Back in 2019, The Witcher exceeded all expectations in its first outing, which led to massive streaming success and the swift greenlighting of a warmly received Nightmare of the Wolf animated movie and a prequel series, Blood Origin. However, it’s fair to say that the franchise lost some luster with Season 2, and news that Henry Cavill will depart after Season 3 (arriving in mid-2023) hasn’t helped matters. Liam Hemsworth will take over as Geralt of Rivia, and he’s got an uphill battle ahead of him because the fandom does love Henry.
The Christmas Day release of Blood Origin didn’t help matters. The show’s not as hard to follow as Season 1 of The Witcher, but I found it difficult to warm up to the story even though labels like “Dog Clan” and “Raven Clan” should excite me. As well, the show begins with an interlude from Joey Batey’s Jaskier, a.k.a., “The Bard,” who’s the second-most beloved character of the TV franchise. He’s not belting out a banger but visible in a hellscape while confronted by a different Jaskier, and then the story shows him in present time while Minnie Driver’s shapeshifting elf character asks him to “sing a story back to life.” Presumably, this is all meant to heal the ongoing riff between elves and the rest of the world, and then the story largely cuts to the new characters from an old world.
The show’s Twitter account posted part of this scene to celebrate the end of “Witchmas.”
It’s the final day of Witchmas, friends! Here’s a very special parting gift…
pic.twitter.com/kwAawZZCmn
— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) December 23, 2022
This should have been a clever way for the franchise to tide us over with a connecting O.G. The Witcher thread, but the prequel isn’t aflame with accolades for the new show. As Rotten Tomatoes details, the aggregate critic score sits at 38% with the audience giving the show even less leeway with a 9% rotten rating. Viewers also seem to agree that the small bit of Jaskier was a highlight, especially how his “I’m not, not into it” declaration to his own clone may have formally canonized The Bard as queer (although I think we knew this already after “Burn Butcher Burn”).
there are two wolves inside me. one remembers what a shitshow most of the witcher tv content has become. the other loves jaskier no matter what is happening or what the quality level is. i am gay https://t.co/TN0WL39PaT
— mello
(@nicole__mello) December 24, 2022
canonizing queer jaskier with selfcest is so bard-core lmfaoskdkd https://t.co/HZOgkEozju
— tishaaa
(@tishawish_) December 23, 2022
ao3 witcher tag about to get bombarded with jaskier x jaskier fics pic.twitter.com/o1smBXNPYk
— yennefer of vengerberg enthusiast (@falkadorren) December 23, 2022
thanks for the confirmation thst jaskier would fuck a clone of himself if he could https://t.co/iyAtjgD9KQ
— noe
witch bard witcher supremacy (@awildnoechu) December 23, 2022
Literally all of this is very much in character for jaskier.
He is vain, arrogant, self obsessed and can’t handle any criticism.They are so deep in their head canon they think actual canon is ooc. pic.twitter.com/iiZGsFmeDM
— ho ho hoe (@MorozkosWitch) December 24, 2022
(Blood origin spoiler)
That’s it I am taking that as bi/pan Jaskier confirmation pic.twitter.com/rKudPLf0Xm
— Vangberg (@Vangberg1) December 23, 2022
thot Jaskier era is truly approaching pic.twitter.com/GEErGXIdjr
— rainy (@rainyd3y) December 23, 2022
The Witcher: Blood Origin is currently streaming on Netflix.