The Witcher (TV Series) The Invitation (2023) User Reviews

Come on now...

[W011y4m5 · 4/10 · 3 July 2023]

It seems as though "The Witcher" has inexplicably descended in to a full on parody of its former self, adapting the basic premise - played out within the novels - but in such a jarringly insincere tone, the lack of seriousness (when bringing what are supposed to be genuine & rather profound moments to the screen) feels noticeably grating.

Gandja Monteiro is admittedly partially responsible for this (she's an exceptional director - as demonstrated by her previous work on "Wednesday" - so I'm not bringing her skill in to disrepute), despite her talents (her style's perhaps not well suited to a darker, maturer fantasy genre?) & the shoddy VFX & cinematography don't really help either (exacerbating the audience's inability to watch without visible incredulity - notice the brazenly apparent blue screen reflecting on Henry Cavill's face whilst he's set aboard the boat) but mainly, the issues continuously stem from the god awful writing; tasked with translating something complex in to a series, yet failing at every level.

I'm not at all surprised to see Netflix has clearly cut the production budget, as a consequence. Why invest more in a minimal effort show so undeserving of reward?

Dissapointing

[DianaFiD · 5/10 · 10 July 2023]

I was already dissapointed about Cavill leaving the series, and had already decided I wouldn't watch any more seasons after this one. I was hoping this season would have been as good as the first two. But it's dissapointing - or, beyond dissapointing. The writing is absolutely terrible and the scenario is all over the place.

I had binge-watched both seasons 1 and 2, but this time I don't even care to watch this mess. I'm only doing it for the great acting from all the protagonists - who can't shine as they did before, because of the mess the production has created. I don't know what the problem was with Netflix not investing or with the production not doing a good job, or both, but this time, *I'm* not investing any more time on Netflix's shows, they can't keep a good show running and ruin everything. I'm running out of reasons for keeping my subsription. Already this year I paused and restarted 3 times, instead of keeping it as I did before.

I've heard Cavill will be working with Prime, now, I think. As a fellow fantasy geek, I'm looking forward to whatever he's bringing.

Took me all day to watch this episode

[Hughmanity · 5/10 · 14 July 2023]

I must have paused this episode 15 times to find other things to do because it was so not compelling. When Ciri and Geralt are together it's fun, but unfortunately we seem to only get a few minutes of that each episode. The rest is just a convoluted mess, mostly with Yennefer who is apparently now the star of the show??

Apparently the director's appeasement to all the fans who didn't like the casting of Triss was to color her hair a brighter shade of red. It doesn't make any difference bc it's not her appearance that is the issue, it's her personality. She's so serious and earnest in everything she does. Books and games Triss is lighthearted and quick with a smile or laugh. I don't think I've ever seen this character smile and she is zero fun. I'm not even sure what her purpose is. They're at the ball and Triss dances up to Geralt and asks, "how is Ciri?" Geralt: "she's fine, for now." End scene. Why??

The other line that drives me nuts is this insistence on treating Ciri like she's 13 years old. She's clearly approaching 20 if not older by all appearances and maturity of personality, and she's both a powerful fighter and magic user. So when Geralt and Yennefer go off to do whatever they leave Dandelion to literally babysit her in her room? Like he's going to somehow protect her by what, singing? She could kick Jaskier's @ss in five seconds. Apparently Yen put a spell on the cabin anyway to protect it so why can't we just leave this 20something alone with her iPod? It's like everyone is pretending they don't have eyes when it comes to Ciri.

I'll likely watch the rest of the season because I like The Witcher IP and fantasy in general too much to not see it through, but it's also likely I'll be leaving this show at season's end along with Henry Cavill as I can't imagine future seasons will be any better than this already bland one without him.

Good enough. But choreography needs work

[TimDiesel · 6/10 · 6 July 2023]

This series overall has definitely taken a dive, but it's still an ok tv show. Some people take issue with the two guys kissing in this one but it made sense to me given how the story was set up. The humor is less present and when it is there it's a little lame. My issue is with ciri's choreography.

Henry cavill can really sell his moves, so it's safe for them to use him for a lot of the shots. They try to show ciri's face as much as cavills during the action sequences, but she can't sell it at all. I get it though, it's hard! But they should either train her better, rely more on a double, or use more cgi/wires.

So much for this season being loyal to the books

[dmayo-23764 · 3/10 · 6 July 2023]

The season started out so good. They were pretty loyal to the Time of Contempt. Then they just started going in a weird direction with it. No wonder Henry Cavil is leaving the show. The writers are horrible. First off Jaskier is not gay. He is not bi. He is not pan sexual or any other sexual identy. Jaskier is a lady's man. He sleeps with several different women in the books. Jaskier is not in love with Radovid. Radovid is in no way a good person in the books. They call him the mad king. I loved season 1 and wanted to believe that they were going to be loyal to the books this season. They kept saying oh we are incredibly loyal to the books this season. They must have just skimmed through the books I guess. Very disappointed and will not be watching season 4 when it comes out.

After Dudes making out this deserves a 6 at best

[ougoalie1 · 6/10 · 22 August 2023]

The episode was decent but this season lacks in many things after Season 1 and 2. Transgenders and dudes making out should never of been added period. I hope Season 4 is better but at this point I don't have much hope with Cavill gone :(((. Over all the Season 3 isn't as bad as the majority of the reviews state it is but some new blood and energy is needed to make this series interesting again. I guess that's why Cavill left because the dialogue isn't intriguing anymore. The acting is fine with what the actors are left to work with which isn't much at times. There are some really awesome location sets and scenery but way too much obvious green screens in the whole season. Oh well watch Season 1 and 2 instead!!

Netflix on a Budget

[aphamle · 1/10 · 2 July 2023]

Season one and season two were great, storyline and cinematography was amazing. It felt like a movie setting. Season three is a disaster, looks like Netflix ran out of money and the screenwriters and the Director didn't care about the character development and storytelling. I won't blame the acting but rather the the filming equipment and the directing as the worst I've seen for such a great two initial seasons. Henry Cavill quit this show for a reason and now I see why, seems Netflix has lost the plot and just went cheap, most scenes are clearly green screen. Season four will be even worse with Liam Hemsworth, he is a boy and not a man like Cavill, just watch and see, the chemistry with Liam and the cast will be mediocre at best.

Wonderful show

[pstposter · 9/10 · 10 August 2023]

First off, if your complaint is the show deviates from the books, I get it-it's a legit complaint and I respect that. I haven't read the books/short stories, so I take it for what it is and I am enjoying the show. As of this writing, Henry simply cannot be replaced and I almost feel bad for Temu discount Hemsworth.

If your complaint is about some diversity, especially in S4e4, that is benign to the overall story, you lead a very sad hateful life; get a life that doesn't involve being a judgmental keyboard warrior or go watch one of those unwatchable Kirk Cameron Holiday Special instead. This show isn't for you.

A Slow and Predictable Setup for a Big Finale?

[SuperMari0s · 7/10 · 24 August 2023]

The Invitation is the fourth episode of The Witcher's third season, and it sets up the stage for a big showdown in Aretuza. Ciri finally meets Yennefer again, who has organized a conclave of mages to unite against Nilfgaard. Geralt and Jaskier join them on their way, but they have to deal with a dangerous creature that threatens their ferry. Meanwhile, Radovid and Francesca plot their own moves, and a mysterious enemy targets Yennefer.

I give this episode a 7/10 rating, because it has some good moments but also some flaws. On the positive side, I enjoyed the chemistry between Ciri and Yennefer, who bond over their shared destiny and magic. I also liked the fight scene between Geralt and the aeschna, which was well-choreographed and exciting. And I appreciated the comic relief provided by Jaskier and Valdo Marx, who bicker like old rivals.

On the negative side, I felt that the episode was too slow and predictable. It spent too much time on setting up the conclave, which was mostly boring and uneventful.

Compared to the previous episodes in this season, The Invitation was a step down in quality and excitement. It didn't advance the main plot much, and it didn't explore any new aspects of the characters or the world.

I hope that the next episode will be better, and that it will deliver a satisfying midseason finale. I'm curious to find out who is behind the attack on Yennefer, and what their motive is, and I'm interested to see what role Philippa and Dijkstra will play in the conclave...

After this, now, I understand why Henry left...

[earnienew · 3/10 · 6 July 2023]

I don't care some smart writers want to push their agenda as long as they can blend it into the story reasonably and smoothly. Like, I hate the story of TLOS 2, but I still gave the TV show a high rating. However, the kissing scenes in the this episode, not just completely conflict with the background of the 2 main characters in the novel and game, but also totally non-sense and awkward. It perfectly presents how this TV show was ruined.

Who would leave Siri, a girl would decide the fate of the world unwatched, and for what? For the LGBT kissing? I mean, this girl is tracked down by almost every major power, even the wild hunt! And I wonder which genius writer designed this nonsense to let Radovid V could knock the Siri's door without notice and for what, let a King's brother seduce a notorious playboy amount of noble women, Dandelion? Seriously, that plot just does not work. Jesus, the writer drugged too much while writing the scenes?

Best one so far

[mostlyharmless-30728 · 10/10 · 20 July 2023]

Don't get me wrong, I am not a fan of this season, it shows little regard for fantasy, and I can only imagine the terrors it's reeked on the source material, but this episode was excellent! The overall mood was poignant and I was greatly relieved that the many flaws of the other episodes (notably random scenes that are both unpleasant and illogical) were not present. There were good scenes with Geralt and Ceri and Jaskier and Ceri, and the overall plot was finally quite compelling. My one question to those who somehow find this episode to be bad, is not why it is bad (this whole show is quite flawed) but how in the world is it worse than the others.

"Lilac and gooseberries. Now that - I can tolerate."

[LegendaryFang56 · 6/10 · 12 July 2023]

(597-word review) This was the bringing together/near culmination of everything being set forward and explored in the first three episodes, with the Part 1 finale as the climax to, firstly, change your perception of the lacklusterness of practically all that's led up to it by, secondly, blowing your mind to epic proportions, but also blowing something else: in other words, it was intended to be exciting, possibly this season's excitement peak, then topped by the next episode.

And there was some of that, contrary to the direction some of you who may read this potentially thought I was going with that train of thought. Of course, it appeared at the end - still, it was faintly there, specifically impactful; however, that score cue was so generic - think of the level of impact the last few minutes could've been achieved if Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli still composed this show; that score cue would've been exceptional.

This episode was also this season's peak all-around: generally decent enough. I was pleasantly surprised. There were a few moments that hammered home the point of the show's mediocrity - while not affecting the experience TOO much, thankfully: Tissaia telling Yennefer that "for someone who disdains politics, you do excel at it" when all she did is suck up to the Brotherhood, who are also easily convinced from the looks of it (but that can somewhat be chalked off to their long lives/that more fitting instances of her supposed political excelling that were never shown to us happened in the past), the Aeschna's CGI, even the fight choreography of that fight sequence, was subpar, and lastly, Radovid knew where Jaskier was - through the power of infatuation and "learning" his song, for the confused.

As I have additional knowledge regarding a specific significant thing from the novels, I wonder if that enhanced the ending for me: one thing here already seems set in stone, so having that additional knowledge could add to the effectiveness. I also know something unspecific about the conclave, which the Part 1 finale will likely answer for me, only that it's an event in the novels I've seen other people mention, with something noteworthy happening.

It's a shame there's been so little excitement up to this point. It goes a long way, and most of the plotlines themselves weren't cutting it, even the ones involving our three central characters to an extent. But they've been carrying the season in a decent enough fashion, which is SO shocking - there's NO way the CENTRAL characters could do that - and yes, I omit Jaskier, bite me.

In particular, the subplot with him and Radovid, which advanced further in this episode, was monotonous. But let's have an open mind: maybe it was intended to serve as a bit of a relaxation pitstop from all the other things happening; it did feel like it didn't fit in whatsoever, not because of the subject matter itself, but because of the supposed stakes at play, the seriousness to what we're presented, and how we're supposed to believe this world is full of dangers of all sorts.

But the problem is that it wasn't needed even in that context, as presenting those regularities has been done inefficiently. While the writers are busy making up subplots like that, they disregard the more important duty of making what they're trying to sell believable.

Overall, this was the most engagement delivered by this season, and the last few minutes were effective enough to build slightly more-than-mild interest in the Part 1 finale, which, hopefully, carries through that interest instead of squandering it.

why?

[djukan888 · 1/10 · 7 July 2023]

It's funny that they didn't publish my first rating of this episode because I paid a little more attention to the agenda that is being promoted here. Obviously freedom of speech doesn't apply to everyone, so I'll leave it to you to change the books all in favor of the global lobby. You ruined the series in every place you could, from bad scenes to even worse writing, now I really understand why the actors want to leave the sinking ship.

Leave art to the artists, remove any agenda from art if you think you have quality, this way you are just imposing something by force.

I think this is the end of the witcher we used to like to watch.

The writers hate you, please understand this

[redsoxguy-06130 · 1/10 · 3 August 2023]

This season has completely exposed the fact that the writers and showrunners have nothing but contempt for the source material, the fans, and good storytelling. This episode is the ultimate example that they've stopped trying to even act like they want to tell a good story. Instead, maybe they just want the writing credit and paycheck. Really, who can tell? Ciri's characterization completely flipped again. None of the "politics" is interesting or makes sense, it's just boring. They've decided to go for laughs in a show that has never focused on it.

Tl:dr, pretty garbage, watch something else.

script writers and upper echelon sell out to the LGBT

[the_doofy · 1/10 · 2 August 2023]

I was hoping the script writers were not going to take money to write in LGBT into their story, but money talks.

I keep wondering how much it costs to get a character to turn into a homosexual, how much money gets passed around at the top,

I even wonder if this review will get cancelled for stating the truth, 'the king has no clothes'--I am guessing they made a lot on this under the table

This season has been dragging further and further down, so they just decided to make as much as possible on a sinking ship. My guess is the offer has been on the table since season one.

Guess it time to start looking elsewhere.

I'm disappointed.

[alextomele · 2/10 · 27 July 2023]

Ohhh Netflix it's hard to make another season whit a budget....all my friends are speaking bad about this failed season. And let's ask the audience what that think about the release method 5+3 when they struggle to remember the story from a season to another one maybe its better to release them one by one.. don't mind if the script from the last seasons made me chase many plans but at least make them more connected. Its hard make a review without spoiling facts but i suggest to all of you to expres your disappointment regarding the facts the I've noticed You lost me and more others and slowly the Netflix users will use the dislike button more often.

What a waste of potentially good story

[Dayhammer · 1/10 · 11 September 2023]

Going deeper into the season, it is obvious that the writers had no idea what to do next and how to develop characters properly (it is a good question whether they ever planned to do so).

Not just that, but the more we plunge into the season, the worst special effects are. Looks like the budget dried out, and it could be felt on the writing, but on the effects as well.

If we start talking about the story and how bad it is, we start to ask ourselves have they read any books or stories about the saga itself? If am a bit scared to get the answer... Last thing I have to mention is the scene that changed everything. Jaskier is cemented as the ladies man, and he would never, ever had anything with another man. This is just criminal and writers should be fired.