“The Witcher” is a book series turned video game series, that then turned into this: a dramatic, heart-stopping show on Netflix.

I thought it was going to be dark-themed cliches that closely resembled  “Lord of the Rings” or “Game of Thrones” when I first started watching. 

There are cliches, but they’re written so beautifully into the show they’re barely noticed, and while it has a dark theme, it’s executed well enough so it doesn’t feel overbearing and stupid.

While the show is called “The Witcher”, the witcher character’s story isn’t the only one in the show. There’s also a subplot of a royal family going off to war, and it fights with the coming of age of a princess and the sudden loss of family members in a time where mourning for them isn’t an option.

Not only does “The Witcher” switch between these two storylines during times of struggle (which is frustrating, but leaves the viewer wanting more), but it also shows the contrast in these two stories while emphasizing the similarities.

The witcher named Geralt is an outcast. He’s not wanted anywhere but is needed wherever there is a monster. He wanders around, sleighing monsters and doing what he can to survive, all the while spewing straight facts to people who are willing to listen. My favorite line of his is “It doesn’t rhyme. All good predictions rhyme.” 

The princess, Ciri, is a passionate girl who doesn’t want to be locked up. She just wants to play in the town square, playing knuckles and not getting ordered around by her family. But when the time comes, she steps up and takes charge of trying to rebuild her kingdom, despite her grandmother trying to preserve her innocence by not telling her anything.

Princess Ciri is not only allowed to go out and play with the commoners, but she’s also encouraged so much that her grandfather, King Eist, actually taught her how to play the knuckles game.

“The Witcher” is a wonderful show that not only lives up to the hype but also takes stereotypical medieval tropes like gender roles and flips them on their heads. 

There are so many things to love about this show, from the portrayal of the characters and setting to the subversion of stereotypes and gender roles, that I would give this show ten stars if I could, but alas, I can only give it five.