What Do The Witcher and Dickinson Have In Common?
Dickinson TV shows by Apple TV+
They both have good news to share in this age of release delays and production denials, and they both have roots in popular literary works. We’ve not kept it a secret that Streaming is the future. Where movie production companies are delaying releases for fear of not getting sufficient turnouts and turnovers in cinema halls, streaming channels are ‘chilling’ in all the right ways.
Streamers are enjoying access to millions of subscribers who, in turn, are not complaining at the relative comfort and wallet-friendly ambiance of watching what they love on their own big LCD-TV screens. Similar to movie halls, they’re watching with family and friends during the pandemic.
“We Still Love You In This Life, Hailee”
Source: Apple TV+
Yet another powerhouse-name on the golden list of digital streaming giants is ‘Apple TV+’. These guys are everywhere, we might even see them in the ‘Afterlife’. No, we aren’t getting our ‘Spooktober’ on and relishing the feel of Halloween season. We are most assuredly prepping to welcome a rare blue moon on Halloween day, though. It’s said to come once in eighteen or so years (the next one’s in 2039, folks).
Hailee Steinfeld’s original song ‘Afterlife’ concluded Season 1 of the hit series “Dickinson”. Wonder which song we’re going to have stuck in our heads at the end of the next two seasons. With season 2 premiering on 8th January 2021, we are all eagerly anticipating a return to the life of one of literature’s bold and gorgeous young ladies set in a time when her outlook on life is severely frowned upon.
The show provides a fun twist on a classic trope. “Dickinson” has some memorable romantic moments and many a spooky one too. We love the part where she goes on a carriage ride with… Nope, you’ll get no spoilers from us.
Playing a fictional rendition of a very real Emily Dickinson, Hailee (who also executive-produced the show) remained ‘hidden’ in the first season but her literature seems to have thrust her into the limelight if Apple’s latest promo shots of the upcoming season hold water.
She is going to be joined by the usual gang: Ella Hunt, Jane Krakowski, Toby Huss, Anna Baryshnikov, Adrian Blake Enscoe, and of course rapper-songwriter Wiz Khalifa whose version of Death was, for lack of a better word, enlivening. As recurring guest stars go, we will certainly be seeing more of Pico Alexander and Finn Jones.
New season, new characters. We have an enviable lineup of talent who are going to join the show in season 2. Playing Edgar Allan Poe will be Nick Kroll | Frederick Law Olmstead got Timothy Simons (of “Veep” fame) getting into his character | Ayo Edebiri (from “Big Mouth”) is going to give us a fresh take on Hattie | and Will Pullen is going to play somebody called Nobody.
With Alena Smith executive-producing as well as writing the series, it looks like we’re going to get another season suffused with enchantment, romance, and supernaturalism. In keeping with the way they did things the first time around, everyone’s going to get three episodes to dig their fangs into, following which you’ve got to wait weekly for the next.
Production houses Sugar23, Wiip, and Anonymous Content are going to reap in some big streaming numbers when “Dickinson Season 2” airs in 2021 on Apple TV+.
“All Hail The Witcher, He’s Back With New Armour”
Source: Witchernetflix, Instagram
We’re tempted to call the armour ‘fresh’ but knowing what we know about Geralt of Rivia, and Henry Cavill’s heart-stopping brilliant performance as the White Wolf, we’ll get back to you on that.
We all knew season 2 was going to kick monster behinds and do it in style, but the new promo photos fresh out of Netflix seem to promise a dark and sinister storyline. Not that we’re complaining.
We first got a spellbinding look at the new studded armour that Henry Cavill (playing Geralt) is going to use in the new season. Almost on the heels of his character re-design came photos of Freya Allan (playing Ciri), who seems to have found renewed grit and resolve. Netflix might have decided to perform a ‘save the best for last’ trick in Anya Chalotra (playing Yennefer of Vengerberg), because her particular photo has the Internet reeling with fan-theories.
These new promo snapshots say a lot but reveal little. We have a brief glimpse into what season 2’s storyline has in store for our beloved characters from the Witcher books, on which the show is essentially based.
Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski sure has plenty to be proud of. He’s probably somewhere thanking his lucky stars that Lauren S. Hissrich (the series showrunner) hasn’t taken a page out of CD Projekt Red’s playbook. Now there’s an interesting tale that’s been reported to death.
CD Projekt’s “Cyberpunk 2077” has all of us eagerly waiting to dive into their new ultra-futuristic open-world game involving Night City, gangs, cars, gadgets, cyborg-tech enhancements, deceit, open choice systems, and of course Keanu Reeves. Oh man, we digressed.
Back to the Witcher (never turn your back on one, by the way)… A rather literary touch graced the promo announcements when stars and showrunners alike shared the updates with fans starving for Witcher news.
From Cavill on Instagram, concerning Geralt: “ ‘It may turn out,’ said the white-haired man a moment later, ‘that their comrades or cronies may ask what befell these evil men. Tell them the Wolf bit them. The White Wolf. And add that they should keep glancing over their shoulders. One day they’ll look back and see the Wolf.’ ” - From the writings of Andrzej Sapkowski”
From TheWitcher on Twitter, concerning Geralt: “His emotional shield can ward off any charmer, but his trusted sword he’ll wield will be matched with new armour.”
From WitcherNetflix, concerning Ciri: “Looks like somebody has been spending time with a witcher.
And what will destiny bring tomorrow?”
Source: Witchernetflix
From TheWitcher on Twitter, concerning Ciri: “She gave tearful goodbyes on a most violent night. Now this child of surprise is preparing to fight.”
From TheWitcher on Twitter, concerning Yennefer: “She used her full might, and the battlefield burned. Then she vanished from sight, But Yen will return.”
The new season will be taking several pages out of the second and third books in the Witcher novels, namely ‘Sword of Destiny’ and ‘Blood of Elves’. Ciri’s promo-pic confirms this because Geralt actually trains her in the Witcher’s ways in ‘Blood of Elves’. Theories are making the rounds online about Yennefer getting her own story arc in the new season.
Match all those thoughts with the official description for “Witcher Season 2”…
“Convinced Yennefer’s life was lost at the Battle of Sodden, Geralt of Rivia brings Princess Cirilla to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen. While the Continent’s kings, elves, humans, and demons strive for supremacy outside its walls, he must protect the girl from something far more dangerous: the mysterious power she possesses inside.”
Source: Witchernetflix
Yen is apparently still alive after the blood-curdling Battle of Sodden where she went against the might of the Nilfgaardian army, which we got to see in the first season. Now, based on her latest promo-pic, a glaring question rises to the fore: Has our beloved sorceress been captured? If so, who are the unfortunate ones who did: Dryads, Elves, or Nilfgaardians? Don’t think for one moment we didn’t notice those trees in the background.
If you’ve read the books, you won’t find this ‘mystery scene’ in there. After all, some fresh allure and material has to be present if fans of the franchise are to appreciate what the showrunners are doing with these unforgettable characters.
If you are yet to get on the Witcher novels, now’s a certainly perfect time. Then you too will realize that a big chunk of events have been left to the imagination (and not in the storybook sense) surrounding the Battle of Sodden and the moment when Yennefer returns to the page-scene in ‘Blood of Elves’.
Below is a list for the best order (Courtesy: BiblioCommons) in which to read Andrzej Sapkowski’s ‘The Witcher’ novels:
- The Last Wish (short story collection)
- Sword of Destiny (short story collection)
- Blood of Elves (actual start of the novels, but don’t be silly, go read the shorts)
- The Time of Contempt
- Baptism of Fire
- The Tower of Swallows
- The Lady of the Lake
- Season of Storms
In the end, we hope all our burning questions will be answered in 2021 when Season 2 of The Witcher airs on Netflix. Until then, feel free to query and reply to one another’s own fiery theories.
Let me try and pull off a ‘Sapkowski’ for a second…
We’re feeling no amount of excitement and thrill,
Watching these photos we feel the show will fulfill,
Our desperate need for everything Witcher,
And some eagerly anticipated scenes from the Sorceress Yennefer.
Meanwhile, we at Entoin have a warm feeling that despite productions being halted or postponed, good things are coming for the Entertainment industry. Either that or this writer will be out of a job.