The Witcher season 4 review: Netflix nixes logic for confusing and overwhelming fantasy, but the payoff is worth it
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After two years of waiting, The Witcher season 4 is finally back on our screens – and it feels like we’ve waited this long in the worst possible way.
The hit Netflix show is complex to follow at the best of times, and it’s even more of a stretch when so much has happened in the meantime. Liam Hemsworth has taken over from Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, we’ve got a whole host of new roles making up his motley crew, and Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) is far from done wreaking havoc with his unhinged chaos magic.
The Witcher Season 4 Starts Like a Slog, and It’s a Storytelling Problem
Look on it
For at least the first two episodes of The Witcher season 4, I didn’t know if I was going or leaving. Unless you’re a die-hard fan of the books and games or have re-watched the previous three seasons in preparation, you’re going to be as lost as a kid on their first day of high school.
As someone who doesn’t fit into any of these categories, I think Episode 1 did a particularly poor job of bringing us up to speed. We’re reminded that Geralt, Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri (Freya Allen) were separated after the fallout from the Battle of Aretuza, but the details are hazy.
Instead of a traditional “previously aired” recap which would have worked much better – or a standalone recap on the platform like Netflix did with The Witcher before – we remember how things happen through a young girl reading a book about the legend of The Witcher. It’s clear she’ll be important in Season 5, but creative risk doesn’t help us simply figure out what we need.
Halfway through season 4, you’re back in the thick of things. Geralt has become a subplot in his own story, and the action we see often feels like the CGI budget was obviously spent on Stranger Things season 5 instead.
Although there is a marked reduction in nudity and intimate scenes this season (which was a conscious decision by showrunner Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich), those that still appear seem somewhat gratuitous. I hate sounding like my grandmother, but it’s the swearing that bothers me the most in season 4. There’s often no linguistic plan of the show, going from Ye Olde English to “I’m going to kill you” in a matter of seconds.
It’s in the second half of The Witcher season 4 that she really shines
Overcome these problems in the first four episodes and you’re a winner in the second four. Where I was harsh during the first half of season four, I couldn’t sing the praises of episodes 5 through 8 loud enough. They are some of the strongest in the franchise, improving their visuals, storytelling, and world-building to deliver something we really don’t want to stop watching.
Rather than our final episode being the pinnacle of the season, I think it’s actually episode 6. Here we see Vilgefortz and Yennefer face off in the Battle of Montecalvo, something that was expanded upon immensely from the original books. The action sequences are dynamic and push the boundaries of creativity, while plenty of real surprises await us (which may or may not be game-changers for Season 5).
I also have to take a moment for the new actor who is the real star of season 4: Laurence Fishburne. Although fans were quick to criticize his casting as the thoughtful vampire Regis, Fishburne brings the perfect balance of wisdom and curiosity. It’s honestly surprising he wasn’t cast in an old world fantasy series before this, but now he’s very much a part of the furniture.
Now, viewers are more settled The WitcherBecause of the story and overall narrative, these final episodes of the season also take more creative risks. Without giving too much away, we have full musical numbers, animated sequences, and unlikely alliances awaiting us, and I think each has spinoff potential (but more on that another time).
East The Witcher season 4, the best release Netflix has made so far? No – and that’s largely because it’s a placeholder for Season 5. In order to give us the jaw-dropping ending we’ve all been waiting for, the show has to give us plenty of context and build-up for this moment, and we have to overcome the disappointing elements as a result.
If anything, think of this as Season 4, Part 1. Just like the Deathly Hallows Or Mockingjay movies in Harry Potter And The hunger gamesthe calm precedes the storm… and what a storm The Witcher season 5 will be.
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