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It is immeasurably stupid; it is extremely enjoyable.
And instead of opposing each other,The Witchers storytelling works by making those two qualities fuel each other.
The Witchers incoherence is pervasive, disorienting, and absolute.
earns money as an itinerant monster slayer.
ButThe Witchernever explains that its telling a story in three timelines.
There are few markers to clarify which scenes belong when.
The same characters appear in multiple timelines, and scenes from each timeline do not appear in chronological order.
And yet,The Witcherfinds ways to make even lesssense!
The TV series has two source texts, a video-game franchise and a series offantasy books by Andrzej Sapkowski.
The TV series uses all of these things; it explainsnoneof them.
Theres something called thelaw of surprise!
Theres a threat from a place (community?)
For some reason, Geralt keeps drinking from tiny vials during fights!
There are elves, but theres no explanation of who they are or what they can do!
Theres very little discussion about what, precisely, a witcher is!
This comes out of the absolute blue.
Theres no sense of whether any of this matters, or to what degree it might.
Is Geralt just being grumpy, or is this meaningful?
Why is Jaskier still there?
Do Jaskier and Geralt like each other at this point?
Is it a coincidence when they later run into Yennefer, or does her presence suggest something more nefarious?
What is Geralt going to do with his other two wishes from the djinn?
What does Geralt even want?
But onThe Witcher, making no sense is the rule, not the exception.
The stories proceed from one beat to the next without ever pulling together in an organized plan.
There are a couple episodes ofThe WitcherIve watched threetimes.
All of this is also what makes the show so beguiling.
WatchingThe Witcheris like being forced into an eternal present, like meditating or being in a coma.
Still, fantasy stories are rarely this scattered.
Its not a perfect little encapsulation of the shows design.
Its just a heedless flurry of impressions (monster!
), before the show finishes with that bit and then moves on to something else.
Its soridiculous and so easy to dismiss.
