What I've Watched | The Witcher, The Mandalorian, You S2

Available only on Netflix

The Witcher

When I saw the teaser trailer for The Witcher, I had no idea at the time that it was based on a book or a video game. I just saw Henry Cavill and fantasy and I was in. But I ended up reading The Last Wish right before the series debuted on Netflix, which I don't think you necessarily have to do. It's just my own personal preference to try and read the book before the adaptation. And maybe it's because the first book is technically a collection of short stories (which I tend to struggle with in general) but I thought the TV series nailed it. I actually much preferred seeing it all play out on screen! Plus it didn't hurt that Henry Cavill made for a very attractive Geralt of Rivier. He's the "hero" of the story but there's are definitely shades of grey and morality to him. He's basically a mutant with special powers who kills monsters for money. But there are two other point-of-views on the show that are equally important, and they are: Ciri, the Princess of Cintra, who is on the run and looking for Geralt and Yennefer, a sorceress. The timelines and how they, along with the three characters, eventually all converge is admittedly confusing at the start but I promise there's a point where it finally all clicks. From that point on, I felt the series hit its stride with the pacing and I felt so invested in the characters. The finale in particular was incredible and ended on a note that had me begging for more. I can't wait for season 2!

Available only on Disney+

The Mandalorian

If you are a Star Wars fan like me, getting Disney+ to watch The Mandalorian is an absolute must. And even if you don't like the story (which seems impossible to me but who knows), you should keep watching anyway just to see the cuteness that is "The Child" aka Baby Yoda. He is seriously the cutest thing ever and a scene stealer during every moment he had. But in all seriousness, I fell in love with this show. Two things to know before watching though: the protagonist is a brand new character (no, this is not a Boba Fett origin story) and the series takes place some time after Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens. The Mandalorian, or Mando for short, is a bounty hunter and his latest job is to find a fifty year-old (!) target and knows little else about him. It's not a spoiler to say that this job leads him to a child of Yoda's species and this is how their journey together begins. The adventures for the majority of the series felt episodic but I personally wanted them to return to the overarching plot of Baby Yoda and why people are after him. I thought the standalone episodes were really good because of the secondary characters they introduced but Baby Yoda and Mando as his protector are the heart of the show and by the season's end, the focus was back on that. Season 2 should premiere in Fall 2020 and I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up watching Season 1 again before then.

Available only on Netflix

You, Season 2

I don't know what the general consensus is but at least among my friends, we preferred Season 1. Even though You was as batsh*t crazy as ever and Penn Badgley continued to impress me by how he played Joe, the plot definitely waned towards the end. As a viewer, you can't help but expect insanity on a show that involves Lonely Boy starting over in LA, while on the run from his ex-girlfriend and finding the next love of his life aka his next victim. But it was just too much and slightly eye-roll worthy during the last leg of the season. I will say that Badgley continues to be the MVP and if it weren't for his clever portrayal of this sociopath, I don't know if I'd keep watching. I do think there were moments when the show tried a bit too hard to make Joe likable, which they shouldn't do. I think Badgley's charm alone and Joe's obvious soft spot for troubled kids is enough. The most fascinating parts are when the audience can clearly see the right and wrong of any given situation and then watch Joe interpret it in a wildly different fashion. It's dark humor (and this show) at its best. But in spite of how I felt about the last few episodes, I still found it very addicting to watch. I wasn't sure how they could do a season 2 or even a season 3 but clearly they're determined to make it happen! I'm still going to tune in for season 3 because I want to see how it all ends.

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