought up two paragraphs back.

• Philippa has speedy hair-styling skills: speed, in general, as her hairstyle and outfit were different in the Vizimir/Radovid scene compared to when she and Dijkstra talked.

• "It's hard to believe so much has happened in a week," "How much you lost," "We've all lost," "Our home. Our history," "People we love," after picking up fallen furniture as if the room doesn't look fine besides the lighting. Cinema. At least do this in an obliterated area or one that shows signs that prop up such dialogue, not fallen furniture.

• I liked how Geralt seemingly appeared from hiding behind a tree, even though it was too small to obscure him, or from the bushes, where he would've had to be crouching down - the image of that is something else - and that's stretching it. Eavesdropping seemed to be the intention; in other words, out of sight until revealing himself, so it must be believed despite the contradictory evidence.

• Relating to that, I liked even more how, with the shots of his face as he's leaning against the tree, it's pristine; then, cutting to the very next scene/shot, with the elixir-making, he has some cuts. Sticks and stone may break my bones, but continuity errors will also... hurt me.

• The tan makeup on Ciri makes its noticeable return at the end, looking the same as it did in the second episode: bad. It's distracting and immersion-breaking, but it must be a "What color is the dress?" situation, with every makeup artist seeing it the opposite way because that's what they went with.

• The guys at the end said Ciri's the one Nilfgaard has been looking for, and Kayleigh heard it. There are presumably wanted posters: specifically, a physical description. He and the remaining Rats should know she's not Falka. Was keeping her identity a secret not one of the reasons for using an alias? It's possible that transpired the same way in the novels, and it will be promptly disclosed that they knew at the start of the next season.

• Ciri's "She's playing with him" fight sequence was edgy, goofy - cringe, and not at all compelling or whatever the intended reaction was.

• Jaskier's song during the credits was good, thankfully. Undoubtedly this season's best concerning him/Joey Batey. "The Ride of the Witcher" is tied with "A Little Sacrifice" for me.

Solid, yes the first three seasons were great but the background music was massively annoying, which is why the rating was below 7. Also how they discover Vilgefortz's betrayal in S03 didn't make any sense to me. A lot of dialogues and lines were off topic so I didn't really understand what they were saying but if you sticked till the end of S03 you would understand what was happening.

I don't know why some viewers say it was going downhill but actually it was getting better. Perhaps they didn't know what the show was really about. To me, the show is not just about how Geralt slays the monsters. It's about how Geralt, Yen and Ciri change after Cintra is ruined by Nilfgaard. If you don't like the plot, go and play the games. The show focuses on Ciri, from a highborn to a refugee running for her life. The elves want her, the Nilfgasrdians want her, Aretuza wants her, and the monsters wants to eat her too. S01 is like "pilot", giving you a general idea about The Witchers, the mages, the monsters, Nilfgaard (The south) and the northern kingdoms (the north). S02 and s03 focus on the journey of Yen, Ciri and Geralt. You will see more monsters in S01 and how Geralt fights them. S02 and S03 emphasise the fight between people and people. The way how it goes, there will be more people vs people in the follow seasons.

Geralt is a Witcher being disdained by people. His life is simple, slaying monsters for coins. Despite his tough look, he can be very caring and sympathetic. His life changes after he meets a young princess Ciri from Cintra and a mage, Yen from Aretuza. They bond very closely as story progresses. Geralt has a code, that he will only slay monsters not humans, no matter the fact that "sometimes people are worse" he doesn't want to admit. He breaks his code after he is told that Ciri is in Nilfgaard and he is determined to rescue her S03 finale, realising that he has to kill people to save a life. Ciri is the princess of Cintra, a rebellious, playful, happy and a carefree young girl. She doesn't really like the life of being a princess. She loves hanging with her citizens rather than the royal family. After the diminishing of Cintra, she wants to be strong just like Geralt is to seek revenge on those people who destroyed her family. Yen was born in a regular family where she is being treated like a slave because her look makes her family feel like she's a witch. After being taken to Aretuza, she becomes very ambitious displaying a "I want them all" attitude while she is slowly becoming one of the greatest mages in the academy. Her ambition becomes more obvious after the surgery that corrects her look to make her extremely attractive. After the fall of Soddon and she's being kept as a prisoner by the Nilfgaardians, her high self ego vanishes and she displays a gentle and approachable side. She falls in love with Geralt and becomes a very close friend to Ciri later on. Cahir is a solider of Nilfgaard, he's stone cold and murderous, loyal to his kingdom. After being captured by the Northern Kingdom and rescued by Yen, he begins to question his action, realising that sometimes it doesn't have to kill someone to get what they want. But sadly he sometimes still acts like a brutal man especially when he is being given an assignment by his Lord who wants him to proves his loyalty and usefulness.

While our characters are on their journey, Aretuza begins to fight among themselves over how to deal with Ciri, the betrayal of Vilgefortz, and Dijkstra and his Kingdom Redania wants to rule the mages, the north and the south. This leads to the ultimate fall of Aretuza. Tissaia, the headmaster of the academy, blaming the fall of Aretuza and the demises of her friends are all on her because she trusts someone she shouldn't. Despite her tough look, she cares about the academy, her friends and her students. Feeling the guilt of her actions that causes severe damages, she commits suicide.

I felt like I was watching Game of Thrones while watching the Witcher. Sodden was like the night's watch, Yen was like Danny Targaryen, Ciri was like Anya Stark and Geralt was like Jon Snow. They did share some similar traits/personalities. The Witcher has more evil creatures than GoT, but the GoT's storyline is more complicated than the Witcher.