Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Witcher season 3, episode 1.
The first part of The Witcher‘s third season has been on Netflix for only a day. However, it took less than that for viewers to point out one of its biggest flaws — the bad writing that has been plaguing fans since season two.
This is particularly evident right from the season’s debut episode, “Shaerrawedd,” as Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia follows Rience through a portal after he attempts to flee the battle in Shaerrawedd. That’s all fine and dandy, or it would be, if not for what comes next. Realizing that Ciri and Yennefer are in danger on the other side of the portal, Geralt breaks Rience’s wrists before heading back through it. Yes, everyone gets that he damaged Rience’s hands in order to neutralize his magical powers, but… why not just kill him?
This question is weighing on Redditors’ minds, who can’t comprehend why Geralt would pass on this golden opportunity, only to later decide he’s going to kill Rience anyway. As book readers point out, the only explanation is as simple as this: plot reasons. Sure, it wouldn’t be reasonable to kill off a major antagonist from the books in the season’s first episode, but surely, there could’ve been a better way to justify Geralt being unable to finish the job right then and there.
Frustrations due to bad writing have been mounting in the Witcher fandom for a while now, but it looks like “Shaerrawedd” is the last straw.
Given the circumstances, fans can no longer fault Cavill for abandoning the show, despite how much the choice of Liam Hemsworth as a replacement has been contested. Let’s just hope that part two offers more satisfying writing choices. The chances are low, but never zero.