The Witcher season 3 is now streaming on Netflix. There’s a lot going on with Geralt of Rivia, Cirilla of Cintra, and Yennefer of Vengerberg in The Witcher season 3, so let’s get into it.
After waiting more than 18 months since The Witcher season 2, I didn’t have incredibly high hopes going into the season. I’ll be the first to admit that The Witcher has missed in the past. While it had its moments, The Witcher season 1 was too confusing. Season 2, on the other hand, was less confusing, but it felt like a bridge to where we are now.
The Witcher season 3 is so much better than the first two seasons. The story is incredibly complex, but the goals of the characters are clear. We all know what motivates Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer. At the beginning of the season, the little family is together, physically, and working toward common goals: keep Ciri safe, teach her to harness her power, and stop those who wish her harm. There’s beauty in that simplicity.
Elsewhere, the Continent is in chaos after everything that happened in The Witcher season 2, which is where this season begins.
SPOILERS for The Witcher season 3 ahead!
The Witcher season 3 episode 1 recap: “Shaerrawedd”
The Witcher season 3 begins with a professor and a group of men working for Rience the fire sorcerer. They’re asking a barman if he’s seen a Witcher and a girl. Geralt is standing outside waiting for them, and he slices them to bits. It’s good to be back on the Continent!
Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri are on the run after the events of the season 2 finale. They’re sheltering in places known to Geralt. He pays people for their discretion along the way. Although they’re all together and finally working toward common goals, there’s tension. Geralt has not forgiven Yennefer for her past actions. To gain Geralt’s trust, Yennefer writes letters every day to him, but Geralt refuses to talk to her. Yennefer tries to teach Ciri how to use her powers, but it’s not going well.
The group finally settles in the forest, with help from Yarpen. It’s a good place to call home. There, Geralt begins to let his guard down with Yennefer. Geralt and Yennefer and Ciri are all playing house. Finally, Yennefer and Geralt break the ice and start eating dinner together. It really is one happy family, but that’s all about to change.
Ciri continues to struggle with her magic, but Yennefer reminds her that magic isn’t everything. Yennefer admits that she almost lost them to Voleth Meir.
Rience is still after Ciri. He buys a monster, a jackapace, that tracks her down at the Belletyne Festival, Ciri’s first night out in a long time.
The elves continue to look for Ciri as well. Francesca gets into it with Gallatin, who just wants to find elves somewhere on the Continent. Instead, Francesca continues to keep the elves in isolation searching for Ciri, who Francesca believes will be able to destroy the world of humans and allow her to rebuild the Continent for the elves.
In Redania, Vizimir also wants Ciri to use as leverage against Nilfgaard, which is growing stronger. He’s fed up with Dijkstra not finding her. He puts Radovid, his younger brother, on the case. Dijkstra and Philippa are frustrated, and Phillippa agrees to do something in exchange for more power in their relationship.
At the Belletyne Festival, Geralt remembers Yen’s birthday. They talk about old times and why Geralt left. Yennefer asks him if he is still unsure of what he wants. We all know he wants Yennefer and to protect Ciri. Ciri gets lost in a maze when the jackapace shows up. The giant armadillo monster nearly kills her, but Ciri holds it off with her powers, with Yennefer’s help. Geralt kills the beast. Unfortunately, this means they have to pack up and leave, but they can’t keep running from Rience. They hatch a plan to draw Rience out, with the help of Yarpen and Jaskier.
They hatch a plan to draw Rience out. Yarpen is meant to carry Ciri and Jaskier on his caravan, and he’s meant to spread the word to draw Rience to them, but they need Jaskier’s help.
Philippa threatens Jaskier. He was supposed to lead Ciri to Redania, but he hasn’t fulfilled his end of the bargain. Phillippa tells Jaskier that he’ll deliver Ciri in five days or Redania will kill the elves. Yarpen brings Jaskier into the plan as bait.
Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer, Jaskier, and Yarpen and his men make camp at Shaerrawedd, an ancient elven city. Yennefer shares the story of the humans’ arrival after the Conjunction, their multiplication, and the elves’ war against them. Geralt says he doesn’t like taking sides; he prefers to remain neutral to stay alive, which is an important theme of the first five episodes.
Meanwhile, Gallatin is at odds with Francesca, but Francesca agrees with Gallatin that they need to find a home together. They decide to make their next move the following day.
Ciri shares her vision with Geralt and Yennefer to unite the humans and the elves, since she’s half-elf and half-human. Ciri is looking for the reason that destiny brought them together. She wants to change the system on the Continent. She says she is “sick and tired of destruction and loss.”
Then Geralt spots something in the distance, and says they need to hide. Ciri draws out Rience, and there’s a battle. Rience tries to escape in a portal, but Geralt keeps it open to venture in and kill him.
While the fight with Rience is happening, Francesca and the elves arrive to take Ciri. The elves are caught off guard by Yarpen’s small army.
Geralt breaks Rience’s arms, exits the portal, and then goes crazy on those poor elves. They never stood a chance. Jaskier gets shot, but he survives, as do Geralt, Ciri, Yarpen, and Yennefer.
In their final scenes of this episode, Yennefer reveals that a powerful mage is helping Rience. She wants to bring Ciri to Aretuza to keep her safe. Ciri wants Geralt and Yen to stay with her. Geralt still doesn’t trust her. He won’t go with Ciri and Yennefer. He needs to kill Rience, but they need to go to Aretuza.
Ciri and Geralt say goodbye. He promises they’ll meet again soon. Yennefer and Geralt also promise to see each other again soon. Yennefer and Geralt both write each other letters. How cute! I think these three are meant to be! They belong together, so it’s almost devastating to see them split up so soon into the season, although I understand why it has to happen.
After they all split up, Jaskier agrees to help Redania. He tells Radovid and Philippa to win Ciri’s trust by killing Rience.
At the very end of the episode, we see Tissaia, Stregobor, and Rience, not together, but in sequence. Someone heals Rience’s arms. We also see Emperor Emyhr of Nilfgaard for the first time this season, who was revealed to be Ciri’s father during the final moments of season 2. He’s in Nilfgaard looking at some old portraits of his family, including images of his late wife Pavetta, Ciri’s mother. He then burns them all, except for one. It appears to be Ciri’s baby portrait.
Overall, this was a very satisfying season premiere for The Witcher season 3. It moved briskly, but we got enough time with Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri together to enjoy it. It’s also clear why they can’t stay together for long, not with all the threats that need to be dealt with around the Continent… and beyond.
On to the second episode of The Witcher season 3!
The Witcher season 3 Episode 2 recap: “Unbound”
The second episode of The Witcher season 3, titled “Unbound,” sees Ciri and Yennefer making for Aretuza. After separating from Geralt, Ciri sees the messenger of King Demavand of Aedirn, who she’s seen killed by an arrow in the throat in her visions. She tries to warn him, but Yennefer interrupts. Without Geralt around, things are a bit spicier between the two of them. It’s not only Geralt’s trust that Yennefer needs to win back.
Meanwhile, Geralt is visiting Codringher, looking for information about Rience. It’s revealed that Rience is working for a sorcerer more powerful than him. Geralt pays Codringher a hefty price for more information. They don’t know who has Rience on a leash, but they know where he is: near the ammonite mines in Vuilpanne on the outskirts of Pienne. They urge Geralt to let it lie. They also reveal Istredd and many others are looking for Ciri. Geralt has one mission right now, though, and it’s traveling to Vuilpanne to kill Rience, alone.
In Nilfgaard, Emperor Emyhr picks up a new sword and tells the story of how he reclaimed his throne and took down the Usurper. He believes that he can end war on the Continent with a Queen by his side. He plans to become the Emperor of the Continent. His motivation is becoming a lot clearer.
Back with Ciri and Yennefer on the road, Yennefer tries to convince Ciri to go to Aretuza, where the Brotherhood is arguing about what to do about Ciri and the Northern Kingdoms losing faith. Tissaia puts them in their place, but it’s clear the division among the mages is getting worse, and that’s not all of it. Triss is struggling with what happened to Ciri, and finds blood in Nissa’s room. Nissa is one of the missing novices at Aretuza. Something is happening behind the scenes, but it’s not yet clear what. This feels like it’s one of the season’s big mysteries.
In Redania, Dijkstra is getting tortured by Philippa, at his kinky request. They’re making big plans for Redania and the future of the Continent. Philippa is working on Radovid, who has some feelings for Jaskier, and she needs Dijkstra to convince Vizimir.
On the road again, Ciri and Yennefer argue about how Ciri can’t keep using her visions to try to change the future. It’s causing more harm than good. They take a detour to where Yennefer grew up. There, she shows Ciri her memories of childhood, how she was never perfect, and how she chose to fight through her struggles. Yennefer tells Ciri that it’s her fault that the conflict in the North has festered because she made a choice to set a prisoner free (Cahir), which we saw go down in The Witcher season 2.
In Vuilpanne, Geralt is attacked by a horrible monster. There is a young woman trapped in this mucus membrane of sorts. She looks a lot like Ciri, and she begs Geralt to make “him” stop. As Geralt tries to save the girl, the monster, which is made up of the body parts of people, attacks Geralt. There are also these women’s heads attached to the wall which are also connected to the monster, somehow. It’s a mess!
Geralt kills the monster. It’s clear a sorcerer has created this creature, and that’s who the girl was begging Geralt to kill. But who is it? Is it Rience? That’s what it seems like we’re supposed to believe, but that seems too easy.
Applegatt, King Demavand’s messenger who Ciri warned in the beginning of the episode about getting killed by an arrow, nearly dies via an arrow to the throat after Vizimir does some dumb stuff with a crossbow. Shortly after, Radovid breaks the news to DiJkstra and Philippa that Vizimir is meeting with Nilfgaard, and they are mad.
Just before the episode ends, we see Rience kill Codringher after they let slip that they know of “his employer’s plans for Cirilla of Cintra.” Rience keeps their cat, though!
In Aretuza, Vilgefortz and Tissaia discuss a plan to bring Yennefer back into the fold and unite the Northern Kingdoms. Vilgefortz acts like he doesn’t mind if Yennefer comes back to the Brotherhood.
The girl who Geralt saved believes that she is Ciri. Interesting.
We also see Cahir saved by Gallatin this episode. That’s who Gallatin goes to after abandoning Francesca. Cahir asks Gallatin to journey to meet the White Flame and share a plan to overtake the North. Basically, he’ll be betraying Francesca to help Emyhr and Nilfgaard.
“Unbound” is another solid episode. We still don’t have many, if any, answers so far, but it feels like our heroes, Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer, are making strides. There’s so much going on behind the scenes, and it’s challenging to figure out who is really pulling the strings on Rience.
The big questions remain:
- Who is Rience working for? Codringher obviously knew too much, and now, he’s dead.
- Who is this mysterious girl pretending (or believing) that she’s Ciri? And why does she believe that?
- Will Yennefer’s plan to bring Ciri to Aretuza mean she’s safe?
We’ll find out in episode 3!
The Witcher season 3 Episode 3 recap: “Reunion”
The third episode of The Witcher season 3, titled “Reunion,” is one of my two favorite episodes of the season so far. The first two episodes were more about setting the board for the big moves about to be made, and we see some BIG moves in “Reunion.”
The episode begins with Geralt trying to find answers about this Ciri impersonator. Jaskier, who now has a crush on Redania’s Prince Radovid, and Geralt take the new Ciri to Anika, a woman who is a friend of Geralt’s mother, Visenna, who is now dead. There they meet Otto, a werewolf who Geralt saved. Anika tries to help not-Ciri. Anika says that an extremely powerful mind control enchantment was used on her. They give the fake Ciri an extraction elixir with the hope that she’ll come out of the mind control and be able to tell them who did this to her.
Unable to travel via portal to Aretuza, Ciri and Yennefer go to Giancardi Bank, where Yennefer is going to take care of some business. She allows Ciri to go off on her own, which obviously backfires. Luckily, Sabrina, Rita, Tissaia, and Yennefer arrive to help her, but that’s where the problems really begin.
For the first time, Tissaia meets Ciri. They have a little staring contest, and Tissaia’s eyes start to bleed. Yennefer and Tissaia meet, and Yennefer makes the case for unity. she brings Ciri to Aretuza to learn to control her powers.
Ciri gets fed up with Yennefer and the other members of the Brotherhood. Yennefer says that she’s doing what she has to do for Ciri, and she needs to get with the program. Ciri tells Yennefer that Geralt would never sell his soul like this.
Yennefer and Tissaia plan to hold a Conclave of Mages to bring the Brotherhood together so they can help the rules of the Continent to prevent war. While they’re having their little chit-chat, Ciri calls to Geralt via magic coin, and leaves. Ciri, Ciri, Ciri, what are you doing?
In Redania, Vizimir and his wife Queen Hedwig are close to a deal with Nilfgaard; in exchange for half of Temeria after Nilfgaard conquers the North, they’ll stay out of the way and give them Ciri. Dijkstra and Philippa are as mad as we’ve seen them in a while. Geralt appears to be close to putting all the pieces of their plan together, so they need to find Ciri quickly.
In Nilfgaard, Istredd is looking for a book, the Book of the Monoliths, but someone else found it and sent it to Aretuza. Emyhr sent the book there himself.
Cahir returns to Nilfgaard to propose a truce between Nilfgaard and the elves, cutting Francesca out of the deal. Cahir offers to find Ciri; he’s having more dreams about her. Emyhr offers Cahir a chance to come home, but he must do something first. It can’t be something good if Emyhr is asking him to prove his loyalty.
Back at Anika’s cabin, Geralt wakes the not-Ciri; her name is Teryn. She says, “There’s always a source.” She explains how a man took her, along with “the woman with a funny voice.” Teryn starts to panic, and then she becomes possessed.
She says, “Stupid witcher, you’re already doomed and you don’t even know it. May all ‘ye wail for the Destroyer of Nations is upon us.” She uses her powers to throw them all around before they are able to subdue her.
Who is the Destroyer of Nations? It’s open for interpretation. I believe she’s referring to Ciri and Ithlinne’s Prophecy.
Later, Geralt learns from Anika that his mother died after she was beaten after getting mistaken for an elf. Geralt tells the story of his mother leaving him. Geralt says that he won’t abandon Ciri, even if it kills him. He leaves Teryn with Anika and Otto. He’s traveling to Aretuza to get to the bottom of this mess.
In Redania, Queen Hedwig’s head is served in a box to Vizimir. It’s supposedly from Nilfgaard, but is really from Djikstra and Philippa, who are hoping to advance their plan. Radovid figures this out, and Dijkstra defends himself by saying that the queen should not be holding secret meetings with Nilfgaard. He threatens Radovid that it’ll be his head in the box next time.
Eva, who was Queen Hedwig’s servant, tells Philippa that a mage who visited Vizimir and Hedwig didn’t move her mouth to talk; she was using telepathy. Philippa figures out who it is and who she is working for. It all clicks for her, but we’re told what she knows just yet.
Elsewhere, Lydia is talking to Rience. It appears that she is the one who is pulling his strings, but Rience is worried that she and her employer are working for Nilfgaard. She explains that “working with” Nilfgaard is not the same as “working for” Nilfgaard. They’re using The White Flame. Rience starts making demands of Lydia.
This is a huge piece of the puzzle. We’ve known someone at Aretuza is connected to Rience, and it appears it is Lydia, and she’s not alone.
Back in Nilfgaard, Cahir kills Gallatin, as Emyhr asked, although it’s not easy. Cahir still seems quite unstable.
In the final sequence of the episode, Ciri rides a horse away from Yennefer, but there’s something chasing her. It’s the Wild Hunt! She rides faster, but Eredin catches her. He reaches out for Ciri, but luckily, Geralt arrives just in time and banishes them. During their embrace, Ciri notices a smoldering pile of armor and leather.
“They were real,” she says.
Episode 3 is the strongest episode of the season so far. I enjoyed how swiftly the story moved with these big reveals. Many of these characters are beginning to show their hand as Geralt gets closer to the truth.
I’m most curious about what’s going on with Redania. Dijkstra and Philippa are spinning up something big, I can feel it.
Up next is Episode 4!
The Witcher season 3 Episode 4 recap: “The Invitation”
“The Invitation” is the penultimate episode of The Witcher season 3 part 1. If the first two episodes were mostly set-up and the third episode was when things really started to move, there’s another pause in Episode 4. There’s a lot of action, but it feels like the quiet before the storm in many ways.
The episode begins in Nilfgaard. Emyhr wakes up Cahir while he’s having another dream about Ciri and the prophecy. After Cahir kills Gallatin, Emyhr gives Cahir a mission, and it involves Francesca. It’s very ambitious, but we don’t yet know what it entails. Cahir asks for Fringilla to do it, but Emyhr breaks the news to him that Fringilla is dead. Cahir asks how they know they’re doing the right thing. Emyhr asks Cahir to let go of all the questions and “embrace what we’ve done together.” It’s more of a threat than anything.
In Aretuza, Yennefer proposes an alliance with Redania against Nilfgaard. Tiassa supports Yennefer’s plan. The mages pound their chairs in support, except for Stregobor.
Tissaia tells Yennefer that the Council of Mages agreed to the Conclave. Yennefer plans to try to convince Philippa to agree to attend in person. They’re interrupted and told that another novice, Elisabet, has gone missing.
Before she leaves, Yennefer thanks Triss for what she did at Kaer Morhen, but Triss is troubled. She looks into why these novices who are half-elven keep going missing. She explains her fears to Istredd, who theorizes that someone is taking those girls. He explains that he is looking for the Book of Monoliths, which is the key to traveling between spheres. Someone at Aretuza has it and is using it to banish the elves.
Later, Vilgefortz questions Yennefer and asks her not to abandon Tiassia again. Also, he says that they’ll give Yennefer a secure portal to Redania, and they speculate about who the “rogue mage” is.
On the way to Aretuza, Geralt explains why the Wild Hunt wants Ciri and how they know of her power. She “left the door” open during the events of the season 2 finale. Ciri needs to embrace and learn how to control her power to “close those doors.”
Shortly after, Jaskier, Ciri, and Geralt are reunited. Yay! They are crossing the sea to Aretuza, but the boatman won’t sail because there’s a monster in the water. Geralt agrees to kill the monster in exchange for passage across. On the boat, the captain, Obin, claims that the Wild Hunt are “riding again.” Somehow he knows, which gives Ciri a bit of a shock.
En route, Ciri tells Geralt she thinks the monster is an aeschna. Geralt teaches Ciri what it means to take a life, saying it should only be used as a last resort. Ciri asks Geralt what he’ll do if Ciri agrees to go to Aretuza. He says it’s much bigger than Reince.
Then there’s the aeschna fight! Ciri cuts it up, but struggles. She kills it from above. Geralt says he’s proud of Ciri, and they go looking for Yennefer.
Yennefer is not in Aretuza, but in Redania, where she approaches Philippa during Queen Hedwig’s funeral. Yennefer offers condolences and invites Philippa to the Conclave of Mages. After Philippa declines, Yennefer pressures Vizimir to send her. He decides Dijkstra and Radovid will also attend.
Yennefer walks back through the portal, but unexpectedly arrives on some rocky cliffs where she is attacked by Geralt. It’s not the real Geralt, obviously. It’s an illusion. She escapes, but something weird is going on. Triss warns her that bringing Ciri to Aretuza is a bad idea. Sabrina looks suspicious and walks away. Yennefer balks at Triss and doubles down on bringing Ciri to Aretuza to train under Tissaia.
Before they arrive, Geralt reveals what happened to Teryn and how they’re using the half-elves as test subjects. Geralt wants to protect her, but Ciri agrees that she needs to go to Aretuza to find out what’s going on.
Ciri, Yennefer, Geralt, and Jaskier are finally together again! At the end of the episode, Ciri and Jaskier are at Loxia protected by Yennefer’s spell, while Geralt and Yennefer attend the ball before the Conclave of Mages.
Cihar asks Francesca and the elves to join the hunt for Ciri. He proposes an alliance between Nilfgaard and the elves. They accept.
Back in Aretuza, Triss and Istredd try to find the Book of Monoliths by tracking the stellecite dust, and it works. The Book of Monoliths is inside someone’s room, but we don’t know whose.
Geralt and Yennefer make a pact to let this plan run its course, and so begins the Conclave of Mages. No one is really sure about this. It’s the ball before the Conclave.
What a whirlwind of an episode. The political focus of the season is a definite shift for The Witcher, and it’s working really well. Of course, politics has always been a part of the show, but the feeling that everything is resting on a sword’s edge is real this season, much more than any other. There is so much more going on than meets the eye, and I have a feeling it’s all going to come crashing down at the Conclave of Mages in the final episode of The Witcher season 3 part 1.
The Witcher season 3 episode 5 recap: “The Art of Illusion”
“The Art of Illuision” is easily the best episode of this set, and it’s not close. There isn’t much action, but a lot of presentation.
The episode is told from Yennefer and Geralt’s perspectives as they rehash the night of the ball. In the present, they are spending the night together, so we get these little snippets as they reconstruct the events. It’s a wild one!
There are so many important things that happen, but the order is kind of tricky. I think it’s best to list them and then talk about what they all mean.
During the ball, Geralt talks to Philippa, Dijkstra, Stregobor and Vilgefortz, while Yennefer talks to Triss, Istredd, and Philippa. They all have very important conversations that are part of a larger puzzle.
At different points in the night, Philippa and Dijkstra reveal important information to Yennefer and Geralt. Philippa tells Yennefer that Lydia would follow her love to her death and urges Yennefer not to trust the Brotherhood. She wants Yennefer on her side, but Yennefer balks. She says the Conclave of Mages is important if the North is going to remain united. Philippa replies, “Tonight means everything to us as well.”
Dijkstra tries to work his magic on Geralt and get him and Ciri on the Redanian side. Geralt isn’t interested.
Vilgefortz tries to find common ground with Geralt by sharing his story of being an orphan and becoming a sorcerer out of spite. They are also both men in love. He offers Geralt a place in the battle to come. Ciri is in danger, but Geralt chooses to continue on his neutral path. Vilgefortz tells Geralt that there will always be enemies waiting for them.
Yennefer is approached by Triss and Istredd and told about the Book of Monoliths, which is in Stregobor’s possession. They formulate a plan to distract him which includes Geralt. Istredd and Geralt fight over Yennefer to keep Stregobor’s attention while Yennefer searches his things. He’s alerted to her presence by a moth on the safe in his room.
There’s a big gathering in Stregobor’s quarters, where he admits to killing the half-elf novices because he loathes elves. Geralt and Yennefer allege that he’s also been torturing the half-elves, like Teryn, and plotting something even worse. Tissaia and the other members of the Brotherhood agree to hold Stregobor until after the Conclave of Mages to decide his fate.
Yennefer and Geralt believe they have thwarted the threat against Ciri and will move forward at the Conclave of Mages set on uniting the Brotherhood, who will then unite the kingdoms.
Geralt tells Yennefer “I love you” for the first time, and they kiss in front of everyone at the party.
After the party, Geralt and Yennefer continue to sort through what happened during the night. Using the painting Vilgefortz was describing to Geralt and what Philippa said about Lydia doing anything for the one she loves, they realize that Vilgefortz is behind all of it. He’s Rience’s employer, and he’s also using Lydia, and possibly others, to help him. But what’s his endgame?
Before Geralt and Yennefer can figure it out, they hear screaming. Geralt steps out of their room and into the hallway where Dijkstra holds a knife to his neck.
The Witcher season 3 part 1 ending explained
Although there’s still a lot that remains unknown, it seems Geralt and Yennefer solved the puzzle too late. They figured out that, somehow, Vilgefortz is the one behind most of this treachery. It was his plan to send Rience after Ciri, and he’s the one torturing the young half-elves. He’s also using Lydia to do his bidding.
That’s what we know. We also know that Jaskier and Ciri are at Loxia, safe for now. It’s also possible that Radovid is there. If that’s true, it could be part of Redania’s bigger plan to get Ciri on their side.
Now we have to fill in some of the gaps about what happened next. Earlier in the season, Philippa is with Eva and learns that Lydia was the one speaking on behalf of Nilfgaard. Philippa’s gaze, then, shifts from Rience to Lydia and likely to Vilgefortz. We know all about Redanian intelligence and how they operate. It appears that Dijkstra, Philippa, and the Redanians made their move the night before the Conclave of Mages.
We don’t know if Vilgefortz is on their side or who else is involved yet. That will be determined soon.
But from the Redanians’ perspective, the Conclave of Mages is a massive threat. They already know that the Brotherhood can’t be trusted, and now they know that they were working with and/or for Nilfgaard. So it’s clear why Philippa and Dijkstra would move now to try to get Ciri on their side before it’s too late.
The Witcher season 3, Episode 6 recap: “Everybody Has a Plan ’til They Get Punched in the Face”
Episode 306 begins with Dijkstra’s knife at Geralt’s neck. At the end of the fifth episode, Redania made the big move to round up all the sorcerers and sorceresses at Aretuza and stop them from aligning with Nilfgaard. Phillippa and Dijkstra figured out that Vilgefortz was allied with Nilfgaard. Phillippa says this is “a purge,” but we all know it’s not going to be that easy.
Yennefer finds Geralt’s sword and disappears through a secret passage, narrowly avoiding capture by the Redanians. Yennefer fights Lydia, but Triss arrives and stops Lydia. Yennefer kills Lydia.
Radovid tries to help take Ciri back to Redania, which upsets Jaskier. Ciri goes missing. She’s on the run again! AGAIN! She knows what’s coming for her and flees to the forest. I wish, for her sake, that she could just stop running through forests.
Back at the sorcerer’s keep, the Redanians try to explain to Tissaia what Vilgefortz is doing, but Tissaia doesn’t believe them. Vilgefortz has the upper hand, which Tissaia will soon realize. Vilgefortz is part of a conspiracy which stopped the Redanian ships, and replaced them with a Nilfgaardian and Elven force, the Scoia’tel, which lays siege to Aretuza. Vilgefortz reveals his plans to Tissaia, who is devastated by his betrayal. He brings the Scoia’tel and Nilfgaardians into Aretuza.
This is the most epic battle sequence we’ve seen in the series so far. Tissaia and the mages put up a good fight, but Tissaia’s forces are not strong enough to hold back the Scoia’tel and the Nilfgaardians, who are led by Francesca, Fringilla and Cahir. It’s a bloodbath! Literally, Tissaia pops Francesca’s husband Filavandrel like a balloon. His blood ends up all over Francesca, and she loses it! With the help of Fringilla, Francesca uses all of her power to lay waste to Aretuza. It’s epic destruction everywhere.
Outside the fortress, Yennefer finds Ciri, but they’re attacked by Rience. Luckily Geralt shows up and slices off Rience’s head. The trio is together again, but they aren’t away from danger yet.
Back in the thick of the battle, Tissaia summons Alzur’s Thunder, which Ciri points out is a spell of last resort. Yennefer must go to her, because Tissaia is the closest thing she has to a mother, which jeopardizes everything. Geralt tries to talk her out of it, but Yennefer leaves. She gives Ciri the biggest hug and says her slogan: “Never lost. Always found.” She calls Ciri her daughter before she leaves.
We also get to see Fringilla and Cahir have a moment. Remember, Cahir believes her to be dead, but she tells Cahir to think for himself, which leads to one of the best moments of the season so far: Cahir finds Ciri and Geralt fleeing, and Cahir apologizes for everything, including destroying Cintra and all the pain he caused Ciri. He asks Ciri to kill him, but she can’t. He flips his allegiance and tries to buy Ciri some time by fighting the Scoia’tael. Unfortunately, it’s not enough.
Back in Aretuza, Stregobor uses fire magic to hold off Francesca and Fringilla. “Falka will be waiting for you,” he says. Interesting, very Interesting! Yennefer rescues Tissaia.
On the beach, Geralt fights Vilgefortz, who is looking to bring Ciri to Emyhr and Nilfgaard. He is much stronger than Geralt and nearly kills him. He leaves Geralt broken and dying on the beach before following Ciri into Tor Lara. Vilgefortz tries to get Ciri to side with him, but instead she uses her power and touches the rock in the tower, which explodes and collapses with her and Vilgefortz inside.
Triss rescues Geralt from the beach while everyone flees Aretuza and Tor Lara tumbles into the sea.
Episode 306 is easily the best episode of The Witcher yet
This is the best episode of The Witcher ever, and it’s not even close. Everything has been building to this moment, and it’s epic!
Unfortunately, having seen the last two episodes of the season, there’s no doubt this episode should have been the season finale. The final two episodes, while important, do not even come close to the epicness of episode 6.
I guess that’s by design. As we’ve seen with other major fantasy series like Game of Thrones, it’s hard to keep it up episode after episode. I was just hoping for a more satisfying conclusion to the season that leaves more questions than answers. We’ll discuss more of that shortly. On to episode 7 of The Witcher season 3!
The Witcher season 3, Episode 7 recap: “Out of the Fire, Into the Frying Pan”
The Witcher Episode 307 follows the best episode of the series so far, and it’s kind of clunky. I understand why it needs to happen, but there’s just so much filler. After an epic episode, we want to shift into overdrive, and this episode slams on the brakes.
I understand the change of pace, but the season was so good until this point. If the season finale was another banger of an episode, I wouldn’t mind the seventh episode being so slow, but the finale never reaches the level of Episodes 5 and 6.
Anyway, let’s get into what happens.
As Tor Lara collapsed, Ciri was transported via portal to vast desert. There’s nothing for miles around her. She remains alone for most of the episode, although she does have run-ins with a unicorn who helps her, a giant scorpion monster who tries to kill her, and visions of Falka, a former Redanian Princess who led a bloody rebellion and killed her whole family.
Back up north, Radovid reveals to Jaskier that the Second War has begun, but Jaskier must find Geralt and Ciri. Radovid thinks Ciri died in the tower explosion. Jaskier finds Yennefer, who can’t find Ciri, but at least Geralt is healing, thanks to Triss. He’s currently recuperating in Brokilon Forest being looked after by dryads.
Then we’re back with Ciri, who is injured in the sand. She’s in Korath, but she has a dislocated shoulder. She eats some salve, leaving the tin it was in. She starts walking. She starts to fade, and she’s walking in circles somehow. There’s a person with a cloak behind her. She doesn’t know who they are. She tries to drink water but is attacked by a sand monster and saved by a unicorn. She follows the unicorn through the desert but it disappears. Then there’s a giant sandstorm, but she survives.
Over the course of the episode, Ciri has visions. There’s still someone following her. She sees Pavetta, her mother, who says she’s been abandoned again. She says Ciri is too heavy a burden. Then Ciri gets mad and eats a lizard.
Lizard was a bad choice! She’s having visions of Geralt and Yennefer. Then she gets sick from eating the lizard and is approached by a vision of the future, but Ciri doesn’t know who or what is happening.
Finally the unicorn comes back, but Ciri doesn’t have the strength to continue on. She tries to pet the unicorn but it won’t let her. She follows the unicorn through the desert to palm trees. It’s showing her where there is water. She’s eating bugs now, too, to get her strength back.
Ciri is approached by her a vision of her grandmother Calanthe, who tells her to stand up to the enemy. She accidentally punches the rocks. Ciri realizes that the visions she’s seeing are all manifestations of her ancestor Falka. Falka tells her to use her powers to burn the system to the ground.
Ciri fights a giant sand scorpion who nearly kills the unicorn, and she bludgeons it to death with a rock. Ciri then saves the unicorn by healing its wound. Falka asks Ciri to embrace the fire magic, which is easy for her to use. She embraces the fire. She steps into the fire and becomes the fire. Now, she’s ready to take back what’s hers, and it’s time to make them pay. Falka tells her that she will be betrayed by Jaskier, Geralt, and Yennefer. She freaks out, and then she says, “I relinquish my powers.”
Then she’s found by someone in the desert.
At the end of the episode, we catch up with Jaskier, who is walking around the forest looking for Geralt. He finds the dryads, or rather they find him. He begs the dryads to help him and to let him come to help Geralt. The dryads allow Jaskier to visit Geralt, who is not doing well. He tells Geralt that Ciri is missing. Actually, it’s worse: she’s on her way to Nilfgaard.
The Witcher season 3 episode 8: “The Cost of Chaos”
It all comes down to this: Henry Cavill’s last episode of The Witcher. Cavill left the series after season 3, and Geralt will be played by Liam Hemsworth in season 4 and beyond. Unfortunately, the season 3 finale of The Witcher is not a grand sendoff to Cavill. It’s a bit underwhelming considering how good the season was up to Episode 7.
One of my big problems with this episode overall is that Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri don’t really play important roles. Let’s get into it.
The episode opens with Milva (Meng’er Zhang) and the healers helping Geralt. Geralt still wants to leave before he’s ready, but at least he’s not moping as much.
Geralt trains hard throughout the episode, but he’s not at full strength. Geralt and Jaskier are approached by Dara, who asks Geralt to tell Ciri that he forgives her and that he’s sorry. Geralt proves he can fight and then leaves for Nilfgaard to save Ciri. Geralt kills a group of Nilfgaardioan soldiers who are blocking the road after they refuse to let a girl and her family through. Geralt lets one soldier go with a promise to Emyhr that he will free Ciri. Milva also joins them, so it appears Geralt, Jaskier, and Milva will be the new trio trying to save Ciri.
Meanwhile, Yennefer learns that Vilgefortz has found Ciri and is taking her to Nilfgaard, although what she’s heard isn’t actually true. If Ciri joins forces with Nilfgaard, or appears to join forces, it will shift the tide of the war and bring others to Nilfgaard’s side.
Yennefer, Tissaia, Triss, Phillippa and others find Vilgefortz’s castle where he was torturing those Elven girls who Geralt found killed. They reverse the spell to help the dead find peace. They have a row out in the wilderness before Yennefer takes charge and tries to unite them.
Yennefer and Tissaia have a conversation about her role in this war between Nilfgaard and the North. Yennefer must find Ciri. She’s tired of Tissaia feeling sorry for herself, but it doesn’t help. Tissaia chooses not to fight anymore, and she dies, or so we are led to believe. I’m not totally convinced that Tissaia didn’t just fake her own death to find a way to defeat Vilgefortz, but we’ll see in season 4 and beyond.
Yennefer then goes to visit Geralt, who apologizes for losing Ciri. She tells Geralt that she’s so angry about what Tissaia did and asks who the sorcerers and sorceresses have now. Geralt says that they have Yennefer. He promises to make Vilgefortz and Emyhr pay for what they did.
Yennefer hatches a plan to kill Vilgefortz with the surviving magic users from Aretuza.
Elsewhere on the Continent, Fringilla visits Emyhr in Nilfgaard with Francesca. They have some plans in the works. They propose that Francesca and Fringilla be sent to Cintra, but there’s a twist: Emyhr isn’t just going to let the elves off easy. They must remain allied with Nilfgaard with the Scoia’tel on the front lines fighting in the North. It’s effectively a death sentence for the elves who can fight, although Emyhr promises to protect the young, old, and those who are unable to fight.
Later, Fringilla reveals that Emyhr is responsible for killing Francesca’s baby. Fringilla wants to make things right, but Francesca is furious.
Dijkstra survived the battle at Aretuza and returned to Redania, where he breaks the bad news to Vizimir about what happened. Vizimir tells Dijkstra that someone must pay, and it appears to be Phillippa, but luckily, Phillippa’s lover Eva finds out. Dijkstra offers his life in exchange for Phillippa’s. She thanks him for doing so and reveals she has a new plan. Eva kills Vizimir, which makes Radovid the new King of Redania.
In Nilfgaard, Ciri is honored in a welcoming ceremony to weaken the North and turn the tide of war, but it’s not actually Ciri! It’s Teryn, the fake Ciri. We also see Vilgefortz, who has a pretty scarred face from the collapse of Tor Lara, with Emyhr and the fake Ciri.
Next we catch back up with the real Ciri, who is tied up in a bar while her captors are eating. She’s been here before in her visions. The captors mention Kayleigh and a local band of bandits called the Rats. The Rats show up. We met Mistle and a few others earlier this season. There’s a big brawl, but the Rats win easily. Ciri faces off against her captor and kills him.
At the end of the episode, Mistle asks who Ciri is, and Ciri says, “Call me Falka,” and then season 3 ends.
Verdict
I don’t love how this season ended, but I’m intrigued to see where the story is going. It’s just a shame that Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer are separated again at the end of the season, but I guess that’s just how it goes with this show. This is a long, epic journey, and if Ciri, Geralt and Yennefer are to find peace, it’s not going to be until the very end.
As mentioned, this episode covered a lot of ground, but it wasn’t all that interesting for the main trio. Ciri was absent most of the episode while Geralt prepared for a new journey and Yennefer mourned the loss of Tissaia.
After watching the episode, I’m very interested in seeing what Francesca is going to do after learning of Emyhr’s involvement in the death of her child. The Redanians are also still making big moves. I don’t know why, but I find myself rooting for Phillippa and Dijkstra to find a way to stop Emyhr.
I’m also curious to see how Ciri fits in with the Rats and how quickly they learn who she really is and if they care.
And that’s it! The Witcher season 4 is in development, but we don’t have a release date yet. When it premieres, Henry Cavill will no longer play Geralt of Rivia; he’ll be replaced by Liam Hemsworth.
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