It's been over a week since the release of Netflix's The Witcher season 1, and the show's many fans have been buzzing about everything that went down over the course of a mere eight-episode season. Not everyone agrees with which story elements from the book were kept and which were discarded, but luckily fans are debating these changes in a generally respectful and articulate manner, to the delight of The Witcher showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich.
Hissrich recently wrote up an entire thread on Twitter about the Witcher team's decision to change certain story aspects in order to get Geralt, Yen, and Ciri together much sooner than the pacing in the books allowed for. Some fans were disappointed that the show missed out on the additional adventures and character development, especially after a chunk of the story from the Brokilon forest was axed.
After sharing the logic behind her team's decision, Hissrich returned to offer up fans a little reward for being able to discuss disagreements in a civil manner (something that doesn't always happen in passionate fandoms): she released the original final scene of season 1. At the end of "Much More," the first season is concluded with Geralt and Ciri's long-awaited reunion; the pair run to each other and hug before Geralt tells Ciri that people linked by destiny will always find each other, and she responds by asking, "Who's Yennefer?" As it turns out, that wasn't the original plan for the season 1 ending. Hissrich shared the original script for the final scene of "Much More," revealing that Geralt and Ciri actually had a bit more to say to one another at first.
Despite having good reasons for altering The Witcher's story, Hissrich did agree with the fan who pointed out that cutting Brokilon reduced some of the emotional payoffs in Geralt and Ciri's meeting, tweeting that the additional dialogue was cut because it "didn't feel earned." While some fans may wish the longer version of that scene had been kept, the tradeoff is getting to follow Ciri's story in the first season rather than having her be introduced in season 2 or even later. If Hissrich and the writers had stuck to the source material, season 1 would have been pretty much laser-focused on Geralt and nobody else--and as Hissrich pointed out, the transition from a season or two of solo Witcher adventures to Geralt suddenly being an adoptive dad could've been downright jarring for viewers if that was the case.
Regardless, it's interesting to get all of this extra insight into the making of the show, and it's clear that both creators and fans care deeply about The Witcher and its progress. Whatever happens in the far-off season 2, it's good to know that a passionate showrunner and respectful fanbase is backing the show.
The Witcher is available to stream now on Netflix.