Henry Cavill’s 20 best moments as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher

11. Playing house with Yennefer and Ciri

The Witcher season 3 begins with an extended sequence where Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer live in hiding together. Over the course of a few months, they move from house to house, staying mere steps ahead of the forces pursuing the princess. It’s during this time that we finally see them bond as a family, which leads to some wonderful work from all three actors.

I’m counting this entire montage as one big moment for Geralt. There are so many great parts of this sequence, like Geralt watching while Ciri and Yennefer take an accidental spill on the ice while skating, or the three of them sharing dinners together and fooling around in the kitchen. It’s the happiest this family ever gets to be, and it’s a joy to watch.

Part of why this sequence works so well is that, finally, we get to spend a decent chunk of time with Geralt, Ciri, and Yen all in one place. Cavill and Chalotra’s chemistry finally hits its stride in season 3 after some hiccups before. We also get to see Geralt happy, an emotion that Cavill doesn’t get to play very often in this series. It’s a crucial part of the journey. The devastating events later in the season work as well as they do because this opening episode does a great job of selling us on the idea of these three as a happy family. If only it could last…

12. Belleteyn

The climax of the happy sequence is a Belleteyn festival where some of the people searching for Ciri finally catch up to her. Belleteyn is a key part of Geralt and Yennefer’s story that was never explored in the TV series. They enjoy the event while reminiscencing about their relationship.

It’s a charming scene that shows off the chemistry between Cavill and Chalotra. Cavill leans into Geralt’s mischievous side, reminding Yennefer of dalliances she fails to mention.

I was torn about whether to put Geralt and Yen’s first meeting in season 1 on this list, but it’s easy to omit when every scene they have together in season 3 is just so much better and more natural. That’s especially true of this conversation at Belleteyn, where they reflect on the way the djinn bonded their destinies.

The quick battle with the jackapace also lets Cavill get out the silver sword for the first time in season 3. Geralt’s papa bear side comes out here. We’ve seen Geralt take his time with fights, but if those he cares about are in danger, there’s no messing around. His quick execution of the jackapace sets the tone for some of the brutal action yet to come.