Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Tue Dec 24, 2019 12:39 am**

Grifman wrote: ↑Mon Dec 23, 2019 5:08 pm
Smoove_B wrote: ↑Sun Dec 22, 2019 6:03 pm Henry Cavill cements my ultimate respect (I'm sure he's thrilled) as part of this interview. See if you can guess where.

Spoiler:
Interviewer: Oh, you played the Witcher before? Playstation or Xbox?
Cavill: PC!
He's one of us!
LOL! PC Gamer! Love it!

Ha, that's what I assumed that Smoove was referencing.

Interviewer: PlayStation or XBox?

Cavill: LOLWUTNO

The look on his face was all the answer necessary.

Posted: **Tue Dec 24, 2019 6:29 pm**

Wow, nothing livens up a party like the Law of Surprise!

Posted: **Tue Dec 24, 2019 6:30 pm**

I'll probably binge this one when school starts again. I have a week between the kids going back and when my teaching starts.

Posted: **Tue Dec 24, 2019 9:56 pm**

Posted: **Wed Dec 25, 2019 4:12 pm**

So, question: would this appeal to someone not already into the fantasy genre?

I know I’m going to love it, but I wonder if this is something my wife might like?

She is not normally into fantasy, but she admits to enjoying the couple of weeks I got her to play WoW and she also casually liked Magic: tG. She also watched three seasons of GoT with me.

Do you think The Witcher will have a wide appeal?

Posted: **Wed Dec 25, 2019 4:46 pm**

It's hard to say. It's different fantasy, inspired by Slavic rather than western European myth like 95% of other fantasy. It's dark, and it is gritty, feeling a little like Game of Thrones (although less about political shenanigans.) It's a little higher fantasy than GoT (more magic, more monsters.)

Posted: **Wed Dec 25, 2019 4:52 pm**

Surely as a female she'd enjoy watching Cavill.

Posted: **Wed Dec 25, 2019 8:36 pm**

The show does have a good sense of humor along with the grim stuff. The episode where Geralt just wants a good night's sleep was pretty hysterical.

Posted: **Thu Dec 26, 2019 7:39 pm**

Someone in the comments said.....

The Witcher is such a great show. It's outrageous that Entertainment Weekly reviewed it and gave it 0/100 without watching. They should be ashamed.

Posted: **Thu Dec 26, 2019 9:15 pm**

Grifman wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2019 12:25 am I think the series improved dramatically starting in episode 6, which was my favorite of this season.

That’s good to hear. I just finished episode 1 and felt a little disappointed. But sometimes a show takes time to take off, or find its footing. I’ll keep with it though.

Although I do wish every episode ended with a Cannonball Run like goof reel.

...course I said the same thing for The Handmaid’s Tale.

Posted: **Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:10 pm**

Heres some personal vids of Henry. Im a big fan of this guy. And look at that first stuff. He really is one of us..a geek.

Posted: **Sun Dec 29, 2019 2:12 pm**

4 episodes in, and I can't decide if I'm enjoying or hating this show.

Henry Cavill has been - by far - the strongest part, and he's doing a perfect job of capturing Geralt. Much to my surprise, as I originally thought he was horribly miscast. Unfortunately, the rest of the actors range from merely decent to flat-out bad. The show doesn't do itself any favors in the way it's shot either, as most of the time it looks like a soap opera, then suddenly...BOOBS! GUTS! GORE! It's really kind of strange. The monsters are generally fantastic, although the rest of the effects aren't great, and have occasionally been laughable.

I'm also having a hell of a time figuring out how all the timeline jumping connects. Frankly, it's confusing as hell, with Episode 3 being the worst. It has started coming together after episode 4, and I think I see what they're trying to do. It's very poorly executed though.

Still, I'm intrigued enough to keep watching. They've done quite a good job of building the world, and there's certainly enough there to keep me interested. But I can absolutely see how someone who didn't come in fully invested in swords & sorcery as a genre would be immediately turned off by the whole spectacle.

Posted: **Sun Dec 29, 2019 2:49 pm**

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sun Dec 29, 2019 2:12 pmI see what they're trying to do. It's very poorly executed though.

Where I think it's confusing is that they use context clues (ages, dress, armor, age, etc...) along with some lines of dialogue to telegraphy where we are in the story. I think it's more recently the trend where they hammer you over the head and explicitly tell you flashback/flash sideways whereas in this show they're being much more subtle.

Posted: **Sun Dec 29, 2019 2:51 pm**

I'm only through episode 2, but here's what I'm aware of in regards to the timeline:

Spoiler:

Posted: **Sun Dec 29, 2019 3:00 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sun Dec 29, 2019 2:51 pm I'm only through episode 2, but here's what I'm aware of in regards to the timeline:

Spoiler:

Ciri is the present.
Geralt's story early on started ~20 years BC (Before Ciri)
Yen's story early on started ~70 years BC

That would make sense, although... (episode 3 and 4 spoilers).

Spoiler:

Again, maybe there's something further in that explains it all. But through 4 episodes, it just feels like sloppy execution of a decent idea.

Posted: **Sun Dec 29, 2019 3:06 pm**

In episode 1...

Spoiler:

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 11:38 am**

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sun Dec 29, 2019 3:00 pm
Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sun Dec 29, 2019 2:51 pm I'm only through episode 2, but here's what I'm aware of in regards to the timeline:

Spoiler:

Ciri is the present.
Geralt's story early on started ~20 years BC (Before Ciri)
Yen's story early on started ~70 years BC

That would make sense, although... (episode 3 and 4 spoilers).

Spoiler:

The fact that Queen Calanthe (Ciri's grandmother) or her husband don't appear to have aged a single day in the 20 years between Geralt's interaction with them in Episode 4 and when we see them with Ciri in Episode 1 is what threw me off the most. I just assumed Geralt and Ciri's timelines were the same, because everybody looked exactly the same.

I just finished episode 4. The one thing that I'm noticing is that while Ciri's story (the present) is going day to day, both of the 'past' timelines are advancing toward the present with jumps of years or even decades. As of season 4, we know that

Spoiler:

I'm guessing that this trend will continue for the rest of the season, likely with all three timelines catching up to each other by the end.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 2:55 pm**

Might spoil it for some.

A video on all the monsters in the shows from the games.

Spoiler:

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 6:10 pm**

Just the thumbnail does that. You might want to put it in tags and describe what it is.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 8:05 pm**

A lot of people really do find it helps...

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:19 pm**

Just finished it last night. While I enjoyed some of it, it still mostly felt like a fantasy show you’d find on cable tv in the late nineties. I’d give it a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:24 pm**

Yeah, but you're the JeffV of TV and film!

I just finished episode 5, and I'm really loving it. The one thing I really enjoy about the series (books, games, and show) is the way they create the legends behind the monsters they face. It feels like folklore walking the world rather than just 'big scary monsters.'

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:29 pm**

He's just upset there wasn't an episode of An Occurrence at Owlbear Creek Bridge.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:34 pm**

I thought it WAS Polish folklore?

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:35 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:24 pm Yeah, but you're the JeffV of TV and film!

Yes, you always say that to me whenever I dislike something you enjoy. But considering how often I sing the praises of other tv shows (Legion, Preacher, Doom Patrol, etc.), I think it’s safe to assume that’s just your defensive mechanism. Fun fact: You can enjoy something I don’t like without taking offense.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:41 pm**

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:34 pm I thought it WAS Polish folklore?

Yes...well, Slavic mythology, not just limited to Polish.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:57 pm**

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:35 pm
Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:24 pm Yeah, but you're the JeffV of TV and film!
Yes, you always say that to me whenever I dislike something you enjoy. But considering how often I sing the praises of other tv shows (Legion, Preacher, Doom Patrol, etc.), I think it’s safe to assume that’s just your defensive mechanism. Fun fact: You can enjoy something I don’t like without taking offense.

Nah, you just always seem extremely critical of shows (including shows I also don't like.) You seem to have fairly high standards. I don't, and I'm well aware of that. We're opposites, I think. If films were beer, I'd be the guy who thinks Bud Light is the finest example of the brewer's art. I am perfectly happy to ignore plot holes that bother most people, and often don't even realize a film is considered horrible by most until after I've seen it, loved it, seen it again, and happened to read the prevailing opinion years later. I like mindless garbage if it has pretty lights, and I'm often oblivious to high-falutin' concepts like 'character development.'

So, when I poke fun at you, it isn't defensiveness, it is a mix of confusion about what makes a good film in your eyes and laughing at my own low standards.

Besides, if there is one thing I've learned from OO over the years, it's this: when I don't agree with people, I'm usually wrong. In day to day life, I'm usually the smartest person in the room. On OO, I'm the dumb cousin that everybody humors. And I like that. It keeps me from getting too full of myself, dashes me with cold water.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 10:03 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:57 pm Nah, you just always seem extremely critical of shows (including shows I also don't like.)

Wait...there are fantasy/superhero shows on TV you DON’T like?

Mind...blown.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 10:07 pm**

Sci-fi, too!

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 10:08 pm**

I have ultimately decided I can't be impartial. I know some of the SFX are sloppy, but I really, really liked it. I can't separate my love of the games, the character of Geralt and the lore of the world that was created to let me view the series with anything but the eyes of a unrepentant fan. I'm quite happy this was made and I'm thankful more is coming.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 10:20 pm**

I love the games, myself. I’ve raved about them in the past like the geek fanboy I am. But I’ve never read the novels. The games though are wonderfully written.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 10:22 pm**

The only thing that I don't like about the Witcher series is Triss.

In the game Triss is this attractive and sexy sorceress. In the series, Triss is the gypsy fortune teller stereotype.

I think the problem is the hairstyle. The actress is attractive in real life.

Posted: **Mon Dec 30, 2019 10:24 pm**

Perm = Emmy?

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 1:16 am**

As an FYI, if you have different profiles on your Netflix account devices, they added Witcher profile icons - including Roach.

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 1:44 am**

The Witcher Dethrones The Mandalorian To Become Biggest Show In The World

But it seems that right now at least, Geralt of Rivia is having the last laugh. According to Business Insider (reporting on data from Parrott Analytics), The Witcher has overtaken The Mandalorian as the biggest show in the world. The data company bases its rankings on “demand expressions,” their global, standardized measurement that reflects the popularity of a show.

By this metric, the Netflix series overtook Disney Plus’ crown jewel as the most in-demand TV series in the world (across all platforms) in the week of December 22nd to 28th. The Witcher was the top US program, with 127 million demand expressions, leaving The Mandalorian‘s 115 million demand expressions in the Tatooine dust.

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 11:10 am**

I love articles like that. You only got 100 million views. Suck it, Mandalorian! 2nd place is just first loser! Cancel it already.

Posted: **Tue Dec 31, 2019 5:20 pm**

Finished it last night. It's kind of uneven.

1. The time jumps really needed a caption every time.
2. They needed better location indications in the world.
3. I liked the Yennifer back story
4. Call Dandelion Dandelion, damnit!
5. Episode 5 dropped the funniest moment of the books, WTF?
6. Cavill and Ciri were good, as well as Yennifer. Triss needed redder hair.
7. Series ends just as things are getting interesting and coming together.
8. Shooting on location in Hungary and Poland was a nice change from most recent fantasy shows.
9. Geralt's back story delirium was a pleasant surprise.
10. Fuck tends to be the funniest line in the show. Multiple times.

Posted: **Wed Jan 01, 2020 10:08 am**

For us non-book-readers, could you spoiler up an explanation of #5?

Posted: **Wed Jan 01, 2020 2:46 pm**

The Witcher is absurd - that's why it's brilliant:

The key to the success of both the video game and the television series is that Geralt of Rivia appears to take everything in his world extremely seriously, but no one else does. As Geralt, the Superman actor Henry Cavill communicates largely through monosyllabic grunts (and his penis—the man is sterile, but still virile). But everyone else plays it for bathos. An irritating bard—called Dandelion in the game, but Jaskier in the books and television series—writes terrible rhyming songs about Geralt’s exploits, and can’t be taken anywhere without wandering into the pointy end of a sword or pointy-end-first into someone important’s wife. Geralt’s great love, Yennefer of Vengerberg, openly mocks him for his lack of small talk. The overall effect is of Christian Bale’s Batman being dropped into the world of George Clooney’s Batman. Eventually, you begin to suspect that Geralt is quietly amused by the absurdity around him. He is the straight man of this whole weird society.

...

In its own way, then, The Witcher is groundbreaking. Critics have wondered for decades now why games make such bad source material for drama. (Remember Alicia Vikander in the recent Tomb Raider? Michael Fassbender in Assassin’s Creed? Rihanna in Battleship? No? Don’t worry, no one else does either.) The Witcher bucks that trend, not just because it ultimately derives from books, but because it embraces, rather than rejects, what people love about video games. It is messy, and absurd, but also—it is fun.

Posted: **Wed Jan 01, 2020 4:28 pm**

This is the first series we've watched in a long time that I was legitimately bummed when it came to a close. This show bucks the trend of so much dumb TV in that it doesn't telegraph to the viewer where things are going or how things work out. This was not "multitask TV" and I loved it.

Octopus Overlords

Witcher series by Netflix

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