What Can CD Projekt RED Teach Netflix About The Witcher?

Table of Contents

• What Can CD Projekt RED Teach Netflix About The Witcher?
• Slavic charm or generic middle ages
• Friendly scuffles don't have to be cruel
• Cities are more than just empty fortresses
• Controversial heroes should be taken seriously
• Concerning Yennefer and Triss
• Dear Netflix, where's Ciri's personality?
• Geralt should be the hero of his own story

Dear Netflix, where's Ciri's personality?

Fans of the The Witcher books know Ciri as a girl, who doesn't pay much attention to her looks, and whose strength lies in a strong character. CD Projekt RED's games, showing Ciri who's older than in the early books, added more pronounced beauty, fortunately not taking away her character. Ciri is resolute, staunchly sticking to her opinions; she has been educated about the world around her since early childhood, thanks to which the young princess has no problem with adapting to conditions that are more difficult than those in which she grew up. She often persuades others to her opinions, and her power is enormous – after all, she manages to defeat the White Frost in the game, which is an achievement only she could get done.

Netflix pays a lot of attention to Ciri, just like to Yennefer. In the second season of the series, you can get the impression that we're watching Ciri's story, not Geralt's, while in the title from CDPR, all heroes only accompany the witcher, who is the sole protagonist for all intents and purposes. Was such a large development of Ciri's plot and story good for this character? Not really.

The very fact that Ciri is older at the beginning of the show than she is in the first books, was reason for some confusion. Of course, this is not only the fault of this single aspect, because the entire show is full of similar inaccuracies, and because of how how much screen time she gets, it get irritating. Ciri also doesn't have a scar on her cheek, which is an essential feature of her appearance in the game, and is described in the book as very defacing. The series only shows one scene where Ciri has a cut on her cheek, which heals quickly, of course.

Then, more screen time doesn't mean we got to know her character better – quite the contrary. Ciri doesn't know anything about witchers in the show, doesn't know who Geralt is, and in the whole situation concerning her, she seems as lost as the viewers trying to keep up with the convoluted, opaque plot. She also lacks firmness and her own opinions; Ciri often goes with the flow, listens to others, and rarely gets her way. Even her relationship with Geralt begins with immediate acceptance, while in Sapkowski's universe, they both need time to get comfortable with their bond. Netflix' Ciri, despite attractive appearance, would lose against Ciri in games for one simple reason: she's not nearly as defiant.