WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for The Witcher season 3, part 2.
Summary
- The Witcher season 3, part 2 concludes the show's adaptation of Time of Contempt and sets up the next chapter of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri's stories.
- Ciri's journey in season 3, part 2 saw her face inner demons and relinquish her powers, leading her to join a group known as the Rats.
- Geralt's neutrality is tested as he becomes more involved with the war between Nilfgaard and the North to find Ciri, setting up his journey in season 4.
The Witcher season 3’s finale concluded the show’s adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Time of Contempt and set up the next chapter in the stories of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri. The Witcher season 3, Henry Cavill’s final The Witcher season, was split into two parts. The Witcher season 3, part 2 covered the Thanedd coup’s battle and its aftermath, focusing on how it affected the show’s main characters and the Continent.
The Witcher season 3, part 2 separated Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri. Each of The Witcher’s main characters is now on a journey of their own, and they have all gone through some significant changes. Here is The Witcher season 3, part 2 ending explained, and how it sets up The Witcher season 4.
Ciri's Future After The Witcher Season 3's Ending & The Rats Explained
The Witcher season 3, episode 7 was mostly centered on Ciri’s journey through the Korath desert, a pivotal moment in the character’s story. Ciri’s story in The Witcher season 3, part 2 was significantly close to what happens in Time of Contempt, with Ciri disappearing from the Gulls' Tower during the Geralt vs. Vilgefortz fight. The Witcher season 3, episode 7 followed Ciri as she tried to survive the desert by herself, with the character having to face heat, cold, hunger, and her inner demons. The line between reality and imagination became blurry, especially regarding the Little Horse unicorn and Ciri’s visions of Falka.
Ciri used fire magic in The Witcher season 3, which, as Yennefer’s story in The Witcher season 2 shows, comes with consequences. Ciri’s use of fire magic combined with the visions she had, most of which were narrated by Falka, traumatized the Princess of Cintra. Ciri was confronted with the idea that her family and friends made her weak and that her actions could inflict pain on others. This is why Ciri relinquished her powers in The Witcher season 3, episode 7. The Witcher season 3’s finale saw Ciri being captured by Nilfgaard bounty hunters after she woke up in the desert.
Ciri’s time as a prisoner did not last long, as she was freed with the help of a group known as the Rats. Ciri avoided using her powers, although she did use her skills with a sword to defeat the bounty hunters at the bar. Ciri’s skills impressed the Rats, a group of which she will now be part. Ciri’s story after Time of Contempt, which The Witcher season 3 covered, sees her briefly taking part in the Rats’ missions across the continent before she is captured by Leo Bonhart. Essentially, Ciri will now embark on a solo journey before she reunites with Geralt at a much later point.
Who Are The Rats In The Witcher? Ciri's New Group Explained
The Witcher’s Rats are a group of bandits from the region of Geso, originally formed by six members by the time Ciri encounters them. Similar to their book counterparts, The Witcher season 3’s Rats have been portrayed as young characters who are around the same age as Ciri. While the Rats target the rich, they are not necessarily a Robin Hood-like group, as they steal for themselves. The Rats also kill those who get in their way, which means that Ciri’s time with them could be one of the character’s most controversial moments in The Witcher yet. A The Witcher Rats spinoff is currently in the works at Netflix.
Why Ciri Calls Herself Falka & What Happens To Her In The Witcher Season 4
Not only has Ciri relinquished her powers, but she has also chosen not to reveal her real identity. At the beginning of The Witcher season 3, Ciri wanted to be the ruler she was meant to be, someone who could bridge the Elves and the humans as a descendant of both lineages. However, after the events of The Witcher season 3 – namely her pyromantic vision of Jaskier, Geralt, and Yennefer dying because of her – Ciri no longer wants to follow her destiny. To blend in with the Rants and live a “normal” life, Ciri chose a different name, Falka, based on the experience she had during the desert.
Interestingly, Falka may or may not be related to Ciri. In The Witcher’s lore, it is assumed that Fiona, who Ciri is a descendent of, was the daughter of Riannon. However, Fiona may actually have been Falka’s daughter, which would make Ciri related to Fiona. This creates a paradox for The Witcher’s Ciri prophecy, as Ciri could be the child of Elder Blood who will save the world or the child of the curse cast by Falka that will destroy the world. Based on what happens in Baptism of Fire, The Witcher season 4 will likely see Ciri separated from Geralt and Ciri for most of the episodes, if not the entire season.
Why Geralt Gives Away Renfri's Brooch & What Happens Next
The Witcher season 3’s main theme was Geralt’s neutrality. Since the beginning of the show, Geralt has tried to stay away from major political conflicts. The White Wolf followed very simple rules, which he first announced in The Witcher season 1. Geralt was there to fight monsters, and only if those monsters presented a threat to others. However, since Geralt found his Child of Destiny, the Witcher’s neutrality has been tested several times. This was especially true for The Witcher season 3, as another war between the North and Nilfgaard was approaching. After The Witcher season 3’s finale, it seems like Geralt’s neutrality is over.
As Yennefer said in her letter to Geralt, which brought The Witcher season 3 full circle, “neutrality be dammed.” While this may have felt like a small moment for Henry Cavill’s final The Witcher episode, Geralt coming back to face the Nilfgaardian soldiers only to help a family of strangers illustrates his new approach to the world. Geralt’s neutrality, which can be traced back to the tragedy of Renfri in The Witcher season 1, episode 1, is no more. This is why Geralt gave away Renfri’s brooch in The Witcher season 3’s finale.
For years, Geralt carried Renfryis brooch as a reminder of the last time he emotionally involved himself in a situation, which ended in tragedy. Geralt saw himself in a difficult position where he would either have to kill Renfry or let dozens of innocent people die. The events that led to Geralt becoming the “Butcher of Blakiven” only added to Geralt’s perception that he should never get too involved with others. However, now that Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri are very much a family, the White Wolf must change his approach. Leaving Renfri’s brooch away is a significant moment for Geralt that sets up his journey in The Witcher season 4.
The Witcher Season 4 Still Needs To Explain Henry Cavill's Geralt Recasting
Henry Cavill’s final scene in The Witcher season 3 sees Geralt, Jaskier, and Milva heading to Nilfgaard to find Ciri ahead of the war that is just about to begin. The Witcher season 3, episode 8 is the final time viewers will see Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, as the character will be recast with Liam Hemsworth for season 4. Before season 3 premiered, The Witcher producer Tomek Baginski suggested that Henry Cavill’s recast with Liam Hemsworth would be explained in-universe. However, The Witcher season 3’s finale did not offer any sort of in-universe explanation for why Geralt will be recast in The Witcher season 4.
One popular theory was that Geralt’s fight against Vilgefortz, which book readers already knew would end with the Witcher losing badly, would leave him with permanent scars. This would then be used to explain Geralt’s different look in season 4. However, while Geralt was indeed injured, his face had no scars at all. There was not any The Witcher multiverse storyline to hint at a recast either, although this would probably not be a good choice. Whether The Witcher season 4 will offer any in-universe explanation for why Geralt suddenly looks different remains to be seen.
Yennefer's The Witcher Season 3 Ending & Future: How Does She Reunite With Geralt?
The Witcher season 3, part 2 opened with the Thanedd coup, during which Tissaia was confronted with the result of Vilgefortz’s plan. Tissaia’s regret over having aligned herself with Vilgefortz, which indirectly led to the death of dozens of people, completely broke her. After Tissaia's death, Yennefer and the other sorceresses who once studied under Tissaia realized that it was now up to them to protect magic. As Yennefer put it, the Continent’s most powerful sorcerer has aligned himself with Nilfgaard, and they have to stop him. In her letter to Geralt, Yennefer asked the Witcher to find Ciri while she creates a better world for the child.
Yennefer’s story in The Witcher season 3 has diverged from the books significantly, including her ending. Between Time of Contempt and Baptism of Fire, Yennefer, who was kept after the coup started, was presumed to be dead by a lot of people and only learned about what happened to Ciri and Geralt several days after the battle ended. Many of Yennefer’s colleagues also believed that she was working with Vilgefortz, which the show did not incorporate. Still, if The Witcher season 4 follows Yennefer’s story in the books, it will take a while before she reunites with Geralt – this only happens much later at the Stygga Castle.
What The False Ciri Marrying The White Flame Means For The Witcher
Vilgefortz brought Ciri in front of Emhyr var Emreis in The Witcher season 3’s finale, except that it was not Ciri at all. “False Ciri,” the girl Geralt ran into at the beginning of the season, was brought to Emhyr’s court and will now marry the White Flame. Vilgefortz never planned to deliver the real Ciri to Emhyr, although the sorcerer did not manage to capture the real one anyway. This is why Vilgefortz was conducting experiments to create a fake Ciri. Interestingly, Teryn momentarily broke free of Vilgefortz’s magic with the help of Geralt. It is unclear whether Teryn still thinks she is the real Cirila of Cintra.
Regardless, The Witcher's False Ciri marrying Emhyr helps Nilfgaard consolidate its power. If the Continent believes that the White Flame is now married to the Princess of Cintra, Nilfgaard’s political influence grows significantly ahead of the war with the rest of the North. From a political standpoint, Emhyr’s marriage with False Ciri means as much as it would have if it involved the real Ciri. However, Emhyr also wants Ciri because of her powers, which is why he needs the real one. Presumably, Emhyir noticed that the girl was not the real Ciri right away.
Why Phillipa Killed Vizimir & What Radovid Being King Means
Vizimir was killed in The Witcher season 3’s finale by a member of his court at orders of Philippa. This is very close to what happened in the book, as Vizimir was assassinated by an elf right after the events of the Thanedd Coup. In the book, it is only suggested that Philippa was behind it, while The Witcher season 3 makes it clear that Philippa was the one who had King Visimir killed. Radovid, Vizimir’s brother, is king now. However, Radoviz was essentially crowned by Philippa and Dikstra, who can now manipulate Radovid and indirectly rule Redania through him.
What To Expect From The Witcher Season 4
Presumably, The Witcher season 4 will cover the events of Baptism of Fire. In fact, some portions of this book, such as Geralt’s recovery and Milva’s introduction, have already come into play in The Witcher season 3’s finale. The Witcher season 4, which will see Liam Hemsworth replace Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, will likely cover Geralt’s journey to Nilfgaard as he tried to find Ciri. The Witcher season 4 should also cover the Continent’s reaction to Emhyr’s marriage to Cirila, who is actually Fake Ciri. Both Ciri and Yennefer will have solo journeys too based on what happens in Time of Contempt.
Essentially, The Witcher season 4 will likely have three separate storylines. Geralt will try to find Ciri, not knowing that Nilfgaard does not have the real one. Yennefer and the other sorceress will try to rebuild Aretuza and fight Vilgefortz’s influence. Finally, Ciri will embark on a long journey that starts with the Rats, away from both Geralt and Yennefer.