Editor's Note: The below contains spoilers for The Witcher Season 3, Episode 3.
While there are still many loose threads to follow in the Continent, Season 3, Episode 3 of The Witcher finally starts to fit the pieces of the bigger puzzle. So far, the Continent seemed like a land divided by conflict, with dozens of political players struggling for control. Season 3, however, points out that a major enemy lurks in the shadows, drawing all the show’s main characters to the same place. So, while disconnected scenes are shoved into Episode 3 so that we can remember where some characters are, Episode 3 does a great job of leading the heroes to the same place, where something big is bound to happen.
At the start of Season 3, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) part ways, each following paths that’ll help them keep Ciri (Freya Allan) safe. Now, Episode 3, “Reunion,” shows that everyone’s mission is intertwined, as the big villain of Season 3 is connected to many unfortunate events on the Continent.
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‘The Witcher’s Main Villain Is Trying to Recreate Ciri
Season 2 of The Witcher explored Ciri’s ancestry and explained how the girl’s Elder Blood makes her the most coveted prize on the Continent. Ciri’s innate magical abilities turn her into a living weapon that different factions want to seize for their purposes. That’s also the case with the mysterious Season 3 villain, who has been conducting disturbing experiments to create a new Ciri-like girl.
In Season 3, Episode 2, Geralt rescued a girl (Frances Pooley) from the basem*nt of an abandoned castle, where Rience (Sam Woolf) supposedly meets with his master. The girl has been altered to look like Ciri, and her memories were scrambled so she would believe to be Geralt’s surrogate daughter. In Episode 3, Geralt and Jaskier (Joey Batey) take the fake Ciri to Anika (Catherine McCormack), a druid who was a friend of Geralt’s mother, Visenna (Frida Gustavsson). Anika detects a powerful mind-controlling spell in the fake Ciri, born from a mix of regular Chaos magic, druidic enchantments, and even ancient Elven magic. Whoever is behind this enchantment is a powerful mage with the time and determination to gather secret knowledge. That explains why Yennefer can barely control Rience’s portals, as the fire mage’s master is likely the mightiest magic-wielder on the Continent.
In Anika’s shack, the druid and Geralt work together to take fake Ciri out of her trance. They discover the girl is actually called Teryn and that she was an apprentice in Aretuza before being dragged from her chamber. Since Season 3, Episode 1 showed how Stregobor (Lars Mikkelsen) healed Rience’s hands, we know the mysterious villain has allies in Aretuza. That also explains the missing student from Episode 2 and the bloodstains Triss (Anna Shaffer) found on the walls of the girl’s chamber. Teryn reveals that Rience and a mage with a funny voice, probably the telepath Lydia (Aisha Fabienne Ross), were frequently together in the castle. Unfortunately, before the girl can reveal the name of the all-powerful enemy behind everything, someone takes over the girl’s mind and tells Geralt how the Destroyer of Worlds is coming for Ciri. Teryn also steals the protection stone that prevents Anika’s partner, Otto (Dempsey Bovell), from becoming a werewolf.
Geralt and Jaskier manage to subdue Otto, retrieve his protection stone, and save the day. However, Teryn is too frail to be of further use. Still, the girl revealed a lot, as now we know the Destroyer of Worlds needs Ciri to fulfill his plans. In fact, they need Ciri so much that they are willing to recreate the girl’s Elder Blood through vile experiments. In addition, the Destroyer of World has access to Aretuza, the same place Yennefer is taking Ciri. So, Geralt decides to go to Aretuza to keep his daughter safe.
A Conclave of Mages Is Requested
While Geralt and Jaskier are having their adventure in the woods, Yennefer meets Tissaia (MyAnna Buring) to ask for Aretuza’s protection for Ciri. Tissaia eventually agrees to take in the girl as an apprentice without revealing her heritage to the other mages. Yennefer has a high price to pay, though, as she needs to grovel before the Brotherhood of Sorcerers and beg for forgiveness.
While Yennefer negotiates with Tissaia, Ciri has a side adventure on the market. She’s taken to see a live basilisk, only to realize the monster is a baby wyvern starving inside a cage. Ciri tries to expose the fraud, accidentally causing the wyvern to escape. And while Ciri initially wanted to free the monster, once the wyvern becomes a danger to other people, Ciri is forced to slay the beast. So, once again, Ciri is faced with the gruesome consequences of her choices and learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished. During the turmoil, Ciri is also pickpocketed by a mysterious character who is actually Mistle (Christelle Elwin), one of the members of The Rats gang.
After the commotion in the market, Ciri meets Yennefer and Tissaia, being introduced as an apprentice to the other mages. As an apprentice, Ciri is expected to serve the mages without questioning her orders, which soon angers the girl. Ciri confronts Yennefer, asking why her surrogate mother is so eager to mingle with pompous people who have no sense of respect for others. Ciri also forces Yennefer to realize the politics of Aretuza corrode people from the inside.
Moved by Ciri’s words, Yennefer asks Tissaia to call for a Conclave, a reunion of all mages in the Continent. The goal is to unite all mages under a single banner, as their union can help Aretuza to regain the respect of the Northern Kingdoms and join the Continent against the Nilfgaard invaders. It’s a noble purpose, but given that the true enemy hides in Aretuza, Yennefer could have inadvertently contributed to the Destroyer of Worlds' plan.
Treasons Are Happening in the North and South
In the south of the Continent, Cahir (Eamon Farren) arranges a meeting between the White Flame (Bart Edwards) and Gallatin (Robbie Amell) so that the Elf warrior can tell the Emperor about how Queen Francesca (Mecia Simson) is using the Scoia'tael forces for hunting Ciri. Gallatin proposes he should lead the Elves so Nilfgaard could finally conquer the North. The Emperor promises Gallatin the matter will be resolved. However, the White Flame tells Cahir how division among the Elves would harm Nilfgaard’s cause and that if the former general wants to prove his loyalty, he’ll take care of the issue. So, to show his commitment to Nilfgaard, Cahir murders Gallatin, stabbing his friend in the neck when he least expects it. It’s a brutal betrayal that’ll forever scar Cahir’s soul. Still, with one blow, Emhyr ensures the Elves remain united as a single group, keeps the secret he’s the father of Ciri, and ensures Cahir will remain faithful to Nilfgaard’s cause.
In the North, Dijkstra (Graham McTavish) is still distressed that King Vizimir (Ed Birch) struck a deal with Nilfgaard. What’s more disturbing is that Vizimir apparently promised Ciri in exchange for Redania being unharmed by Nilfgaard’s armies. In addition, once the war is over, Redania will also govern half of Temeria as a vassal state. It’s an excellent deal for Vizimir but one that gets in the way of Dijkstra’s plans. So, the spymaster kills the queen and delivers her head as a gift to Vizimir, forging a letter that blames Nilfgaard for the attack. Dijkstra also makes sure Radovid (Hugh Skinner) knows the truth of the attack, so the young prince will keep in line or risk losing his own head.
Magical Alliances Are Beginning to Take Shape
In Redania, Philippa (Cassie Clare) also discovers the mage that Nilfgaard sent to meet King Vizimir used a unique portal that penetrated her magical defenses. As it turns out, the portal used by Nilfgaard’s envoy is the same as the one used by Rience, which indicates the two mages are working together. In addition, Nilfgaard’s envoy never opens her mouth, which means she’s a telepath. So, Season 3, Episode 3 confirms Philippa and Dijkstra are not working with Rience and are not part of the Destroyer of Worlds' plan. Furthermore, it tells us Rience and Lydia are working with Nilfgaard.
The episode also shows how Rience confronts Lydia about their master working for Nilfgaard. Lydia assures the fire mage that their master only uses Nilfgaard to achieve their goals. Still, Rience is unhappy to be left in the dark and says he’ll only keep working for their master if they drop the secrecy and tell him everything. Season 3, Episode 3 also has a brief scene with Istredd (Royce Pierreson), who’s trying to retrieve the Book of Monoliths. Istredd is after Ciri to uncover the secrets of the girl’s connection with the monoliths but unfortunately learns the book has been sent to Aretuza by the Nilfgaardian Emperor. So, it seems like Istredd will also journey to the Brotherhood of Sorcerers’ base of operations.
The Wild Hunt Returns
In “Reunion,” Geralt learns his mother, Visenna, was beaten to death after being mistaken for an Elf. The White Wolf is distressed by the news, which forces him to confront his past and the fact his mother abandoned him when he was just a child. Geralt still hasn’t forgiven his mother for leaving him alone, which is why he vows to remain by Ciri’s side forever.
At the end of Season 3, Episode 3, Ciri is riding alone on a road when ghostly riders start to follow her. The Wild Hunt tries to catch the girl, telling her she’s death incarnated, which means Ciri should join their ranks. Geralt comes to Ciri’s rescue, using his magic tricks to blast away the Wild Hunt. However, a piece of armor is left behind, proving to Ciri that these riders are as real as could possibly be.
The Witcher Season 3, Volume 1 is currently available on Netflix. Volume 2 will be released on July 27.
