Spoilers ahead!
"The Witcher" fans get to take a trip back in time in "The Witcher: Nightmare of the
Wolf."
The new anime film introduces fans to a younger version of Vesemir, the beloved mentor of
Geralt of Rivia.
In the film, we first meet Vesemir at a time when he is young, arrogant, and obsessed with
his ability to earn coins for his craft.
Everything changes, though, when a determined and vengeful mage named Tetra decides it's
time to make a move on Kaer Morhen to end the witcher line for good.
Not only is the film filled with riveting fight sequences and fascinating creatures,
but there are also a ton of Easter eggs scattered throughout for fans of the books, video games,
and — of course — the live-action series.
One thing fans of "The Witcher" streaming series are bound to notice right away is how
many moments in the movie echo some key scenes in the show.
For example, The Witcher's infamous bath scene gets a nod, as Vesemir is also shown enjoying
some time in the tub in the pic.
Vesemir also seems to have preceded Geralt in having some tense confrontations at local
pubs, since we see that, even at a time when witchers are less universal outcasts, he is
confronted by a few knights.
On top of all that, there's even a scene in which Vesemir aligns with the stunning mage
Tetra for a flirty skirmish with a basilisk, much like Geralt and Yennefer joined forces
for a fight during the dragon hunt in "The Witcher."
All of these scenarios have different origins and outcomes, of course, but for those who
have checked out "The Witcher," "Nightmare of the Wolf" finds quite a few ways to wink
at the way history repeats.
Another thing fans are bound to notice in "Nightmare of the Wolf" is the devastating
lens it puts on the fall of the elf kind -- and perhaps the reason Geralt is so knowledgeable
about and sympathetic to their plight.
In "The Witcher," we meet Filavandrel at his most desperate hour, living on the edge of
the world and subsisting on stolen wares to survive with the few elves that remain.
However, "Nightmare of the Wolf" shows him at a slightly less precarious time.
We see an elf school that's been turned to ashes, but he is still hopeful that he can
stop the bloodletting by getting to the bottom of a mysterious string of elf disappearances.
Unfortunately, it's a bit too late by the time Vesemir finally tries to help, and Fil
is only able to rescue one mutated elf girl from a pile of bones.
Vesemir's act of mercy in letting Fil take the potentially dangerous elf into his own
care could be one of the reasons Filavandrel chooses to give grace to Geralt in "The Witcher"
as well.
"I should have offered up some coin.
Then you would have handled matters.”
“It was not a question of price."
Since "Nightmare of the Wolf" gives us a glimpse into the lives of the Witchers before they
were all but eradicated at the Battle of Kaer Morhen, it's not just Vesemir who spends time
casting spells and slaying monsters throughout the movie.
The film gives fans a chance to see a full-on Witcher brigade in action together, not to
mention the training of young witchers.
One Easter egg that is meant for the true "Witcher" faithful is the moment when Vesemir
predicts the young witchers who are most likely to make it.
"We stay and see who survives.”
“Ugh, that could take days.
It'll be Eskel, Lambert, maybe Remus."
In "Witcher" lore, Eskel and Lambert are, like Geralt, students of the School of the
Wolf and train with Vesemir.
And while Remus is also a pupil of the Witcher school, "Witcher" watchers will know that
he meets a rather unfortunate fate in the series, when he's killed by the striga that
Geralt ends up facing.
That episode of "The Witcher" was written by "Nightmare of the Wolf" scribe Beau DeMayo.
The fact that Vesemir mentions Remus and then boasts about easily dispelling a striga right
after is probably not a coincidence.
For those "Witcher" fans who were hoping to see Vesemir and his protégé Geralt of Rivia
together in "Nightmare of the Wolf," the final moments of the film are certainly satisfying.
Because yes, Geralt is one of the four young witchers who manage to escape from the sack
on Kaer Morhen -- and in fact, he's the reason they could get away.
As it turns out, Geralt was already prepared to run away from the witcher school and found
a way out that later comes in handy when it is time for him and his peers to escape.
And when these tiny survivors are rounded up by Vesemir, who was previously reluctant
to become a witcher trainer, he gives them all a choice whether to continue.
It's Geralt who hesitates, at which point Vesemir repeats the recruitment phrase he
heard from his own mentor Deglan. "But they hate us.”
“There will always be another monster, Geralt."
And the rest, of course, is history.
Thanks for watching.
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