Disclaimer: This post contains minor spoilers for The Witcher.

When I was first given early access to watch The Witcher, I didn’t know what to expect. That being said, we were given a list of things we were not supposed to reveal to readers about what we’d seen. On the list was the whole timeline situation…that all three stories actually take place in separate timelines. Around Episode 3 or 4, it’s revealed that Geralt’s story takes place over the course of a couple of decades, Yennefer’s over the course of several decades, and Ciri’s…over the course of a much shorter timespan.

All of a sudden, all the events that took place earlier in the show sort of took on a new meaning and context, and I was filled with the urge to go back and rewatch the series with that new knowledge. I also couldn’t help but think back to a certain film that executed things a certain way.

Dunkirk. If you’ll recall, we followed three storylines — one over the course of a week, one over the course of a day, and one over the course of an hour. The fact that The Witcher took this same strategy for their show seemed interesting…but was an intentional move and why did they do that?

RELATED – The Witcher: Showrunner Says The Story Begun In Season 1 Will Come Into Fruition In Season 2

The Witcher showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich spoke with TV Guide and spilled the beans on the whole deal.

“I was shooting at one point,” Hissrich told the outlet, “and so I was in Budapest, and the writers excitedly sent me a picture of a whiteboard, which is the most thorough explanation of the timeline. And what’s funny is I really based the timelines on the movie Dunkirk. I had gone to see it a while before working on The Witcher, and I’d read a great interview with Christopher Nolan and he was talking about these three phases of getting soldiers off of this beach.”

“He had said,” Hissrich continued, “if I told them, like, let’s say one phase took a month, one took a week, and one took a day — if I told them and let the month-long one take up the most story, and then the week-long one, and then the day-long one, you would think that the day-long one was the least important because it took the least amount of time on screen when in fact, all three phases were equally important, which is why he told the story that way. And I had one of those moments where I was in the shower and I hopped out and I said to my husband, ‘Is this crazy? Like, is it crazy to do that with this story? Is it crazy to say that Ciri’s story takes place over two weeks, Yennefer’s takes place over, you know, it’s like 70 years. Geralt’s takes place over 20 years. Is that crazy?’ And he was like, ‘I don’t think so if you do it well!’ It was just such a challenge and it was a really fun way to explore the story.”

It’s definitely an interesting comment. I’d actually never considered that as the reason why Nolan approached Dunkirk this way, but it makes total sense. Similarly, it makes a lot of sense why Hissrich would take this approach for The Witcher, as she wants to emphasize the importance of Yennefer and Ciri. 

What do you think of this approach to the storytelling in The Witcher? Did it work for you? Let us know your thoughts down below!

Don’t forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons on the top of this page.

—–

Have you checked out LRM Online’s official podcast feed yet The LRM Online Podcast Network, which includes our flagship podcast Los Fanboys, our premiere podcast Breaking Geek Radio: The Podcast, and our morning show LRMornings? Check it out by listening below. It’s also available on all your favorite podcast apps!

Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts |  Spotify  |  SoundCloud | Stitcher | Google Play

SOURCE: TV Guide