Toss a Small Child to Your Local Mercenary

In the TV genre of “super serious dad and his child in some sort of fantasy setting”, a few shows come to mind, but the ones I want to talk about today are The Mandalorian and The Witcher. While The Mandalorian is currently a better example of this type of genre, based on The Witcher’s last episode in season one, we can expect to see the dad/adopted kid relationship very soon. I want to talk about each of them and give you my honest opinions.

I will preface this by saying that I did watch both of these series in true binge fashion, and I did enjoy both of them. Because this is meant to be a general overview, there shouldn’t be any important spoilers. Be cautious, though. This is also just my opinion, and I do like one better than the other. Now, let’s begin.

First, there is The Madalorian, which is Disney’s latest attempt at making a TV show based on the Star Wars series. It takes place about 5 years after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. For some of us, that means absolutely nothing, so it’s set 25 years before The Force Awakens. It can be viewed on Disney Plus (yours or anyone else's).

The Mandalorian has a clear timeline and simple-to-understand plot points. You can mostly tell who are the bad guys and the good guys. Also, there is baby Yoda, and if that can’t convince you, then maybe this just isn’t meant for you. And bbYoda is there for more than its cute factor; it opens up new lore for even those who have seen all the Star Wars movies.

Mando (the main character) has an interesting backstory (yes, even among intergalactic mercenaries), and the other characters are similarly interesting: a mechanic who can rewire droids and take care of a baby with unknown origins; a bounty-hunter droid; and a veteran from the rebel side of the past war. These characters come together all for the protection of the cutest strange space baby on this side of the galaxy.

Currently, it has 8.8 on IMDB and 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. I am also giving it a rating of 10/10 baby Yodas, but I believe you should always watch a show before trusting the ratings. 

After all, different people like different things.

And there is The Witcher, a show based on both a book series written by Andrzej Sapkowski and a video game series by the same name developed by CD Projekt Red. 

The Netflix series follows three different characters on their adventures, but the problem is that not all of these stories are travelling at the same time. So, if you haven’t read the books or played the games, you may not realize that Ciri’s story at the beginning of the series is about 20ish years after where the other stories begin. And it isn’t something that is very recognizable until the third episode at the least. That doesn’t make it a bad show, but it can be difficult or frustrating at times. I do think that if you watched Game of Thrones and enjoyed it, then you may like The Witcher.

Despite the 8.4 on IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes does not care for it, giving only a 66%. I will also give the show 7/10 Dandelions. Like I said before, though, do your own research.

Honestly, the biggest deciding factor for me is the sexual content. Geralt (one of the main characters in The Witcher) sleeps with at least two people in the first season, and there is general nudity in large quantities. The Mandalorian contains no nudity, unless you count Mando’s face.

If there is a show or particular episode of a show, you want me to give my honest opinion on, then comment on this post.

Thanks for listening to my not-a-TED Talk. I will leave you with two last things.

I haven’t watched Star Wars in approximately forever, and Geralt is the biggest Himbo I have ever had the honor of meeting.

ELIZABETH MARVIN