The Witcher: Why One Writer Faced Backlash For His Tweets During Season 3
It's safe to say that Season 3 of "The Witcher" has faced substantial criticism thus far, not only due to the shocking departure of series lead Henry Cavill, but also due to a supposed dip in quality compared to previous seasons. Particular criticism has been directed at the mid-season finale, "The Art of Illusion," which repeated a huge mistake from Season 1 with its bloated, confusing narrative structure.
In addition to the lukewarm reception to this season overall, "The Witcher" writer and executive producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach has also faced backlash for tweets he made about Season 3. When Grillo-Marxuach posted about the final episodes of "The Witcher" Season 3 on his personal X account (episodes which, coincidentally, are the lowest-rated episodes of the entire series) several fans online accused him of scabbing during the ongoing WGA strike. These users specifically claimed that Grillo-Marxauch had broken the rules of the WGA by promoting "The Witcher" and engaging in discussion about the show with fans — though in the end none of these accusations held any real weight.
Other writers voiced their support for Grillo-Marxauch after accusations of scabbing
As it happens, Javier Grillo-Marxauch didn't actually break any WGA rules with his tweets, something he clarified in a later post after deleting these "controversial" tweets from his account.
"Today i was accused of scabbing for posting about, and showing the title card and promo for #TheWitcher – which i did of my own volition and not at the request of my corporate overlords," Grillo-Marxauch wrote on X. "While my actions are completely within the guild's strike rules as you can see below, i can also understand how they can offend others and appear as a lapse in solidarity." Grillo-Marxuach provided an image of the WGA guidelines alongside this tweet, which clearly state that it is not a violation of the strike to discuss your projects on your personal social media.
In the wake of this backlash, Javier Grillo-Marxauch has received a slew of support and praise from fans and fellow writers online, with many blasting the users who accused him of scabbing in the first place. "Anyone out there want to go at Javi has to go through me first," wrote @howardrodman. "There's no one more supportive of the community of writers." Similarly, @colehaddon encouraged any critics of Grillo-Marxauch to relearn the WGA rules before they make accusations, and referred to him as a "Guild Hero." While Grillo-Marxauch may have briefly come under fire briefly for his tweets, it's clear that he still has the support of many writers and fans online.