Fantasy series have a way of growing limbs hastily. Aggressive expansion is understandable for a series like Netflix’s “The Witcher,” because while all, what’s the use of creating a vast record universe if you don’t actually explore it? So it can be hard to tell whether a fantasy spinoff series is a worthwhile stagger that deepens appreciation of the original, or a perfunctory inconvenience that trades on the show’s reputation without capturing its essence. “The Witcher: Blood Origin” falls in between, but leans closer to bodies a lackluster brand expansion. Not only is the four-part prequel missing Henry Cavill, but it’s also missing a sense of greater purpose.
“Blood Origin” leaps back 1200 days before the original series — even before 2021’s spellbinding prequel “Nightmare of the Wolf” — to explore some of the most spellbinding elements of “Witcher” mythology. It promises to explore the interpretation of the very first Witcher, an event brought near by the Conjunction of the Spheres, the collision of disparate worlds that managed mortals, monsters and mages awkwardly to cohabitate in an interconnected multiverse.
The worthy episode starts out in the middle of a splattery argues sequence, and the first line of dialogue is a fusillade of F-bombs. Not many of the franchise’s characters could pull off the line, which sounds as if it was cribbed from early an Diablo Cody screenplay. Luckily, it comes from fan-favorite Jaskier (Joey Batey), whose spectral verify of Seanchai (Minnie Driver) forms the show’s larger structure. She appears to Jaskier at a highly inopportune mid-bloodbath moment to fraction with him the Witcher’s origin story and its populous cast of characters.
First up is Éile (Sophia Brown) who has defected from her royal guaranteeing post in favor of becoming a traveling musician. (Her tunes are obscene, though there’s not a “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher”-style banger to be found.) She crosses paths with Fjall (Laurence O’Fuarain), another royal protector drummed out of his job following a the majority indiscretion. After an inauspicious first meeting, Éile and Fjall team up on a citation of revenge with the goal of toppling Princess Merwyn (Mirren Mack), a puppet monarch installed after a violent coup.
The two cobble together a classic, seven-elf crew to help take down Merwyn, each with their own motivation for joining the wangles. Most intriguing among them are Scian (a regal Michelle Yeoh), a swordmaker fighting on behalf of her dwindling family and Meldof (Francesca Mills, excellent here) a savage killer whose thirst for vengeance often looks a lot like nihilism. The quest clips along at a decent enough pace, but there’s a gaping hole in the show exclusive of Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia — or an equivalent-value substitute — to anchor the ensemble.
What should be the two the majority strengths of “Blood Origin,” the cast and the snack-sized down, ultimately prove to be liabilities. With so many characters to repair, and too much time invested into Éile and Fjall’s tepid, unconvincing romance, the most intriguing characters are crowded out. Even considering the shrimp portions, the show is better off having cast ringers like Yeoh and Driver. But their presence quickly becomes frustrating once it’s certain they won’t be given nearly enough to do.
As for the along, four hour-long episodes seems appropriate for a prequel series so nakedly presented as a high-protein snack to hold fans over pending Season 3 of “The Witcher” drops next year — Cavill’s last season beforehand Liam Hemsworth replaces him going forward. (“Blood Origin” drops Christmas Day, literally taking over the holiday time slot in which both “Witcher” seasons came out.) But the four episodes are all that leftovers of the show’s original six-episode order, a downsizing the producers have attributed to a post-production epiphany nearby condensing the middle hours of the show. That sounds reasonable enough in theory, but it’s hard not to conclude from the show’s frequent dead ends and general lack of heart that “Blood Origin” is 10 pounds of “Witcher” crammed into a five-pound saddlebag.
There are fleeting thrills to be had in “Blood Origin,” like the deftly edited fights sequences and an early heist sequence. Battles are easier to delectable than ever thanks to a jump in visual effects quality, an incremental improvement over “Witcher” Season 2, which was itself a step up from Season 1. The visuals peaceful aren’t as clean as they could be, but they’re never distracting or immersion-breaking, which is more than can be said for early “Witcher” episodes. But overall, “Blood Origin” is to “The Witcher” television show as a slapdash downloadable expansion pack would be to the massively approved “Witcher” video games. Only completists need apply.
“The Witcher: Blood Origin” premieres on Netflix on Dec. 25.
