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*Note that these are rough drafts, which would explain any grammatical errors, rough parts, personal notes or redundancy. Any of that will be cleaned up before recording

The Soul of Gintama  

“Katsura - how he keeps smiling and looking for a better future.. it’s amazing.” Benizakura arc. 

Gintama is one of the most bizarre stories I’ve ever experienced, and it’s simultaneously one that requires a large amount of patience to understand exactly what the series is all about. At the time of making this video, it has close to 400 episodes released over the span of thirteen years and multiple movies to boot, and many of these entries sit at the very top of the most highly rated anime of all time on websites like MyAnimeList. Yet as undeniable as it is that the show has quality, it can also be argued that there is an equally undeniable barrier to entry for the series for people who are curious about it. The first reason for this is the sheer length, as I mentioned, but the second is that for plenty of new viewers, Gintama is likely to require a ton of patience. I’m not saying that it is impossible for someone to be super into it from the start, but the earlier episodes are a very lighthearted, comedic slow burn, and while that is not a bad thing at all, it is entirely understandable that someone could watch a few of them and kinda wonder what all the hype is about. The writing is sharp and witty from the start, but I definitely found my interest wavering early on and kind of drifting through the comedy a bit as I waited in baited breath for the darker, dramatic and more weighty stuff to come. This was a mistake on my part.

The quality of the show, especially early on, has a ton of peaks and valleys. It isn’t the most tightly structured or consistent anime in the world in the first season, and enjoyment will likely differ vastly depending on which arc or episode you’re on. Yet, it must be said that very little, if ANY of the show is padding or filler due to the type of story this is, and this fact lends some insight into part of where it finds its identity. Gintama has a very self-referential sort of style when it comes to all of its aspects - the comedy, the drama, the weight and more are all dependent on the viewer being introduced to prior elements, and they are constantly being built upon after the foundation is laid. In my opinion, while you may be tempted, you cannot skip a bunch of Gintama episodes to get to a really funny or really dramatic arc and still get the full emotional and narrative impact of what’s happening. This is partly because there is a huge amount of continuity within the story and minor plot threads and characters turn up later on with larger roles and impact, but there are structural reasons too. Without getting into specifics, the show banks on prior viewer knowledge and exposure to the world and its characters to be able to get optimal enjoyment out of all aspects of the later stuff, whether it be the extremely dark and heart-pounding sequences, the big moments of emotion, slice of life stuff, or even just wacky comedy.

This may come off nothing special in the way I describe it here, as something akin to the classic case of building an emotional connection with characters to allow the big moments to shine as they do in shows like Steins;Gate. But it really isn’t that simple, because Gintama takes it to another level and integrates this with virtually every element of the story. This gradual start is not a case of “when do we see the REAL Gintama?” Because Gintama is spinning its web and planting the seeds from episode 1. It just may take dozens of episodes before you realize what it’s done. Or at least, that was the case with me.

Episode 176 - “Why don’t you live your life beautifully til the end?” 9 mins

Those who have watched the show have no doubt gathered that there is a clear stylistic variation in the type of episodes that Gintama has. I am simplifying it a bit, but by and large, there is a dichotomy between comedic arcs and arcs that are much more serious. There are also several semi-serious arcs with more or less equal parts of both styles, but to me there is a clear line drawn between the lighthearted and the heavy in the series, the common denominator between them being a very distinct and usually palpable sense of sentiment, heart, emotion and empathy throughout, due in large part to its themes. 

What I eventually began wondering as my interest and engagement slowly grew and I began to learn what the series was about was the following: which of the two styles is the true identity, heart and soul of Gintama? The light arcs or the heavy, darkere stuff? Again, in wondering this, I found that I was making a mistake. Because the truth is that the story’s identity is both and everything in between. As is said many times throughout the series, there is no light without the dark. It is a consistent thematic idea that is communicated again and again in various ways, and it integrates with the style and structure of the story to give Gintama a unique sort of duality. It is one of the most impressive allegorical works I’ve seen in terms of communicating the concept of seeking the light through the darkness - something that is explored through the themes in each of its arcs, but arguably more deeply presented through the show’s structure and main character.

Gintoki has experienced poverty, war, battles, death and terrors unimaginable.. he’s lived through it all and seen the horrors of the world. For any regular person, this would cause them to crumble and withdraw and avoid and repress these memories and the feelings associated with them. But as we come to eventually learn, Gintoki instead confronts them and resolves to use them as his strength. His experiences have shown him what he values, and as such, they’ve reinforced his will and desire to simply live a life of peace and happiness with those he cares about, and he has an unshakeable conviction to protect that, no matter what.

Episode 176 (recap) 3 mins - “What I protect has never changed.”

Due to his past and the life he seeks to life, Gintoki is constantly forced to combat threats that plague the lives of both him and those he cares about. But he does this to have a world where he and his loved ones can get into stupid hijinks and argue about dumb stuff and laze around and have fun once more. That sort of life is his salvation. And this is where we circle back to the topic of this show’s style and dependence on prior investment.

As I said, to me, this series is all about a distinct duality. The fashion in which the narrative style changes repeatedly from lighthearted to extremely heavy as the show wears on, the way in which the characters truly deeply care for one another underneath the lighthearted antics, the subtly impressive world that is slowly crafted as a bi-product of the silliness of the story - there are layers upon layers here, and a flip side to everything. But this is best exemplified through our protagonist, Because despite how aloof, sarcastic and detached as GIntoki seems, there is absolutely no one in this story that values connection and true happiness as much as he does, and no one with as much hope.

There are many visual images that characterize Gintoki for me - on the humorous side, perhaps one of him picking his nose with those dead fish eyes. Or for a more serious description, a bloodied image of him on the battlefield, protecting those he loves. But the most appropriate for me is neither and both of these. Just like the entire series, the man himself is a synthesis of both sides and so much more. And for that reason, the most striking image of GIntoki for me is something that we’re treated to quite often - him looking seemingly annoyed at the antics of his best friends, perhaps turning away in irritation.. only for a small but very genuine smile to creep up on his face. It captures everything about the man for me - his nature, his humour, his pure happiness to be able to share his life with those he loves, and through this smile, a hint at his desire to do anything to protect that happiness.

“Lean on me when you need to” Ep 180, 5 mins.

His devotion to this aspect of life is so incredibly strong that a feral animal seems to come out the instant Gintoki sees those he cares for threatened, and who can blame him? (Kintoki last episode, Red Spider) 

Gintoki has learnt that connection, affection and vulnerability are a human’s greatest strength for how these bonds can bring joy and empower you. Putting yourself out there and caring for others sure as hell puts you at risk of being hurt, but it also benefits your life exponentially. So in the dark times, where it is hard to see the sun, fight with all you can to protect the lives and dreams of those you love, so you can all reach a better day together, and be able to get on each others nerves again. It’s incredibly sweet, and through the teachings of SHouyou-sensei, Gintoki has learnt to use his sword to protect and defend this. It’s a philosophy that took hold of him due to how well his master exemplified and displayed it as he lived his life and how fiercely he cared for Gintoki, and as a result, he has never lost sight of it and continued to fight for what Shouyou-sensei stood for even after his cruel death. The world can be brutal and destructive, but will giving up on it and destroying it in turn truly bring happiness? Is happiness even possible? Gintoki believes that it is so, and never gives up on it.

(“You’ve gotta look at the sun. Hope.” 141 8min)

This sort of meaning extends from Gintoki and can be attributed to the series as a whole for me. Earlier, the comedy doesn’t do much emotionally for a first time watcher. But over time, that tends to change. I found myself much more invested in the lighter arcs later on due to a combination of the repetition and exposure to the characters and prior occasions of them being in much more deadly situations. To put it simply, I grew to like these characters and I wanted them to have fun and be happy. I found myself at the edge of my seat in the dark moments because I had adhered myself so tightly to the characters beforehand and genuinely wanted them to survive and live peacefully.. and this in turn further strengthened my investment in later comedic arcs, which subsequently strengthened my investment in the darker arcs, and so on. As time goes by, you grow to understand Gintoki through understanding this story’s structure. There will always be dark, serious times, and there will always be light. The key is to fight through these troubles and protect what you value so that the light can shine again. And in narrative terms, each style is made bolder and more effective by the other. It is a risky, double-edged sword of a formula and it requires very adept writing and presentation so that it doesn’t become stale, but if pulled off well, good god does it work. Exponentially.

It is a duality and depth that is really truly earned, perhaps in the most organic way I’ve ever seen in a story. The episodes tick by, dozens and dozens, and you enjoy the off-the-wall comedy and clever dialogue and references as good old fashioned entertainment.. but eventually, it becomes something more. Sometimes, but not always coinciding with the darker and more serious arcs.. the connection with these characters and this weird ass story sneaks up on you until you find yourself unable to let go. Gintama slowly but surely became a huge part of my life - It is one of the most unique viewing experiences I’ve ever had, and I am absolutely dreading having to let go of it whenever it eventually ends. The series is far from one of the tightest stories I’ve seen, and the quality definitely wavers - But it deceptively taps into something special through a unique brand of depth and duality that has become it’s novelty, and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t completely attached to it by now. For most who have grown to love the show, something special and very gradual happens as you watch, and despite my best attempts here, words cannot do it justice. But I bet that a lot of you know what I’m talking about.

This combination - the theme of reaching the light, of pursuing happiness and protecting what you love - how it dovetails with the two-pronged nature of the comedy and weight of the story, and how it is encapsulated with the past and present journeys of Gintoki - it taps into something truly resonant and indescribable that makes the journey of Gintama more than worth the investment. Many thanks for watching.

"First quote” - MORE - reveal longer.

The World of Witcher 3: Blood and Wine Analysis 

“Kids at tourney.. do those with virtue always win? No. Ep13 14 mins.” 

OR

“Regis explaining what things are like for a vampire. What Death is like.” Ep 7, 4 mins

“Regis questioning humans clinging on to mortality.” Or 7 5 mins

The Witcher 3’s Blood and Wine expansion served as a final hurrah and goodbye to CD Projekt Red’s work on Geralt’s journey. But while one may have assumed that this sendoff would be a call back to the familiar, perhaps a murky and bleak journey through a land reminiscent of Velen or Flotsam, this story is entirely unique relative to the rest of the series. And unlike the wonderful Hearts of Stone, which only added a little bit of depth to the already established world map, Blood and Wine takes place in an entirely new region - the fifth in the series and arguably the most gorgeous. 

This expansion is stylistically a natural extension from the storytelling transition from Witcher 3 proper into Hearts of Stone. Whereas the main game is very gritty, organic, and self referential in style, very much being the ultimate Witcher story, Hearts of Stone maintained that and added an increased focus on folklore, as I discussed in my video on it. Blood and Wine radicalized that further, being a story very much in the vein of a classic Greek tragedy and taking inspiration from fairy tales in order to be the most topsy turvy in terms of tone, swinging from dark to light quite rapidly, or intermingling both in certain situations. It uses this more classical framework to distinguish itself, aesthetically and structurally. But it never loses that sense of Witcher identity, and those very dark, very ominous themes are present throughout the plot, characters and setting.

Blood and Wine takes place in the rich land of Touissaint - a gorgeous landscape of fairytale-like, picturesque towers, vast plains, beautiful sunsets and cozy taverns and vineyards. It is beautifully realized in terms of integrative storytelling, immersion, organic indirect world building and little details, in classic Witcher fashion. Toussaint is a study in setting, immersion and visual storytelling. As you travel from the densely populated regions of Touissaint to the Royal Palace, the class shift is obvious as the layout of the town transitions - the architecture gets more traditionally grand, the population grows sparser and the amount of empty space increases as you go to wealthier areas. (This is pointed out in LoreRunner’s rumination of this game - link in description) But even aside from these visual and atmospheric details, Touissaint is dripping in authenticity and culture - from the aristocratic, postured political dialogue and standing on ceremony from the high officials in this land, to the tiny tidbits - how wine can be used to track people forensically, how Anarietta remarks that a grim story such as the murders in this story does wonders for the mystique and reputation of a vineyard, how the histories of each wine are chronicled in books (25, 10 mins) .. The more tidbits, the more Toussaint props itself up as a brilliant video game setting. It’s everywhere, and the immersion is beautiful. But aside from the technical brilliance, Blood and Wine uses Touissaint as a way to present a lot of the primary ideas of the story. It is rendered in a completely different colour palette from the rest of the game, far removed from the murky browns and blacks of a lot of the mainland, and far bolder than the subtler grays, greens and blues of Skellige, and this vibrant colour scheme reveals quite a bit about the type of place this is. A small duchy under the banner of Nilfgaard, Touissaint is a land of the rich and aristocratic, but one whose economy isn’t as unstable and top-heavy as that of Novigrad. There is the occasional person you come across living in poverty as this is The Witcher, after all, but the vast majority can find a place for themselves in Touissaint, with the poorest tending to the fields or acting as butlers or servants yet still being able to find a roof over their heads, an occasional glass of wine and a life to look forward to. Whether it be in the royal capital of Beauclair, the lush greenery surrounding it or the scattered settlements, Toussaint is something of a vacation from the negatives of the other regions - not swampy and suffering from famine like Velen, not corrupt like Novigrad, not swarmed by Redanians and underlying anxiety like Oxenfurt and not brutally cut throat like Skellige. And this last point is one of the prevailing traits of Touissaint, the crux of one of the major themes of this story. 

“Please Geralt come to our aid.” “Did she really say all that?” 

Toussaint is allowed to be fairly independent and autonomous in terms of government and politics despite being a vassal state of Nilfgaard, which makes this expansion one that forsakes the grander political climate that we have become used to within the Witcher universe and makes the politics in this story much more personal and smaller scale in comparison. Geralt’s journey to Toussaint is one of necessity, a quest to defeat an all-powerful higher vampire, the likes of which he has never seen before. He is called as a request from royalty, but even despite their plea, it becomes obvious that Touissaint is a place tragically out of its depth and totally incapable of dealing with a threat like this. It’s a land of pretty words, standing on ceremony and posturing, and they, as a whole, have no idea just what they’re up against. They do not have a truly organized military, but a scattered collection of Guards and knights-errant desperate for romantic glory and oblivious to the truth of the genuine horrors that lurk in this world.

Simply put, Toussaint is naive. There is an unseasoned beauty to the place - it has its fair share of monsters, but it is far less of a problem here than in any other region in Witcher 3. And naturally for a story as absorbed in the subtleties as this, this is reflected through the personality of Touissaints peoples and how society functions as well. This much is immediately displayed in the literal first few minutes of the expansion, as the knights sent as an envoy to hire Geralt show their obliviousness by trying to settle a dispute with some bandits by attempting to appeal to them with fancy words. This results in a house fire. And when the bandits insult the name of the Knights’ duchess, they consider it an affront that cannot be forgiven, forego their hopes for a peaceful resolution, and slaughter all of them in the village square. They leave the small hamlet a smoldering ruin full of bloody corpses and wonder why the townsfolk are scared out of their wits and not thankful for what they did.

“We’re not in toussaint.” 

This is an encapsulation of Touissaints views on dealing with conflict - with an extreme focus on naive romanticism, redundant honour and a lack of perspective - and this isolated sequence proved to be a preview of how the region operates on the whole, and how this tunnel vision would blind them.

Geralt accepts his summons to help with a beast that is ravaging Touissaint - a beast that turns out to be a higher vampire, a deadly foe to say the least. So he travels to the land of love and wine and is immediately confronted with the sad fact that these people are in way over their heads. Guillaume trying to take on a giant on his own for the honour of a woman he loves, Damien Des La Tour iterating that he simply doesn’t believe that this task is too big to be handled without help, those in power humiliating and caging wild beasts for sport despite the sheer danger at play in these ceremonies.. it is clear to Geralt and the audience from the beginning that these people are in way over their heads, and ignorant of how close to true peril they are. 

“Ep3, 30mins.”

Those inhabiting Toussaint are overly romantic, fixated on achieving glory or standing on ceremony but unaware of the harsher realities of the world. And in this case, ideals and behaviours from a societal perspective trickle down from the top to the bottom, and this is portrayed most succinctly through Anna Henrietta and those immediately serving her showing the worst of this naivety through this ordeal. The powers that be chastise Geralt for not dealing with the monster quickly, despite the fact that it’s a bloody higher vampire, one of the most dangerous beasts known to man, and offer some advice on how to fight it. Surely all you need to do is draw him into sunlight and ward him off with garlic, right?

You can’t help but shake your head at this, but at the same time, it’s hard to entirely blame these people. It is how their environments have stimulated them to live. Just as famine in Velen and corruption in Novigrad cause the most astute people in those places to act with brutal pragmatism, Touissaint encourages luxury and ideals. These people are rarely ever exposed to the terrors of the world, and this lack of exposure causes them to be lax. It’s only natural. And the beautiful landscapes of Touissaint reflect that luxury. However, now that they are faced with such a devastating foe, it’s up to Geralt to bring the lessons he’s learned with them and wake them up from their stupor. This sets the stage for an important thematic message of Blood and Wine’s story - one about the dismissal of romantic ideals and honour. Having travelled with Geralt for countless hours, we know of the realities of this setting - but recontextualizing it in a society where people are so hopelessly blinded is a unique reminder to drive this familiar message home once again.

And when these naive people are struck with the realization of the truth, they are immediately and acutely slapped in the face with the fact that they were living in a bubble. This slowly gets proven to them with the murders of the Knights-Errant, but primarily in the end when Beauclair is attacked in the night of long fangs - a battle which no one in Touissaint was truly ready for. 

""

But this lack of experience was not the only primary contributor to Touissaint’s struggles in this story. In fact, there are deeply rooted cultural aspects of Touissaint that have been preserved for generations that, while not inherently detrimental in and of themselves, are precursors to these sorts of tragedies in certain unfortunate contexts, ones that also have foundations in this familiar naivety.

""

As Duchess Anna Henrietta says here, Toussaint pays attention to bloodlines and status, and the situations into which people are born in are of utmost importance. Those of simple birth are not expected to do anything special. But those born into families of esteem are expected to be honorable and courtious, expected to grow into a profession of status. It’s a subtle little detail that is just touched upon by the Dutchess, and it adds a bit of depth and detail to the setting. Yet it also lends insight into Annarietta’s situation and her dynamics with her sister, which we’ll discuss in a bit, as it introduces two themes. With blood and status being of utmost importance here, there are some important precedents set. Firstly, those who are born into a situation and environment are restricted to playing a role within those expectations - those born into noble houses are expected to become great knights or individuals of great status and nobility. Those of low birth aren’t mistreated by any means but really aren’t given the time of day. If someone were to be hypothetically born under a bad sign or perceived to be cursed for arbitrary reasons.. things would be difficult for them in a setting with this sort of focus. It isn’t quite nepotism and it isn’t quite meritocracy - it’s a bit of both. People in Touissaint have things expected of them from birth, and they are nudged in that direction by their environment. It isn’t impossible for someone of low birth to rise up into a grand role, but it is challenging and they face an uphill battle to do so. And as demonstrated through the story, the stricter the imposed limitations on someone, the less likely they will be able to escape those shackles. 

The second theme brought up by this element of the setting is the following - blood is important. It has greater importance in Touissaint than in any other place in the setting due to this emphasis, which means that bloodlines are no doubt a higher priority here. An inhabitant of Touissaint would be more likely to trust a family member than a friend due to this blood connection, and in extreme cases, this could lead to skewed judgment. This aspect has implications throughout the story. Deep into the plot, it is revealed that the higher vampire responsible for the murders, Detlaff, was deceived and betrayed by the woman he loved in order to be a tool to carry out her vengeance. This woman’s name was Syanna, who turned out to be the sister to Annarietta. Having been apparently born under a bad sign, the Curse of the Black Sun, Syanna was shunned by the vast majority around her, including her parents, as her childhood went on. The only one who seemed to truly love and understand her was her sister. She was eventually banished from Beauclair and her family as a teenager, and abused and severely mistreated by the royal knights tasked with her exile. She was able to survive, but grew up festering a hatred for those who wronged her. The murders throughout the game are her way of exacting revenge on those knights, and her intended murder of Anarietta was her way of punishing her for forgetting about her. She indirectly lead to the destruction of Beauclair in the night of the long fangs, the death of Detlaff, and a ton of bloodshed along the way.

However, despite the severity of these terrible crimes, Anna Henrietta consistently refuses to properly try Syanna for her crimes and make her face justice, simply because.. she’s her sister. 

""

This is an extension of the region’s short-sighted obliviousness. This blind emphasis on blood defies logic, and yet the duchess adheres to it anyway due to both it and her love for her sister. And this leads to a radical outcomes in one of the endings, which further reinforces all of this.

I think that the story that Blood and Wine is intending to tell is one of a razor focus on perspective. I think that from a certain angle, this is a story with no monolithic villain or villains, just victims of circumstance. Obviously, some characters react differently and worse than others to their circumstance and this is reflected in their deeds and speaks of their character, so the game doesn’t avoid blaming these people, but there isn’t a single character that I can think of whose wrongdoings don’t have at least one layer of depth or moral ambiguity to them. Blood and Wine consistently challenges the player to see things from all of these characters points of views before making snap judgments of anyone, good or bad, because a lot of these cases are various shades of grey. And there is no shortage of examples to choose from.

From minor instances such as the Shaalmaar, labelled a beast but lashing out as a victim of cruel captivity. Those in Toussaint, who as I discussesd, are bred to act in a somewhat naive and oblivious way but who can’t be entirely blamed because they have not been stimulated to be more open minded. The spotted Wight, entirely peaceful and just wanting someone to help her, despite how appearances deceived. Guillaume, a seemingly hopelessly romantic fool in over his head, but someone who actually backed his words up with actions and wholehearted conviction. The man who seems like a doofus who’s actually collecting photos for his bedridden, comatose daughter. Vampires in general, who do terrible things but primarily as a result of their nature (include clips from Regis explaining it). In a somewhat different and more extreme case, the higher vampire, who is of such elite status and power in his realm, sees the countless deaths of humans as no different than the slaughter of livestock. And hell knows Orianna’s mutually beneficial agreement with the homeless kids is a situation to make anyone question perspective.

Regis in particular is an admirable example of this as well. He is a higher vampire who he trained himself to fight against his nature and not give into the impulses that vampires are plagued with while in the world of humans.

“”

To be clear, drinking blood is not a necessity for higher vampires, but it is similar to drugs or alcohol, and close proximity to humans and blood causes extreme temptation. Yet Regis constantly resists, especially so in the case of the situation where Geralt had to tempt him in order to procure frenzied higher vampire blood. This resistance is excruciatingly difficult, but Regis manages to not be a bloodthirsty killer or a man of violence despite him being biologically engineered to NEED to do so, and despite the fact that this is often like withdrawal, with urges growing more powerful over time. It’s something that I think is truly admirable about Regis and very few throughout the game seem to acknowledge how impressive and good of a man he is for this.

And then there is obviously Syanna marked since birth as a cursed child, though signficiantly, the game makes sure to present an vague and unclear as to whether or not the curse of the Black Sun actually existed. Being a fantasy setting where curses are very relevant, it is definitely very possibly that the curse could have been a real thing. However, if it wasn’t, then Syrana was treated the way she was for no reason and likely became as hateful and disturbed as she was due to how people acted towards her in response to something that never existed. 

""

Regardless of whether the presence of the curse was real or not, Syrana was unfairly shunned, abused and chastised for reasons out of her control, and it is clear that a life of nurturing and love would have given her a far happier end, and caused much less suffering later on. But this suffering keys us into what the politics and military of the powers in Touissaint are truly like behind the vows and words, another way of championing perspective, though showing us the darkness behind the seemingly good instead of the shades of grey behind the horrible deeds this time. The Bruxa shoving coins down the throats of the knights errants corpses is a blunt way of critiquing the shallow ideals and redundancy of the fancy words and notions of honour that permeate Toussaint’s armed forces. The chivalric virtues of honor, wisdom, generosity, valor and compassion have gone to rot and the knights who swear vows to these say all the right things but do not follow through with their actions and are instead motivated by personal gain and satisfaction, often leading to cruelty. Syanna is punishing them for their deception and hypocrisy. Partly through her, we come to learn that Touissaint as a whole hides behind these ideals of honour and chivalry, whether they know it or not. The knights who abused Syanna did so behind a front of honour, using her condition as an excuse to be overly cruel, and the populace as a whole has allowed these ideals to condition them to live in their own little bubble.

But perhaps the most tragic case of this theme is that of Detlaff - the man who is forced partly by his love and compassion into doing terrible deeds that go against his very nature. Despite being a hurt, awkward and withdrawn sort of man, and despite being, quite frankly, a monster on the outside, Syanna was the only human at the time to accept him for who he was and treat him with respect - likely due to how she had grown to know the horrors of being shunned for things out of one’s control. He fell in love, and he committed these murders to save the person who turned his life around. But it brought him great, terrible pain to become this cruel, because that was not the type of person he was.

“Regis says it isn’t in his nature."

In grief and rage at himself, in unparalleled remorse, he cuts off the hand that committed the murder. (Ep 13 15 mins) And this, more than anything, shows how reluctant he was to take part in this, and that he was not a bad person deep down. He essentially says as much to Geralt between the lines when the two come face to face at the awkward banquet.

“”

Yet, circumstances change and force us into doing things that may have seemed unimaginable, and it can be a tragic thing. Should he have been stronger willed and refused the blackmail? Maybe, but from his perspective, the life of someone good and precious was in the balance, and it’s hard to detach oneself from the concept of personal bias in evaluating his decision. As it does with so many other characters and situations that I’ve described, Blood and Wine does not moralize or encourage you to think any certain way about Detlaff - it simply lays out the facts. He didn’t intend to murder, but he did murder. And the degree of blame that lays with him is dependent on your own personal philosophies. But the point is that as much as Detlaff was a villain, a part of him was a victim. He was a gentle soul, and when questioning who is at blame for all this, one finds themselves going in a circle. Detlaff murdered, but Syanna was the mastermind behind it, yet the abuse of her childhood taught her to become this way. One could argue that the Knights errant and those who shunned Syanna were the seed of all this, but in the end I feel like Blood and Wine is trying to tell us that the blame lies with everyone, and no one.

“You’ve killed 4 innocent people, at least.”

“And how many innocents have you cut down?” 

As I said, the main message of Blood and Wine is a display of this perspectivism - that close-mindedness can lead to a self-harming sort of naivety as it did for Toussaint, but more importantly, that in some situations, there is no villain even in the worst of situations and moralizing is a redundant and futile exercise. These people were all given bad hands in life and reacted in various ways - from the good in someone like Regis’ case, to the bad in someone like Syanna’s case, and everything in between. For this very reason, I consider Detlaff in particular to be an antagonist, but not a villain, despite being the final boss. He's extremely sympathetic and well written and he did do terrible things, but I put him in the Bloody Baron/Olgierd camp as a character of nuance and moral ambiguity, rather than the Wild Hunt/Gaunter O'Dimm/Crones camp of pure destruction or malice. But he definitely stands out for how appropriately he fits thematically, and how sad his story was.

“he’s a good man”

And in a story full of so many victims, it’s hard to envision an ending that works out perfectly for everyone. That’s why even in the happiest one, where Syanna and Anna Henrietta make up and the kingdom recovers.. Detlaff perishes. There simply is no way to save the man, and no way for a totally happy conclusion for such a bloody and tragic tale. The same is obviously true in the bad ending, where Detlaff kills Syanna, Geralt is sent to prison by an irate Anna Henrietta, and must be sprung from jail, which is admittedly a pretty unfulfilling one for me. As a side note, I personally think that the most powerful of the three endings is the tragic ending - not just because I’m an edge lord, but because I thought it fit the story best thematically. In this one, Anna Henrietta forgives Syanna’s crimes and welcomes her into her arms for an embrace - and Syanna uses this as an opportunity to kill the sister that forgot about her during her trials. Syanna succeeds and is killed immediately afterwards, and the two sisters’ lives end as they began - with each other. Syanna, a victim of neglect and abuse, and Anna Henrietta, a victim of hopeless, optimistic, narrow-minded idealism. It was a completely foolish thing for the duchess to do, but her heart was too big, and her vision too clouded by memories and the emphasis on blood connections. Some things just can’t be forgiven. It is depressing and the kingdom mourns for its duchess, but this is the most powerful and appropriate story beat in the game for me in terms of nailing the impact of this theme of naivety. I do enjoy the good ending and can’t really argue that isn’t more fulfilling or equally as powerful technically for the heartwarming way in which Annarietta realizes her mistakes and the two come to an understanding, but this one is just more impactful and fitting for me, and carries out the themes with a bit more continuity. For me, this style of narrative is optimized when the greek tragedy of the plot is carried out in full force, to truly show the pointlessness of these conflicts and the simple value of empathy and compassion, both of which could have saved multiple characters throughout this story if only they had the chance. 

And as an extension of this perspectivism, we finally see an end to Geralt’s story that we know he deserves. Geralt is a Witcher, through and through. He’s reviled as a savage and a freak, and he isn’t the most diplomatic of personalities, but our journey with him proves that he is ultimately a genuinely good, honest person. We’ve been through everything with him - seen the things he’s seen, felt what he’s felt. His perspective is ours, and due to this, there is a hugely gratifying feeling in seeing Geralt find a home in the happy ending of this expansion. Through politics and intrigue, bloodshed and agony, pain and trials and grief.. If anyone in this story deserves this sort of thing, it would without doubt be the White Wolf. Many thanks for watching.

“Deserves a rest, ending.”