The Witcher: 8 differences between the show and the books, explained
By John Fallon
Image: The Witcher/Netflix
Jaskier is given a bigger role
Every show needs a bit of comic relief, and Jaskier definitely fits the bill for The Witcher. Especially when paired with the taciturn, sulky Geralt, Jaskier’s hunger for life and complete inability to shut the hell up stand out, making for lots of good comic moments.
That said, Hissrich and her team punch things up a bit for TV. Take the clip above, from the episode “Bottled Appetites.” Jaskier comes across Geralt in distress, trying to find a djinn he knows is somewhere in this body of water, hoping to make a wish that can help him sleep; he’s still not over what happened in Cintra when he invoked the Law of Destiny and bound himself to the yet unborn Princess Cirilla. Geralt is short with Jaskier, annoyed at being bothered in his task.
But in the corresponding short story from Sapkowski’s books, Geralt isn’t looking for the djinn; he and Jaskier are literally just trying to catch a fish, two friends nabbing themselves some breakfast. It’s more of give-and-take friendship in the books, whereas on the show Jaskier seems like he just can’t take a hint.
Hissrich and company so like the Geralt-Jaskier dynamic that they insert Jaskier into stories he isn’t part of on the page. Most notably, in the books Jaskier isn’t part of the whole drama where Geralt invokes the Law of Surprise in Cintra, but he’s there on the show; in fact, he’s the one who invites Geralt to that banquet hall at all, whereas in the books Geralt is a personal guest of Queen Calanthe.
Overall, Jaskier’s beefed up role doesn’t hurt matters, and actor Joey Batey has good chemistry with Henry Cavill, so we’re okay with him getting more of the spotlight.
Oh, and in the Witcher books, Jaskier’s name is Dandelion. That was probably a good change.