Henry Cavill grunts his way back onto our screens as the gruff monster-slayer-for-hire Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher<\/a> season two, and it\u2019s a welcome return for the epic Netflix<\/a> fantasy series after a two-year-long-wait.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The sprawling tale picks up moments after the dramatic ending to season one, which saw the forces of Nilfgaard clash with the Northern Kingdoms and the Brotherhood of Mages at the Battle of Sodden Hill. It was a crippling defeat for the black and gold baddies, but Yennefer\u2019s (Anya Chalotra) apparent death has left her allies in disarray while Geralt is understandably devastated over her loss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Sure, the steely swordsman might look (and act) like he\u2019s dead inside but he\u2019s still got a heart underneath all that armour. Still, this loss actually makes Geralt\u2019s character much more open in his dynamic with Ciri (Freya Allan) who he\u2019s sworn to protect. <\/span><\/p>\n Cavill has much more to play with this season as he touches on what makes Geralt tick and what his life was like training under elder monster-hunter Vesemir (Kim Bodnia) at the Witcher stronghold, Kaer Morhen. So although he\u2019s still a grumpy brawler, our lead is refreshingly chatty this time around. In fact it\u2019s a joy to see him relax when he reunites with Vesemir and the other Witchers.<\/span><\/p>\n He\u2019s not the only one with a deeper character arc, with Freya Allan\u2019s Ciri getting much of the spotlight over the six episodes made available to critics. Her whole arc is incredibly empowering, and the <\/span>Lone Wolf and Cub<\/span><\/a> dynamic she has with Geralt makes for a great story. However, despite a few training montages she doesn\u2019t really get in on the action, which is disappointing since the show constantly makes a point of explaining how much potential she has.<\/span><\/p>\n Yet whenever the monster hits the fan she\u2019s constantly sidelined by Geralt who just tells her to run and hide. Frankly, it feels incredibly reductive. Of course, she\u2019s not a skilled fighter like the Witcher himself \u2013 but on-screen it just leans into the safety of a 1v1 match as Geralt battles some snarling beastie yet again.<\/span><\/p>\n Thankfully, the monster battles are uniquely thrilling and Geralt goes up against some incredibly inventive threats \u2013 and it\u2019s here that The Witcher really pushes into the horror genre. The first episode introduces Geralt\u2019s old friend, Nivellen (Kristofer Hivju), and while he\u2019s extremely charismatic he harbours a few dark secrets. It plays out like a haunted house feature, as tragedy and exciting creepiness go hand-in-hand. <\/span><\/p>\n Episode two, meanwhile, features another stand-out creature which leans into body-horror territory in a fascinating way. The show puts an intellectual spin on all the monster madness early on, suggesting that although the creatures kill people, \u201chumans do bad things to everybody.\u201d Well, true.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The series also makes a point that everyone in the Continent is dealing with some kind of trauma following the explosive events on Sodden Hill, but they still push on. The balance between managing trauma and duty is a key theme for most characters, but it also extends into the main plot. Without getting into spoilers the Northern Kingdoms make a heel turn and start committing heinous atrocities, using their self-righteous nature to defend what is essentially an apartheid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s an intense part of the season, which could have plenty of potential for depth and social relevance.\u00a0 But unfortunately, once the racial divide is established the show doesn\u2019t seem to know what to do with it (although it\u2019s worth noting that critics were only given six episodes out of eight, so it\u2019s possible this could get deeper in the final two episodes).<\/span><\/p>\n Instead, much of the focus is given to Yennefer, and Anya Chalotra flourishes alongside some surprising scene partners. Her side of the story drags at first, but once a magical mystery comes to light it ties into the wider mythology of the Continent. <\/span><\/p>\n In fact, there\u2019s a sense of doom hanging across The Witcher season two. Whether it\u2019s prophetic visions of the apocalypse, a monster ripping its way out of the ground, or a band of weary enemy soldiers huddling around a campfire while something screeches in the distance, you can\u2019t shake the feeling that the end is nigh.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s not all grim and dark though. If you\u2019re wondering whether Jaskier also makes a comeback, we can confirm that Joey Batey is on top form as the magnetic bard. He doesn\u2019t have as catchy a tune as \u2018Toss a Coin to your Witcher\u2019 this time around, but he\u2019s got a lot more heart \u2013 and even adds a surprising new role to his list of achievements. Batey\u2019s performance always excels when he\u2019s partnered with Geralt, or someone equally as grumpy, so it\u2019s hugely enjoyable to see him verbally spar with Yennefer again after so long.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Overall, yes, The Witcher season two has a few missteps along the way with some questionable decisions and meandering storylines. But if you\u2019re looking for more horrific monsters, riveting fights, and magical mysteries, then there\u2019s plenty to love.<\/span><\/p>\n The Witcher season two streams on Netflix from Friday 17th December. For more, read our guide to the best series on Netflix<\/a> and check out our dedicated Fantasy<\/a> page or our full TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Huw Fullerton Published: Friday, 10 December 2021 at 12:00 am By: Eammon Jacobs 3.0 out of 5 star rating Henry Cavill grunts his way back onto our screens as the gruff monster-slayer-for-hire Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher season two, and it\u2019s a welcome return for the epic Netflix fantasy series after a two-year-long-wait.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":8493,"template":"","categories":[5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-witcher-season-2-review-a-flawed-but-exciting-return-for-geralt-of-rivia-scaled.jpg",2560,1705,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-witcher-season-2-review-a-flawed-but-exciting-return-for-geralt-of-rivia-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-witcher-season-2-review-a-flawed-but-exciting-return-for-geralt-of-rivia-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-witcher-season-2-review-a-flawed-but-exciting-return-for-geralt-of-rivia-768x511.jpg",768,511,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-witcher-season-2-review-a-flawed-but-exciting-return-for-geralt-of-rivia-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-witcher-season-2-review-a-flawed-but-exciting-return-for-geralt-of-rivia-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-witcher-season-2-review-a-flawed-but-exciting-return-for-geralt-of-rivia-2048x1364.jpg",2048,1364,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Huw Fullerton Published: Friday, 10 December 2021 at 12:00 am By: Eammon Jacobs 3.0 out of 5 star rating Henry Cavill grunts his way back onto our screens as the gruff monster-slayer-for-hire Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher season two, and it\u2019s a welcome return for the epic Netflix fantasy series after a two-year-long-wait.\u00a0…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/8492"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\""The\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/09\/the_witcher_season_2_ciri-7941f8c.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"the_witcher_season_2_ciri\"\\"\/")
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