The Witcher’s showrunner speaks out against the haters regarding ‘that’ scene with Roach

The Witcher’s showrunner, Lauren S. Hissrich, is not afraid to stand up to critics on Twitter who have been questioning her creative choices.

Since Season 2 dropped back in December, many fans of the book series have been critical of many of the changes made between the books and the TV show. Hissrich has not backed down in defending herself against these critics.

The latest debate has occurred regarding a change made to a scene involving Roach. And, warning, if you have not yet viewed all available episodes of Season 2 of The Witcher, now might be the time to look away as we are stepping into some rather sad spoiler territory.

Henry Cavill insisted on changing the script

When Roach died in Season 2 of The Witcher, it was a devastating moment, not only for Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) but for the audience watching.

The scene unfolded with a heartfelt moment where Geralt is forced to put down Roach after a monster attack. Geralt silently slits the horse’s throat and the audience gets to see the full play of emotion across the witcher’s face.

The scene was to play out a little differently, according to Hissrich, but Henry Cavill insisted the script be changed in order to make the moment more poignant. Eventually, Hissrich agreed that Cavill was right and the scene that viewers saw was at Cavill’s behest.

However, on Twitter, there was some heated discussion regarding how the original scene was to play out, one user even suggesting that Hissrich had originally opted for a “cheap joke.”

Lauren S. Hissrich speaks out against the haters

Not the one to stand down, Hissrich ended up sharing the original scene to prove that it was not a joke that was to be included in that scene but, rather, a reference to the fact that Geralt named all of his horses Roach.

The original scene showed that while it all played out in much the same manner as what fans saw in Season 2 of The Witcher, there was one key change.

“You were my favorite Roach,” Geralt utters after Roach died.

“Here’s what was scripted, in homage of the fact that a previous Roach had existed, and another one will exist soon,” Hissrich wrote in the caption.

“It’s hardly a joke. Henry wanted a longer, more emotional moment, which I was more than happy to give him. Don’t create drama where none exists.”

Once Hissrich posted her response, fans from both sides began to comment. Some agreed that the scene was improved, others seeing how the original one could also have worked. In addition to that, there was also plenty of continued criticism from those who have not been happy with any of the changes Hissrich has made so far to either season of The Witcher.

Season 2 of The Witcher is currently available to stream on Netflix.