In the wake of the absolute disaster that was the series’ third season, Netflix’s The Witcher scribe Javier Grillo-Marxuach has attempted to run damage control by claiming that, despite the many deviations they made from the source material, every member of the series’ writer’s room “read” and “respect” Andrej Sapkowski’s original novels.
Further, in a twist of unintended hilarity, the very evidence Grillo-Marxuach put forth in support of his argument ultimately disproves his entire point.
On July 28th, seemingly responding to the regularly criticisms leveled towards the series’ blatant ignoring of the source material, Everybody Has a Plan ‘Till They Get Punch in the Face, Grillo-Marxuach took to his personal Twitter/X account to declare, “for those who claim that we don’t read/respect the books – the writers draft of #TheWitcher 306 ABSOLUTELY began with Dykstra holding Geralt at knife point as he pissed into a plant. I have the pages to prove it!”
Yet, despite Grillo-Marxuach’s own apparent confidence in his declaration, the original scene plays completely differently – to the point where the only commonality the two versions share are their characters and inciting incident.
As seen in the fourth chapter of Sapkowski’s fourth The Witcher novel Time of Contempt, the scene in question begins immediately after Geralt and Yennefer spend an intimate night together ahead of the Conclave of Mages.
“Had it not been for the foolish scruples of the Witcher, and his impractical principles, many subsequent events would have run their course quite differently. Many events would probably have not taken place at all. And the history of the world would have unfolded in an alternative way. But the history of the world unfolded as it unfolded, the sole cause of which was that the Witcher had scruples. When he awoke in the morning with the need to relieve himself, he didn’t do what any other man would have done; he didn’t go out onto the balcony and piss into a flowerpot of nasturtiums. He had scruples. He dressed quietly without waking Yennefer, who was sleeping deeply, motion less and barely breathing. He left the chamber and went out to the garden.”
From there, things play out quite differently from Grillo-Marxuach’s recap of the scene, as not only does is Geralt not apprehended until after his bathroom break, but rather than Dijkstra – whose name, in yet another undercutting of his own claim of having engaged with the source material, the writer misspelled as ‘Dystrka’ – it is actually his Redanian Intelligence officers who actually accost the hero.
“As he slowly returned, pondering important matters, his medallion vibrated powerfully. He held it in his hand, feeling the vibrations penetrate his entire body. There was no doubt; someone in Aretuza had cast a spell. Geralt listened carefully and heard some muffled shouts, and a clattering and pounding coming from the cloister in the palace’s left wing.”
“When he ran into the cloister and the corridor, he saw that a fight was in progress. Several tough-looking men in grey jerkins were in the act of overpowering a short sorcerer who had been thrown to the ground. The fight was being directed by Dijkstra, chief of Vizimir, King of Redania’s intelligence service. Before Geralt was able to take any action he was overpowered himself; two other heavies in grey pinned him to a wall, and a third held the three-pronged blade of a partisan against his chest. All the heavies had breastplates emblazoned with the Redanian eagle. ‘That’s called ‘being in the s–t’,’ explained Dijkstra quietly, approaching him. ‘And you, Witcher, seem to have an inborn talent for falling into it. Stand there nice and peacefully and try not to attract anyone’s attention.’”
Met with confusion from a fellow user who “actually thought this was meant to be sarcasm”, the former Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop writer explained, “less sarcasm than ‘something Betty White would say'” before offering up an explanation as to why they chose to change the scene.
“FWIW we did consider that Geralt would exit the bedchamber to urinate, but once we landed on 305 ending with the revelation of Vilgefortz’s treachery, we decided that while it was a dark irony in prose, it would not serve the cliffhanger episode ending.”
Pressed by another user as to why he would “not listen to the fans instead of fight them”, Grillo-Marxuach pushed back, “We do listen and take a lot into account, truth be told… when it doesn’t come attached to a length of chain and a crowbar.”
However, unsatisfied with this answer, fans continued to inundate Grillo-Marxuach with questions as to why the team chose to make so many changes.
In turn, the writer proceeded to d dismiss unsatisfied viewers by disingeunously writing them off as nothing but “haters”.
Framing his response as a hypothetical question raised to him by a non-existent fan, Grillo-Marxuach mocked, “”I don’t understand why you block people and call them ‘haters’ when they come to you with respectful and valid criticism of your work’ now will you answer the question and please explain to me why i’m right to think you’re a talentless a–hole?”
In a follow-up tweet, he would elaborate, “Here’s why I’m not answering ‘Why did you change this/that’ questions: The work has to speak for itself.”
“If it doesn’t land for you, then that’s your answer,” he concluded. “It’s no more or less complicated than that: our reasons are on the screen.”
