With three separate timelines intermingling with one another, Netflix’s The Witcher has plenty going on throughout it’s eight-episode first season. And there could have been even more happening onscreen had the series not needed to cut numerous scenes, including two key Yennefer moments that showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich wishes they’d been able to keep.
Speaking to Pure Fandom, Hissrich spoke about one scene that would have given Witcher fans a positive portrayal of female friendship between Yennefer and the other sorceresses. Hissrich described it as “a lovely scene in where Yennefer, Fringilla and Sabrina all discussed how they felt about their transformations, and looking back, I wish we could have kept it. It was such a gorgeous example of female friendship, and it also would have served to ground Fringilla a bit more before she joined Nilfgaard.”
Given Hissrich’s dedication to creating complex female characters for her series, which she’s spoken about at length, it’s easy to see why she would have liked to keep this particular moment. Not only would it have given viewers more insight into a major female antagonist, but it would have given us a better understanding of what Yennefer and her fellow recruits went through to become sorceresses, something Hissrich had wanted more insight into while reading the books.
"When I first pitched The Witcher to Netflix, I talked about how important it was to me to explore the women of the series in the same detailed, layered way as the men — a rising tide lifts all boats, you know? Strong characters beget more strong characters beget better stories beget a more expansive universe."
Another cut scene Hissrich felt added to Yennefer’s storyline involved Yenn coming across Triss Merigold, the sorceress Geralt meets before he fights the striga in “Betrayer Moon,” while she’s still training at Aretuza. The scene would have shown Yennefer taking the younger girl under her wing a bit, another example of a positive female relationship. “It served to show how far Yennefer had come in her years at Aretuza and created a sense of mentorship between these two sorceresses,” Hissrich said. “Looking ahead at some stories unfolding in season two, I wish we still had those scenes!”
The part about season 2 storylines is interesting. Will we see more of these sorceresses together in future episodes? Why else would we need context for their relationship early on?
Whatever happens, it’ll be fascinating to explore what Yennefer and the others have gone through together in further depth — and to see how that impacts the story’s future.
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