Repeatedly during the eight episodes that compose the first season, Geralt finds his assignment to be more nuanced than it might first appear. He is not an unstoppable monster-killing machine. Geralt is more than just a man on a mission. The Witcher cannily and cleverly complicates this dynamic. The setup recalls Kung Fu by way of Van Helsing. For most of the first season of The Witcher, he journeys from place to place and earns a living by slaying the monsters that prey upon the human settlements. Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) is a traveling monster slayer. The basic premise of the show is familiar.
The Witcher represents a compelling addition to the genre. This is why there have always been and will always be stories about monsters. If those nightmares can be given form, they can be cast out. Monsters serve to externalize fears, providing an outside expression of the anxieties simmering beneath in the collective subconscious. Monster stories are inherently inherently comforting. This article contains spoilers for The Witcher season 1 on Netflix - and its monsters.
