TV REVIEW: The Witcher S2E1: “A Grain of Truth”

The first season of The Witcher was a show that I had high hopes for, but it nevertheless managed to surprise me with how enjoyable it was. As someone who was moderately familiar with the games from CD Projekt Red, I felt like the show had mostly done justice to Geralt of Rivia and his world. At the same time, I felt that Season 1 had areas that could be improved upon—the character of Triss didn’t quite fit the character seen in other media, the out-of-order narrative structure could be confusing to someone unfamiliar with the source material, and the pacing of that season could be slow in some respects. However, my hope was that Season 2 would learn the lessons from the past season and take the show to the next level.

Thus far, Season 2 is achieving the promise set by the first season, addressing the narrative issues and fleshing out the Witcher’s world. “A Grain of Truth” adapts an Andrzej Sapkowski story by the same name, while connecting it to the larger narrative of the war with Nilfgaard and the aftermath of the Battle of Sodden Hill. Yennifer is believed dead (though she turns out not to be), as Geralt must carry his grief for her alone; this element manages to dovetail very nicely into the main plot of the episode. The main story concerns Geralt taking Ciri to the Witcher’s fortress of Kaer Morhen, and a brief stop at a castle belonging to Nivellen, an old friend of Geralt’s.

This development leads into a fascinating twist on “Beauty and the Beast”, but one that perfectly fits the tone and style of The Witcher. One point that I’ve always found interesting about the Witcher games is the moral ambiguity in their sidequests; these smaller stories always dealt with morally ambiguous situations where monsters become sympathetic or the supposed “heroes” act more like monsters. “A Grain of Truth” is a story in that vein, finding a much darker take on “Beauty and the Beast” that is tragically romantic and yet is also monstrous. Nivellen is a likable character when you first meet him, charming and gentlemanly, but also tormented by his curse. But because this is a Witcher story, the truth becomes much darker, with both Nivellen and his true love coming across as much more detestable when you realize what they truly are. At the same time, even knowing the truth, there is a sympathetic angle to both of these characters, leaving the viewer to wonder how monstrous these people truly are. The show never fully answers that question, with a tragic ending that is powerful because Geralt’s disgust is shown and never told.

Moreover, the relationship between Geralt and Ciri is a high point of the episode, and this continues throughout Season 2. One of my larger regrets about Season 1 is how long it takes for Geralt to find Ciri, and we don’t see them interact very much until the end of the season. In Season 2, that relationship is front and center, and it becomes a strong part of this episode especially. Geralt is an orphaned commoner, stoic and an experienced monster hunter, while Ciri is a fallen princess who seeks to prove herself. The growing father/daughter relationship clicks and grows in a way that feels natural, with Ciri being naturally prideful and rebellious, while Geralt seems genuinely clueless and frustrated by why Ciri behaves as she does. They’re very endearing together, with Ciri being overly trusting of people, while Geralt is suspicious even of his friend, following a lifetime of instincts as a hunter. This relationship has been a highlight of Season 2 so far, and easily one of the most enjoyable parts of the show so far.

Much of the reason this dynamic works is the stellar cast of this series. Henry Cavill has raised his game as an actor since he took on the role of Geralt, and he’s only gotten better in Season 2. I’ve enjoyed Cavill’s work for many years, ever since The Count of Monte Cristo, but on The Witcher we see a deeper range to his acting. After playing Superman, it might have been easy for Cavill to be typecast as the charming, photogenic action hero, but as Geralt, we get darker angles than I’ve seen from him. With Season 2, Cavill takes that even further, showing rawness and emotional vulnerability as he portrays the pain and loss of losing Yennifer. At the same time, he still has the same intensity in the role as Geralt, still the stoic and brooding hero I enjoyed in the first season. Freya Allen is growing on me as Ciri, having grown as an actress throughout the last season. It’s here that we start to see the Ciri from the games, who is a proud young noblewoman and someone who looks up to Geralt as a second father. At the same time, Allen gets the childishness and innocence across of a girl her age while keeping in mind the horrors that Ciri has suffered through. Kristofer Hivju gives a good performance as Nivellen, coming across as a charming character even through the boarlike makeup he’s wearing, which is not an easy feat to accomplish. Agnes Born plays the monster of the episode, making her seem creepy at times and yet strangely fascinating and sympathetic at other times. I’ve also missed Anya Chalotra as Yennifer even though we don’t get much of her in this episode; she’s grown into the role for me, and she comes across as a poised and powerful character in the past season. There are no weak points in this episode’s cast, headlined by the immense talent of Henry Cavill as Geralt and Freya Allan as Ciri.

If you’ve been looking forward to Season 2 of The Witcher as I have, you won’t be disappointed by this opening episode. The show is finally leaning into the strengths of the series, its strong characters, the deep mythology built on Polish folklore, and its morally ambiguous situations. If you’re looking for some strong epic fantasy to binge, this is a great episode to start with. I look forward to seeing where the story goes next for Geralt of Rivia, and the creators of the Netflix show have done a good job of honoring the characters and his roots.

Score: 5/5

Network: Netflix

Director: Stephen Surjik

Writer: Declan de Barra

Cast: Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra, MyAnna Buring, Mimi Khayisa, Kristofer Hivju, Agnes Born

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Steve Sellers

Steve Sellers had been a fan of superheroes ever since Superman: The Movie. But it took the JSA, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Dragonlance, Lord of the Rings, Twilight Zone, and Chris Claremont's legendary run on the X-Men to make him a writer and a longtime fan of comics, fantasy, and science fiction. Steve is the co-creator of WHITE DRUID & MICHAEL NERO and GUARDIANS OF ELAYIM for Omen Comics, and he is also the creator of BLITZ and SHOCKWAVE for Revelation Comics (an imprint of Omen Comics).