After the intrigue and scheming of the first volume, volume 2 of the third season of Netflix's
"The Witcher" brings the pain.
Here's how things shook out in these Continent-shattering episodes.
After Yennefer, Geralt and Ciri escape from the clutches of the Wild Hunt at the end of
Season 2, the show turns its focus to Ciri's journey.
It seems as though everyone from Redania to Aretuza is out to get her, with each group
harboring their own reasons for why Ciri can benefit their plans.
Ciri herself is struggling with her innate power, trying and failing to wield her abilities
under Yennefer's guidance.
She's eventually able to start her journey towards magical greatness, successfully taking
down a fearsome sea creature much to the delight of Geralt.
"You adapted at every turn.
I'm proud of you, Ciri."
Yennerfer and Geralt, meanwhile, take on a different significance — this time as a
couple.
As the White Flame tries to form an uneasy alliance with the Elves by using Cahir as
a mouthpiece, Yennefer enlists the help of Tissaia to host a Conclave of Mages at Aretuza
in the name of promoting peace.
There's suspicion before the night even arrives, with all parties gaining on Ciri's whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Jaskier gets closer to Prince Radovid as an unlikely romance seems to blossom.
The Conclave of Mages turns into a full-blown siege of Aretuza, and the stakes are dramatically
raised.
Geralt spends most of the final episode of the season healing from his fearsome battle
with Vilgefortz.
Yennefer pays him a visit while he takes refuge under the care of the Dryads, leading to a
tender moment that suggests that they're definitely a couple.
Vilgefortz reappears when news of The White Flame capturing Ciri starts to spread.
Emyhr appears to marry his own daughter, but the catch is that this Ciri isn't actually
Ciri at all.
She's Teryn, the young girl subjected to mind-control magic in the season's second episode.
Not only does this mean huge changes for The White Flame himself, but it significantly
alters things for those around him.
His uneasy alliance with the Elves threatens to unravel after Francesca learns what actually
happened to her baby.
"Emhyr murdered my child."
The real Ciri turns up as a hostage at a bar in the middle of nowhere.
Meanwhile, Yennefer tries to take control of things at Aretuza after Tissaia's death.
King Vizimir is killed, leading Prince Radovid to be crowned as part of Philippa's grand
plan, ending any chance of him running off with Jaskier.
"The Witcher" has never been too hot on its treatment of female characters, and Season
3 carries on that tradition.
Tissaia's story is probably the saddest.
Struggling to live with herself after her actions at the siege of Aretuza, Tissaia decides
to take her own life, leaving Yennefer to find her.
Along with her reaction to finding out about Vilgefortz's deceit, Tissaia's demise doesn't
feel fitting to her character.
She's been deemed the most powerful sorceress throughout the kingdoms, so her crumbling
to the first sign of fault isn't befitting of the legacy she has supposedly cultivated.
The same can be said for plenty of the show's other secondary female characters, most of
whom have stayed in the shadows until it's too late.
The season finale only just begins to hint at Philippa's true intentions and powers,
while Francesca is left to fall from the grace of being a feared and powerful leader.
The only woman who possibly comes away from the finale in a better place is Ciri, who's
learning to channel a form of magic that she didn't really know existed within her.
One of the highlights throughout Season 3 is the unexpected romance between Jaskier
and Prince Radovid.
After an initial meeting, Jaskier is invited to a party where he performs a song in front
of the Prince, leading Radovid to become enamored with him.
Juggling his attraction with his allegiance to Geralt and responsibility protecting Ciri,
Jaskier dubiously explores his feelings.
This eventually leads him to believe that Radovid is setting him up for failure.
By the time the season finale rolls around, the hope for their romance is cruelly dashed.
By being crowned King of Redania, Radovid is unable to fulfill his desire of taking
off with Jaskier, unwittingly falling into a trap Philippa has set for him.
"Long live King Radovid!"
Though this makes for a great plot twist in the episode's closing moments, the decision
could potentially do damage to the positive queer representation in "The Witcher."
So far, Jaskier and Radovid's relationship has felt very true to life: messy, confusing,
and fueled by a passion that the pair often feel needs to be hushed.
If their romance isn't handled sensitively heading into Season 4, the show risks undoing
all the work that it has done so far.
Surprisingly, the character that has the least fanfare in the Season 3 finale is the main
man himself.
The season began with Geralt's role shifting from being the focus on the action to aiding
Ciri's growth.
He chooses to leave Kaer Morhen in favor of a safe house.
He becomes instrumental in Ciri's journey to discover the extent of her magic powers,
and likewise works alongside Yennefer to try and uncover Vilgefortz for who he truly is.
In short, he hasn't done much on his own, and the season finale shows his storyline
tapering off into obscurity.
After his battle with Vilgefortz, Geralt spends Episodes 7 and 8 recuperating from his injuries
with the Dryads.
He makes a notable recovery as the season closes and heads off to try and set things
right.
The trouble is, we never get to see what this might be — which is a strange decision given
that this was Henry Cavill's last turn in the role.
The lack of emphasis on Geralt's story might be a way to take attention away from the forthcoming
casting change, allowing Liam Hemsworth to almost slip in unnoticed.
Another cornerstone of "The Witcher" is the on-again, off-again romance between Geralt
and Yennefer.
Season 3 arguably turns the certainty up a notch, with the events of the Conclave of
Mages all but confirming their pairing as a couple.
However, the show's penchant for keeping them apart kicks back in during the closing episodes,
with Yennefer becoming preoccupied with the order of Aretuza.
It could be argued that each has a path ahead of them that's more important than being together,
with Yennefer set to take over for Tissaia while Geralt tries to take down Vilgefortz
single-handedly.
For the greater good of the "Witcher" world, this is what viewers might expect to happen.
However, Geralt and Yennefer also seem bound by an unspoken destiny, just like Geralt and
Ciri are.
"Tell me this isn't the last time I'll see you."
Positioning themselves as a family unit, the trio have outwardly promised to find their
way back to each other numerous times.
That said, Ciri's new journey of self-discovery might mean that this becomes more difficult
as Season 4 progresses.
By the end of the season's fifth episode, The Brotherhood is already in a precarious
state.
During the Conclave of Mages, Geralt and Yennefer become convinced that Stregobor is the mole
in The Brotherhood, and successfully convince the other members of his guilt.
It soon becomes clear that it is in fact Vilgefortz, though, and the organization is already deeply
compromised.
This gets worse as the siege of Aretuza takes hold, killing off key members including Artorius
during battle.
To make matters worse, Tissaia takes her own life, leaving The Brotherhood without a highly
influential leader.
Something Season 4 is likely to look at is how The Brotherhood can bounce back from the
chaos — if it even can.
Little trust is left, with the glue that could keep things together likely to be the combined
power and unity of Geralt and Yennefer.
The Mages of Aretuza are likely to take more control, having remained a strong unit through
Season 3's deceptions and tribulations.
Triss is undeniably by Yennefer's side, while Fringilla's reappearance could strengthen
the group even further.
One of the most surprising twists in the Season 3 finale is Ciri's fate.
All season long, fans have watched her struggle with her lack of control over her abilities,
unable to cultivate any real magic under Yennefer's guidance.
After she gets separated from Yennefer and Geralt, Ciri finds herself in the Korath desert
with seemingly no way out.
While she's there, she meets a strange woman who implies that Ciri has more power than
she knows, who later turns out to be called Falka.
Falka is the eldest child of King Vridank, who also is born with Elven blood.
She started a rebellion that led to many deaths, including most of her own family.
"I took back what was rightfully mine."
In the finale's closing moments, Ciri tells a stranger to call her Falka, suggesting that
the two characters are about to merge into one.
Given that Falka is considered to be a historical evil, Ciri's newfound sense of power will
perhaps now take her down a more villainous path.
Now that the Second War has officially begun, there's a lot that is up for grabs.
In the Season 3 finale, The White Flame makes it clear that he believes himself to hold
the most power, with Vilgefortz standing proudly by his side.
For the time being, this might actually be the case.
Much of the surrounding kingdom either fears or respects him, with his immediate enemies
and threats currently down for the count.
However, this isn't likely to last for long.
Now that Geralt is back to full health, Season 4 is likely to show him on the warpath to
justice and redemption.
Vilgefortz will be his main target, given their earlier battle, but if Geralt learns
of Emhyr's marriage to the fake Ciri, he'll be out for The White Flame, too.
At the same time, other deceits and acts of power-grabbing can't be ruled out either.
Newly-crowned King Radovid will be out to seek vengeance for his recently deceased brother,
especially if he doesn't learn the truth that Philippa was responsible.
The Wild Hunt is beginning to once again rear its head after a lengthy hiatus, while The
Brotherhood is on the verge of reassembling.
This is all before we even consider Ciri, who is set to wreak havoc on those she loves
the most thanks to Falka's influence.
Henry Cavill's exit from the show was announced back in October 2022, and it was made clear
that the third season would be his last.
In a statement on his Instagram profile, Cavill wrote:
"As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time
spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced
of men."
Cavill's involvement with the show, or lack thereof, is the most telling factor for what
might happen next.
Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich elaborated on Geralt's fate in an interview with Total
Film, stating that the writers initially had other alternatives in mind.
She said,
"It was time for him in his life to move on.
I think we've all been mourning this in our own way.
We had the choice to have Geralt exit and to end the show.
[But] that's not something that we were willing to do.
There's just too many stories left to tell."
Cast member Joey Batey also remarked that Cavill leaving the show was "bittersweet"
during an interview with On Demand Entertainment.
He added of Cavill,
"He brings such a professionalism, such a respect, and laughter to the set."
The Netflix version of "The Witcher" has often been compared to its original source material
in the books and the video game adaptations.
For Season 3, the key frame of reference is the novel "The Time of Contempt."
There have already been some noticeable changes that could be indicators of where the TV show
will end up next.
This means that the writers of the show can really spin the story off in a new direction.
As in the books, Philippa plays a key role in Vizimir's assassination and the subsequent
changes to Redania's government.
We're likely to see her character greatly expanded.
Another key part of Season 3's ending is Aretuza, which now faces a complete overhaul following
the attack on the school.
Likewise, Emhyr marries a fake Ciri much later in the books, in the novel "The Lady of the
Lake."
Advancing that plot element is sure to shake things up, too.