Please note that this article will have spoilers for The Witcher Season 1 Episode 1: The End's Beginning.

The first thing viewers see when watching Netflix's The Witcher TV series is a battle between Geralt of Rivia and a hideous spider-like creature in a swamp. The battle is short but brutal, with Geralt cutting off one of the creature's limbs before killing it with a sword through the head. This short scene serves as a great introduction to Henry Cavill's turn as Geralt, the dark fantasy world of The Witcher, and the kind of visceral violence that permeates throughout the rest of the episode, letting viewers know right off the bat if it's the kind of show for them.

Fans of The Witcher stories or video games will likely come away impressed by the first episode, as it's full of memorable Geralt moments, incredible action, and gorgeous cinematography that makes the fictional world of "The Continent" come to life. Those who are brand new to The Witcher franchise may be a bit confused by what they're seeing, but the show does attempt to explain things without relying too much on expository dialogue.

For those who had a hard time following certain things when it comes to the first episode of The Witcher, Henry Cavill is Geralt of Rivia, a titular Witcher. Witchers are mutants who possess special abilities, spending their days traveling and hunting monsters. In this first episode, Geralt is looking to get some money for the swamp monster he's killed by selling its corpse in Blaviken. Instead he finds himself in the middle of a conflict between a wizard named Stregobor and a "cursed" princess named Renfri, who was born during a full eclipse and is believed to be the downfall of humanity.

While The Witcher TV series is primarily based on the novels and short stories, there's clear influence from the video games here as well. In fact, Geralt's interactions with Stregobor and Renfri and the choice he's given almost felt like a Witcher quest being set-up. Players of The Witcher video game series are often given tough choices like the one that's given to Geralt in this episode, as he is forced to decide between killing Stregobor or killing Renfri.

Geralt has a chat with his horse Roach and tells Renfri to leave Blaviken so he doesn't have to kill either one. Essentially, Geralt isn't interested in choosing between the lesser of two evils, and has instead decided to not choose at all. Geralt ends up sleeping with Renfri, who says some weird and ominous things to him while he's asleep about a girl in the woods, and then heads back to Blaviken to stop her from killing Stregobor.

What follows is the most impressive action sequence in the first episode of The Witcher, with Geralt decimating a group of men who are trying to protect Renfri. Mixing brilliantly choreographed swordplay with magical Witcher abilities, Geralt cuts through the entire group with relative ease, and then has an intense battle with Renfri herself. Geralt ultimately has to kill Renfri, who repeats the strange prediction about a girl in the woods being Geralt's "destiny."

Henry Cavill's performance as Geralt is about as perfect as one could hope, and he really carries every scene he's in. His presence is sorely missed in the other side of the story, which focuses on the kingdom Cintra and Princess Cirilla, aka Ciri. These scenes take up about half of the episode, and technically take place years after Geralt's scenes, but are presented as though they are happening concurrently. It's unclear why showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich went with this unconventional storytelling, but it doesn't do the show any favors.

Viewers don't get to spend much time with Cintra before it's attacked by Nilfgaard, and many of the Cintran characters we're introduced to end up getting killed off. This includes the king, who takes an arrow to the eye, as well as Queen Calanthe, who is mortally wounded and ends up throwing herself from a window. Many of the other Cintran citizens are slaughtered or commit suicide in a number of depressing and grisly ways. The action sequences are still exciting and everything is beautifully shot, but the Cintran story feels a little rushed, and we simply aren't given enough time with the characters to really care all that much about their unfortunate fates.

The episode concludes with Geralt departing from Blaviken after being attacked by the townspeople, and Ciri escaping the clutches of Nilfgaard using her mysterious powers. The structure of the show is a little weird, but it's still a strong introductory episode to the world of The Witcher and leaves viewers excited to see more.

The Witcher is available to view now on Netflix.