Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Sara Clements | TV | July 3, 2023
Volume One of The Witcher Season Three is now out on Netflix, which means Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia is coming to an end. In October, it was announced that Cavill would be “laying down [his] medallion and [his] swords for Season 4.” It shocked fans, especially with the news that Liam Hemsworth would be his replacement.
As our own James Field puts it, Hemsworth is “a poor substitute.” For fans of the games, Cavill captures the Butcher of Blaviken perfectly. He has Geralt’s chiseled appearance, can rock his signature white mane, and has the deep voice to effectively deliver Geralt’s signature “hmm.” He not only has The Arms for the role, but the ability for the audience to believe he’s been alive and fighting for over 80 years (give or take). Sure, Hemsworth can build himself up to meet the demands, but he’s also too young. If Season Four was going to explore Geralt’s younger years, then okay, but that’s more than likely not happening. Will fans stick around to watch? Maybe, but for now, the concern is if Season Three will be a fitting goodbye to Cavill’s Geralt.
The world is changing and threats keep coming. Volume One begins strong, with sorceress Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) questioning if they’ll ever stop running. Rogue mages and power-hungry monarchs have been after Ciri (Freya Allan), the princess of Cintra, since Season Two, and The Wild Hunt (spectral elven soldiers who want to use Ciri’s powers to travel between spheres) are closing in, too. The show’s core three are on the run, fighting human and monstrous foes along the way. As they travel the Continent through changing seasons and landscapes, a safe haven seems impossible to find among the forests and hills.
This time that Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri spend together, however, is quite fulfilling. In between the many quick getaways, Ciri, much more grown up this season, struggles to hone her powers. Despite the distrust between Geralt and Ciri towards Yennefer, after she almost traded Ciri’s life to regain her own powers, Yennefer is more determined now to help Ciri grow her magical skills. And despite Geralt previously rejecting the idea of Ciri becoming a witcher, he’s grown proud of her intelligence and skill as a hunter, with plenty of sword fighting to be had on her part.
While there is much to forgive, the bond between the core three is growing and a family dynamic is forming, as well. Geralt has been seen since the beginning as a father figure to Ciri, but this season, Yennefer is assuming the role of a mother - and the mother-daughter-like clashes that come with that. The journey to forgiveness also sees some evolution in the Yennefer-Geralt romance, too, and it’s as intoxicating and potent as ever.
The audience is treated to not only seeing Geralt in a bathtub again but also learning more about his past and how it has affected him all these years later, revealing a more emotional side to the character. His immense heart and this newfound family sees him terrified for perhaps one of the few times in his life. Making sure Ciri is safe is the main goal for her “parents,” and they believe there’s no safer place of protection than the magical academy of Aretuza. However, dark secrets lurk behind its spell-cast walls, with Geralt and those he loves facing perhaps their most dangerous enemy yet.
Season Three has literal dances and those of the political kind. Every political plot point has a means to an end, whether that end is capturing Ciri or becoming the strongest in the Continent, or both. While each individual plot remains engaging, it can be overwhelming to follow at times. However, it’s interesting to see how each character’s goals are tied. While there are some new characters introduced this season - like Redanian Prince Radovid (Hugh Skinner), stubborn elven warrior Gallatin (Robbie Amell), and sorceress Keira Metz (Safiyya Ingar) - they don’t yet have the same strong appeal as the recurring characters.
The rogue mage Rience (Sam Woolf) is still on the hunt for Ciri (and we learn more about why), while Redanian King Vizimir (Ed Birch) is, too. The latter wants Ciri on the throne next to him, but he employs spy master Dijkstra (Graham McTavish), sorceress Philippa (Cassie Clare), and his brother Radovid to do the finding for him. Elven Queen Francesca (Mecia Simson) still has war against humans on her mind after her baby was murdered last season, but she also wants to find Ciri for her Elder Blood, a gene belonging to the descendants of a very powerful elven sorceress. Francesca believes Ciri could finally save Elvenkind and provide them with sanctuary. Cahir (Eamon Farren) and Fringilla (Mimî M. Khayisa) are looking rough these days after Nilfgaard’s Emperor Emhyr (Bart Edwards), who got Season Two’s cliffhanger reveal of being Ciri’s father, arrested them. Our favorite minstrel bard, Jaskier (Joey Batey), is still charming and breaking hearts, but like Yennefer last season, he’s met with a proposition that could complicate things between him and Geralt.
The Witcher continues to deliver bloody, brutal swordplay, a haunting score, horniness, comic relief and flawlessly rendered CGI monsters that make your skin crawl - one this season, in particular, is the stuff of nightmares. Action sequences continue to be choreographed in a very simple way, grounded in the realism of real fighting. There’s much to admire about a show that isn’t about grand stunts, but knows how to film and execute these scenes in a way to still make them exhilarating.
Trust and destiny are the big themes this season. The building or rebuilding of trust is especially key between the core three, with Yennefer doing major damage control. As a result of freeing Cahir last season, in the belief it would create enough chaos to restore her powers, Yennefer created a division between the northern kingdoms and the Brotherhood of Sorcerers. So, not only does Yennefer have to regain the trust of those she loves most, but also regain it from the Brotherhood. Yennefer and Rectrix of Aretuza, Tissaia (MyAnna Buring), also try to forgive and trust each other again for the safety of Ciri, while the Brotherhood and the northern kings must rebuild trust too for the betterment of the Continent.
The theme of destiny comes with Ciri beginning to grapple with her place in the world, specifically what her destiny is. Is she destined to sit on a royal throne and have royal babies? Is she destined to be a sorceress or a witcher? She has the power to bring balance to the Continent; the power to save the world or, as sorceress Triss (Anna Shaffer) and Tissaia prophesied, she could destroy it. Destruction and loss have affected Ciri greatly, we see that more so than ever here, and it builds motivation in Yennefer and Geralt to do everything possible to help Ciri on her journey to becoming who she is meant to be.
In The Witcher video games, the player’s actions have consequences and affect the outcome. In The Witcher 3, you decide Ciri’s destiny - but now it’s hers to control. We don’t know what the outcome of Ciri’s journey will be, just like we don’t know what the outcome of Cavill’s departure will mean for the series. Settling the past and moving forward is emphasized a lot here, but moving past Cavill may be challenging. The hope for Volume Two of Season Three, when it releases on July 27, is to give Cavill’s Geralt an ending he deserves, for better or for worse.
