... it would be a mermaid: some parts are beautiful like the seductive woman half while the rest are like the repulsive scaly half. I haven't read the books so I can't compare them to the show. The games however I played. On this aspect, I can say the show is slightly better. They cleaned up the unnecessary shock value elements like the overuse of torture or the fondness for misogyny. I mean I get it: it's a medieval dark fantasy setting - times are grim, but they can't be that grim... There are plenty to enjoy in this show. The production values are decent for the most part. The story is entertaining and the characters are likeable. Now for the flip side... When the technical aspects are lacking, boy! You WILL notice them. I got to see one of the rarest, most majestic creatures in The Witcher universe, and when that moment happened... I laughed out loud! Then I got sad... I said the story is entertaining. But I went into the show with a warning from someone who already seen the season, regarding the timeline. Without that little nugget of information these episodes would have been a whole lot more confusing and frustrating. Moving on to the characters. Geralt gave a little speech about how "evil is evil, greater, middling, small". So naturally I expected a moral compass from him. But he shifts from callous jerk to hero, back to callous jerk again so fast it makes my head spin. Guess the show tries to play the "nothing is black or white" card. But most times it fails and it makes every character seem inconsistent. I liked how in one episode Yennefer after a traumatic yet eye opening fight had a monologue about how the world uses up women, and regards them as only vessels. I found that bit very profound and respectful towards the struggle the fairer sex endures. Aaaand then in another episode she was topless in preparation for a magical ritual. I mean the actress is very good looking, I'm not complaining, but the magical drawings were on her stomach area so that scene was pure fan service. Also, maybe I'm overthinking this, but she was going to turn herself into a vessel for power. But we are talking about a pretty self serving character. Which begs the question: why do the morally lacking characters in this show exhibit sudden flashes of moral clarity while the "good guys" do out of character a-hole moves? My opinion on the first season of The Witcher is that it's not bad, but certainly is not worth the hype it's receiving.