‘Twas the night before Christmas when I finished the last episode of The Witcher Season 2, aptly titled “Family”, and as I switched off the TV, there were parts of me that was glad I was done watching the season and at the same time excited for the next.
We pick up pretty much where we left off, in the aftermath of Sodden where Yennefer decided to unleash her Ryūjin Jakka Bankai (sorry, 2022’s got Bleach on my mind) and scorched the earth along with half the opposing army. If you’ve watched the trailers, you’d know she didn’t completely sacrifice herself, but she does lose something of great importance to her in the process – her Chaos.
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Making herself whole again plays a key role in this season’s plot. Yennefer must question herself and all that she stands for in her journey to regaining her Chaos. Will she be willing to betray those closest to her, turn to the darkside of the Force (no seriously, another term for Chaos in The Witcher universe is the Force!) or will she make the hard sacrifices required of her in her personal quest!?
Geralt on the other hand as we last saw him had already picked up his Child Surprise, Cirilla, and the pair of them are on their own adventure. On his way back to the Witcher Stronghold of Kaer Morhen, they face off with a couple of monsters in the form of a Bruxa and something worse.
Cirilla takes it upon herself to train as how a Witcher would within the fortress grounds much to the dissatisfaction of Geralt. But he eventually gives in when he realizes her determination is not something easily dampened and even enlists the help of a mage and his old tutors to assist her in honing her Chaos. Much of the series revolves around the princess herself as key revelations are made about her lineage and ancestry, what they mean to the various factions and how she ties in as a key player in the universe itself.
If you’re alright with a dash of politics in a fantasy series, we are introduced to The Northern Kingdoms, Nilfgaard and the Brotherhood, all vying for a slice of power centred around Cintra. At times the politicking does get in the way of what I would have rather watched, monsters and magic, but it does serve a purpose in the grander scheme of the story. How the Elves are treated are no different than any native group of people whose lands have been taken over by humans (looks like some things never change, fiction or not).
The main villain for this season who is introduced to us pretty early on is Voleth Meir (the Deathless Mother as she prefers), a demon who feeds on pain and fear. With her pulling the strings on an already fractured plane with various parties vying for power, it’s no surprise to the audience when she reveals her true power. How do The Witchers, Geralt most particularly, Cirilla and Yennefer all connect to her? And how do they overcome the hurdles that plague them individually and as a group, all this and more to be answered in The Witcher, Season 2!
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If you’ve read the books or played the game, or are a general fan of the fantasy genre, then I’d say go for it. If you’re not a fan, I’d give it a pass. Season 1 definitely had more monsters and magic compared to season 2, which was in a way more story driven – but that comes with its own pitfalls if your story isn’t captivating enough. Which I think is an apt way to summarise the series, they have good actors and strong characters, but the way in which the plot is weaved could have been done in a more exciting manner.
So for the fans, you won’t regret watching it, but there will be times you’d want to pick up your remote and skip forward.