Every episode of The Witcher season 3, ranked from worst to best

Finally picking up: Episode 304, “The Invitation”

Episode 4 feels much better, although it doesn’t altogether avoid the problems of the last two installments. We delve deeper into the intricacies and intrigues of the Brotherhood of Mages and the Redanian court. There’s still an element of repetition, though, and not much real plot advancement. Save for a few seconds of Fringilla enjoying her newly obtained freedom and Jaskier giving in to Radovid’s flirtations, there was nothing in “The Invitation” we had not already seen.

The Brotherhood in council, Geralt and Ciri having a heart-to-heart and a monster hunt, Jaskier not enjoying competition, the three of them reuniting with Yennefer, and Ciri being left with Jaskier for safe-keeping… it felt good to watch, but it would have made almost no difference to the plot had this all be skipped.

Regardless, I enjoyed the open conversations between the four main characters, as well as seeing the bond that’s formed between Ciri and Jaskier, which is starting to feel real and honest rather than affection by proxy.

Much, much better:“ Episode 305, “The Art of Illusion”

While the events of this episode could easily have unfolded in 20 minutes, I enjoyed how the writers gave “The Art of Illusion” a non-conventional narrative structure: we see the events of the ball not as they unfolded but as Geralt and Yennefer tell them to each other, so we piece together more and more as the episode continues.

The non-linear structure provided a welcome reprieve from the otherwise static course of events we had endured all season. This episode, almost entirely set in one location, ran the risk of being boring, but passes quickly thanks to the murder mystery format.

Every scene felt like it could be the climax, every interlocutor like they could have been the suspect, even if I’m sure most people had already cracked the code. Personally, I saw through the Stregabor red herring right away, and ultimately I don’t think the big twist came as a surprise. But it was still fun and has me looking forward to Volume 2.

All in all, this episode was a worthy mid-season finale…wow, do we even use that term anymore, used as we are to binge-watching entire seasons? I hope the rest of the season makes more bold narrative choices.

Best episode of The Witcher season 3: Episode 301, “Shaerrawedd”

The season starts out strong with a great first episode. “Shaerrawedd” does what all season premieres should do: it reintroduces us to the characters and the world but doesn’t overburden us with exposition. It plants seeds for the storylines to come and hints at new mysteries, making us want to watch the next episode immediately.

“Shaerrawedd” has a good balance between character and plot; it deepens the bonds between characters while also having the story move forward and showing us where everyone has been in the short time that’s passed between seasons.

I appreciated that the episode only introduced a couple of new characters, like Gallatin and Radovid, and that it was not too on the nose about where things are going, letting the mysteries unfold in future episodes, like in the cases of the novices disappearing. Leaving Tissaia’s bracelet as a hint whet our appetites in the right way.

I rather liked the “dear friend” letters Yen and Geralt exchanged instead of speaking; it was a welcome nod to the books and an innovative way to show their evolving relationship. The main trio continuously moving houses set a good pace, providing a rhythm that is often lacking in intro episodes. The various montages of domesticity captured the complex yet familiar dynamics between Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer.

What did you think of the season, and what was your ranking?

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