The Secret to Enjoying Netflix's The Witcher? Just Pretend Source Material Doesn't Exist

For the third consecutive season, Netflix has been getting flak for its highly debatable, if not contentious, adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's renowned book series.

But what if we forgot about the books and binge-watched the first three seasons as an independent work of art without constantly comparing it to the source material?

Some viewers claim it's possible to thoroughly enjoy the show if you're not constantly trying to find fault within, even though it's not without flaws in the writing, costume design and direction.

The biggest criticism levelled at the series revolves around the manner in which the writers handle the source material. For instance, in Season 2, the main events are based on the story A Grain of Truth and the novel Blood of Elves. The problem is that the writers went and introduced a bunch of new storylines that the fans of the books did not at all appreciate.

So once again, we're seeing the show getting pilloried because of deviating from the book canon. But as soon as you forget about the books and try to see the series as an independent story, you might realise it's actually not that bad at all.

'It is an easy watch, it is pretty fast paced, has decent action and a good sized budget. It's not memorable by any means, and definitely can be generic at times, but it isn't total garbage either,' a fan shared.

The only problem is that without the books, The Witcher is just a generic, mediocre fantasy show in a sea of generic, mediocre fantasy shows.

'It's better...but if you take away the source material, it's very vanilla and cookie cutter. Incredibly skilled but reluctant hero? Check. Will they/Won't they? Check. Youngin with impossible power that just wants to be normal? Check. Races at odds? Check,' someone concluded.

Sapkowski actually poked fun at those typical fantasy and sci-fi tropes. Those who are aware of the context know that there is a lot more depth to them in his books on account of how meticulous he is in his treatment of every character and plot development.

At the end of the day, it's entirely up to you whether or not to read the books before watching the show, but a fair warning is in order: if you haven't read Time of Contempt, then you might want to hold off until after you've seen the upcoming second part of Season 3, which will be released on 27 July, if you want to keep your disappointment with the show in check.

Source: Reddit.