This. Fortunately for netflix, this series comes along at a time when my interest in HEMA is on the upswing, so I’m forcing myself to hang in there.Originally Posted by LittleLebowski
This. Fortunately for netflix, this series comes along at a time when my interest in HEMA is on the upswing, so I’m forcing myself to hang in there.
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
The thing I struggle with in The Witcher is the same thing I struggle with in most network TV, and I know this is going to be controversial but it's true and I'm sorry that it's going to ruffle feathers but it's still true: the problem is Joss Whedon.
Every single show that has adopted this style of writing, feels like the characters are saying their lines, then looking at the viewer and saying "get it?"
Every scene is written with the intention of standing some trope or classic standard on its head. If there's a damsel in distress, rather than just writing the scene so that the hero is placed in some kind of terrible dilemma trying to rescue her, they write some improbable outcome where she rescues herself, and then says "what did you think, I was going to be one of those damsels in distress everybody talks about at the alehouse?" Nothing is just in service of the story, everything has this vaguely sarcastic "we're inverting this and look how clever it is" feel.
Joss Whedon is one of the key originators and perpetrators of this style and it's super annoying, and he's been really influential and that style has spread everywhere and I find it practically unwatchable. Any time I get that "hey look at this sly nod to how we're totally cognizant of all the things you'd expect and we're sarcastically referencing it and then doing something witty and different" my reaction is the same: now I am not in the story.
To me, all storytelling is about drawing people into a world where they're completely immersed in the events taking place within the story, and they forget they're on a couch or holding a book and they're just living in this moment of fiction you've created, and anything that disrupts that, in my opinion, detracts from the experience. And I find this style of "clever nods to what we're doing here" to be so common that I have totally stopped watching most popular series and all the big superhero movies and so on - they all do this and I just can't stand it. I know everybody here likes that space one he did twenty years ago or whatever but I watched it and I think it's pretty terrible, and I don't get what you all like about it either. There may be other guilty parties in regards to this style of writing, but I associate it with Joss Whedon and as far as I'm concerned, he totally trashed mainstream screenwriting and most of what is wrong with the Witcher is that it emulates that style.
So I am currently tolerating (at the pace of one a week) the Witcher because Erin likes the way it looks. But we're two episodes in and I may not make it three. I heard the hunchback turns into a hot chick who takes her top off and that's probably the only thing that could get me through much more of it.
This.
This.
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
Disagree.
The problem is some franchises are fundamentally incompatible with film. The Dark Tower is like this - the recent “movie” was a disaster , because the series is far too long and detailed even for a TV run. The Witcher strikes me as one of these franchises. Its like someone took the worst parts of Inception and GoT Season 8 and tossed them into a blender.
The Minority Marksman.
"When you meet a swordsman, draw your sword: Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet."
-a Ch'an Buddhist axiom.
I've finished the first season and it's okay enough to give season two a try.
I got through about half the books and gave up. Much like Wheel of Time, there are large stretches of nothing. With WoT this was largely because it became a cash cow for Jordan and he was simply stretching it as long as he could. But, in the middle, after three very long books with absolutely no plot progression I gave up. In similar fashion, the Witcher books consist of long stretches of people sitting in rooms, talking and plotting. For a series about a monster hunter, there's very little monster hunting that occurs. After three books of that, no thank you. I never played the video game.
As for the Netflix show: I think Henry Cavill is well cast as Geralt. The production values are fairly good with only a few CGI blunders here and there. The broken timeline trope is really the biggest problem. It's very obscure and difficult to follow here. There's been enough criticism of it that I wouldn't be surprised if that's eliminated in season two.
For all of you mentioning weapons and HEMA: this isn't reality, it's fantasy. You're not going to get a documentary of medieval swordplay with the genre, ever. At least, most of the weapons are fairly conventional and practical which is an improvement over many fantasy efforts. The only thing that really bugs me concerning the A&A element is the Nilfgardian armor that looks like it's made from taffeta curtains. Almost none of the other armor shown fits correctly, but that's status quo for the genre on film.
Word is, Amazon Prime is making a show based on Wheel of Time. Everyone's trying to jump on the Game of Thrones train. As a student of medieval history and a fan of the fantasy genre, I view this with equal parts enthusiasm and trepidation.
Last edited by Trooper224; 12-28-2019 at 06:14 PM.
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
My wife and I are avid gamers but found the Witcher games to be broken in enough aspects that, unusually, we didn’t finish one.
We both find Henry Cavill easy on the eyes and ears, and of course enjoy Gina Carano as well. For us it’s a solid and enjoyable watch with fairly frequent smiles. Can’t complain.
ETA we got turned off the multiple incest plot lines in GOT so appreciate their total absence and hope it stays that way.
Last edited by Medusa; 12-28-2019 at 06:36 PM.
I've read the books (most of them) like another poster said the books jump around a lot as well.
Enjoying the show, don't know if I would as much if I didn't have the background of the books.
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I put the axe to it.. Anya Chalotra's boobs couldn't save it for me. The wife is finishing the series when I'm not around.
Fortunately enough, all seasons of "the Unit" are now on Amazon prime. For when your wife is not around, and you need to see an airliner takedown, or something.
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
At this point, I’d rather watch my cats play fight.
#RESIST
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