The Unfortunate Comparison Fans Are Making Between The Witcher And Game Of Thrones
"The Witcher" has a lot of buzz at the moment, especially now that it's just wrapped its second season and given fans plenty of things to talk about. The fantasy saga has solidified itself as one of Netflix's most popular exports since debuting back in 2019, and it shows no signs of slowing down either. With the third season officially greenlit and a couple of spin-offs on the way, Netflix appears to have a very successful franchise on its hands.
Of course, it's hard to talk about any fantasy series without comparing it to "Game of Thrones." The HBO drama was one of the biggest shows on the planet for the better part of a decade, and its specter still looms large over the realm of shows that feature mythical continents, magic, creatures, bloody battles and the odd bit of sauciness. At this point, it just comes with the territory.
That being said, "The Witcher" and "Game of Thrones" are entirely different shows. The former is arguably more lighthearted than the epic George R. R. Martin adaptation, and most of the action centers around a foul-mouthed lone-wolf protagonist and the small circle of people he associates with, rather than an endlessly sprawling narrative of different characters and dramas. However, some fans of "The Witcher" have spotted some similarities between the two shows — and one of them isn't too popular.
The Witcher is repeating a Game of Thrones error
"The Witcher" only has so much time for each episode, making it impossible to chronicle every single step characters take during their travels across The Continent. However, some fans are unhappy at how quickly Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) and his counterparts move around, particularly in regard to how it brings back bad memories of Season 8 of "Game of Thrones."
In a recent Reddit thread, user DiGre3z mocked the rapid traveling that occurred in "Game of Thrones" as being the result of "Littlefinger's teleportation device," and speculated how such a contraption must have followed the new monsters through the monoliths depicted in Season 2 of "The Witcher." The user added, "Geralt travelled with an average of a normal walking speed, a distance roughly 10 times of a distance Yen and Ciri covered mostly galloping or trotting."
Many viewers agreed with this sentiment. "I got war flashbacks to the last seasons of GoT when suddenly all reasonable rules of travelling got suspended and they made it to where they wanted to be in seconds and not months like before," wrote Starlight_26.
"I think Game of Thrones had the same problem in one of the last seasons. Everyone kept conveniently getting everywhere right on time, despite the distance," CochLarq stated. Another user, dr4kun, agreed, explaining that, "Based on just that, a trip between Kaer Morhen and Cintra should take at least a few days (it would take over a month). It's as if the showrunners looked at the map and decided the world doesn't fit their vision so they'll ignore it."
Given how controversial the last season of "Game of Thrones" was, with "teleporting" characters being one common complaint, Season 3 of "The Witcher" would do well to listen to these criticisms.