The Witcher show boss forced to defend Netflix’s season 2 after major timeline backlash
THE Witcher has gone down a treat with fantasy fans on Netflix – but there was one aspect of the show people struggled to get on board with.
The structure of the debut season followed the paths of Geralt, Yenner and Ciri at different points in their lives, resulting in a lot of time jumping.
While the characters ultimately cross paths, their respective backstories all occur at different times, meaning flashbacks are part and parcel of fleshing them out.
This caused a lot of confusion, with some keen fans even assembling timelines to try and make sense of the chronology.
Wading into the fray, show runner Lauren Hissrich took to social media platform to explain why fans won’t have to contend with the same issues in season 2.
"The narrative structure was put in place so that we could tell Geralt's short stories (the foundation of the whole Witcher world, in my opinion), while Ciri and Yennefer could also be a part of the action,” she wrote during the online Q&A session.
most read in tv and showbiz
“They're stories don't happen simultaneously, so we knew we needed to play with time a bit. This will definitely change in season two, as they're stories have begun to converge.”
She admitted the backlash had caught her off guard and said that ultimately, the pacing boiled down to personal taste.
“Honestly, I didn't expect this to be one of the most hotly-contested part of the series. I've heard a lot of people say ‘I didn't figure it out until episode 4!’ - which is exactly when we expected people would do it,” she went on.
“I think it's a matter of personal choice. I like movies with structures I have to figure out as I go -- other people may not.”
Hissrich suggested that a more linear time line will kick in next season as viewers are now up to speed with everyone’s respective pasts.
She signed off: “In this case, the people who hated it will luck out, because season 2 is structured differently."
In other Witcher news, Yennefer actress Anya Chalotra revealed how a blunder in a knife attack scene made it into the show.
The Witcher is available to stream on Netflix.