We weren’t crazy about the confusing way Netflix’s Witcher series was structured, but there was still plenty to enjoy in the adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s original short stories and books. Chief among those things: the characters themselves, not to mention the actors who played them.
But what happened to Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), Ciri (Freya Allan), and Jaskier (Joey Batey) in the end? We’ve seen all eight episodes of Netflix’s The Witcher, so we can break it all down for you now–and attempt to explain some of the more confusing parts.
Geralt and Ciri
Geralt was told over and over during the series that he’d have to face his destiny eventually, and we found out in Episode 4 that that destiny has a name: Ciri, princess of the kingdom formerly known as Cintra.
However, Geralt took a roundabout path to reach the same conclusion. By the time he arrived in Cintra to whisk the girl away from the impending danger of the Nilfgaardian invasion, her grandmother Queen Calanthe had become determined not to let her go. Calanthe threw Geralt in a dungeon, where he remained until the battle, during which he managed to escape–but too late to save the princess.
Dejected, Geralt continued his journey, until a fateful encounter that, unbeknownst to him, would eventually lead to the person he’d been seeking all along.
You see, Ciri’s storyline, despite being stretched out across the whole season, actually only took place over the course of about two weeks (or so showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich told us). After escaping from Cintra, she spent some time as a refugee and encountered the Dryads in the forest known as Brokilon. Lured away by a doppler in Nilfgaardian employ that posed as her former mentor Mousesack, Ciri narrowly escaped, and eventually found herself being cared for by a kind woman.
Well, that woman turned out to be the wife of the man whose life Geralt saved on the road after failing to rescue Ciri during the battle. When Geralt falls ill from a monster bite, the man carts the witcher back to his farm, where he and Ciri are finally united.
This scene plays out slightly differently in the show than it did in the books, where Ciri and Geralt had previously spent extensive time together when she was younger, and thus already knew one another. Nevertheless, the end result was the same: Ciri is safe, and Geralt has embraced his destiny.
Yennefer and Jaskier
However, there are two other characters in The Witcher who Geralt definitely did not embrace: Yennefer and Jaskier.
Yennefer parted ways with Geralt on bad terms after a shouting match at the end of Episode 6. She met up with Istredd, who rejected her advances, and was approached instead by Vilgefortz, a mysterious mage who lured her back to the magic school at Aretuza. There, she took part in a conclave of sorcerers and sorceresses as they debated what to do about Nilfgaard’s impending invasion.
She accompanied Tissaia, Vilgefortz, and other mages to Sodden Hill, where they made a desperate stand against the invading forces. The last we saw of Yennefer, she had unleashed an avalanche of fire onto the battlefield, but neither Tissaia nor Geralt could find any sign of her afterward (or maybe, the scenes of them calling her name through the smoke and ashes were just fever dreams–it’s not actually clear).
For Jaskier’s part, he and Geralt have their own falling out, also in Episode 6. After fighting with Yennefer, the emotionally raw witcher totally jumps down Jaskier’s throat as the bard tries to lighten the mood. Geralt blames the events of the show–his “child surprise,” the djinn that nearly killed Yennefer, and the current situation involving the dragons–on Jaskier, and begs the universe to be rid of the bard once and for all. Jaskier takes it in stride, but is clearly hurt–and that’s the last we see of him in this season of the show.
What’s next?
We already know that The Witcher Season 2 is happening. With the three disparate timelines now fully caught up to one another, we’re cautiously optimistic.
And there’s plenty left for the show to cover: Geralt and Ciri are united at last, but if the show continues following the books, Ciri is far from safe, and they have plenty of adventures left.
Yennefer and Geralt will have to make nice at some point, as will Jaskier and Geralt (although it will be a long time before Yennefer and Jaskier begin to see eye to eye).
And don’t forget about the side characters who are still kicking around: Cahir and Fringilla may have lost the Battle of Sodden Hill, but a battle is not the war, and Nilfgaard isn’t defeated. And it’s unclear what happened to Triss–whether she made it through the battle is a mystery.
We’re looking forward to finding out what happens next in The Witcher Season 2.
