The Witcher Season 3 Review: Based on the book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, the fantasy drama show has returned with Volume 1 of the third season. It is said to be based on the second instalment of the series titled Time of Contempt and the directors involved in the season are Stephen Surjik, Loni Peristere, Gandja Monteiro and Bola Ogun. There are a total of eight episodes in the season, out of which five are released and the remaining will come out next month.
The recurring cast of the series includes Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Ciri, Joey Batey as Jaskier, MyAnna Buring as Tissaia, Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, Anna Shaffer as Triss Merigold, Royce Pierreson as Istredd, Lars Mikkelsen as Stregobor, Eamon Farren as Cahir, Mimî M. Khayisa as Fringilla, Mecia Simson as Francesca, Cassie Clare as Philippa, Graham McTavish as Sigmund Dijkstra, Hugh Skinner as Price Radovid and others.
The Witcher Season 3 Review
After everything that unfolded in the last season of The Witcher, with the revelation of Emperor Emhyr as Ciri’s father and almost everyone on the lookout for the Princess of Cintra, Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri are on the run. As soon as they sense an incoming danger, they move to the next place in disguise. Rience the fire sorcerer is the only one who has come almost close to taking the princess away and has such a dark source of power that even Yennefer can’t withhold.
Most of the season is about Ciri trying to channel her powers in a way that she wants and not haphazardly in moments of intense emotional stimulation. Unfortunately, in the five episodes, she wasn’t successful enough in any of her attempts. Thus, Yennefer tries to take her to Aretuza where Ciri can get trained by her mentor, Tissaia. However, it’s not so easy considering all the radical decisions she took in the past. Apart from it, Emperor Emhyr along with Cahir, Francesca with the elves, and King Vizimir with his trusted advisors Philippa and Dijkstra are trying to find Ciri before anyone else but haven’t been able to get past her two protectors.
There’s a family-like bond building up between the trio, where Geralt and Yennefer are essentially acting like her actual parents, protecting her from external forces or when she finds herself in trouble. The montage of them having dinner together every day is the embodiment of their relationship which will definitely be tested by the end of the season. Although too bad, there weren’t many scenes with just Geralt and Ciri, like the second season where he was teaching her to be a witcher.
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The major developments happen in The Witcher season 3 episodes 4 and 5 when all the characters come seeking the answers in Aretuza. Geralt has to find out the person who is supporting Rience the fire sorcerer, as he is the biggest threat to Ciri at the moment. And under the pretence of a Conclave of Mages, Yennefer plans to bring everyone under one roof and figure out who that could be. While Triss and Istredd are trying to figure out the mystery behind disappearing half-elven girls and the Book of Monoliths which is the key to travelling between spheres.
At the Conclave, Geralt and Yennefer make an astonishing entry, while bracing themselves for deceit and kill (figuratively and literally). It’s one of the creative episodes, where there’s not much brutal action but the mind games are at their peak. It is shown through a general perspective first, then through Geralt’s point of view and finally Yennefer. Piecing everything together, they come to some major conclusions that can bring the kingdoms to war or find the balance, before everything is destroyed. The ending leaves us wondering about the character’s fate by the end of the Conclave.
Final Thoughts
Although almost everything was going according to plan, the ending leaves us with the ominous feeling that it is the last time we will be seeing Henry Cavill and Anya, happily together. If anything, then it’s for sure that the opposite forces got the better of them and the characters will mostly likely be separated during the final showdown. Also, with this being the final season starring Cavill, the last three episodes of Volume 2 will be the ones to look out for and treasure.
Volume 1 wasn’t high on adrenaline-filled action or story-altering developments, but it builds up the inter-relationships among the characters. The first three episodes were a bit dragging at times, where excessive dialogues were used to fill up the time but the fourth and fifth episodes hook you again, with some revelations that will make more sense later.
Rating: 3.5/5
The Witcher Season 3 is currently streaming on Netflix.
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