The fourth episode of The Witcher delves deeper into the connection between Geralt and Ciri and firmly establishes the differing timelines the series is running on. During the previous episode, Geralt faces a striga in Temeria and meets Triss Merigold, while Yennefer undergoes a transformation, and Ciri enters a forest that calls to her.
A Baby
Queen Kalis of Lyria (Isobel Laidler) has given birth to another girl and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) has to hold the baby briefly. As the mage to King, Yennefer loved that she gave up everything, but instead for the last three decades, she’s given up everything to clean up political messes. Their conversation is interrupted when the carriage drivers and soldiers are killed. Yennefer, Kalis, and a soldier escape through a portal. Yennefer informs Kalis it was an assassin to kill Kalis as she’s not provided a male heir.
After jumping through another portal, Yennefer realises they are being traced. Yennefer holds off the monster and opens another portal, but they are followed again. When Kalis calls her a “useless witch”, Yennefer portals only herself.
Kalis offers her baby as a sacrifice, but the assassin slits her throat. As the monster approaches the baby, Yennefer returns and takes the baby through a portal. However, the assassin threw a blade and killed the baby, which Yennefer later buries.
A Feast
In yet another tavern, a man tells the story of a selkiemore and a Witcher being swallowed whole to Jaskier (Joey Batey). However, that Witcher is still very much alive and Geralt (Henry Cavill) walks in covered in selkiemore guts. Jaskier asks Geralt to be his bodyguard at a wedding feast in Cintra where Geralt runs into Mousesack (Adam Levy) while men are vying for Princess Pavetta’s (Gaia Mondadori) hand. According to Mousesack, Crach an Craite (Blair Kincaid), nephew to Eist Tuirseach, is already arranged to marry Pavetta. Queen Calanthe (Jodhi May) then returns from reminding townsfolk who is Queen, orders Jaskier to play a tune, and asks Geralt to sit at her side when she sees him.
Lord Peregrine of Nilfgaard (Dominic Creasey) is introduced as a contender, but gets cut off by music when he goes to speak. After offering his “potent seed”, Calanthe says Nilfgaard is the “shit rag” of the south and he leaves in embarrassment.
Calanthe wonders why they aren’t more Witchers and Geralt tells her they are unable to be created after the sacking of Kaer Moerhen. A disruption occurs and an armour-clad knight named Sir Urcheon of Erlenwald (Bart Edwards) asks for Pavetta’s hand. When Eist (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) removes Urcheon’s helmet, his face is a mix of human and hedgehog. Calanthe orders him to be killed, but Urcheon is there to claim what is rightfully his, which is Pavetta due to the Law of Surprise. He is attacked and a striking blow is almost given, but Geralt intervenes and a fight begins with just about everyone. Calanthe then picks up a sword and demands they all stop.
A Law
Pavetta rushes to Urcheon, who she calls Duny, and says he was to stay away. Duny explains he was cursed when he was young and he saved King Roegner from death and chose the Law of Surprise as payment. Whatever Roegner came home to find, it would be Duny’s—a pregnant Calanthe. She knew Duny would come, but she does not want to honour destiny’s wish.
Just as it seems Calanthe is going to accept Duny, she takes a dagger and goes to kill him but Pavetta screams and pushes everyone back with her power. She begins speaking Elder and herself and Duny rise into the air with a tornado around them. Mousesack uses his powers while Geralt drinks a potion so he can enter through and stop Pavetta.
Calanthe embraces Pavetta and thought her grandmother’s gift skipped Pavetta, like it did with her. She declares Pavetta will marry Duny and Etis declares Calanthe has accepted his proposal. Calanthe conducts the ceremony and the pair kiss, which then sees Duny retch and the curse lifts and returns to his normal self. Duny wants to repay Geralt and so he asks for the Law of Surprise and Pavetta then vomits…and they all realise Pavetta is pregnant.
A Forest
Ciri (Freya Allan) continues to follow the whispering and she is soon surrounded by spears and arrows in the Brokilon Forest. Ciri meets the Dryads, but introduces herself as Fiona to Eithne (Josette Simon) and the Dryad General (Nóra Trokán). Dara has the arrow removed and they are told must drink the waters of Brokilon and if they have ill intent, they will die. Ciri confides in Dara (Wilson Radjou-Pujalte) who she really is and he’s upset as her grandmother ordered his family and village to be slaughtered. Dara suggests she starts thinking for herself.
Dara drinks the waters and they are offered to Ciri so she can leave her past behind, but it doesn’t work on her. Later on, Ciri is made to drink from the source instead and she wakes up in the desert and a tree asks her what she is.
Meanwhile, the Nilfgaard men find Calanthe’s body and a man eats some of her skin before being killed and using his guts to find where Ciri is.
Overall Thoughts?
This episode further connects the dots as we can now easily see that the series is operating on different timelines with Ciri not yet being born, but Geralt already having a connection to her via the Law of Surprise. Unfortunately, Yennefer’s storyline this episode felt subpar, but sets up for what is to come in the next episode. That being said, it was great getting to see her actually using magic as we’ve only seen her open up one portal and conjure an audience previously.
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