Netflix is already in trouble when it comes to "The Witcher." Fans are already losing interest especially when Henry Cavill decided to leave the show. Now, the showrunners are making amends, or at least trying to, by addressing certain plot holes in the previous seasons.
Vilgefortz was Strong All Along
Back in season one, we saw Vilgefortz fight off Cahir, a then-loyal Nilfgaardian soldier. The fight ended up making the mage look like he was outmatched, which infuriated fans especially those who have played the games and read the book.
During the big fight between Vilgefortz and Geralt toward the end of the third season, we finally see just how powerful the villainous mage is as he effortlessly defeated the witcher. He then explained how he has been holding back all this time.
In the show, he said: "Hiding my real skills, knowing I could take any life at any time. It was exasperating." Executive producer Lauren Hissrich says that the statement was meant to acknowledge how he lost to a skilled but ordinary soldier, according to Gizmodo.
Hissrich added in the documentary that the issue was one of the things they got questioned the most in season one and that the "fans were in uproar." She further explains that the hardest thing for him in the long-game betrayal was hiding his power.
As for how long a "long game" means for the showrunners, it looks like it lasts three seasons. Despite answering one of the fan base's questions, there are many other inaccuracies that they have to answer for after taking all those creative liberties.
A Lot of Fans Still Hate the Writers
Honestly, the explanation serves as a band-aid in a boat full of holes. A lot of fans are still upset that not only did the writers deviate from the source material, but they also suspect that it was the reason Henry Cavill left the show.
It did not help matters when producer and writer Beau DeMayo revealed that some of the writers in the series actively disliked the books and even mocked the source material. He added that it was a "recipe for disaster and bad morale," as mentioned in PC Gamer.
Showrunners should understand that when a show will be based on an established franchise like Andrzej Sapkowski's book series, fans will have expectations to see a faithful adaptation of the story and the characters.
It just so happens that Henry Cavill is also an avid fan of both the games and the books. He had a huge respect for the source material, so much so that he would sometimes suggest certain changes while filming to make it more accurate to the book it was based on.
If DeMayo is right and the writers were mocking the source material, there would've been enough creative difference there to encourage Cavill to lead the show. Seeing as fans saw him as the perfect cast for Geralt, his departure might cause the show to eventually fail early on.
