The Witcher

The story opens with Geralt the Witcher (Henry Cavill) fighting a massive, spider-like swamp monster.  Once he has killed it, he takes part of the corpse to a local town for bounty.  It is quickly apparent that Witchers are strongly disliked by ordinary folk.  It is strange to see how hostile they are to someone who could easily slaughter them.

The series follows three characters: Geralt of Rivia, Ciri (Freya Allan), and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra).  Though all appear in each episode, it isn't until the 3rd episode that it becomes clear that their timelines don't match.  Yennefer's induction into an order of magic predates Geralt's adventures by 30 years or more.  Soon after, Geralt attends the wedding of Ciri's parents, placing him about 15 years ahead of Ciri.  This would work much better if people actually aged.  It seems that Yennefer stopped aging when she achieved her mage status and Witchers are long-lived thanks to their mutation.  However, other character who recur don't seem to have aged either.

Geralt's story is mostly episodic as he fights the monster du jour.  He is infamous as the Butcher of Blaviken but also famous thanks to the songs of Jaskier the Bard (Joey Batey).  By the end of his series of adventures, his timeline has caught up to Ciri's.  Geralt tends to be laconic and has a deep, gravely voice that is very unlike Superman.  His eyes are yellow and his hair is white, leading to him being called the White Wolf.  As an aside, avid fantasy readers will surely have noticed the similarities between Geralt and Elric of Melnibone.  Elric also has white hair - he's an albino - and is called the White Wolf.  Michael Moorcock was probably not thrilled about Geralt of Rivia.

Cirilla "Ciri" the crown princess of Cintra finds herself on the run in the first episode when Cintra falls to the invading forces of Nilfgaard, a dark and murderous nation.  Before she sets out, she is told to find Geralt of Rivia.  Her adventures are nothing but a headlong flight from one peril to the next.  However, she does manifest powerful magic in times of stress.  If she knew how to use these powers, she would be formidable.  Her story has the weakest character arc though it is the thread that ties the others together.

Yennefer starts as a hunchback girl in a backwater town.  However, she has some innate magic talents that bring her to the attention of the local version of Hogwarts.  Involuntarily enrolled, Yennefer is not a very good student but, when she does have successes, she demonstrates unusual power.  Upon completion of her studies, her body is transformed into a beautiful woman.  Of the central characters, she has the most interesting character arc.  She is uncertain what she wants and where her loyalty should lie.  Magic is described as chaos that must be controlled and balanced; it is clear that Yennefer has had difficulty finding that balance.

The greatest weakness of the series is the setting, especially after Game of Thrones.  When the nations of Cintra, Aedirin, Sodden, Temeria, or Nilfgaard are mentioned, it is hard to have any notion of them.  There is no apparent difference between them in language or culture.  Nor do we have a map to place things.  Really, beyond Nilfgaard being the Mordor of this world, it was hard to fathom the politics with the sole exception of Cintra.  With all three stories now synchronized, perhaps that will be resolved in season 2.

All in all, it is an enjoyable show and worth watching.  Thumbs up.