Summary: Geralt sees the Nilfgaardian army on the move and goes to Cintra with hopes of taking Ciri away to protect her. Calanthe doesn't want this to happen, and after unsuccessfully attempting to deceive Geralt, she imprisons him. Nilfgaard attacks and Geralt escapes. Yennefer visits Istredd in Nazair, hoping to reconnect with him, but he has moved on. Yennefer is met by Vilgefortz who manipulates her into returning to Aretuza, where he hopes to have her help. Yennefer is angered upon discovering this, but she stays at Aretuza and reflects on how jaded she is with the mage society. The mages gather to discuss what to do about Nilfgaard and they ultimately agree to let Cintra fall. Tissaia speaks with Yennefer, asking her to help a small group of mages who wish to stop Nilfgaard. Ciri attempts to get to Skellige and steals a horse from a lady who offered to keep her safe. At night, Ciri is approached by a group of people, headed by Anton who recognizes her. The group tries to steal everything from Ciri, but she unleashes her powers and suddenly recites a prophecy.
The Good: It was great to see Geralt's story finally link up with Ciri's in this episode. Just like in "Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials", a greater significance to the overall plot increased my interest in this episode and made its events more engaging and interesting. In a lot of ways this is a direct continuation of that episode because it deals with Geralt's return to Cintra to be with Ciri, and showcases where he was during Cintra's fall and what he did about it. I appreciate that Geralt tried to help, and it seems that he is now more interested in his child surprise specifically because of his last encounter with Yennefer who chewed him out for ignoring Ciri. I enjoyed the character consistency with Calanthe who refused to give up Ciri to Geralt, with her overprotectiveness reinforced after Pavetta was lost at sea (see: The Unknown). And fitting for Geralt, he sees through Calanthe's plan and quickly realizes that the girl given to him was a fake. I enjoyed the writing here and it led to the sensible conclusion with Geralt being imprisoned. It also gave some more significance to Calanthe's final words, knowing that she is essentially admitting that she was wrong about everything in her final moments. Yennefer's storyline was the strongest of the episode. Her return to Istredd following the collapse of her world in the previous episode makes perfect sense. It fits that she would try to return to the one place where she was happy, and it is equally fitting that Istredd no longer wants anything to do with her after all this time. I never really bought into their relationship, but the idea of an estranged lover wanting to return after everything else has gone wrong is so strong that it makes this story work. The acting is also much improved here and I found myself understanding both characters' plights in this scene. Yennefer regrets everything while Istredd has finally moved on and has no intention of going back. This is some of the strongest character writing that the show has done so far. Even better was Yennefer's return to Aretuza. This sequence perfectly illustrated the character's disillusionment at how little the institution prepared her for reality and how much they had hidden from her. Furthermore, she blames Aretuza bitterly for taking away her ability to reproduce, lashing out at the world that created her. This story is laid out nicely for us, and I enjoyed Yennefer's cold-hearted and bitter warning to the aspiring mages, knowing that these weak mages would likely just end up as sacrifices to power Aretuza. The show has done a fantastic job of building up Yennefer, and even if the experience of getting her to this point wasn't as compelling as I would have liked, I buy her in this position and I'm excited to see what's next for her. Now that we are starting to dive into the more political side of Aretuza, I'm intrigued to see how Yennefer fits into this world and what impact she will have on it. The Bad: Ciri's story still falls flat. We haven't spent enough time with her to care about what she's doing and that remains true in this episode. I wish that her story had either been more fleshed out, or even cut/shortened altogether to allow more time for the more interesting characters. The Unknown: Why did Geralt decide to finally take on the law of surprise? Was it because of what Yennefer said? Why are these Nilfgaardians so loyal and willing to throw away their lives? Just who is this Emperor Emhyr, and how was he able to inspire such loyalty? Will the mages ever turn against Nilfgaard or are they happy to let them conquer the continent? Will Yennefer choose to fight with the small brotherhood of mages opposing Nilfgaard? What role will she have in the political realm of Aretuza now that she has been invited by Vilgefortz. What was that prophecy that Ciri shouted out at the end? How did she become a vessel for a prophecy? What became of Anton and the others with him when Ciri's powers burst out? Best Moment: Yennefer ranting away to the young mages in training about the flaws in the Aretuza system. Character of the Episode: Yennefer. Conclusion: This is better stuff. There is a sense of momentum here, and some interesting ideas are now being explored. There's still a long way to go for "The Witcher", but I enjoyed this episode. Score: 62
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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