Having played the games and read the books, it warmed my heart to watch the showrunners take the story of "The Witcher" forward in all the right directions. Season 2 was well worth the wait, and the hype. It evolved all the core characters' arcs in some of the most brilliant ways. A plethora of directors came on board for season 2, which comprised eight marvelous episodes. Stephen Surjik, Sarah O'Gorman, Ed Bazalgette, and Louise Hooper did excellent work in this regard. Writers Declan de Barra, Beau DeMayo, Sneha Koorse, Haily Hall, Matthew D'Ambrosio, Mike Ostrowski, Clare Higgins, and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich did some truly mind-blowing scripting for Netflix's "The Witcher" Season 2. Netflix even had a different colour theme going for its logo at the start of each epi. I think it was a nod to the 'vintage' yesteryear era setting prevalent in the show, I am not sure. It also reminded me of some of the flag/uniform colours belonging to select factions within the world of the "The Witcher" franchise. Henry Cavill shone even more as Geralt of Rivia in this second season. Freya Allan branched out her performance as Ciri, and it made for unforgettable viewing. Anya Chalotra took Yennefer to new magical heights and emotional depths. Joey Batey as the bar Jaskier was everything this season needed to balance things out - it was great watching him be himself. Joseph Trapanese's musical scoring was splendid - he captured all the highs and lows of the script through his heart-stirring compositions. Great work on editing, sound effects, and production design. Each of them truly set the pace and tone of this season, and helped keep it smooth and captivating. Superb set decoration and art direction - no flaws, no matter where my eye turned, it was real and doubly credible. Lucinda Wright enhanced costume design this season, and it showed on screen - her thoroughness deserves notice come awards season. Hair and makeup went all out, delivering perfection and realism in good measure. Some praiseworthy stunts, special effects, and VFX work in Season 2 "The Witcher" for Netflix. All departments added to the wealth of near-cinematic authenticity that prevailed throughout. Special shoutout to the creature design team - every monster in season 2 was superb and created nostalgia for the books and games. I enjoyed seeing: Bruxsa, Chernebog, Leshen, Wyverns, and Basilisks enriching Geralt's own 'rogues gallery' of monsters in season 2 This second season was brilliant for numerous reasons, first of them being Geralt getting closer to fulfilling his 'destiny' in regards to Ciri. This was a major element in the games and books, and it was wonderful to watch history repeat this season. Sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg was coming into her own. Her empowered plot-angle was such a delight to watch from beginning to end. Much of her efforts and decisions in season 1 bloomed into results and consequences in this one, and I loved every second of it. Not only was Yen still alive following her chaos magic outburst in S01, she was in Nilfgaardian custody, with the treacherous mage Fringilla to boot. Jaskier gave us three - yes, three! - new songs this season. If you thought "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher" was worth playing on loop - I know I did - then wait till you hear "Burn, Butcher, Burn". There's some deep meaning in this song. Another Jaskier original to perk your ears to is "Whoreson Prison Blues". Also check out "The Golden One", which was exquisitely lyricized and better sung. Recurring characters took their performances up several notches. The mage Tissaia de Vries (played by Myanna Buring) was enigmatic, smart-working, and powerful. The mage Fringilla (played by Mimi Ndiweni) was cunning and unrelenting - her serving the 'opposite side', the Nilfgaardian Empire, led to much friction even in season 1, yet she remained idealistic and believed in the Empire's goals. The sorceress Triss Merigold (played by Anna Shaffer) was witty and sweet - she later proved to be a significant team-player. The mage Stregobor (played by Lars Mikkelsen) brought good screen presence. Vilgefortz (played by Mahesh Jadu) gave a good support performance. Istredd (played by Royce Pierreson) was compelling. Cahir (played by Eamon Farren) was getting his comeuppance whilst in the custody of the mages he'd gone up against - Eamon's performance was consistent and good, more so after his escape. King Foltest of Temeria (played by Shaun Dooley) gave a steady performance. It was also interesting to see King Vizimir of Redania (played by Ed Birch). The race of Elves played a prominent role this season. Their theme was well crafted and reminded me of the "Witcher" books. As for the Nilfgaardians, they were doing much more in season 2, waging wars and shattering livelihoods, just like in the books and games. Representing the Dwarven race was Yarpen Zigrin (played by Jeremy Crawford) and his hunting convoy. A small multi-verse of noteworthy 'new characters' made their appearance in this second season of "The Witcher". Geralt's mentor Vesemir (played by Kim Bodnia) played a major role - I loved what he brought to this season. The Elven Queen Francesca Findabair (played by Mecia Simson) took my breath away with her intense performance. The elf warrior Filavandrel (played by Tom Canton) was good, and so was Gage (played by Kaine Zajaz). Rience (played by Chris Fulton) gave a nice 'cool-cat bad-guy' performance that was chilling at times and intriguing at others - Chris's acting was, in my opinion, quite under-rated in this season. It was an immensely pleasant surprise to see Geralt's fellow Witchers Eskel (played by Basil Eidenbenz), Lambert (played by Paul Bullion), and Coen (played by Yasen Atour) coming into play - they were amazing, poor Eskel though. High Priestess of the Temple of Melitele, Nenneke (played by Adjoa Andoh) brought refreshing balance - I still can't get over how good Adjoa was in "Bridgerton". An old wayfaring buddy of Geralt's Nivellen (played by Kristofer Hivju) was yet another superb addition to the cast this season. His 'wild boar' appearance was only one small part of his character, Kristofer's performance behind the CGI being the primary appeal. Vereena (played by Agnes Born) was the resident Bruxa in season 2, and she was amazing - Agnes gave a deceptively frightening performance. Book- and game-franchise favourite Sigismund Dijkstra (played by Graham McTavish), the Redanian spymaster, was an outstanding inclusion who, together with the others, exalted season 2 of "The Witcher". Codringher (played by Simon Callow) was wonderful, and so was Fenn (played by Liz Carr) - they both divulged key information to Istredd that he wouldn't have learned otherwise. The ancient history of Lara Dorren and Ithlinne's Prophecy were thus grazed - powerful whispers linking the show to the lore contained in the books and games. All other cast - especially a small town's worth of extras - did good work on this project. I would be a poor gamer if I didn't mention Roach, Geralt's mare. Hats off to the writers for making Roach a valid character in his own right in season 2. I felt as though I was watching Artax in "The Neverending Story" again when I saw Roach die in S02 "The Witcher". It was a necessary plot-element, though, sad as it was. The Voleth Meir (played by Ania Marson) was one of the most enigmatic characters this season - she was quite good. Some bone-chilling 'Baba Yaga' vibes. More was revealed about her as the show progressed. I believe much more will be revealed next season concerning this 'Deathless Mother'. She was, to all intents and purposes, one of the core villains in "The Witcher" Season 2. Their exploration of Ciri's 'Elder' bloodline added to the wealth of possibilities portrayed in this season. A magically induced gene-memory exploration exposed some dark truths. A good performance in this dream world came from the elf Lydia van Bredevoort (played by Aisha Fabienne Ross), and Ciri's late parents Duny (played by Bart Edwards) and Pavetta (played by Gaia Mondadori). Andrzej Sapkowski has much to be proud of as the original author of the books that inspired this wonderful show. "The Witcher" Season 2 on Netflix was based on a select few titles in his series of novels, namely "A Grain of Truth" short story taken from "The Last Wish", then "Blood of Elves", also the first few portions of "Time of Contempt". All these books contain meaty story elements, and it was great to note that the writers chose excellence over convenience. The world of the Northern Realms - its traditions, superstitions, fears, people, culture, and more -breathed new life in Netflix's "The Witcher" S02. The sequences involving Kaer Morhen were outstanding and nostalgic. They explored the 'Witcher mutagen' prepared using Elder Blood, obtained from Ciri. All of this drew from the lore in the books, and the games that followed. I enjoyed every episode in S02 to the point that I grew disappointed they had only eight. This season was a lesson in 'quality improvement'. The finale epi was plot-perfect. The sorceress Phillippa Eilhart (played by Cassie Clare) was a superb 'surprise entry' in the finale. However, the most shocking surprise was the identity reveal of Emhyr var Emreis (played by Bart Edwards), aka The White Flame, formerly Duny, now Emperor of Nilfgaard, the biological father of Ciri (!). All the pieces were coming together, yet there was so much still left to piece. As if all that wasn't enough to stoke volcanic excitement, Lauren Hissrich appended a post-credits trailer for "The Witcher: Blood Origin" mini-series starring the fantastic Michelle Yeoh in a leading role. Exact date TBA 2022. With immense anticipation do I now await season 3 of "The Witcher". After that cliffhanger finale, only someone consumed by one of the creatures that came from the 'Conjunction of the Spheres' wouldn't be twitching with excitement at the sheer excellence that prevailed in "The Witcher" S2.
Review of Family
