(880-word review) This was the best episode so far. That doesn't mean it was incredible; don't get me mistaken. Still, it did feel better than the first two episodes. There was more smoothness to the moving and progression of the plotlines.
In typical fashion concerning this show (and in more ways than one, it seems, with the positive aspects), however, there was a bit of a catch with that: the slight lack of clarity and continuity with the scenes of Philippa and Eva/Rience and Lydia, and the ending.
A gap in Philippa and Eva's dialogue was seemingly present compared to the prior knowledge we've been given; same with Rience and Lydia's scene, as if you had missed something or things weren't made clear enough previously.
And the ending was abrupt, given that the last time Ciri was on screen, she contacted Geralt in the middle of town. Now, she's out in the middle of the woods, presumably for an evening ride considering her speed (like she's already running from what hasn't appeared yet) and because where would she go? Where WAS she going? To Geralt? How would she know his location? Yes, she asked, "Where are you?" But is that supposed to be enough information, even though there was nothing further/no answer? Better yet, how did HE know where SHE was at the end?
Both instances of slight discontinuity can potentially be "accounted for" by the assumption that they weren't an oversight but rather a scene or two was cut for some stellar reason - in which case, that's still, in and of itself, a bit of an oversight, if only by incompetence rather than purposely or not.
As an extension to the "necessary negative to counteract and taint a positive" complexity for the ages, Mr. "I asked for a private audience to protect your secret" Cahir, in his infinite and genius wisdom, said that in front of three no-name, no-dialogue, irrelevant guards behind him.
And yet, our White Flame, Emhyr, is a grander genius than our "strong for a scrawny little..." Cahir, as he so kindly revealed to us at the end of the second season by sharing his connection, albeit secret (but he's SO kind), with Ciri to Fringilla and Cahir: and a congregation of inferior soldiers.
But through the smooth moving and progression, a lingering problem for me, which is likely a combination of two things, is the onset of confusion linked to everything happening; there's too much going on at once (it feels that way at the very least), and while I can still unravel everything, it's the fact that things are confusing in the first place - that shouldn't be such an easy and prominent observation to make.
This could be more because of how it's written rather than the nature of this expansive world, with many characters; their motivations/desires, multiple groups; their internal conflicts, and so on. I'll wager two things: Games of Thrones, an apt comparison to make, probably had more layers and more going on - and that the novels of this show aren't as disorienting. Good storytelling can be so vast and detailed, in various ways, and at the same time, digestible, and not by the incompatible modernity of the dialogue in this show.
And the second but one-and-the-same (depending on how you look at it) problem is my engagement and investment in what's happening, aka the lack thereof. Hardly anything going on feels as entertaining as it should be. There's a severe lack of excitement.
None of the plotlines have captured me. Even the central one revolving around Ciri (including building up Ciri's character journey to greater focus and personal development, like meeting a particular character who'll impact her character arc significantly), especially when Geralt and Yennefer are involved, doesn't have me.
Complexity and nuance are noticeably prominent elements of this world, particularly in this season thus far. But it feels watered down, and even then, the execution of them comes across as lacking. Other shows with those similarities of expansiveness and the like are assumably better in the excitement department with the undeniable moments but also manage to make the subtle but sharp, slow but meticulous elements of politics (plenty of characters: ambitious goals, clashing, conniving, moving pieces, etc.) genuinely engaging, and riveting. That's almost borderline nonexistent here, and I doubt the source material is at fault.
The stuff with Yennefer and Ciri/Yennefer and Tissaia, second to what's going on in Redania: some actual 4D chess by Dijkstra instead of being the underdog (which supposedly isn't an accurate representation of his character - oh, wait, it wasn't done by him - but turning it into his advantage off the cuff was the breadcrumb of all breadcrumbs) were the highlights of this episode, admittedly with some struggle.
But the most significant takeaway from this episode was that Isturd, sorry, Istredd, is back to bring us his escapades of monotones, sorry, monoliths, and the primal inner beast thoroughness required to dare research such blood-curdling things: just horrifying. You can't even imagine how brave this deity of a man is. He's the lifeline of this show!
Tl;dr: An improvement compared to the previous two episodes, yet with some questionable moments to boot, which relate to writing/clarity/continuity difficulties - nothing new for this show.
In typical fashion concerning this show (and in more ways than one, it seems, with the positive aspects), however, there was a bit of a catch with that: the slight lack of clarity and continuity with the scenes of Philippa and Eva/Rience and Lydia, and the ending.
A gap in Philippa and Eva's dialogue was seemingly present compared to the prior knowledge we've been given; same with Rience and Lydia's scene, as if you had missed something or things weren't made clear enough previously.
And the ending was abrupt, given that the last time Ciri was on screen, she contacted Geralt in the middle of town. Now, she's out in the middle of the woods, presumably for an evening ride considering her speed (like she's already running from what hasn't appeared yet) and because where would she go? Where WAS she going? To Geralt? How would she know his location? Yes, she asked, "Where are you?" But is that supposed to be enough information, even though there was nothing further/no answer? Better yet, how did HE know where SHE was at the end?
Both instances of slight discontinuity can potentially be "accounted for" by the assumption that they weren't an oversight but rather a scene or two was cut for some stellar reason - in which case, that's still, in and of itself, a bit of an oversight, if only by incompetence rather than purposely or not.
As an extension to the "necessary negative to counteract and taint a positive" complexity for the ages, Mr. "I asked for a private audience to protect your secret" Cahir, in his infinite and genius wisdom, said that in front of three no-name, no-dialogue, irrelevant guards behind him.
And yet, our White Flame, Emhyr, is a grander genius than our "strong for a scrawny little..." Cahir, as he so kindly revealed to us at the end of the second season by sharing his connection, albeit secret (but he's SO kind), with Ciri to Fringilla and Cahir: and a congregation of inferior soldiers.
But through the smooth moving and progression, a lingering problem for me, which is likely a combination of two things, is the onset of confusion linked to everything happening; there's too much going on at once (it feels that way at the very least), and while I can still unravel everything, it's the fact that things are confusing in the first place - that shouldn't be such an easy and prominent observation to make.
This could be more because of how it's written rather than the nature of this expansive world, with many characters; their motivations/desires, multiple groups; their internal conflicts, and so on. I'll wager two things: Games of Thrones, an apt comparison to make, probably had more layers and more going on - and that the novels of this show aren't as disorienting. Good storytelling can be so vast and detailed, in various ways, and at the same time, digestible, and not by the incompatible modernity of the dialogue in this show.
And the second but one-and-the-same (depending on how you look at it) problem is my engagement and investment in what's happening, aka the lack thereof. Hardly anything going on feels as entertaining as it should be. There's a severe lack of excitement.
None of the plotlines have captured me. Even the central one revolving around Ciri (including building up Ciri's character journey to greater focus and personal development, like meeting a particular character who'll impact her character arc significantly), especially when Geralt and Yennefer are involved, doesn't have me.
Complexity and nuance are noticeably prominent elements of this world, particularly in this season thus far. But it feels watered down, and even then, the execution of them comes across as lacking. Other shows with those similarities of expansiveness and the like are assumably better in the excitement department with the undeniable moments but also manage to make the subtle but sharp, slow but meticulous elements of politics (plenty of characters: ambitious goals, clashing, conniving, moving pieces, etc.) genuinely engaging, and riveting. That's almost borderline nonexistent here, and I doubt the source material is at fault.
The stuff with Yennefer and Ciri/Yennefer and Tissaia, second to what's going on in Redania: some actual 4D chess by Dijkstra instead of being the underdog (which supposedly isn't an accurate representation of his character - oh, wait, it wasn't done by him - but turning it into his advantage off the cuff was the breadcrumb of all breadcrumbs) were the highlights of this episode, admittedly with some struggle.
But the most significant takeaway from this episode was that Isturd, sorry, Istredd, is back to bring us his escapades of monotones, sorry, monoliths, and the primal inner beast thoroughness required to dare research such blood-curdling things: just horrifying. You can't even imagine how brave this deity of a man is. He's the lifeline of this show!
Tl;dr: An improvement compared to the previous two episodes, yet with some questionable moments to boot, which relate to writing/clarity/continuity difficulties - nothing new for this show.