The Witcher season 2: All episodes reviewed and explained
The Witcher 2×03 “What Is Lost”
One month has passed by the time Episode 3 opens with a montage of Ciri training under Geralt’s supervision. We can see signs of time passing in the familiar way the two of them now speak to each other, in the glimmer in Geralt’s eye when Ciri contradicts him, and by the way the princess feels at home in the keep and banters with the other witchers.
We see Geralt’s private pain over the loss of Eskel. If Geralt is mourning a brother he had trained with since they were young, Vesemir is a parent grieving a child he lost and trying to find warning signs he missed.
Vesemir does not blame Geralt for finishing Eskel; he understands that it had to be done. As the two finally lay Eskel’s mauled body to rest, they mourn together and connect on a deeper level than ever. Geralt now shares Vesemir’s burden and vice versa; if anything should happy to Ciri, the older witcher would share Geralt’s pain.
In Aretuza, Tissaia has been unable to accept Yennefer’s death. When her favorite pupil finally shows up, it’s the purest relief we see in her eyes. She’s a long way from that “no one will ever love you” speech she gave back in the second episode of the series. There is pride, affection, care and understanding there. Tissaia knows, without Yen telling her, that Yen has lost her magic. She tries to protect Yen from the brutal demands of the Brotherhood, but eventually that bill must come due.
Yennefer was never one to compliantly accept her fate or quietly follow orders. When it’s time to sacrifice her integrity to prove that she is not a traitor, she runs away with the enemy she was supposed to execute. She may be without magic, but she will not be powerless or at the mercy and whims of another. She goes rogue, a literal agent of chaos, and it’s not Cahir she is saving, but herself.
The tensions within the Brotherhood are a result of the precarious balance of power between the northern kingdoms after the elves start immigrating to Cintra and ally with Nilfgaard. Politics aside, Francesca and Fringilla’s partnership is refreshing. They establish a level of personal trust in a world where everyone is looking to betray and backstab each other. I can’t help but think they form a bond because of their position in the world, because they are two women that destiny has temporarily graced with power and leadership, and they are determined to work together to preserve that state of affairs.
Ciri, too, is determined. She wants to learn to fight and trains relentlessly. She feels slightly babied by Geralt and welcomes the challenge provided by Lambert to try harder, to prove she can succeed despite them seeing her as a refined princess. She runs a witcher obstacle course over and over again, finally earning the witchers’ respect. Geralt understands he can’t protect her all the time. He takes a chance, and together, they hunt down the leshy that killed Eskel.
“What’s lost is lost,” many characters repeat through the episode. But that’s not always true. While some things may be lost forever, some can be found again. We just have to be resilient enough to keep moving.