‘The Witcher’ season 2 review: Henry Cavill returns, with more mages, monsters and marvels

The superior sophomore season hits its stride and sweeps us along with its thrilling battles, political intrigue, doomed loves, disgusting beasties and young hearts

In a review of season one of The Witcher, based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy book series, this reviewer had wished for a revisionist look at fairy tales like in the book The Last Wish, the inspiration for the show. And lo and behold! Season 2, based on ‘A Grain of Truth’ from The Last Wish, Blood of Elves, the 1994 sequel, and the beginning of Time of Contempt (1995), does just that. There is a version of the Beauty-and-the-Beast story in the first episode and the hut of the Deathless Mother reminds one of Baba Yaga from Slavic fairy tales (no, not John Wick).

The superior sophomore season hits its stride and sweeps us along with its thrilling battles, political intrigue, doomed loves, disgusting beasties and young hearts. Henry Cavill is spot on as the world-weary, morally riven monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia. While he does not soak in many hot tubs (more is the pity) alongside willing beauties, with his white hair and animal pupils, he looks like he can take on any awful creature; from the bruxa and leshy to the myriapod.

And then he has these broad shoulders that you know could comfortably carry the weight of the world and then some on it, and a mouth that could smile gently, sadly, nastily or kiss your troubles away, depending on the situation.