I have now watched the series 3x, so I suppose that can safely say it's not unwatchable. The more I thought about it the more disappointed I was but after doing more research on the process and their reasons for doing things I didn't agree with, I grew more accepting of the series' flaws. Nevertheless there are some areas that I can't seem to understand.

Starting with the positives , the production is great. Nothing ground breaking here, just solid. Because super fans love to compare it with GoT, I can safely say it really isn't much better. What is clearly better is the fight scenes which Henry excels at, particularly in the first episode. Given that this is a show following the journey of monster hunters, children of prophecies and mages, I'd be very disappointed if it wasn't better than GoT in that aspect. Other than that, I was satisfied with the look of the creatures in the show.

When I speak about thought and effort, although for me the structure of the series is detrimental to its quality, I do understand the difficulties the show runners had, given that they were trying to adapt short stories happening at different times with an aim to help the audience engage with the 3 principal characters of the show at the same time. Ultimately, I thought it was the wrong decision but I can appreciate the complication.

As for the cast I found the performances overall to be good, however there were some things I felt just didn't work for me. Starting with the good, I will say that everything I thought about Henry was exactly as I imagined it. I feel as though I have an extremely unpopular opinion on the matter but I found that he really looked and certainly moved the part and yet it was his voice that let me down. At first I thought brilliant, it sounds just like the games. As time went on I noticed it started to feel more and more forced and I couldn't ignore it. It is always so evident that he is 'trying' to do the Geralt voice from the games (no surprise as he is a big fan). I've always said that I would MUCH rather an actor was cast that can speak the part naturally because the delivery of his lines will never feel forced. Combined that with some corny dialogue, I really didn't always love hearing him speak but I do feel as though he could work on that. He also need to stop smouldering, it's so difficult to take him seriously.

Speaking of Yen, her character is by far the most conflicting one for me. In a way I actually thought that her acting was the best in the series. What upsets me about her character is that it sometimes feels misplaced. I may be suffering from a bias to the games but interactions with Yennefer and Geralt I found far more enjoyable there than in this show, and their relationship is an integral part of the story. I read a user review who spoke about his love of their chemistry in comparison to Jon and Dany's in GoT. I would go so far as to say I actually preferred Jon and Dany's. Additionally, Anya looks very young in comparison to Henry. In fact its not just in her looks, but in her speech as well. I mean I can see why people would enjoy her performance, but I feel like something was missing when her and Henry were on screen, and that is a massive loss. I also wish I could un-see their 'kiss and fight moment', I'd love to speak to whoever thought that was a good idea.

Can't say much about Freya (Ciri). They sacrificed a linear structure to have her start off the series with her co-stars. Was it necessary? I certainly don't see why. I would have happily had her be introduced later in the season. She definitely looks the part but sometimes (and this maybe done intentionally), her acting appears bland. You wont be hearing anyone saying she's a standout, and I think next season is a make or break for her as Ciri.

The other character standouts were definitely Jaskier who is the only character I felt was clearly done better here than in the games. I was very happy with Tissaia as well as Queen Calanthe and although it was a small role I thought Emma Appleton was a big reason episode 1 was up there with my favourites for the season. I actually wish they'd given her a bigger role. I can see people were disappointed with Triss but honestly speaking I didn't really mind because her role in the books isn't important enough for me to worry. In other words - she wasn't bad, she wasn't good but oh well. Don't even get me started with Fringilla Vigo, thats a review on its own.

Essentially I feel the same way about the Witcher that I felt about the Batman v Superman movie. As a fan of both, I can watch what has been given to us to appreciate what was done well. With the things that fell short, I'll block them out and picture what could've been. If anything, the series has at least provided a platform to do that, despite what really feels like a missed opportunity at being one of greats.

+ The GoT comparisons need to stop, any sane viewer knows its nowhere near as compelling as the early seasons of GoT.