Netflix’s The Witcher’s season two won’t feature the non-linear timeline of season one. The series, based on stories written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, has been praised by fans for its action sequences and catchy ballads. Despite mixed reviews from critics, fantasy fans have embraced the show; it has become one of Netflix’s hottest properties. However, the one common issue both critics and fans have had with the show is that of its confusing timeline.
The Witcher’s first season follows three main characters: Geralt of Rivia (the “Witcher"), Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Ciri of Cintra. When the series begins, the characters’ stories are not happening at the same time. Sapkowski’s novels and short stories primarily follow Geralt’s perspective; the showrunners chose to use a nonlinear timeline so that the audience could get to know Yennefer and Ciri at the same rate as Geralt. However, the fact that their stories start decades apart wasn’t made clear enough to some viewers. The timeline reveal is meant to be overtly apparent in episode four, when Geralt makes a pivotal decision affecting Ciri’s future.
As the season goes on, the three main characters and their timelines become more and more involved until eventually converging. The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich recently took to Reddit to answer questions fans had about the often convoluted timeline. Hissrich responded openly about that creative decision and the structure of season two.
"Honestly, I didn't expect this to be one of the most hotly-contested parts of the series. I've heard a lot of people say 'I didn't figure it out until episode 4!"'-- which is exactly when we expected people would do it. The people who hated it (the timeline) will luck out because S2 is structured differently. The story will be much more linear now that all three of the characters’ timelines have intersected.”
In her subreddit, Hissrich also speaks about how important it was for the audience to know that the story is about Geralt but also about Yennefer and about Ciri and, “most importantly – about what happens when they find each other.” That said, structuring the story of season one wasn’t easy; Hissrich emphasizes all of the work done by the cast and the crew to ensure that the audience wouldn’t catch onto the timeline difference until episode four.
Hissrich and company have made it clear that they are focusing more on Sapkowski novels and short stories for inspiration than The Witcher video game series. If we’ve learned anything from Game of Thrones, it’s that shows are often better reviewed when they are able to follow their source material. Netflix’s The Witcher’s biggest departure from its source material has been its shifting timeline; at one point, The Witcher even planned on following Ciri as its star. While the timeline trifecta may have been a divisive decision in season one, it may prove advantageous in the long run. Now that all three characters are established, season two’s traditional structure can tell more rewarding stories. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until 2021 to see those stories.
Source: Reddit
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