The Witcher (TV Series) A Grain of Truth (2021) User Reviews

A very promising start

[orgrinrt · 9/10 · 17 December 2021]

I liked the first season, but a lot of it was just the excitement of seeing the things I've read play out visually (to an extent). Especially the environments and props looked a little rough on the edges, and the cohesiveness of the writing/pace/focuses was not on point, though it wasn't bad either.

The first thing I thought while taking this episode in, was how great it looks in comparison. I just recently re-watched the first season to build up to this premiere, and wow. I don't know what they changed, I don't know what kind of things go into producing something like this, but whatever they did, it really hits the nail visually and atmospherically. My intuition says it's a combination of a lot of different small things designed, executed and played out just a little bit better, simultaneously.

There were bits that felt awkward or weird, sure, especially with the tightened timeline and other (surprisingly well executed, though small) changes, but there isn't a show that doesn't have any of that. In relation to other shows in this genre, this episode is close to the top in my books.

And really the main thing: Excellent work delivering Nivellen. That was absolutely perfect. It made the episode, really. Adaption from the books here didn't fail, casting was perfect. In fact, to the contrary: It really did surprise me how good they managed to make this. I had my doubts when the episode titles came out, as well as in the beginning of this episode, but all that quickly vanished as the episode progressed.

This gives me hope for this season. Really a big bump up from last season, in terms of immersiveness/atmosphere/visuals as well as cohesiveness.

The beauty and the beast reimagined.

[cekovicluka · 9/10 · 17 December 2021]

Great start to the second season and an interesting side-quest. Technically a filler episode i supposed, but definitely entertaining with intriguing characters, a witchery story and a 'hidden' familiar face. The voice will do, until the end ;)

Good start

[spcakebread · 9/10 · 17 December 2021]

Very good start to the series. Dark and full of surprises even if a little drawn out with some characters story development.

Don't get where Siri is getting the makeup from though? Looks a bit out of place.

This is actually quite impresive episode

[nicksyn · 10/10 · 17 December 2021]

This episode is really good. There is action, moral dilemmas, lack of good choices, so the classical Witcher's lesser evil cases. The episode does not follow the novel exactly, but it does not go too far away. This is excellent start of the second season.

One timeline

[aboalhyjaa · 9/10 · 17 December 2021]

Great episode with actually an understandable linear timeline.

Not like season 1, this season starts with all main characters in one age or a timeline. All of season one was building up to this moment, a crossed paths as the bonds of fate dictated - and thats whats Geralt all about, fate - and Yennefer obsession with a legacy of her own is finally achieved.

Fantastic start to the 2nd season

[malcolmjohnston · 9/10 · 18 December 2021]

The Witcher may just be a passion project for Henry Cavill but it's the rest of us that have the enjoyment of watching this thrilling fantasy program The start of hopefully another great season and let's all hope that Mr Cavill keeps time available in his future diary to keep coming back to this show.

Good Start

[kieranedmonds · 9/10 · 18 December 2021]

S2 gets off to a good start. Very atmospheric and creepy, with some nice storytelling. My only gripe is Ciri's make up. I preferred how she looked in S1. Looks like she was dolled up for a night out which didn't make sense considering the circumstances.

And the Emmy goes to....

[phd-inmetal · 10/10 · 17 December 2021]

Kristofer Hivju. His role as Nivellen is awe inspiring. Also, great start, great visuals, just all around a great telling of one of my favorite Witcher tales. The Yen part seems a bit silly but oh well.

Low-key better than the entire first season.

[LegendaryFang56 · 7/10 · 19 December 2021]

Looking back on the first season, it doesn't seem as good as I initially thought. Over time, since the first season began, leading up to now, the criticisms became more relatable as opposed to the (excessive and exaggerated) praises, even though I was probably more in line with the latter instead of the former.

So, I guess I hardly had any (or high) expectations and yearning concerning the second season. But I think this was a decent start to the second season. It felt completely different than the entire first season. I hope that will remain the case throughout the entirety of this season.

Hell, I'd go far enough to say that this premiere just FELT much better than the entire first season. All I can say is that it felt better. Even if I wanted to deep dive into why it felt better and whether it is better than the entire first season, objectively, I'm nowhere near qualified enough to do that. Maybe the cinematography; and the linear narrative opposed to the non-linear narrative in the first season were contributing factors.

But I can say that there were some improvements, such as:

• The cinematography. It's relatively good now, unlike in the first season. I think it was what stood out the most in this premiere: it stood out in the first season, too, just not in a good way. It looked surprisingly crisp and high-quality. I think it was well-done, not only in appearance but also technically. The use of lighting and the angles of some shots. How some shots were filmed and so on.

• The dialogue, maybe. I seem to think that it wasn't great in the first season. But overall, it felt like an improvement in this premiere. Of course, there's still room for even more improvement.

• The writing remains to be seen. Upon first impression, nothing about it stood out in a semi-negative way, which is good. I hope that continues for the rest of the season. I think this will be a season of improvements over the first season, all-around. And even if there are moments written poorly or conveniently, I doubt they'll be worth it to care about them.

Here are some of my other thoughts regarding the episode:

• The contact lenses (?) that Henry Cavill and Freya Allan were wearing gave each of their characters something needed. I'm not sure if Henry was wearing contact lenses in the first season or if the color of his eyes was CGI. I'm pretty sure that neither was the case for Freya. I can see why some people may not like them. They look a little uncanny. But to me, both of them look way better, aesthetically, with the (these) contact lenses. And they're further amplified by the crisp, high-quality-looking cinematography.

• Geralt and Cirilla's relationship/dynamic seems wholesome, although they seem pretty close already, which is odd. They're still pretty much strangers. But maybe there was enough time for them to grow closer to each other. Off-screen. Or it could be ✨destiny.✨ Either way, I like their relationship/dynamic already, and I hope it gets even better throughout the season.

• I can't be the only one who thought Tissaia was going to do the magic memory search thing on the guy who was on their side that Vilgefortz bludgeoned to death nearing the end of the first season. I'm aware that both locations were different, but they had to have been close to each other. Bodies also seemed to be being brought to where Tissaia was. I think my initial thought had some merit of possibility, yet it was a bit far-fetched at the same time.

• MyAnna Buring's acting carried this episode, acting-wise. I'm assuming that'll be a popular opinion and an opinion that most people would find agreeable. As far as Tissaia is concerned, I like the amount of care and attachment she has towards Yennefer; and the lengths she'll go for her. I'm interested to see how their relationship will pan out throughout the season.

• The CGI (?) for Nivellen looked pretty decent. There still looked to be a tiny bit of uncanniness, but nothing immersion-breaking. And the animated (?) moments of his mouth during speech and drinking looked decent, as well. If anything, the CGI during those moments looked more uncanny, sometimes, than his entire look.

• The acting by Kristofer Hivju as Nivellen was pretty decent as well. I haven't watched Game of Thrones, but I'm assuming that he's somewhat of a high-profile actor who's also a pretty good actor, so I guess it was cool to see him in (only) this premiere. If only he played an important character who'll be a central part of the story at some point.

• Unless there's something I missed at the end of the first season, Cahir's capture seemed random. I guess it wouldn't have been impossible for him to be captured and given how many of Nilfgaardians Yennefer took out with her final attack. But it still felt random. Maybe I'm alone on that.

• The fight sequence of Geralt against (the Bruxa) Vereena was filmed quite nicely. Choreography-wise, it started pretty decently, but once she transformed into the bat-like creature, there wasn't much to it anymore. Still, something about it made it seem better than the fight sequence of Geralt against the Striga in the third episode of the first season.

Overall, this premiere was somewhat of a slow start to the season. It did pick up further into the episode. Story-wise, the pacing wasn't too fast or too slow. Pretty much, this was a decent/entertaining premiere. It'll likely get better and more exciting starting with the next episode, so I'm looking forward to continuing watching through this season.

It's been too long!!

[lukerandall · 10/10 · 17 December 2021]

First episode was great looking forward to watching the rest!

Can't believe it's been 2 years, hope the rest of the season is as good.

Leads on from the first season nicely.

Love and Blood

[Calicodreamin · 7/10 · 27 December 2021]

While definitely a tangent, there were some great moments and cool action scenes. The vibe from season one has carried over well and picked right up where it left off. Great acting and cinematography.

Letdown

[hunspirit · 5/10 · 18 December 2021]

Visually it looks good. Very good. Better than the previous season.

Sound? Great as well.

Acting? Henry Cavill doing great job.

But the story ...

... look, i really dont wanna show off, but i've read the books. I don't mind if they do things differently than its in the books ... but this is ...

The story in the show is a hollywood influenced garbage. Exactly the opposite of the books.

Looks like the showrunners saw how much money the games made and they just wanted a part of it. They don't really care whats in the source material they just translated it to their own cultural agenda.

Good start

[fabianfritz · 9/10 · 17 December 2021]

Good start to a new season. Ciri getting more character and geralt top as always. Sidestory a bit too long in comparison to the main ending on the last season.

It's Back!!!

[ericmenriquez · 9/10 · 18 December 2021]

Great start to season 2. Excited for what the rest of season has in store ....makes me want to play the game again. Henry Cavill is perfect as the Witcher..................................................................

This is the best episode of the season

[goldstone-77 · 9/10 · 17 December 2021]

This episode is so good, it gets you hyped up for the rest of the season, but sadly the rest of the season can't stand up to this episode. It has magic, mystery, and monsters! Right off the bat you notice the production quality has greatly improved over last season. This episode shows that simplicity is amazing when done correctly.

Wonderfull adaptation

[finnschneider-25831 · 9/10 · 17 December 2021]

I'm a big fan of the books and the games as well and just loved this episode. It didn't push the story much further, but it was such a prime example of how the witcher stories are told. A beautifull mix of good and bad. Tragic mixed with beauty and humor. For me this episode was a prime example, how to change a book to the screen, changing the story to a small degree, while staying true to the DNA of the original works.

For me it was definitely an improvement compared to the first season and I'm looking forward to the next episodes. I hope they do take some time, for these short "monster hunts", which present so much potential.

All in all the show is looking a lot better than the first season. Geralt is great as always. Ciri and Yen are also awesome. The CGI for the Bruxa was also really good and the overall feel was real good.

A minor negative aspect is, that there are way too many people suddenly flying around and disapearring into the void :D.

Slow, but Interesting Premiere.

[bbevis-47954 · 8/10 · 20 December 2021]

Sets, makeup, vfx and performances were all great this episode. I was entertained but I can see some people feel as if it's a tad to slow for some tastes. I however thought the conversations were entertaining, and Nivellin was an interesting-somewhat tragic character. The Bruxa was creepy and the fight sequence was fun to watch. Not a bad start to the season.

I love this show

[kajolmhk · 10/10 · 18 December 2021]

I love this show.its a fantastic episode.i waited and at last its release.i will definitely give this series 10of 10.nothing boring me about this series.this series has fantasy,magic,war everything great stories.

not great, but I may be biased towards the novel

[jas97 · 17 December 2021]

Tissaia told Yen never to cry, something that Yen then taught Ciri - never cry, there is nothing more pathetic than a crying sorceress, and lets just break that line of thought in first couple minutes of the new season... seems like "game of thrones" style writing is being employed - lets tell one story, and then contradict right after, because why not... The decision of including Ciri in Nivellens story would be fine, but the way it was done felt quite forceful, the whole - "different people" narrative especially, it doesn't need to be hammered home, it could have been subtle, and we would understand it - we, viewers, aren't so dumb... also Nivellens character arc was poorly thought out, it didn't need all those changes, he didn't have be an old buddy that doesn't realize who has come into his house and nearly kills or more likely would get killed right away, Nivellen cheating in the dagger throwing game that let to the witcher explaining few things that happened in S1 to viewers who might have not seen it - that was a nice touch, a bit crude, but ok, the only problem with it is that Codringher had a similar scene in the book, a quite funny one, but sadly that won't make it on to the tv it seems - too similar I wish I could forget the book to enjoy this tv series a bit more, but I can't :(

More creatures in this season, which is cool

[BruceWayne3 · 7/10 · 15 January 2022]

This season has more wild creatures than the last, I liked it

They never explained how this boar / man can just make things appear or turn on lights with his fingers

The vampire chick has a scream that can knock the Witcher down But the Witcher throws up his forearm like it's a captain America shield and blocks the scream???

Come on

Why would this chick cover the vampire chick with a robe when she tried to kill everyone ?

Come on

The boar man stabbed the vampire but held on to the spear while the vampire got closer?

Stab and run Come on bro.

This was so insane I loved it 🔥🔥🔥

[robinnegi-66567 · 10/10 · 17 December 2021]

I don't know how people will say about this episode but for me it is a perfect start for starting a second season. ACTION of this episode is insane and story line is quit perfect. I love how they a building chemistry between CIRI and GERALT. Graphics is also improved campare to previous season. TOSS A COIN TO YOUR WITCHER🔥🔥

Boredom is the monster Geralt tries to slay

[shrikar-v · 6/10 · 22 December 2021]

What a dull affair, not to mention underacted and overproduced.

To begin a season expecting us to just automatically be invested in the future of these rather dull characters was.. confident to say the least. It was so melodramatic and hardly possessed the depth to warrant it. I found myself perpetually bored.

Disappointed

[habibahalilovic · 3/10 · 18 December 2021]

There are three issues: 1. Boring, 2. Ciri suddenly looks very different - I think they could have at least left out the dark eyebrows, 3. Slavic culture is left out.

So good as, or even better than the books

[Allys_Stark · 10/10 · 17 December 2021]

How they put Ciri into the plot was really good and didn't hurt the storyline of Nivellen, it also gave us really interesting dialogs and depth to the character that otherwise only would have interactions only with Geralt.

The fight between Geralt and the Bruxa was amazing they really capture the feeling of the fight in the books and also in the games, the visual of the Bruxa was so spot on that took me immediately to the games.

Overall a great and really strong episode with a impeccable soundtrack and acting.