The Witcher Season 2 spoiler-free review – A welcome return

If there was one gripe I had with the first season of The Witcher, it was the fantasy trope of “Destiny”, mostly because it’s tired, overdone and used as a hand-waving excuse for things to happen. Admittedly, the concept is key to Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novel series on which the Netflix show is based, but this opinion still holds.

Destiny is still very much in play for Season 2, but in hindsight, I can understand how the non-linear narrative of Season 1 needed an overarching device to pull it all together in a satisfying manner. Now that all the stars have aligned, it’s time to see where Destiny and the equally important Chaos will take us.

The time jumps from Season 1 are finished, and Season 2 starts straight from where we left our trio – in the aftermath of the Battle of Sodden Hill. Unable to find Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) on the blood-soaked battlefield and convinced she could not have survived, Geralt of Riviera (Henry Cavill) whisks Princess Cirilla (Freya Allen) away to the only safe place he can think of, Kaer Morhen, home of the Witchers. While Tissaia (MyAnna Buring) and the other mages struggle with the injuries and losses of their pyrrhic victory, bigger political events are in motion as the Continent’s kings, elves and mages all make their plays for power in the void that’s opened up.

Much like politics in real life, events unfold slowly at the start of Season 2. The first few episodes basically set up what’s to come and allow viewers to catch their breath, which isn’t to say they’re dull. Playing out like dark, twisted fairytales, the setup calls to mind the standalone Witcher stories and is reminiscent of Season 1’s episodic (i.e. Geralt vs monster of the week) nature.

Now that the focus is more on the relationships between characters and not Destiny’s mechanisms of getting them together, we get to see more of the human behind the mutant in Geralt. It needs to be said that there are fewer monsters in Season 2, so don’t expect to see Geralt slice-and-dice in every episode.

Suddenly having to take on a fatherly role for Ciri, Geralt embraces his promise to protect her and keep her safe. Add in the excellent addition of Vesemir (Kim Bodnia), the Witcher that raised and trained Geralt, and you see a side of our favourite pasty Witcher you didn’t get in Season 1. For some, the switch from gruff and grumpy monster hunter to tender and thoughtful dad may seem out of step for his character.

However, as we learn more about the role Vesemir played in his past and the way Geralt emulates that with Ciri, the pieces fall into place. It’s also great to see Cavill stretch his acting range in the role beyond grunts and one-liners, and he handles the transformation with characteristic aplomb.

Ciri, on the other hand, is making up for Geralt’s stillness in spades. Our princess gets to blossom from a relatively helpless girl on the run into a stubborn, outspoken warrior-in-training. Spending time around the Witchers as they winter in Kaer Morhen toughens her up and she probably swears more than Geralt does in this season. Though still plagued with doubts and scared of her powers, Ciri gets the most character growth out of anyone this season, maturing into a fierce young woman who is ready to face whatever Destiny throws at her, head-on.

Meanwhile, having survived Sodden Hill by using banned fire magic (which took a serious toll), Yennefer has gone from uber-powerful mage to an outcast on the run. The show’s embodiment of Chaos, Yennefer continues to make terrible decisions, this time driven by defeat as opposed to revenge. Gone is the confident, take-no-shit sorceress; in her place is a desperate and troubled woman, doing whatever she can to get back into power. Which, in effect, wipes out a lot of her character development from Season 1, forcing her to go through it a second time.

Unexpectedly, we get to see Chalotra’s comedic side in a brief but incredibly entertaining run-in with everyone’s favourite ear-worm writing bard, Jaskier (Joey Batey), whose character design in Season 2 leans heavily towards Tim Minchin. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you felt about “Toss a Coin”), this season’s bardic inspiration isn’t as much of a sing-along hit, but Batey puts his heart and soul into every scene he’s in.

As Yenn is closest to the season’s political action, we’re forced to spend time away from the family building and bonding happening in Kaer Morhen, and instead jump across the Continent, where there’s a greater focus on the elves.

In Season 2, the survivors of this ancient race are struggling to carve out a stable life despite constant persecution from the North, while shifty allies Nilfgaard continue to plot and scheme with religious fervor. The elves play a big role in the Continent’s new political landscape, which you may not find as engaging as the other storylines, especially when we’re scarcely given a reason to care outside of the “humans are the real monsters!” moral they introduce.

As mentioned earlier, there’s a shift in focus for The Witcher in Season 2. Continual monster battles have made way for driving the story forward with newfound momentum. What fights are present are as excellent as ever, and the occasions that we see Geralt do what he does best are all the more enjoyable for their relative scarcity.

In addition, Season 2 of The Witcher is more straightforward and more confident in its abilities, dialling down the gratuitous nudity, sex and violence in favour of stronger, more meaningful storytelling. That being said, everything you loved from Season 1 is back in Season 2; just more polished, refined and with a new purpose.

This review was based on the first 6 episodes of The Witcher Season 2. The full 8-episode second season releases on Friday 17 December, only on Netflix