Netflix’s The Witcher is complicated for more than one reason.
It is, in theory, an entertaining and compelling show. This is evident in volume one of season three, which was released on Thursday. It's binge-worthy, fast-paced, has good fight scenes and monsters (not enough, one would argue) and likeable characters audiences can get behind.
However, from the first episode of the highly anticipated third season, viewers have to grapple with one of the many nonsensical, and frankly bewildering, choices writers made about how to tell the story.
Warning: the following article may contain spoilers
They tell the already layered and complex tale of Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) the brooding beast hunter as he fights to protect his family and save the world, through unnecessary and complicated storytelling techniques, while ignoring fundamental story-crafting principles.
Season two ended with Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) betraying Geralt and Ciri (Freya Allan). This was a big deal.
Yennefer and Geralt have had a fraught, on-again, off-again relationship riddled with issues of trust and vulnerability. So when she almost sacrificed Ciri, Geralt’s adoptive daughter, as a means to reclaim her lost magic, audiences expected major emotional repercussions in season three.
That’s not what happens.
The three are on the run as they are chased by, seemingly, everyone – the elves, Nilfgaard and an unhinged wizard who can control fire. All of them are after Ciri. While Geralt is the main character, much of the story revolves around Ciri, the lost princess who has been prophesied to end and save the world.
As Geralt and Yennefer train Ciri in both physical and magical combat, their romantic and emotional complications are resolved in a matter of scenes. It all plays out in a rather cheesy way.
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The main drive of the five episodes of volume one centres on the political happenings around Geralt and Yennefer. They are attempting to stop an impending war. It’s such a strange, clunky shift in the focus of the story and one that changes the tone of the show.
The writers don't do a thorough enough job of clearly establishing the motivations and backstories of the power players in the warring kingdoms. They also don’t give audiences enough reasons to invest in the many characters now taking centre stage in season three.
It’s also bizarre that all the costumes, castles, accents and even the weather across the continent they inhabit are homogenous as one faux medieval world. This small but crucial detail makes it difficult to distinguish the real differences between settings, making it hard to work out why they are fighting in the first place.
The story has been building up to an epic war since season one, but the current tangents make it feel like it’s never going to happen.
The show is based on a series of six fantasy novels and 15 short stories by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The main gripe many audiences have is that the series doesn’t do the books any justice.
In an attempt to combine the collection of action-packed short stories about monsters and the long fantasy epic narrative about Geralt, Netflix has produced a bizarre hodgepodge of a show that waxes and wanes from being highly entertaining to frustrating to follow.
The show has always been a mess, but an endearing one.
What makes The Witcher a compelling watch in season three is Cavill and Chalotra’s performances and their on-screen chemistry. This only adds another complication to a show already brimming with them.
Season three will be Cavill’s last as Geralt and he will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth.
This change came as a surprise to fans of the show. Cavill propelled the show’s creation, as he is a fan of the novels and the video game adaptation. The reasons for his departure are unclear.
Reports vary from creative differences between Cavill and writers to scheduling conflicts.
The reasons don’t matter. What matters is this is a show with many faults but one that people love anyway. One of the main reasons they do is because of Cavill.
Moving forward, Cavill’s absence might be another reason why the big build-up of The Witcher falls flat next season.
The Witcher season three, volume one, is now available on Netflix. Volume two will be available from July 27
Zayed Sustainability Prize
What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
MATCH INFO
Day 1 at Mount Maunganui
England 241-4
Denly 74, Stokes 67 not out, De Grandhomme 2-28
New Zealand
Yet to bat
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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8.15pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
9.50pm: Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
1 Man City 26 20 3 3 63 17 63
2 Liverpool 25 17 6 2 64 20 57
3 Chelsea 25 14 8 3 49 18 50
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8 Tottenham 23 12 4 8 31 31 39
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
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Under-21 European Championship Final
Germany 1 Spain 0
Weiser (40')
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TEAMS
US Team
Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger
Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler
Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed
Matt Kuchar, Kevin Chappell
Charley Hoffman*, Phil Mickelson*
International Team
Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day
Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen
Marc Leishman, Charl Schwartzel
Branden Grace, Si Woo Kim
Jhonattan Vegas, Adam Hadwin
Emiliano Grillo*, Anirban Lahiri*
* denotes captain's picks
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
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