The End’s Beginning
Intro:
There is no easy way to do this, so let’s just get right into the beginning. The witcher has had many introductions throughout the years. The very first one being the short story submitted by Sapkowski in 1986 for readers of the Polish Fantastyka magazine. The next possible introduction is the Bounds of Reason short story, which begins the very first Witcher book published, the Sword of Destiny. In terms of world chronology and according to publisher preferred book order, the first witcher story for most readers would be the “self titled” The Witcher, in the Last Wish. This adventure based on the original short story from 1986 was also how most video game enthusiasts were introduced to the world of the witcher, through the trailer and opening cinematic of the 2007 CD Projekt game.
My original and to this day preferred introduction to the witcher is Bounds of Reason. In my opinion it perfectly showcases the internal turmoil of Geralt’s character, gives a bit of spotlight to the supporting cast of Dandelion and Yennefer and hints at the extensive world surrounding the colorful yet thoughtful story of a good old fashioned dragon hunt.
But let us now turn our eyes to a new introduction to the witcher. In the Netflix show’s very first episode, the cliché titled The End’s Beginning which rather loosely adapts the short story The Lesser Evil.
The episode begins with an almost Bond style action cold open, showing Geralt struggling with some manner of overly appendaged supernatural horror. The action itself is way too brief to be exciting or meaningful and instead hits the audience in the face with an unexpectedly underwater CG fuckfest to start with.
I cannot help but compare this intro to the one from Bounds of Reason. Both of them feature Geralt engaging with a monster, but the book version places its emphasis instead on highlighting the Witcher’s social status and standing in the world, rather than the pure combat of the encounter.
The Netflix version is clearly aimed at starting us off with the more monstrous side of Geralt. The first real clear look we get of him even features the potion induced black veiny eyes to great dehumanizing effect. It makes sense that the show would introduce us to “Geralt the monster” first, as that is how the world sees the protagonist, and it does pay off as the show slowly subverts this monstrous first impression.
Nevertheless the opening minutes serve as an overall underwhelming starting point for our journey with the white wolf. There is also poor fucking Bambi featured in this scene… who gets eaten?? I don’t even know.
Stregobor and Renfri
Once the witcher enters the nearby settlement of Balviken the world is opened up for the audience and it is clear that the production team has chosen to give us the “cliche medieval fantasy town number 436” visual treatment. Sapkowski’s vision of the Continent always stood out as grounded and somehow more visceral than the standard Tolkien influenced setting. But in this first episode, Balviken (and later Cintra) cannot help but feel overly generic and cheap with its muddy streets and dimly lit tavern interior.
This is also where the show does try to establish the social standing of the witchers with some uninspired bar banter, but it is rather toothless in its outcome. The barkeep provided adequate disdain towards the witcher but the thugs just end up acting like thugs for the sake of thugness.
At this point Renfri, the star of this episode, enters the picture. To talk in broad strokes about her portrayal, it feels like the actress only got the princess part of the warrior-princess description of her character. Bad armour will be a consistent theme in this show, but Refri’s cape and shirt getup greatly undercuts the fearsome bandit leader persona she is supposed to project. Not once did I fear what she may be capable of, or believe in any of her brutal exploits. The “oh wow a hot chick who drinks beer” trope also does no favours for this portrayal. Even in their brief first encounter it is apparent that Geralt and Renfri lack even the most basic chemistry on screen. Emma Appleton as the princess does admirably with the material she was given, but produces none of the grit that may have made Refri a formidable presence and is certainly way too attractive for the role.
The minor chat with Marilka, the Alderman’s daughter, is endearing and does provide an early glimpse of Geralt’s potential paternal side, even though the scene is rather exposition heavy. The kid serves a good but fleeting character presence in this episode, but the walk scene itself just further reinforces the blandness of the town.
The episode here diverges to tell two tales, separate in space and time, but linked by awkwardly forced references. It’s better to focus on the meat of Geralt’s story first as that provided the narrative framing of the episode, and then tackle the Cintra sub-plot and Ciri’s side subsequently.
Now getting to the second star of this episode: Stregobor. Lars Mikkelsen, of brotherly fame, successfully brings a sinister undertone to the reclusive wizard. Both him and Geralt portray good character depth in their conversation, even if it once again feels heavily expository. Not even the eye candy illusionary babes can scratch that Game of Thrones sexposition itch, to make the dialogue engaging.
The name dropping of Falka is a treat to scholars of witcher lore, but will likely just confuse causal watchers already trying their best to keep the fresh names and convoluted timelines straight in their minds. Stregobor’s proposal to kill Refri comes confusingly abruptly, and since the princess never projected a threatening aura, the wizard feels more hyperbolic than intended. Geralt’s lesser evil monologue as a response strikes artificially inserted here but it’s better than leaving it unsaid.
Refri and Geralt’s second encounter suffers from the same lack of chemistry between the actors. The dialogue desperately tries to stir sympathy for the princess. This feels unnecessary as she does make some solid logical arguments. Coupled with Stregobor’s sinister portrayal, the moral conflict is seemingly resolved as by this point I found it much easier to side with the hot and vengeful princess than the cold and calculating wizard.
Geralt repeatedly taking the moral high ground in these conversations begins to feel unearned, as so far the stoic monster killer has not shown much ethical consideration.
The camera work which has been serviable so far, falls apart here a bit, relying too much on close-ups, unnecessary cuts, and dutch angles. Even the unusually somber score audibly struggles to milk any drop of emotion from this dialogue.
On a side note: Where does Refri fucking come from in these forest scenes? Does she follow Geralt out of town, stalking him for miles? It just comes off as forced and arbitrary as she happens to apparate exactly when and where the plot calls for the two characters to have a discussion.
Even though there is a Cintra scene inserted between the two forest encounters, in their chronology it feels weirdly disorientating to have the first conversation awkwardly conclude only for it to be picked back up again. Did Renfry just say goodbye, hide in a bush somewhere, wait for Geralt to have his expository horse talk, and pop up again? Is she perpetually surprised they just happen to bump into each other being the only two people in the woods?
Not to gloss over the interlude of Geralt talking to Roach, it is a good character moment and does the best job this episode in providing levity and lore simultaneously.
The romantic encounter with Refri is beyond forced again lacking any chemistry, and only Henry Cavil’s raw innate sexual pesence brings any sense of believebality to this interaction. It remains unclear if some black sun magical fuckery was done during the sex scene or if it was just simply some awkward forest fucking.
Once the strange sleepy erotic montage is concluded Geralt awakens in a prophetic moment of realisation yelling: THE MARKET!. This proves ineffective as not only was I not fooled by Refri’s offer to leave, but no greater plan about the market has been discussed or revealed thus far, aside from Renfri’s intention to go and do something slightly naughty.
This confusion persists into the next scene when Geralt appears to suddenly seem adamant on stopping Renfri and just rolls up on the henchmen. These henchmen who aren’t even doing anything malicious, just standing around in the market with their dicks in hand.
Geralt’s ending
But let’s not ponder on the abundant plot incongruities, when Geralt is about to deliver the ass kicking of the century in what is one of the best shot and best choreographed sword fights in recent memory. I have watched this fight more times than I can count and the kinetic energy and unrelenting brutality of it leaves my jaw thoroughly dropped every time. By now any reader may have surmised that I do not hold this adaptation in the highest regard, infact I lament its plethora of missed opportunities on a daily basis. Having said that, when I watch this fight scene, for the brief 46 seconds that it lasts, I feel glad that the show got made.
From the moment the crossbow bolt is fired, its non-stop single-take pulse-pounding action.
This is the first time we get to see the effective killing machine the witcher is supposed to be. It even functions well as a great character moment seeing Gerlat’s initial reluctance fade as the fight envelops him and instinct takes over. It’s like watching Gordon Ramsay prepare a meal: professionalism, speed and the occasional swearing included. We are also granted the first use of witcher signs, which provides a great mid-combat treat. The sound effects make you really feel each slash and puncture while the score surges as Geralt surgically separates the thugs from their various limbs and organs. The soundtrack crescendos just as the final henchman is skewered. It’s an expertly put together sequence that is unfortunately unmatched in any subsequent episodes throughout the first season.
Just as the thugs have been thoroughly mutilated, the princess emerges. By this time as Renfri reveals her plan of killing everyone at the market to lure Stregobor out, it’s already too late. The threat is now limited to only poor Marilka. It makes sense to condense down the threat over the whole town, to just one character we are already familiar with. But this hostage situation does not even last long enough for the audience to ever start worrying about its outcome. There is no tension since the Refri we have seen so far is not intimidating in the slightest.
The showdown commences which while still expertly made, pales in comparison to the previous fight. It is also weighed down by some cheesy mid-combat dialogue. There is palpable desperation in this last failed attempt to sell Renfri as a sword swinging badass. Unfortunately the character is toothless to the bitter end, only a grey chihuahua compared to the white wolf. Her death does pack some emotional weight, but not nearly as much as the Cintra plot I will shortly get to.
The ending of Geralt’s story for this episode is a sufficient gut-punch as the town turns against him. Strategor peaks in his unsettling pervy performance and menaces as he brands the witcher the Butcher of Blaviken. This ending is rather poignant as this is the first time Geralt demonstrates genuine emotion while simultaneously it is just as the town folk view him as his most monstrous self. A thematic triumph capping off a fumbling execution considering the Renfri-Stregobor conflict does leave some lingering questions but never amounts to the great moral conundrum it was aiming for.
I could go further into the performance carried out by Cavill, but there are plenty more layers to the witcher’s character left to explore in further episodes. Sufficient to say although Cavil would not have been my personal choice for the white wolf. He approaches the character with adequate reverence and provides a uniquely understated yet oddly relatable performance.
Ciri’s Plot
Off to Cintra we go, to what is arguably the “B” plot of the episode. Here we meet Ciri who immediately comes off as a likable somewhat bratty heir. Within the first few minutes of meeting her she expertly showcases both her childlike mischievous self and naive royal side. She is just sassy enough to be likeable, and innocent enough to be worried about. The scene’s Cintra setting is still an utterly bland medieval fair, but the supporting characters that inhabit it are real standouts.
Eist is immediately charismatic and likeable, a great example of fleshing out a character who did not get much love in the books. His rapport with Ciri provides great entertainment as well as builds a solid foundation for her character.
Clanthe is also expertly played and Jodhi May packs her performance with emotion at every step. Now the character of the queen is a great deviation from the books, suffering from what I term the “Aunt May Problem” in which the substitute parent figure is unreasonably de-aged in an attempt to provide a more relatable relationship dynamic. I personally would have preferred the wisdom and gavitas of the book version as opposed to the jaded yet impassioned turn by May.
Like every part of this episode the Cintra section also suffers from a lack of time to get settled into the story. Almost immediately the Nilfgardian threat is brought up, leaving little room to examine the status-quo. The mood of the segment turns too fast and does not allow for adequate trepidation before things go sour. It would have been especially useful to spend some time on explaining the familiar relations of the characters, which may seem convoluted to newcomers of the witcher world.
The battle scene where Cintra and Nilfgard duke it out, absolutely made the most of its visibly limited budget. A short but well made skirmish which would hold up in any medieval romp. There has been much discussion of the Nilfgardian armor, and I can’t say anything that hasn’t already been said before: the balck ones are running around wearing gigantic burned scrotums.
Speaking of Nilfgaard, this is our introduction to Cahir, and what an introduction it is, delivering an arrow straight through Eist’s eye. While this might raise problems if the show will eventually be looking to redeem Cahir’s character, but in the moment it was an excellent story beat. The mid-battle discussion and mourning is cheesy, but Calanthe’s raw emotional performance sells it surprisingly well, and the very likable Eist’s untimely demise is unexpectedly impactful. How might this impact Cahir’s future redemption? The show eventually makes it clear it is absolutely not planning that far ahead.
The Ciri and Mousesack interactions are fine, giving us good glimpses into both characters, but again due to a lack of time their relationship is never fully developed or explained. The wink-and-a-nod mention of the black sun story is beyond forced. Mousesack never gets the chance to asset his character and the introduction we get to magic casting though him is underwhelming at best. A more book accurate druidic portrayal could certainly have helped the character stand out.
The fall of Cintra that follows the battle is appropriately tragic. The poison suicide plot is a nice addition to drive home how desperate the situation has become. The scenes between wounded Calanthe and Ciri work to great effect. Bolstered by the somber score, the love the characters share in the face of hopelessness is truly touching. Although Calanthe’s dramatic “exit” undercuts the mood a little. As mentioned the poison plot interspersed with the montage of Cintra’s defeat is proper grim in the best way possible, driven home by the soundtrack giving its absolute best. Although it is worth noting that the insistence on only showing the same 4 members of the royal court over and over again makes the world of Cintra feel very small.
The tension and urgency are palpable as Ciri makes her escape, and the brief horseback chase sequence is well shot. The “shouting match” with Cahir that caps off this story is unfortunately utterly ridiculous and its hasty execution robs it of any lasting effect it could have had on me. This leaves the Cintra plotline dropping the ball hard in its final stretch and making it a lot less fulfilling than promised.
Summary
I heavily doubt the one hour run time could have sufficiently expanded on a single plot line. Cramming two separate plots coupled with the poorly executed Dunkirk fuckery, severely cripled the storytelling in this episode. None of the nuance and moral dilemma present in the Lesser Evil made it through the adaptation, and the absolute botching of Renfri’s character is unfortunately a sign of things to come. The Cintra plot tells a good setup delivered with great wit and dedication, laying an acceptable foundation for future episodes. Sadly the persisting blandness of Cintra and the fantasy world in general fails to leave a lasting impression.
Hinting at Ciri’s mysterious powers never intrigues as intended but the lion roar effect is a nice added touch.
Most deviations from the source material were made for the worse in this episode and produced such uneven quality it is hard to get excited about how the story may continue. It has been said that this is a show to be enjoyed, not analysed. But I shall analyze it nonetheless.
One final note I must highlight is the blatant overuse of the thematic language in this episode. If I was to take a shot every time someone said “destiny” or “lesser evil” I would kneel over from liver failure this very instant. This is an aspect that has been directly carried over from the books in which Sapkowski plays the game of using the book or chapter title as many times as possible while still producing legible text. It’s an excusable offense, even though I could have done without hearing the exact same “girl in the woods” prophecy 3 times within the span of 5 minutes.
In summary, I rate this episode 3.6 wrinkled scrotum armours.
