A TV show shouldn't make you feel guilty for having watched it. I stuck with most of Season 1 because, despite the nonsensical timeline shifts and embarrassing dialogue, I could ignore my frustrations and appreciate that many episodes served as stand-a-lone, compact yarns. When pursuing a larger narrative, "The Witcher" just looks tired. The fantasy genre needs to take risks to avoid the obvious Tolkien clichés. "The Witcher", like so many episodes of "Game of Thrones" (it only wishes it were so anarchic and dirty), substitutes brooding, slapstick, and nudity for story, consistency, and originality. What you're left with is a mound of tropes in Renaissance Faire window dressing. Is this fairy tale or political statement? One can guess that the show doesn't really care about much beyond cheap thrills, except, in the first few episodes of Season 2, even the cheap thrills are gone. We're left with shallow characters speaking shallow dialogue and the promise of an exposed breast.

Truly lame, even by Netflix's dubious standards.