season 4 on Netflix The wizard has struggled for production. As filming ended, The wizard recast two main characters – Henry Cavill as the titular witcher, Geralt of Rivia, and also Kim Bodina, who played Geralt’s mentor and fellow witcher Vesemir in season 2. Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth has donned the armor of the Butcher of Blaviken, but we still don’t know who will replace Kaer Morhen’s most formidable monster hunter.
However, the still-changing cast, even after seven months of filming, isn’t the show’s only problem. The wizard has consistently had pacing issues that cloud the plot, especially since the first season is anything but chronological. The shooting may be over The wizard 4th season, but resolving these story problems is even more central to the show’s future success than any casting problem ever could be.
The Witcher Season 4 Needs to Fix the Show’s Narrative and Pacing Issues
The program needs to be more accessible
The wizard had problems with the pacing from the beginning. The first season initially confused audiences by splicing together the events of a handful of Andrzej Sapkowski’s early short stories (found in the anthologies The last wish and Sword of Destiny) with very little context to help the audience understand the relative time frames, which helped the first season have the worst Wizard rating so far on Rotten Tomatoes. Netflix eventually had to release a full timeline explaining the first season, which is now defunct, but you can still access the timeline via The Internet Archive.
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The wizard Rotten Tomatoes scores for seasons 1-3 |
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Season |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
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1 |
68% |
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2 |
95% |
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3 |
79% |
Season 2 was a clearer success as it relied primarily on more cohesive source material, i.e. Blood of Elvesthe first autonomous Wizard romance. Season 3 followed suit by continuing with the novels by adapting the second book Time of contemptas well as some elements from book three, Baptism of Fire. While the second and third seasons definitely had fewer pacing concerns that plagued Season 1, Season 3 still managed to fall short of critical expectations, and that means season 4 has to accomplish a lot in a short space of time.
Slowing down is even more important after The Witcher’s major revamps
A few filler episodes can make all the difference
Pacing is always an issue with shows supported by streaming servicesas the episode count per season rarely exceeds 12. The wizard has continually had to deliver an exceptional amount of prophetic and world-building shenanigans with just eight seasons’ worth of episodes, which has likely been a major contributor to the show’s pacing issues.
Even anime-style beach party episodes serve a valuable purpose in the narratives.
It’s difficult for a fantasy world to feel genuinely lived-in when the pace of the action constantly propels the characters from one crisis to the next. While some consider character-based episodes a waste of time in dramas, even anime-style beach party filler episodes serve a valuable purpose in narratives. The so-called “filling”The episodes give viewers the chance to see characters interact in surprisingly genuine waysoften for the benefit of our understanding of their relationships. It shows that speed in this type of character development often fails.
When you add in the two major recasts of Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill as Geralt and the still-open role of Vesimir, The wizard Season 4 is starting off with a major narrative disadvantage. Hemsworth is under special scrutiny, having some particularly big and brooding shoes to fill as Geralt. With just eight episodes to not only sell the cast change but also advance the hitherto chaotic plot, the show could easily repeat the mistakes of the first seasonwith serious potential repercussions for how the show will end.
The Netflix series’ fourth season may not be able to resolve these story issues
Death and endings come to everyone, even big franchises
We already know that the 5th season of The wizard will end the Netflix series. This means that between seasons 4 and 5, the program will have to cover the events of three novels – Baptism of Fire, The Swallow Towerand The Lady of the Lake. These books cover some of the biggest twists in all of history. Witcher’s Sagaand sixteen episodes could mean that pacing issues only increase as the show reaches its climax.
In an ideal world, The wizard would have a sixth season and thus be able to tell its complete story with appropriate pacing, rather than being rushed to a quick ending. Unfortunately, the realities of modern streaming production require programs that consistently attract viewers and, with The wizard In such a precarious position ahead of Season 4, it’s no surprise that it’s getting a quicker ending than it deserves.
Sources: RottenTomatoes, The Internet Archive