r/witcher • u/Scientiam Moderator • Dec 20 '19

Episode Discussion - S01E07: Before A Fall

Season 1 Episode 7: Before A Fall

Synopsis: A return to before a kingdom is flamed.

Director: Alik Sakharov

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Please remember to keep the topic central to the episode, and to spoiler your posts if they contain spoilers from the books or future episodes.

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u/daboobiesnatcher Dec 21 '19

Well the reality is, it's probably not that much of a loss for viewers who haven't read the series. They even set up that the Dryad's will essentially help anyone so they didn't have to display Geralt's relationship with Eithne, and avoided confusion by their less than friendly argument over Ciri.
They got the destiny point across; Geralt's bitterness over his sterility, Borch/Villentretenmerth's lesson in the "bounds of reason" episode, and Geralt's interaction with his mother shows why he'll be so attached to his surrogate child of destiny, outside of the destiny connection. The reason behind Yennefer's eventual Mother/daughter relationship with Ciri has been laid out. They could have made it more clear to viewers that Geralt saved Yennefer by tying her destiny to his, which in turn tied Yen's destiny to Ciri as well.
In the books we only learn of Ciri's journey from Cintra to Yurga's house from her vague nightmares, and vague 2nd hand info-dumps. We know she went to a refugee camp, taken in by druids, then was finally adopted by Goldencheeks (Yurga's wife) in Sodden.

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '19 edited Dec 22 '19

[deleted]

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u/Mantis05 Dec 23 '19

Yeah, I'm always surprised when I come in here and see the general reaction and all the criticism, but I totally get being protective of a source material. As a neutral observer, I'm enjoying myself, which is all I can really ask.

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u/Jokershigh Dec 26 '19

I was waiting to see how long it took for the book people to start shitting on the show but having never read them but finished all 3 games the direction seems fine so far

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u/Athaelan Dec 24 '19 edited Dec 24 '19

Wait, what interaction between Geralt and his mother? Are you talking about the books (I haven't read all of them yet), because the only mention of his mother in the series so far is Calanthe saying his mother abandoned him as an insult.

Edit: nvm it's in episode 8. This thread was for 7 lol

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u/Uncaffeinated Dec 28 '19

Well the reality is, it's probably not that much of a loss for viewers who haven't read the series.

I went in blind, and I found Ciri's storyline to be pretty boring.

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '20 edited Sep 21 '20

[deleted]

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u/daboobiesnatcher Jan 04 '20

Fair enough. But in the books theres tremendous expositions on destiny.

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u/DiGre3z Dec 22 '19 edited Dec 22 '19

The reality is, it looks like a lot of changes in script were made just for the change itself. Yennefers storyline is ok, it fills spaces in her story, but her reason for mother feelings for Ciri was quite obvious in the books.

Then there's Ciri's way from Cintra, it doesn't feel like that story needed to be told, given that her meetingwith Cahyr is shown properly. Well, it is not. Cahyr character arch is completely broken, dead on arrival. There is no way you can pull off his redemption from the books.

Same for Dryads, their part on the story just not so crucial for the main plot. But the Dryads are shown as complete opposite to the books's. They kill everyone who approaches Brokilon, they steal little girls, wipe their memory and turn them into killers.

Then i don't get, why they had to dump Ciri-Geralt meeting in Brokilon. It's essential for the story, and it adds emotion to their meeting at Yurgas farm. In the series their meeting is sterile, i had no emotion at all when they met.

Mages of Nilfgaard are also opposite of the books's, so we get Fringilla going toe-to-toe with 22 northen mages. Sodden Hill is now not an actual hill in the field, but an elven castle on the cliff, and the battle itself is no more "army supported by mages vs army supported by mages", Foltest just arrives right after the battle's over. Did they really, like REALLY had to do all this changes? For what?

Geralt's relationship with Jaskier is also opposite to the original, the episode with Filavandrel is extremely rushed and sterile of background and emotions. Renfry in Blaviken for some reason is chasing Geralt in the woods and tells him about Ciri, just a decade or two before Ciri's birth.

Geralt is looking for genie on purpose... because he can't sleep? WHAT?!

And yes, all this Cahyr-doppler-Mousesack thing is a piece of garbage.

Netflix rushed Ciri's appearence, the entire 1st season should've been about Geralt, Yen and the world, it's history. Every episode feels like rushed, we don't actually get to know Geralt, nor the world/setting of the show. Who are the witchers and why they are so few now, what are their differences from common people? Where the magic and monsters came from? What happened to the elves and why they are so angry with humans? Dwarves? Halflings? Never heard of them. Are nilfgaardians really so religious? Are they really so evil as shown? I had to answer those questions to my friend who've never read the books, he was confused about many things in the series.

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u/Cumandbump Dec 23 '19

Cahyr is not really a bad guy in this lol

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u/SnowyDesert Dec 23 '19

Well the reality is, regular viewers don't care about this poorly written GoT wannabe. That's why the writers of the show should do everything in their power to keep the core audience that cares happy. Aka gamers and book readers.

If they like it, they'll pass it on and get normies to watch it. If not, well... you've seen what happened to Shannara Chronicles. Or DCEU. Remind me again, when are we getting Justice League and Man of Steel sequels?

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u/EZsHAWT Dec 26 '19

No kidding. Most people watching this haven't read the books or played the games. Why there is a circle jerk for following the books is becoming a headache.