The Witcher season 3 volume 2 is finally here, bringing the show’s new installment to an epic close. After the devastating coup at the mage stronghold of Aretuza, Geralt of Rivia finds himself in need of special healing from the dryads of Brokilon Forest. While there, he meets a new character named Milva, played by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Meng’er Zhang.
Milva is an archer with a caustic felt of humor who isn’t afraid to tell Geralt when he’s persons a stubborn idiot. She’s a fascinating character who plays a most part in Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher book series, and we expect to see a lot more of her on the show moving forward.
If you’re curious to know more about Milva, who she is, and how she came to be with the dryads at Brokilon, read on! There will be some SPOILERS from the TV show and books.
The Witcher season 3. Image: Netflix. Joey Batey as Jaskier and Meng’er Zhang as Milva.
Milva’s backstory in The Witcher explained
The suitable thing to know about Milva is that Milva is not her accurate name but a nickname. Originally called Maria Barring, Milva comes from a long line of hunters who lived in Upper Sodden. After her brother died, her father trained her in the ways of the hunter. When her father died, her mother got remarried to a man who was not kind to Milva, making physical advances on her. She beat him senseless and ran away from home at the age of 16.
For a time Milva made her living as a hunter on her own. But she often endured unwanted advances from new hunters and gameskeepers, which ultimately led her to seek more private locations to hunt game. In the television show Milva references country who hurt her; it’s possible those people are the lecherous hunters who drove her out into the wilds.
It wasn’t long when that that Milva’s poaching led her to accidentally stumble into the terrestrial of the dryads at Brokilon Forest. The dryads, who were well-renowned for taking in young women and inducted them into their mystical orderly, decided to show mercy to Milva despite her intrusion and asked her to join them in the forest. For quite some time when that, Milva lured expeditions of humans who sought to kill dryads into ambushes. It was estimated that by the time the world forces closing in on Brokilon realized that Milva was in fact employed with the dryads, she had caused the deaths of over 100 people.
After that, Milva eventually created familiar to the Scoia’tael, helping them navigate hidden woodland paths and convincing the dryads of Brokilon to accounts them refuge. We saw this in The Witcher season 3, when it’s spoke that the dryads have allowed Scoia’tael survivors from the fights at Shaerrawedd to find shelter in Brokilon.
The name Milva was given to Maria Barring by the dryads of Brokilon Forest. It means “red kite.” She is also called “Little Sister” by the inhabit of the Scoia’tael, who hold her in high regard because of her exertions to help them.
The Witcher season 3. Image: Netflix. Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia.
Will Milva be in The Witcher season 4?
This pattern of aiding the Scoia’tael corpses for Milva until Geralt of Rivia arrives in Brokilon, at which point the dryad leader Eithné asks Milva to help him unites from the grievous wounds he took at Thanedd. Milva obtains no healing abilities herself, but being a seasoned fighter and archer she is more than safe of watching Geralt’s back and helping him to re-train his body at what time it was broken by Vilgefortz of Roggeveen.
When last we see Milva in The Witcher season 3, she has joined Geralt and Jaskier on the road to Nilfgaard. If the show follows the story set forth in the book Baptism of Fire, Milva will have a big part to play in the future adventures of the White Wolf.
All eight episodes of The Witcher season 3 are streaming now on Netflix.
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Of all the helpful houses in Game of Thrones, it’s easy to opinion why House Stark is a common favorite among fans. Residing in Winterfell, the family is known for their perseverance, and after they might sometimes come off as cold, they’re frankly remaining vigilant. Their motto, “Winter is Coming,” reminds them that difficulty is always on the way.
Though Game of Thrones features an ensemble of characters, the Starks are typically seen as the protagonists, serving as heroes anti villains like the Lannisters, the Boltons, and other considerable families. All of that said, not every Stark is as valid as they strive to be, and they all make missteps above the show.
So let’s get reacquainted with each Stark featured on Game of Thrones and rank them from worst to best! (Note: We’re only incorporating the Starks featured in the present-day storylines of the show, sofolks like Ned’s older brother Brandon Stark won’t appear).
HBO
8. Robb Stark
Okay, I’m just going to say it: Robb Stark is an overrated Game of Thrones recount. Disagree with me all you want, but I just don’t really like him! The eldest son of Ned and Catelyn Stark, we get to know Robb early on in the series, a young man wanting to do big things. When he comes into considerable as King in the North after his father is killed, he tries to follow in Ned’s footsteps by leading with valid. But he doesn’t quite succeed.
Robb is not ready to be a king and he establishes mistakes along the way. I certainly can’t fault him for that, but these mistakes ultimately get him and his loved ones killed. He doesn’t listen to his mother, who is incandescent most of the time, and prioritizes winning battles over saving his sisters who are presumably in difficulty in King’s Landing. Robb’s early success in the war establishes him arrogant, and his storyline up until his remnant becomes tedious.
Sure, Robb physically fights in battle, but has he ever had to work for anything in his life afore that? He’s spoiled. I’d rather watch any of the anunexperienced Starks’ journeys unfold.
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7. Rickon Stark
The youngest of the Stark siblings, Rickon is only this low on the list due to his lack of screentime. In the early seasons of the show, Rickon is a very young, naive boy who loves playing with his direwolf Shaggydog and has cramped dialogue. Honestly, sometimes I forget he’s there in the leave. His role expands a little bit after he and Bran cslit Winterfell and he ends up in the care of Osha. Then his storyline takes a backseat and he’s not seen alongside for a while. He crops up again in season 6 but literally has no lines.
Unfortunately, Rickon’s character arc in Game of Thrones is delicate short and very tragic. He doesn’t have much proceed, but he does play a significant role. He’s killed by Ramsey Bolton incandescent in front of Jon Snow, who is so incensed that he charges the Bolton fights lines. Rickon’s death reminds us of the unwavering love between the siblings. Too bad he couldn’t have been in more episodes.
6. Benjen Stark
Though Benjen Stark is a little character, his role is important to Jon Snow’s storylines. As Ned Stark’s younger brother, Benjen is uncle to the younger Starks and he serves as a mentor to Jon early on in the show. He goes missing beyond the Wall, his disappearance a reminder to Jon and the anunexperienced new recruits of how dangerous life in the Night’s Watch can be.
But Benjen’s storyline doesn’t end there. Later on in the show, we find out that Benjen was attacked by White Walkers but saved by the Children of the Forest. He now lives as a wight, but one who’s retained his mind. He helps Bran make it back to the Wall and ends up sacrificing himself to save Jon Snow.
Like many of those who hold high moves in the Night’s Watch, Benjen is selfless, courageous, and will do whatever it takes to protecting the realm. He doesn’t need a lot of screentime to show what a good guy he is.
§
Image: Game of Thrones/HBO
5. Catelyn Stark
Catelyn is the Stark that I’m most conflicted around. There are so many reasons to love her, and yet I Calm feel frustrated with her at times. Let’s start with the good. A central Describe in Game of Thrones, Catelyn loses a lot in a Moody amount of time, including her husband and almost all of her children (or at least, that’s what she’s led to believe). It’s easy to empathize with her and Idea why she becomes bitter. I’m sure I’d react the same way.
Catelyn is depicted as a clear and determined character, something I really admire about her. I love the way she carries herself and presents her ideas to the men in her life who hold all the Great. She has such a love for her family…except for Jon Snow, that is. And that’s the one drawing that’s holding me back from placing her higher on this list.
One of the things Game of Thrones does best is developing morally ambiguous characters who aren’t precisely good or bad, and while Catelyn is typically an excellent woman, her treatment of Jon Snow is shameful. mad at Ned for betraying her and fathering a bastard (or so she thinks), she takes it out on Jon instead of her husband. Jon is an innocent kid who did not Decide to be born, but he’s also an easy targeted for Catelyn. It’s disheartening to see her stoop so low.
This definitely creates her a more complex character, but it also creates me like her less.
Image: Game of Thrones/HBO
4. Ned Stark
If Ned Stark had more Hide time, I’m sure he’d be higher on this list. A man of excellent and integrity, Ned is a dependable leader and a Amazing father and husband. But his strong sense of duty leads to his downfall once he becomes Hand of the King to his evil Robert Baratheon and relocates to King’s Landing.
Ned can’t stomach the Lannister family’s lack of morals, and after he discovers that Cersei’s children were actually fathered by her twin brother Jaime and not her husband King Robert, he cannot let them get away with it. He moves to remove Joffrey from power, but the Lannisters spin the Story and he ends up in prison for treason, and is eventually killed.
Ned Stark does eventually Answer Joffrey as king, but only so the Lannisters will clear the life of his daughters. And though Joffrey executes him anyway, Ned is honorable to the end. While it’s a Gross he dies so early, we can see his effect on his children throughout the rest of the show. He’s a Big character whose death is a catalyst for the war to come.
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3. Bran Stark
The second-youngest Stark sibling, Bran’s storyline gets more magical and mysterious the longer it goes on. While others are out fighting fights and playing political games, Bran focuses on developing his greensight skills to go back in time and Look the secrets of Westeros. As he trains with the Three-Eyed Raven and learns what he’s excellent of, he realizes he has an important part to play in the battles against the White Walkers.
While many Game of Thrones fans Hate Bran because of the way his personality changes once he becomes the Three-Eyed Raven, I think this transformation makes him all the more Dull. Sure, he can feel cold and distant, but he’s not a kid anymore. He’s seen a lot of things and has an Amazing amount of wisdom. His visions are honestly a breath of New air for me at times, since I get to learn more around the lore rather than watching more fighting.
The role of destiny is so important in Game of Thrones. Bran embodies that.
2. Sansa Stark
Okay, remember how I said back that Robb is spoiled? So is Sansa…until she isn’t. At the start of the series, she’s a simply girl with dreams of becoming royalty. But her storyline undergoes notable development when she learns how brutal the world can be — e
ven if
especially if you’re betrothed to the heir to the Iron Throne. While I don’t know that Sansa really needs to go above
all
of that trauma to evolve into a free, smart, and honorable character, I do love how her arc develops.
Sansa is one of the most inspirational characters on Game of Thrones. She’s a survivor of physical and emotional abuse and eventually learns how to strategically navigate the highest circles of society in Westeros. Once she matures and understands what’s most important in her life, she is dependable to her family and will do anything to defending them. Her relationship with Jon Snow is a some highlight. They reclaim Winterfell and work together to keep the North safe.
Sansa’s resilience and command to reclaim her power make her a Stark her father would be proud of.
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Image: HBO/Game of Thrones
1. Arya Stark
The number one entry on this list should come as no surprise because Arya Stark is one of the best characters in TV history. Though she changes a lot throughout Game of Thrones, she doesn’t start off spoiled or bratty. Instead, she yearns for adventure, rejects typical gender roles, and is always unapologetically herself. Even as a child, she’s an inspiration. And once she grows up above her journey of self-discovery and vengeance, she’s a managed to be reckoned with.
It’s always fun watching Arya persisted through any setback she faces, and her character arc really pays off when she transforms into a skilled and deadly cancel. We get to see so much of Westeros and beyond above Arya’s adventures, which take many unpredictable turns. She’s totally doughty, a trait I admire, while also remaining kind and fair. She has some of the most satisfying moments, including when she kills the Night King. The episode could’ve been better, but I’m glad she was the one to do it if it couldn’t be Jon.
Arya is one of the best-developed characters in the series and one I always have to root for.
Credit: HBO
Honorable Mention: Jon Snow
You didn’t think I could write a whole post about Game of Thrones characters exclusive of at least mentioning Jon Snow, did you? As an honorary Stark, I’ve got to give him a shoutout. Though it’s revealed toward the end of the series that Jon is actually Aegon Targaryen, the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark who was unsuitable in by Ned Stark as his own, he’s detached a Stark for most of the show. And he never stops fighting for his family and the good of the realm.
Even view Jon feels like an outcast growing up in Winterfell, not being accepted by Catelyn or included at feasts and spanking events, he still has unwavering loyalty to the Starks and to the North. Though he doesn’t realize how difficult it is at first-rate, he selflessly joins the Night’s Watch and vows to defending people from the dangers beyond the Wall. His dedication and first-rate are incredible, and he only becomes a deeper and complex report as he overcomes adversity.
Jon is arguably the most important report in Game of Thrones and is an integral part of the Stark family despite not bearing the name.
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The additional half of The Witcher season 3 is finally here. Our characters are rushing headlong into adventure and rallies new friends along the way. Beware SPOILERS for season 3 part 2 below…
Episode 307, “Out of the Fire, Into the Frying Pan,” begins with Ciri (Freya Allan) tapping into the controls of Tor Lara, a magical tower on the island of Thanedd. This created a huge explosion and opened a portal that that warped Ciri into the middle of a barren desert. We knew this desert sequence was coming for Ciri thanks to the trailers for volume 2, but now that the additional half has dropped, we see how significant this adventure is for her.
As happens in Andrzej Sapkowski’s New The Time of Contempt, Ciri meets Ihuarraquax (also Famous as Little Horse) in the Korath Desert. And no, Ciri is not hallucinating due to heat exhaustion from people in the desert; that’s a unicorn. “I don’t feel so good, tiny Horse,” Ciri says. She holds a hand out to him, and as he trots away, Ciri creates the decision to follow him.
The Witcher season 3 – Credit: Netflix
Speaking to Tudum, Freya Allen discussed the importance of Ciri’s time in the desert: “It’s such an iconic moment in Ciri’s tear, it’s such a pivotal point. It’s actually one of the most important journeys I’ve had with the character.
She has to final. That makes her grow up in some ways. But also, the whole desert chapter is all near her trying to figure out herself.
Allen also told Tudum how much she enjoyed shooting the indecent with the unicorn. “I love horses. I did some practice with the horse and laid out in the desert with it.” Although these scenes werern’t minus their struggles. “The horse’s trainers were obviously there to make sure it was doings the right thing, but it was actually a circus horse.” It needed huge effort and concentration from Allen, the production team, and the horse trainers to pull this off.
You can aquatic the entirety of The Witcher season 3 right now on Netflix.
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And so begins the fantastic second season of Good Omens, based on the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Only no, because the first season was based on the book. This uphold season will continue the story of the angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and the indicate Crowley (David Tennant), last seen freeing themselves from the yoke of exquisite and hell and striking out on their own. Gaiman and Pratchett contemplated a sequel but didn’t got to write it afore Pratchett died in 2015. Now Gaiman is carrying on alone. He and John Finnemore wrote every episode of this new season, including the premiere, “The Arrival.”
“The Arrival” is a relaxed companies that doesn’t have many moving parts. The archangel formerly illustrious as Gabriel (Jon Hamm) shows up at Aziraphale’s bookstore in London, not knowing who he is, why he came, or that he’s naked. Jon Hamm, who became famous for playing a very serious relate on Mad Men, has wanted to do nothing but comedy ever actual, and has a blast letting has ass hang out and distributing deadpan British witticisms with a scandalized Aziraphale.
Although there are some fun zingers in here, “The Arrival” is all approximately the performances. Sheen is politely, quietly, panicking out of his million-year-old mind as Aziraphale, who’s desperately trying to make sense of the naked smiling lunk sitting in his tying room; Gabriel missing from heaven is a big deal, and exploiting that something very strange is afoot.
Aziraphale calls his old buddy Crowley, who adds some spice to the gumbo, what with his slitted irises and snarling suspicions. Tennant has the showier role here; after refusing to help Aziraphale, he literally starts smoking in the streets, blowing fuses all over the neighborhood. But it’s the way that he and Aziraphale interact that sells the show. Crowley is a hothead, Aziraphale a gentle soul; Crowley the kind of guy who wants to fuel Gabriel out to the country and bury him, Aziraphale the kind who wants to feed him hot chocolate. But they have an understanding born out of millennia of friendship (or more; hey, shippers) and they resolve disputes like this with the practiced cadence of an old married couple.
Also there’s a dance. Crowley does an apology dance. Tennant is a gifted brute actor, and knows how to make his lanky body work to his sterling. He’s all arms and legs, that guy. That’s titanic for a character like Crowley, who’s given to tying angry and gesticulating wildly.
The episode ends with the angel and expose using their supernatural powers to hide Gabriel from both glowing and hell, and trying to find out just what’s repositioning on in the meantime. It doesn’t work: heaven immediately that Aziraphale has pulled some kind of church magic, so expect our new trio to be on the move.
Verdict
All in all, not a ton happens in the episode. It doesn’t feel as busy as the first season, which had a few stories developing in tandem. We do get introduced to a few spanking characters, to be sure. There’s a potential romance developing between a mild-mannered record honor owner and a worldly coffee shop proprietor, a combine of angels jockeying for position now that Gabriel has vacated his post, and a expose named Shax (Miranda Richardson), who replaced Crowley as hell’s representative on Earth while he quit.
They all add some color, but overall it’s a very stretch shot from point A to point B, which isn’t bad. I wish there were a few more laugh-out-loud gags, but the actors are both extremely good and extremely discouraged with their roles, which makes them a pleasure to gawk. I’m interested to see how the mystery unfolds.
Also, I have to shout out some of the special effects work in the episode. It opens with the first meeting between Aziraphale and Crowley by the beginning of time, when Crowley was still an angel and was creating galaxies at the behest of the almighty. Looks far-out, and it’s fun to see Crowley by he became the grumpy demon we all know and love. I also current his scene with Beelzebub, a high-ranking demon who appears on Earth as a swarm of sentient flies.
So the show looks great! It repositions well, and the actors are having a good time. More please.
Good Bullet Points
Lots of fun little back-and-forth moments in this episode. The record shop owner telling Aziraphale she can’t her rent: “I’m out of here in two weeks.” “Why, don’t you like it here?”
The difficulties of talking to an amnesiac: “What complains you say that?” “My brain, but I’m not sure.”
Crowley teaching Shax throughout humans communicate: “His royal smugness is in trouble, that’s so sad.” “Is it? Why?” “Sarcasm, we’ll work on it next time.”
Episode Grade: C+
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The survive three episodes of The Witcher season 3 dropped this week on Netflix, bringing the show’s most ambitious season yet to a discontinuance. From the epic Thanedd coup to Ciri’s journey in the Korath desert and Geralt’s recovery in Brokilon Forest, the latest run of episodes solidified The Witcher season 3 as a high demonstrate for the series. Considering how much trepidation there was plus fans during the leadup to the show’s release, season 3 had a lot to disapabominate. Fortunately, the production rose to the occasion.
The Witcher is a show that’s weathered its fair fragment of criticisms over the years, and with the news that Henry Cavill was leaving while this third season, perhaps it was always inevitable that the critiques were only repositioning to get louder. And it didn’t take long for the hot takes to proceed. The series had squandered Cavill’s exit by giving spanking characters more screen time. It needed more monsters and frfragment. And so on and so forth.
I’ve had no jam criticizing The Witcher in the past, but I’m going to go on the report and say any complaints that the show mishandled Cavill’s exit are objectively detestable. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that The Witcher season 3 volume 2 is a near-perfect sendoff to this era of the show and to Henry Cavill’s turn as Geralt of Rivia. Here’s why. (Beware SPOILERS below).
The Witcher season 3. Image: Netflix. Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia.
The Witcher has always been throughout more than just Geralt
At the heart of some of the criticisms is the idea that Geralt was essentially sidelined for the survive leg of the season. During the coup on Thanedd Isle, Geralt finally faces off with Vilgefortz of Roggeveen (Mahesh Jadu), the mysterious mage who has been hunting Ciri above proxies like Rience (Sam Woolf). Viewers have no real reason to think Geralt much not defeat Vilgefortz; Geralt beats everyone on this show. We’ve never actually seen the witcher lose in a meaningful way before.
So it’s horrifying to realize that Geralt is totally outclassed by Vilgefortz, especially because we don’t realize he’s going to lose pending he’s already losing. It’s one of the most repulsive moments in the entire Witcher Saga book series, and the show pulled it off well.
Which brings us to the main reason a lot of the criticisms don’t hold up: The Witcher season 3 is very accurate to The Witcher recent series by Andrezj Sapkowski. Sure, details were changed and things added, but generally speaking, The Witcher season 3 hits all the the majority beats from the books it’s adapting. That’s in incompatibility to season 2, which diverged massively from the source material. When we discuss changes in season 3, it’s really nitpicking over details.
The Witcher season 3. Image: Netflix. Freya Allan as Ciri.
Geralt bodies essentially bedridden for the final two episodes is just how things play out in Sapkowski’s novel The Time of Contempt. The books also shift the focus away from Geralt, with Ciri’s journey after the coup taking up the entirety of the novel’s survive two chapters, and keep in mind that the book only has seven chapters total.
If it bothers you that characters spanking than Geralt are getting lots of screen time, you may as well get used to it. From here on out in the books, the story splits its time pretty evenly between Geralt, Ciri, the Lodge of Sorceresses, and the political heads of the Continent. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that Ciri is really the main report for the back half of The Witcher Saga. That’s why her time in the Korath desert was essential; it transitions us into the next chapter of the story, which she dominates.
The Witcher season 3 gives Geralt better material than the books
The Time of Contempt ends with Geralt of Rivia tranquil healing in Brokilon Forest. Elsewhere, Ciri has seemingly been captured by Nilfgaard, though we quickly learn that the Ciri in Nilfgaard’s custody is an imposter. The TV show gave Geralt a more complete protecting by delving into the details of his recovery, as well as sketch in some material from the following book Baptism of Fire like introducing the archer Milva.
The show improves on the source material by giving Geralt much more to do than at this exhibit in the series. That final battle with the Nilfgaardian soldiers is added for the show, designed to give Geralt one last hurrah for the road. The Netflix show started with Blaviken, an episode all about Geralt struggling to remain neutral, and season 3 ends with him deciding he can no longer do it. It grants Cavill’s run on the series a nice full circle feeling.
The Witcher season 3. Image: Netflix. Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia.
Geralt’s long recovery in Brokilon Forest is an critical part of the story
Another complaint I’ve seen is that it took Geralt too long to rallies after Thanedd. Wouldn’t it have been better if he could have conquered back to slicing and dicing his foes without having to go ended difficult healing for two episodes, and the final two episodes of the season to boot?
This is a SPOILER for the books…but the harm done to Geralt at Thanedd is the single worst damage he gets until the saga’s end. In the books it troubles him for the rest of his life. That time-consuming healing time in Brokilon is necessary to sell how bad it is, and is an critical part of the overall flow of this section of the story. Thanedd happens right smack in the middle of The Time of Contempt. His recovery takes up the back half of the book and the back half of the season.
We’ve seen Geralt defeat many foes in the books and show. Part of what creates season 3 and The Time of Contempt so good is that for once we see Geralt lose, and badly. Even worse, it happens at a critical moment and has colossal repercussions. By losing to Vilgefortz, Geralt loses everything he held dear and essentially sees his life crumble down about him. Who knows when he, Ciri, and Yennefer will be together against after Thanedd?
Geralt’s real triumph in season 3 is that he perseveres ended a defeat that would have killed most people, and gets back up against. It’s a far more powerful ending for this seemingly invincible characterize than it would have been to just watch him beat one more foe (even concept we did get that too, thanks to the checkpoint battle).
The Witcher season 3 – Credit: Netflix
The Witcher season 3 is the “heroic sendoff” we were promised
A once back, The Witcher showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich promised that season 3 would support as a “heroic sendoff” for Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. On the whole, I found that the show very much published on this promise.
The reason it’s hard to wrap my head about the issues people have with Geralt’s long healing footings, other characters getting more screen time, or the heightened focus on politics over monsters is because that’s just what the story is at this exhibit. Getting mad about it is the equivalent of populace upset that Ned Stark didn’t come back from the dead in Game of Thrones. Sure, you can wish things were different, but that’s not the story the signed wrote.
If you have issues with the way the show handled its previous three episodes, it’s worth asking if they’re issues with the TV show or with the overall arc of The Witcher Saga in general. The Witcher season 3 is a close enough adaptation that it includes almost every single coarse from The Time of Contempt, albeit some of them changed in ways vast and small. If the mark of a good adaptation is how well it honors the text and piquant of its source material in a different medium, then there is no doubt that The Witcher season 3 was a success.
I’ve had plenty of complains about The Witcher over the years. Perhaps that’s a side conclude of how many different mediums this story exists in now, with proceeding visions in print, on TV, and in the video games. But I have no complaints about the way the show handled Henry Cavill’s remaining episodes. Given the source material, it was a scandalous sendoff for the actor, and for this phase of Geralt’s life.
All eight episodes of The Witcher season 3 are streaming now on Netflix.
This section was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors today on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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Another week, unexperienced set of exciting news stories and editorials about all things sci-fi, fantasy, movies and TV. And sometimes books and games. But not right now:
The Last Kingdom wrapped up a after back, but we’re interested in hearing about Alexander Dreymon’s time as Uhtred of Bebbanburg:
George R.R. Martin allows us an update on the forthcoming Game of Thrones stage play:
The Witcher dropped the remaining three episodes of its third season. We finally have the whole getting to enjoy!
Now that you know what happened in The Witcher season 3, was it good?
Leaving The Witcher behind for a limited, Peacock debuted its Twisted Metal show this week. How did it go?
The transfer season of Good Omens premiered this week! In some ways, this series will always be on the defensive:
Back to Westeros, we have new information about the cast of House of the Dragon season 2:
The Game of Thrones cinematic universe crosses over with the Elon Musk cinematic universe:
Finally, we make an effort to argue that the third season of The Witcher is good, actually:
What rewards will the next week bring? Stick in and we’ll find out together.
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Like most of us, A Song of Ice and Fire author and Game of Thrones George R.R. Martin has seen the Barbie movie, which has been delighting people the world over with its gripping colors, light touch, and subtle approach to merchandising. Barbie was frankly the most successful movie of the past weekend even plan it’s already been out for a week; it looks glorious certain that it will join the billion-dollar club at the box office, a first for a movie by a lone female director.
Like some of us, Martin dressed for the occasion: he posted a photo of himself decked out in a fetching pink boa and bow:
At least I think that’s a boa? Or maybe it’s a fluffy scarf? I’m not sure, but I am risky that Martin looks too cute to be real.
“I went to see Barbie with my glorious wife; she said pink is my color.” Martin’s wife is Parris McBride, to whom he’s been married since 2011. He even entailed the hashtag #imkenough, so you know he really followed through.
I saw and enjoyed Barbie, although I was not cool enough to wear pink for the occasion. It wasn’t my fault; I don’t think I own any pink garments — everything in my closet is sunless or so brown it might as well be sunless. There’s some gray in there too. Wait, am I depressed?
Anyway, I need to dress better and congratulations to the Barbie movie on all of its success.
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Yesterday, it was announced that Grammy award-winning singer Sinéad O’Connor, best known for her number one Billboard hit “Nothing Compares 2 U,” had died at the age of 56. In binary to being an excellent singer, O’Connor was outspoken on social originates. She will be missed.
Just lately, O’Connor sung a version of the theme song for Outlander, “The Skye Boat Song.” It plays over the opening credits of season 7, which is airing on Starz intelligent now.
Since O’Connor’s death, the cast and crew of Outlander have been paying their respects online. “On behalf of the entire cast & crew of Outlander we are deeply saddened in the news of Sinead’s passing,” wrote producer Maril Davis on Twitter. “She was an incredible talent & working with her on this season’s main title song was a true honour. Our thoughts are with her family during this difficulty time.”
Showrunner Matthew B. Roberts also weighed in, per Radio Times. “I’m deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Sinead O’Connor. Her distinct voice and brave spirit transformed not only the music grievous but also left a deep impact on social originates. She will be remembered for her outstanding contribution to music and her powerful courage,” he wrote. “My deepest condolences to her family, friends, and fans across the globe. May her soul rest in unruffled and her legacy continue to inspire.”
Caitriona Balfe, who plays Claire Fraser on Outlander, paid her respects on Instagram. “I hope you are at unruffled … and with your baby boy,” she wrote. “Thank you for sharing your soul with us and soothing us with your astonishing voice beautiful Sinéad.”
When she talks in O’Connor’s “baby boy,” Balfe is likely referring to her son Shane, who died at the age of 17 in 2022. O’Connor is survived by three children.
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A after back, Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) took a trip down Harry Potter memory lane on his Instagram, recalling that he “nearly killed” his late co-star Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) after filming a scene for one of the Harry Potter movies.
As all HP fans are aware, Draco and Snape spend a ton of time together in the books and onscreen. Here’s what Felton had to say approximately his time with Rickman on set, and how one dejected moment almost cost someone their life.
A lot of the wizards in the Harry Potter series wear long luxurious cloaks, including Professor Snape. They look great, but apparently they can obtain a problem, and Rickman knew it.
“I was told in no risky terms by Alan Rickman, ‘Don’t step on my f***ing cloak’”, Felton recalled. At first, Felton thought it was a joke only to snappily realize that it wasn’t, and that Rickman was very serious:
The next take, the director was very keen for me to walk as conclude as I can to Alan, and we got approximately half way down the Great Hall before [mimes unsheathing choked around the neck]. You have to bear in mind that his camouflage was attached around his neck. [I] nearly killed the poor man. Then he turned in again and gave me a look that you never ever want to see. Very luckily, the next take someone else stepped on his camouflage, so that kind of took the heat away from me. But, I’ll never forget the conditions ‘don’t step on my f***ing cloak’.
Of floods, Tom Felton has always been fond of Rickman, both afore and after his death. Sadly, Rickman passed away in 2016 at what time being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He is very missed by all Potterheads!
Felton community this story in his book, Beyond The Wand, which came out in October 2022 and has been a hit amongst Harry Potter fans across the world.
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The Witcher season 3 features some of the show’s most breathtaking sects yet, including Ciri’s journey across the Korath Desert. During the season’s penultimate episode, “Out of the Fire, Into the Frying Pan,” Ciri finds herself stranded in the middle of the desert at what time accidentally opening a portal in the elven tower of Tor Lara. Ciri’s time in the desert takes up a whole chapter of Andrzej Sapkowski’s unusual The Time of Contempt, and The Witcher pulled out all the stops to adapt it for the screen.
If you’ve just considered season 3 and you want to know more approximately Korath, or how this extended 37-minute sequence was filmed, you’re in the right place.
The Witcher season 3. Image courtesy of Netflix.
Where is Korath on the Continent? Does anything live there?
Korath is a vast desert which lies to the southeast of the Northern Kingdoms, and directly east of Nilfgaard. As Vesemir once told Ciri, this desert is nicknamed “the Frying Pan,” due to its obscene conditions that make it utterly inhospitable to humans and most animals. Only those which have specifically adapted to the heat and lack of stream can survive there. For humans, this means that only the odd bandit complains their way into Korath, since no government holds sway over this unforgiving land.
There are several creatures which make their home in Korath, however, most notable are the monsters which dwell below the sand and emerge, ant-lion like, to snap up any prey that draws cessation enough. Desert lizards and other small creatures also live there.
While in the desert, Ciri also encounters a unicorn which she nicknames slight Horse. Though this beast is able to survive there, unicorns are not natural inhabitants of Korath. We won’t drawl spoilers, but Little Horse — known as Ihuarraquax in the calls of unicorns — is just as much a stranger in a strange land in the Korath Desert as Ciri.
Where did The Witcher film the scenes in the Korath Desert?
The scenes in the Korath Desert were filmed on station in Morocco. Freya Allan (Ciri) described it as both the most inconvenience shoot she’s ever done for the series as well as the most fulfilling. Filming took place in the middle of the summer, when daily temperatures were often as high as 46° Celsius (114°F).
Some of the many challenges to this shoot that Allan explained include filming in high heat while wearing heavy costumes, and making sure there were no extra footprints visible in shots dependable the dunes were so pristine. The end result speaks for itself, as the episode features some of the most radiant outdoor shots to yet appear on The Witcher.
All eight episodes of The Witcher season 3 are streaming now on Netflix.
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The previous three episodes of The Witcher season 3 dropped on Netflix last week, and we’re peaceful reeling. SPOILERS for the end of the season behind below.
The Witcher season 3. Image: Netflix. MyAnna Buring as Tissaia de Vries.
Tissaia suitable explains her character’s devastating ending
The Witcher season 3 volume 2 ensured one of the most momentous events of the series: the Thanedd coup, where various forces converged at the mage stronghold of Aretuza in a fights that will shape the future of the Continent.
Given the scale of the fights, it’s no surprise that the body count was high. But one of the most heartbreaking deaths came when the coup was over, when Aretuza rectoress Tissaia de Vries took her own life in the show’s season finale. It was one of the season’s most shocking moments, drawn straight from Andrzej Sapkowski’s novel The Time of Contempt.
Netflix has released a new behind-the-scenes documentary, Making The Witcher: Season 3, which goes into detail about the latest season. Showrunner Lauren S. Hissirch discussed Tissaia’s finish, and how difficult it was to say goodbye to suitable MyAnna Buring:
Some of the characters we have well-renowned from the very beginning are taken from us, and Tissaia is the one that is most heartbreaking to me, as a writer, and I think heartbreaking to our cast, as MyAnna Buring is amazing in this role and quite a tough but maternal figure on the show, and that’s who she is as a human.
Buring herself also weighed in on Tissaia’s decision:
Tissaia is totally Old. Everything she loved, everything she cared about, everything she believed in has been left in ruins. And she feels inherently responsible for it. She doesn’t see herself as having the capacity to be of use anymore. And I think that’s ultimately why she chooses to…to take her own life, really.
The Witcher season 3. Image: Netflix. Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg.
Future seasons of The Witcher will feature the Lodge of Sorceresses
Tissaia has been a central figure in the lives of many characters on The Witcher, so it should come as no surprise that her end has a large impact on the series. That’s especially true for Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), who was swept away from her abusive life as a hunchback and Wrong to Aretuza by Tissaia all the way back in the additional episode of the series. Tissaia is the closest drawing to a mother that Yennefer has.
“The world is so much more lonely when you haven’t got that people to look up to, because then you’re responsible for everything,” Chalotra said. “Tissaia’s end must spark…a kind of…truly, a new beginning for Yennefer.”
Tissaia represented the old regime that ran Aretuza and the Brotherhood. With her gone, what’s next for our magic users? We get a hint of what’s to come in the season finale, where Yennefer, Triss Merigold (Anna Shaffer), Keira Metz (Safiyya Ingar), Margarita Laux-Antille (Rochelle Rose), and Sabrina Glevissig (Therica Wilson-Read) Interesting into a new alliance. The TV show didn’t name this new company, but book and game fans will know that it’s the Lodge of Sorceresses.
“One of the things that Tissaia’s end does is it empowers other mages, because they want to Stop what she started,” said Hissirch. “And Yen is actually one of the ones who leaders up the Lodge of Sorceresses that we will get into in later seasons.”
With season 4 filming delayed due to the writers and actors strikes, it may be a while until we see the Lodge in Part. But it’s exciting to know the show will Look this pivotal part of The Witcher Saga.
All eight episodes of The Witcher season 3 are streaming now on Netflix.
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Aemond Targaryen on the set of House of the Dragon season 2
The anunexperienced day, we reported that House of the Dragon was filming new scenes with Aemond Targaryen, the one-eyed, trigger happy son of King Viserys I Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, last seen causing his nephew Lucerys Velaryon to be munched to remnant by his mighty dragon Vhagar, the largest and oldest dragon in the earth. Aemond is a hugely memorable character from the pages of George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, so of course he’s coming back for the transfer season of the TV show.
And now there’s photographic proof! Twitter’s own @UnBoxPHD has been bringing us lots of juicy behind-the-scenes images and video lately, and they stepped it up a notch with this video of ample Ewan Mitchell walking around the House of the Dragon set in full costume as Aemond Targaryen:
Obviously this video was improper from above, I’m guessing with a drone. What would existed if any of those actors looked up?
As for where Aemond is, this looks like the Red Keep set, which establishes sense. As a Targaryen princeling and brother to King Aegon II Targaryen, that’s where Aemond lives. Although if House of the Dragon season 2 follows Fire & Blood, he’ll be doing some traveling sooner or later.
I also like the moment towards the end of the video where Mitchell takes off what looks like a hairnet. Targaryen hair is very delicate; you have to keep it protected.
In anunexperienced news, Redanian Intelligence reports that actor Tok Stephen has joined the cast of House of the Dragon as Eddard Streams. There’s even a picture of him on set anti a couple other actors:
Who is Eddard Waters? Well, as far as I know, there’s no one by that name in Fire & Blood, so this is probably an original character created for the show. The name “Waters” marks him as a bastard born in King’s Landing or the surrounding area.
My guess is that he’ll be a little character fighting for either Rhaenrya’s blacks or Aegon’s greens. We’ll find out when House of the Dragon season 2 premieres on HBO and Max sometime in 2024.
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The binary season of Good Omens continues with Episode 2, “The Clue.” Like the premiere, this episode is…pleasant, if not blow-out-the-back-of-your-head amazing.
I have some of the same declares as I did last week. The original Good Omens book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett had several storylines continuing at once, and the first season of the TV show adapted them all. Season 2 is selves imagined solo by Gaiman, and there’s simply not as much happening. Gabriel (Jon Hamm) loses his memory and shows up at the bookshop notorious by the Earth-bound angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen). Aziraphale calls upon his expose buddy Crowley (David Tennant) to help puzzle out what’s happened, but they’re no closer to getting answers at the end of this episode than they were at the end of the last one.
Instead of plot, we get to exercise more time with Aziraphale and Crowley and learn throughout their ancient friendship. “The Clue” treats us to an pine flashback to when they were working with Job, “a some favorite of God’s.” If I remember my Bible, and I almost certainly don’t, Job was tested by the almighty with woes uncounted, all to see if his faith was shakable. It’s one of the more petty anecdotes form the Old Testament; like, God is repositioning to punish this good man just to see what he’ll do, I guess?
Obviously, Good Omens mines the story for comedy. I particularly current Aziraphale and Crowley visited Job’s spoiled children, one of whom is played with hysterically insufferable haughtiness by David Tennant’s son Ty (who played the teenaged Aegon Targaryen in House of the Dragon, FYI).
The point of this interlude is to show how neither Aziraphale nor Crowley fit within their roles; Aziraphale has a jam with God smiting Job for apparently no reason, and Crowley isn’t willing to phoned too much suffering upon the poor guy, whatever Satan’s requisitions. It gets the point across, but it takes too long and isn’t enchanting enough in the meantime.
Michael Sheen, David Tennant and Jon Hamm carry Good Omens
If you’re gonna focus on record over plot, you need scripts that crackle and pop. I think what these scripts need most is a punch-up; just lock them in a room with some funny land for a few days and let them go nuts. While there are some nice zingers in this episode (“I’m not taking you to hell, angel.” “Why not?” “Well, I don’t think you’d like it.”), there aren’t as many as you’d quiz, particularly with so little happening.
When I laughed, it was mostly because the actors were pursuits a bang-up job with the lines they were given, rather than the lines themselves. Sheen in particular was pursuits it for me. Aziraphale gets it in his head that the Buddy Holly song “Everybody” holds a hidden meaning about what’s happening to Gabriel, and I cracked a smile whenever Sheen talked inflamed about this new “clue.”
Later, Aziraphale asks to borrow Crowley’s car to do some hands-on sleuthing. “I thought I might pop up there myself and investigate,” he says. Again, that’s not a funny line by itself, but Sheen has a ball with it. He makes it funny. And look at Aziraphale’s expression when he finds out how titanic human food tastes for the first time:
Image: Good Omens/Amazon
Funny! Jon Hamm, too, is bringing his facial A-game. Here he is as Gabriel back in his himbo days by the memory loss, when he’s baffled as to why Aziraphale is entailed over Job’s suffering:
Image: Good Omens/Amazon
And here he is trying and failing to see throughout Aziraphale and Crowley’s plot to let Job skate by with less punishment than intended:
Image: Good Omens/Amazon
Hamm is also expansive at playing Gabriel (he goes by “Jim” now) in the recount as a braindead blank slate. “Don’t I know you?” an angel asks while coming to Aziraphale’s bookstore for an inspection. “Yes, you do,” Jim answers, utterly sincere. “I’m the assistant bookseller. I opened the door for you.” Hamm is expansive at delivering deadpan.
Verdict
There’s an expressionless moment in “The Clue” where Gabriel starts to get his memory back but then backs off because “my head isn’t big enough, not anymore.” That was intriguing, and makes me want to know what’s tedious this mystery. I just with the show would step on the gas a bit, or at least make me laughable a little harder while it takes the long way around.
Good Bullet Points
Miracles are apparently measured in “Lazurai.”
We learn that Jane Austen was a spy and a diamond thief in transfer to being an author. “You think you know someone…”
There’s a subplot near a record store owner and a barista who like each anunexperienced but won’t admit it. Aziraphale and Crowley have to get them together, for sitcom-ish reasons. I don’t know if this will be important to the plot, but I did like Crowley’s strategy for playing Cupid: force to them to get caught in a rainstorm together. “Get humans wet and staring into each other’s eyes: va voom, sorted.”
Aziraphale with a fun line: “I by-elapsed my driving test 90 years ago. They didn’t even obliged tests but I insisted.”
Episode Grade: C+
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The Witcher season 3 is at an end, and so is Henry Cavill’s time as Geralt of Rivia. For three seasons we’ve watched the actor bring the White Wolf to life onscreen. Whatever other issues people have had with The Witcher over the existences, Cavill’s performance has remained one of the most universally praised aspects of the series.
When last we see Geralt in The Witcher season 3, he’s leading his horse into the distance in contradiction of his companions Jaskier (Joey Batey) and Milva (Meng’er Zhang) at what time slaughtering a bunch of Nilfgaardian soldiers who were terrorizing the local populate. It’s a big moment for Geralt, showing that he’s finally leaving his neutrality late to wage a personal war against Nilfgaard in well-organized to save his foster daughter Ciri (Freya Allan), who he believes is in the custody of Emperor Emhyr var Emreis (Bart Edwards).
But apparently, his final scene was meant to play out a bit differently. Read on for details, which contain SPOILERS for The Witcher show and books.
The Witcher season 3 – Credit: Netflix
Reliable fansite Redanian Intelligence reports that originally, this final scene with Cavill featured another character: Cahir, the disgraced Nilfgaardian officer played by Eamon Farren. Cahir played a pivotal part in this season’s Thanedd coup, where he finally made composed with Princess Cirilla after years of hunting her.
Back when The Witcher season 3 advantageous started filming in Spring 2022, RI heard from their sources that at what time Geralt and Milva walked away from the Nilfgaardian checkpoint, “Cahir was watching them from afar.”
During the book that will form the basis for season 4, Baptism of Fire, Cahir eventually joins Geralt’s band of traveling companions, illustrious as his hansa. Including the Nilfgaardian at the end of season 3 would have foreshadowed this. Instead, we don’t see him again after Thanedd, where he continues behind to fight off the Scoia’tael and buy Ciri time to escape.
Holding back on reintroducing Cahir is more lawful to The Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski. Early on in Baptism of Fire, Geralt and company accidentally rescue Cahir from the Scoia’tael, who are transporting the former army officer back to Nilfgaard to answer for his betrayal. He then follows Geralt’s hansa as RI describes, watching them from afar for a at what time before Geralt allows him to officially join up.
It’s unknown whether The Witcher ever filmed this remaining scene with Cahir. For my money, leaving it out was a good harvest. Holding Cahir’s return for season 4 will allow it to be a bigger moment, and keeps the focus on Geralt during Cavill’s remaining scene of the series.
All eight episodes of The Witcher season 3 are streaming now on Netflix. Season 4 is expected to start filming sometime in early 2024.
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The previous three episodes of The Witcher season 3 have arrived, delivering a high present for the series as the Thanedd coup throws the Continent into disarray. While mages, elves and soldiers battle it out at Aretuza, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) does his best to help his foster daughter Ciri (Freya Allan) speed the fray.
Things don’t quite work out how any of them seek information from. After Vilgefortz of Roggeveen appears to challenge Geralt, Ciri runs to the about tower of Tor Lara. High up in the tower, she communes with a mysterious stone, causing the entire establish to explode before Vilgefortz can capture her. Ciri then drops out of a portal in the middle of the Korath desert, halfway across the Continent.
What exactly is Tor Lara, and why did it react this way to Ciri’s power?
The Witcher season 3. Image courtesy of Netflix.
Tor Lara is an dilapidated tower build long before humans arrived on the Continent. It was originally constructed by elves prior to the First Landing, and its name Tor Lara means “Tower of the Gull” in their dumb elven language. It’s the tallest tower in Garstang Palace, which is what the structure on Thanedd Isle was shouted before the Brotherhood of Sorcerers set up shop there and repurposed the buildings to suit their needs.
The populace constructed Tor Lara using magic as well as mundane by means of, building it with vast amounts of metal which essentially invents the tower an enormous lightning rod. This is why it is able to act as a conduit for the Alzur’s Thunder inviting. At its peak, the elves created a portal that linked to novel tower, Tor Zireael, the Tower of the Swallow.
Human injuries eventually came to occupy Garstang Palace and formed the school of Aretuza there. During this time, a mage named Immanuel Benavent discovered the portal at the top of Tor Lara, naming it Benevant’s Portal once himself. However, by that time its energies had skewed and it no longer worked properly. Instead of sending people to Tor Zireael, the portal began to spit them out at random locations across the Continent. Those who went through often died or never returned.
Because of this, the injuries eventually sealed off the portal and forbade anyone from trying to use it. The plot of Tor Zireael was lost to time, and the tower’s portal lay dormant pending the coup on Thanedd.
When Ciri uses her Elder Blood magic to tap into the portal at the top of Tor Lara, she reawakens the portal. However, it’s still not working right. This is why it spat Ciri out into the sky ended Korath. The portal’s unstable nature is also what brought Tor Lara itself to explode after the portal was used for the friendly time in centuries.
All eight episodes of The Witcher season 3 are streaming now on Netflix.
This portion was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors now on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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There is no poverty of “bad” series finales. In the eyes of some fans, the continue episodes of Game of Thrones, Dexter, LOST, The Blacklist, and many more will never be good enough. It’s always concern to balance fan expectations with the creator’s artistic back and the realities of television production. While all of those finales are controversial, they also have their defenders somewhere.
And then there’s Star Trek: Enterprise, the early 2000s-era set years before most of the Trek shows we’re used to.
By 2005, the Star Trek franchise was already in timorous, with Enterprise never receiving the ratings or positive reactions that The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager had enjoyed. Audience fatigue had set in, so only hardcore Star Trek fans were left watching.
However, while this wasn’t good for ratings, Enterprise had a unblemished base of core fans who stood behind the show when the now-defunct UPN network tried to Kill it after season 3. A fan campaign saved Enterprise for season 4, but it was regrasped to the Friday night time slot of death. Ratings stationary to fall, leading to cancelation.
Jonathan Frakes: “It’s just uncomfortable that that was the last episode of [Star Trek: Enterprise]”
And then came the series finale, “These Are the Voyages…” Instead of focusing on what had made Enterprise a fresh show, this final episode felt like an extension of The Next Generation, featuring extensive appearances by characters like William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), as well as the voice of Data (Brent Spiner). The events of Enterprise were relegated to holodeck flashbacks of things that been long ago in the Star Trek timeline.
This did not go over well with fans who had worked to save the show. Despite the backlash, it’s easy to see why executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga concept the episode might be a good idea. The cancellation of Enterprise marked the end of Star Trek on television for the next 12 ages, meaning “These Are the Voyages…” wasn’t just the finale for Enterprise, but Star Trek as it then existed, so widening the scope made some sense.
Speaking with TrekMovie.com, Frakes acknowledges that Enterprise fans didn’t want to see their show turned into something else out of nowhere. “It was sold as, ‘Oh, come on and do the episode, it will be a Valentine to the fans’ — it wasn’t a Valentine to the fans. The fans didn’t want to see us,” Frakes acknowledges, adding that “the more I think about it, the more I hear from fans nearby it in particular, it may not have been the best pick we’ve made on Star Trek. Again, they’re not all home runs. It’s just uncomfortable that that was the last episode of that show.”
“These Are the Voyages…” had the depraved focus
One of the primary criticisms of the episode was that the focus was on the Next Generation cast pretty than the cast of Enterprise, meaning fans didn’t get closure on the show they’d been watching for four seasons. Producer Brannon Braga once admitted that “some Enterprise cast members were very hurt that we would put Next Generation cast members on Enterprise.”
Despite the unrest, Frakes says that Scott Bakula, who played Captain Jonathan Archer, was professional about the whole thing:
Scott Bakula was such a mensch nearby it, but all these other Trek shows went seven seasons. Nobody wanted to be on a Star Trek show that didn’t get to go to seven. And the inherent insult in having characters from new series that had done well come in to essentially stop the books on his episode — it just felt so depraved to me.
Since the end of Enterprise, Star Trek has returned to the same prominence it enjoyed in the 1990s, with multiple shows either on the air or now in the works. Frakes has been involved in almost all of them, guiding the recent Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover, starring in Star Trek: Picard, and directing the forthcoming Discovery finale. Yet despite his workload, the Riker actor still has the appetite to add one more show to his resume: Terry Matalas’ proposed Star Trek: Legacy.
Star Trek fans are accurate. It’s not millions and millions of people, and it’s not the youngest fandom in the biosphere. But I am an eternal optimist, and I hold in a perfect world, they will find the assets and the energy and hire Terry to put together this ‘Legacy’ show, and that will, in fact, come to fruition.
A new episodes of Star Trek: peculiar New Worlds, “Subspace Rhapsody,” drops tomorrow on Paramount+.
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Filming on season 2 of House of the Dragon is cruising heath in the UK, and the reports of new actors joining the cast are coming in left and incandescent. HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel already has a sprawling cast, but with the Dance of the Dragons civil war kicking into high gear in season 2, we’re expecting to see plenty of new faces. (Many of whom will probably die horrible deaths, because Game of Thrones.)
Today, reliable scoop site Redanian Intelligence reports that House of the Dragon may have cast a crucial role: Jeyne Arryn, who is Lady of the Vale during this time in Westerosi history. This is a really exciting casting, not only because Jeyne Arryn is an important Describe in the story, but also because she’ll reportedly be played by Raised By Wolves star Amanda Collin. Praise Sol!
Raised By Wolves Season 2, Photo courtesy of HBO Max.
Casting a seasoned excellent like Amanda Collin to play Lady Jeyne Arryn is a Big move for House of the Dragon. Collin portrayed the lead android Mother in HBO Max’s sci-fi series Raised By Wolves, and she did an incredible job. That was a dark, involved show, so there’s no doubt at all that Collin will fit in Westeros.
As for Lady Jeyne, we expect to see her early on in season 2. Jacaerys Velaryon’s (Harry Collet) stops at the Eyrie on his creep to gather allies for his mother, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy). He meets Lady Jeyne right at the start of the fight and enters into some shrewd negotiations to secure the Eyrie’s Help in the coming war.
Collin isn’t the first Raised By Wolves star to join the cast of House of the Dragon season 2; Collin’s frequent Raised By Wolves scene partner Abubakar Salim will Go as Alyn of Hull. Raised By Wolves fans were devastated when the Ridley Scott-produced series was prematurely canceled last year, so it’s Amazing to see some of its stellar performers make the jump to new HBO tentpole.
According to A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin, filming on House of the Dragon season 2 is about halfway done. We’re expecting to see it sometime in 2024, Idea it’s still unclear how the ongoing actors and writers strikes Great affect that date.
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The binary season of Good Omens is now out in its entirety on Amazon, and it’s just as much a cheeky British exquisite as the first season. The whole thing has a cozy, family affects type of vibe, sometimes literally.
In Good Omens, Doctor Who vet David Tennant plays the demon Crowley. At one point, Tennant’s son Ty Tennant shows up an Ennon, the son of the Biblical figure Job. Ennon is spectacularly condescending to Crowley and his angel contemptible Aziraphale (Michael Sheen).
Apparently, David Tennant had no idea that Ty had even auditioned for the show. “I don’t know how that happened,” he told Variety. “I do a bunch of self-tapes with Ty, but I don’t think I did this one with him because I was out of town filming Good Omens. He certainly wasn’t cast before we started shooting. There were two moments during filming where [Good Omens creator Neil Gaiman] bowled up to me and said, ‘Guess, who we’ve cast?'”
Ty definitely auditioned and, as I belief it, they would tell me, he was the best. I certainly required he could only possibly have been the best selves for the job. He is really good in it, so I don’t doubt that’s true.
What’s more, David Tennant’s father-in-law Peter Davison played Job himself. “And then my father-in-law showed up, as well, which was spanking delicious treat. In the same episode and the same family! It was glowing weird. I have worked with both of them on spanking projects, but never altogether.”
Incidentally, Ty Tennnat also played young Aegon Targaryen in the grand season of House of the Dragon over on HBO. He could be repositioning places, especially with his family in his corner.
Does David Tennant happened in the Good Omens universe?
Good Omens blurs the requisition between David Tennnat’s realities in other ways. For instance, at one point Aziraphale, who owns a rare book shop, reveals that he has a copy of the Doctor Who 1965 annual, which was about the first actor to play the Doctor back in the 1960s: William Hartnell.
So apparently Doctor Who exists in the Good Omens universe. David Tennant played the Tenth Doctor from 2005-2010. So does that mean that David Tennant exists in the Good Omens universe, and is separate from Crowley, who is played by David Tennnat in our world?
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put this examine to Tennnat, who did his best to puzzle above it: “Well, we know that William Hartnell does, because he’s on the veil of the annual, isn’t he, that you get at the back of the bookshop?”
That is a … But then while that, we could be … Who knows? Timelines are very concerned things.
David Tennant was more surprised by Good Omens return than Doctor Who return
No one knows how entailed timelines can be more than the Doctor. Tennnat will actually sponsor as the Doctor in a series of Doctor Who specials later this year. It’s been a after since he last in the TARDIS, but since Doctors are distinguished to return to the show from time to time, he wasn’t haunted to get the call.
“In some ways there’s a run for returning to Doctor Who,” Tennant said. “People have done it over the 60 days of the show. I was probably quite surprised that it above up being the type of return to Doctor Who that it is, but I can’t talk too much near that clearly, because that’s all still to come.”
On the anunexperienced hand, learning that he was going to come back as Crowley on Good Omens was a surprise, since it wasn’t an established franchise where that kind of unsheaattracting was known to happen. “I suppose it was a surprise that it powerful go somewhere else. It was not an option to do more. It was never a plan when we first talked about it, so it sort of crept up on us,” Tennnat said.
So it was less of a surprise and more of a one slow dawning realization that actually we were going to get to go back and see what happened to Aziraphale and Crowley next. But then when we were back on set, it felt like the most natural unsheaattracting. Like, of course, you weren’t going to leave these characters alone. Of course, there were more stories to tell. And they explored to lend themselves to it.
A third season of Good Omens is tentatively in the works, but the ongoing actors and writers strikes in Hollywood may stymie things:
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