When sorcerers began to fall, it was played up as being incredibly dramatic - like when Sabrina (Therica Wilson-Read) died in an explosion and fall after being mentally manipulated - but we hardly spent enough time with her, or anyone else for that matter, to care about their deaths. It felt like we needed at least another episode of setup in order to properly understand the stakes involved. The first half of “Much More” was spent building up the upcoming battle with Nilfgaard, only for the second half to arrive there without its being properly established. Whether or not the Brotherhood of Sorcerers would get involved in Nilfgaard’s affairs was only established last episode, and even then it wasn’t until the second half of that episode that the conflict was truly introduced. What undermined the success of these scenes was the rushed build-up the show had to get us to this point. Watching the sorcerers use their powers to defeat the Nilfgaardians was full of cool moments, including toxic mushrooms killing soldiers, teleporting swords, and Yennefer releasing a ridiculous amount of fire. Seeing her stand up to Nilfgaard along with the rest of the sorcerers should have been a climactic moment, and at times it was. Most of the episodes were dedicated to her growth to the point where she’s the only member of the trio that I can say has a clear and defined personality and legitimate goals that stem from her character, rather than because destiny says so. We met her in episode 2 as a self-loathing farm girl and watch her become a confident sorceress who slowly becomes disillusioned with the world and its people, only for her to eventually decide to stand up to Nilfgaard as they attempt to invade the Northern Kingdoms. This is literally the closest that all three characters have been to each other, though the majority of the episode focuses on Yennefer’s perspective.Īs the show progressed, instead of focusing on the titular Witcher, Yennefer is the only major character with a clear and distinguishable character arc. Yennefer allies herself with a small faction of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers to halt the Nilfgaardian advance, Geralt is trying to find Ciri while contending with monsters and an infection, and Ciri is hiding out in a small farm in the woods to avoid the nearby battle. We’re finally caught up in the present with Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), Geralt (Henry Cavill), and Ciri all dealing with the invading Nilfgaardian army in their own way. “Much More,” as an episode, is a microcosm of all of the season’s odd decisions finally coalesced. It didn’t have to have a main plot masquerading as a side plot in the vast majority of its episodes. It didn’t need to waste Ciri (Freya Allan) for an entire season. It didn’t have to have a narrative split across three time periods slowly colliding with each other. Overall, elements of the show work very well, but it seems to intentionally handicap itself at every turn. I should feel more engaged than I was with the episode and the show as a whole, but by the time the credits began to roll all I could do was sigh deeply and shake my head at just how little I cared. I enjoyed it in parts, but for most of the episode I was just left with a feeling of indifference. Maybe it’s because I entered “Much More” with certain expectations, but I couldn’t help but be disappointed at how the show’s first finale played out. This review contains spoilers for The Witcher, episode 8, “Much More.”Īfter watching the finale to The Witcher’s first season, I feel torn.
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