By The Witcher‘s third season debuted its first five episodes in Volume 1 on June 29, giving fans the much-anticipated return of Geralt (Henry Cavill), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra ), Ciri (Freya Allan), and Jaskier (Joey Batey) among others. However, Volume 1 also ended on a rather annoying cliffhanger, which will be resolved only on July 27 when Volume 2 of Season 3 is released with the season’s last three episodes.
We have a couple of weeks left before we can see what exactly the Redanian spymaster Dijkstra (Graham McTavish) has planned for Geralt, and what is going on with the mysterious mage Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jasu). To tide us over, Netflix has provided a teaser for Volume 2, which can be seen on Netflix after skipping the credits of Episode 5.
As is our custom, we will be dissecting every frame of this trailer in the post below, but first, watch the teaser for Volume 2 below.
SPOILER ALERT! Obviously, we will be discussing Volume 2 so we assume the readers of this article have seen Volume 1. Also, we may refer to some events from the novels ambiguously, in a way that book readers will understand, so be wary of mild spoilers for Volume 2 as well.
The Thanedd Coup Begins
The final episode of Volume 1 revealed that Vilgefortz is the rogue mage behind the abduction of the Aretuza novices. Vilgefortz is also responsible for the horrible experiments on those girls, including the monstrous abomination made from the headless bodies of three young girls, whose still-living heads were attached to the wall through some dark magic.
Moreover, all of this was part of Vilgefortz plan to capture Ciri and harness the powers of the Elder Blood which reside in her.
Our heroes manage to find out he is behind it all, and there will be a confrontation in which Vilgeforz shows his true colors to the other mages, and particularly his lover Tissaia (MyAnna Buring).
We are guessing the above frame is from such a scene.
But Vilgefortz’s crimes aren’t resolved so easily and cleanly. Before the conclave, the Redanian duo of Dijkstra and Philippa (Cassie Claire) organize fellow mages in an armed assault on alleged Nilfgaardian traitors within the Brotherhood of Mages, and this is why Dijkstra tells Geralt he “should have picked a side” at the end of Volume 1.
This event is called the Thanedd Coup, and it involves three factions: the Nilfgaardian supporters, the Northern Kingdoms supporters, and the neutrals. We already mentioned Philippa, who leads the Northern faction, and Vilgefortz, who leads the Nilfgaardian faction.
Last but not least is Tissaia, who leads the neutral party that hopes to keep the Brotherhood and the school of Aretuza intact. Obviously, it doesn’t quite work out, as we see Tissaia overlooking the burning Aretuza while casting a spell book readers may remember in the above screenshot.
Of course, no party is complete without a dash of Scoia’tael cannon fodder, and the Thanedd Coup is no different! As we see in the trailer, and as has already been set up in Episode 4 of the third season, Nilfgaardian general Cahir (Eamon Farren) has recruited the elven faction led by Francesca (Mecia Simson) for this very purpose.
We already saw an armored Francesca standing beside Cahir and some Nilfgaardian soldiers in a promotional video shared by IGN.
RELATED ARTICLE: First Look at Geralt in Brokilon, Mistle and More in The Witcher Season 3
We see a glimpse of the elves and Nilfgaardians being blasted by magic in the teaser. Here, they appear to be protected by a mage whose face is tainted with blood. It’s hard to recognize who that it, no doubt one of the mages belonging to the Nilfgaardian faction: so either Francesca, Rience (Sam Woolf), Lydia (Aisha Fabienne-Ross), or Fringilla (Mimi M. Khayisa).
Yes, Fringilla is back, and yes, she’s on team Nilfgaard despite all that happened. She will be reuniting with her old friends Cahir and Francesca and joining them in the assault on Aretuza.
During this raging battle, Yennefer will be faced with a difficult choice: on the one hand, Philippa’s faction offers to destroy those that wish to capture her adoptive daughter Ciri. On the other hand, Yennefer’s mentor and mother figure Tissaia is leading a faction of mages set on ending the conflict in Aretuza before the Brotherhood collapses once and for all.
We see a couple of shots of Yennefer from the Coup in the teaser. In one, she seems to be casting some spells and pinning soldiers to the wall. In the next, her face is stained with blood while she looks at a ring of fire.
Update: On closer inspection, this shot of a character’s eyes may also belong to Francesca, whose blue eye color is a better match.
In the IGN video, we also saw a glimpse of the aftermath of the Coup, which leaves Aretuza in ruins and Tissaia at her lowest point ever. Not only did she fail to prevent war between the mages, but she fell in love with and was manipulated by Vilgefortz, who managed to not only plot the destruction of the brotherhood under her nose but also abduct multiple of her students and conduct horrible experiments on them.
Fans of the novels know that this guilt will leave a lasting effect on Tissaia, and we expect to see MyAnna Buring give another incredible, emotional performance in Volume 2.
An Emotional Farewell
No matter where you go, we will never be apart
Season 3 of The Witcher has finally delivered what fans have been clamoring for since the show began: some quality time for the show’s found family. It feels as though Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri have shared more scenes in Season 3 than in the past two seasons combined, and that’s a great thing, because their time together will soon be up.
A common saying in the books is “something ends, something begins” and the Thanedd Coup is exactly that for The Witcher. Our three leads will each be leading their own adventure, with their own group of powerful misfits, but always thinking about and always longing for each other.
The scene we see in these screenshots appears to be the last time we will see Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri together in Season 3, and the teaser makes no attempt to conceal this fact. Yennefer tells Ciri that, no matter where she will go, they will always be together.
This emotional farewell will hit even harder knowing that this will be the last time the family will be together with Henry Cavill in the role of Geralt.
Of course, we can’t mention our found family without discussing the “funny uncle” Jaskier, who has also had some quality time with Yennefer, Geralt, and Ciri in the recent episodes. In the above screenshot, we see a distraught Yennefer hugging Jaskier, as she seems to be glad to see him in good shape. This may be after the Coup.
Geralt meets his match
The opening frames of the teaser feature Henry Cavill’s Geralt prudently navigating the underbelly of Aretuza as he searches for none other than the rogue mage Vilgefortz.
We have already seen various frames of this scene in previous promotional material, but now we know that this is how the iconic confrontation between Geralt and Vilgefortz begins.
During the chaos of the Thanedd Coup, Vilgefortz will be searching for Ciri, while Geralt is determined to find him and stop him once and for all. Geralt is used to cleaving through men and monsters with relative ease, usually escaping various fights without a scratch. Not this time.
Vilgefortz is waiting for him, wielding a staff. As in the books, they will have a talk before the fight begins, and Vilgefortz will be offering Geralt to join his cause. Geralt’s answer is not surprising.
I’ve always tried to stay above the fray, to sail everything out, but life always finds a way to force my hand. I will not join your fight.
We see a quick glimpse of the beginning of the fight, where Geralt and Vilgefortz trade blows. Sword will clash against staff as the two warriors duke it out.
The fight will eventually lead them out of these tunnels and into the nearby beach, where it will end as it did in the books.
And, of course, one must note that this is the end of the road for Geralt’s trusty steel sword that he’s been using for more than a decade. Yes, the “smiling sword” as fans call it, the one with Renfri’s brooch. RIP, smiling sword.
Curious to see more of this iconic fight scene? Well, we have covered it extensively during the filming of the sequence, and we actually have quite a lot of pictures of Geralt and Vilgefortz when the two fight on the beach, in the below article.
RELATED ARTICLE: PHOTO: The Witcher Films an Iconic Fight From the Books for Season 3
Ciri meets a determined Cahir
Geralt’s confrontation with Vilgefortz will no be the only iconic fight scene featured in Episode 6. This episode will also feature a scene shown in the books, in which Cahir manages to catch up to Ciri.
Though we don’t see it in the teaser, we can see a glimpse of this scene in a behind-the-scenes photo shared by the Witcher filming crew and in the IGN video mentioned previously.
This fight is also taking place on the hills outside Aretuza. Cahir will be more determined than ever to capture Ciri, now that Emperor Emhyr has given him one last chance.
However, the Nilfgaardian soldier’s mental condition has been deteriorating, and the seeds of doubt have already been planted when he was ordered to kill his old friend Gallatin.
There’s one more big showdown in this episode, and it involves the entire Witcher family. Because it was not shown in official promotional material, and moreso because it is a major change from the novels, we will leave it to you if you want to see some spoilers.
SPOILER REPORT: PHOTO: Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan Film a Fiery Fight Scene for The Witcher
Ciri’s magical desert adventure
Yes, that’s a unicorn in the desert! Fans of the books know this majestic steed is actually called Ihuarraquax (try saying that out loud, if you dare). Ciri comes across this unicorn in a little detour through the Korath Desert, also called the Frying Pan. Fun fact: the majority of the season’s seventh episode will be devoted to this Ciri adventure, and Freya Allan will be taking center stage.
There are a few more frames from this episode in the IGN behind-the-scenes video, and we can see some clear frames of a worried Ciri wandering through the desert.
These scenes were filmed in the Sahara Desert in Morocco, so The Witcher certainly didn’t cheap out in its choice of location. Freya Allan, who portrays Ciri, has previously described the experience of filming this episode as the most challenging moment of her career.
The teaser even includes a shot from a scene that is a major turning point for Ciri. Here, we can see Ciri using fire magic. Yennefer has already warned Ciri that fire magic has a cost, so expect that little piece of foreshadowing to become more important in Episode 7 and beyond.
We will be covering this desert adventure in a future post, where we will provide more details, stay tuned!
RELATED ARTICLE: The Witcher Season 3 Wraps Filming in Morocco
Introducing… The Rats!
There is a blink-and-you-miss-it scene in the trailer in which we see a rugged Ciri fighting a man in some inn or tavern. This fight takes place after the desert adventure, and as in the books, this is where Ciri will meet the Rats.
We can see our first look at two of the Rats in this teaser. To the left, there’s the elf Iskra (Aggy K. Addams), and beside her is the leader of the Rats Giselher (Ben Radcliffe).
Besides Giselher and Iskra, another key member of the Rats is Mistle (Christelle Elwin), pictured below, who has already met Ciri in the Gors Velen market in Volume 1.
Other Rats members include Kayleigh (Fabian McCallum), Reef (Juliette Alexandra), and Asse (Connor Crawford).
The Rats are a group of teenage war refugees who banded together in order to find some semblance of a family in the war-torn lands of the Continent. But theirs is not a wholesome, loving family like Geralt and Yennefer’s. The Rats are decidedly toxic, and are in fact the subject of much controversy among the fandom.
Curiously, Netflix has been working on a spinoff project that focuses on the Rats with Dolph Lundgren cast as a villainous rogue witcher Brehen, and this project has recently wrapped filming in South Africa.
RELATED ARTICLE: The Witcher’s Rats Prequel Wraps Filming, Possibly Gets Cut Short
Some more quick frames from the teaser
Though this frame is once again from the IGN video and not from the teaser, it is taken from Volume 2 and so it is relevant. Here we have a good look at Shang Chi star Mengher Zhang in the role of Milva. Milva is a skilled archer who joins forces with Geralt, Jaskier, and others in an adventure that will begin at the end of Season 3. Milva will be introduced in Brokilon forest.
Speaking of Brokilon, the IGN video provided a good look at Geralt and Jaskier eating some dryad food. Geralt seems rather beaten up after the fight with Vilgefortz.
Back to Nilfgaard, here we have shots of Emperor Emhyr welcoming a certain young woman to his palace.
Obviously, this teases Emhyr’s arc in Season 4: getting to know Teryn aka Fake Ciri.
Back to our bard, he seems rather sad in the picture above. Perhaps he is longing for his lover Radovid (Hugh Skinner).
Last but not least is this curious scene, in which Ciri is seeing some magical runes inside a cavern. The cavern walls are spattered with blood, which leads us to believe this is the moment when Ciri enters Tor Lara, the Tower of the Gull, during the Thanedd Coup in Episode 6.
Henry Cavill’s last fight as Geralt of Rivia
Throughout his three seasons as Geralt of Rivia, Henry Cavill has gifted us with some of the show’s best fight scenes. But Volume 2 will mark his last appearance as Geralt of Rivia, and Episode 8 will include his final fight scene.
This fight will occur after Geralt, Jaskier, and Milva leave Brokilon and it’s one of the last scenes of the season.
The Witcher Season 3 is available on Netflix with The Rats prequel in post-production and The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep anime by Studio Mir is far in production. Stay tuned to Redanian Intelligence and do pop into our Discord server to join in on The Witcher conversation.
