The Witcher Season-Finale Recap: A Knight’s Tale

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To demonstrate the incredible emotional and narrative range of The Witcher, the season four finale is an excellent example. Within a single hour, the episode delivers an exciting battle featuring Geralt and his allies, a thoughtful political strategy led by Yennefer and the sorceresses, and a shockingly brutal outcome for Ciri and the Rats.

The season follows Geralt and his companions as they finally approach Nilfgaard, but face one last challenge: a dangerous river crossing. They initially find a ferry, which seems like a stroke of luck. However, a Northern army mistakenly believes they are spies for Nilfgaard, forcing them to flee down the river. Unfortunately, this only leads them into another danger – a Nilfgaardian force waiting on the other side, ready to attack.

While the initial scene is well-done, it’s really a setup for the episode’s main battle: Geralt leads a struggling Northern army in a desperate attempt to protect a crucial bridge from the Nilfgaardian forces. Though not as unique or imaginative as the magical duel from a few episodes prior, the battle features several clever moments. These include Cahir skillfully eliminating an old friend with a crossbow, Zoltan using a clever tactic with logs to disrupt the enemy cavalry, and Geralt creatively employing fire magic to defeat a troll using its own weapon.

Life at Montecalvo is slowly returning to normal after the fight with Vilgefortz, though the danger hasn’t really passed. While his army was defeated, Vilgefortz himself is still at large and planning his next attack.

Yennefer follows through on her plan, convincing the remaining sorceresses to create a League dedicated to restoring Aretuza and ensuring the survival of magic. Then, she enlists Triss’s help to magically examine the blood on Vesemir’s dagger, hoping to find Vilgefortz. Though Vesemir’s death was tragic, Yennefer is determined to make sure it wasn’t meaningless and sees this as a crucial step toward finally defeating her greatest enemy.

Okay, so the bigger political stuff can wait – right now, Ciri’s dealing with an immediate crisis. She’s desperately trying to get back to the Rats, hoping to warn them about a deadly ambush, but she doesn’t make it in time. Honestly, like a lot of Witcher fans, I never really connected with the Rats – and the show didn’t do a great job of making them more sympathetic either – but watching Leo Bonhart just systematically cut them down is still brutal. By the time Ciri gets there, only Mistle is still standing, and even though she fights bravely, Bonhart ends up overpowering her and knocks her unconscious. It’s a really tough scene to watch.

Okay, so Ciri wakes up, and things immediately go from bad to absolutely horrific. This guy, Bonhart, has just casually chopped off the heads of most of the Rats – her companions – and tossed them in a barrel like it’s some kind of sick game. But the worst part? He waited until she was awake to kill Mistle, her horse, and made her watch. Honestly, after everything Ciri’s been through since Cintra fell, this felt like a moment that would really break her – a trauma that would stick with her forever. It was brutal, even for this world.

Despite the difficult events, the episode does offer a bright spot. After winning his battle, Geralt is called to the Northern kingdom by Queen Meve, who wants to reward him for his bravery. This is a dream come true for Geralt, who always secretly wished he could be a knight. Interestingly, Queen Meve rules over Lyria and Rivia – the very lands Geralt recently defended.

Even though Geralt is now officially known as Geralt of Rivia, the show is making it clear that Ciri’s journey is the main focus. The season four premiere brings back a storytelling technique that hints at how things will end for various characters. Yennefer and the sorceresses successfully rebuild Aretuza, and young Nimue plans to study there, receiving a history book from Striborg. He casually admits the information might not be accurate, but emphasizes that Ciri might hold the key to how everything ultimately turns out.

It’s strange that The Witcher keeps showing us scenes from a time long before the characters we’ve been following, but according to Nimue, there’s more to the story. A child asks what happened to Ciri, and unfortunately, we still don’t know. We’ll have to wait for the final season of The Witcher to find out how her story concludes.

Stray Arrows

The season finale ends with a cliffhanger: Emyhr leads a terrifying creature to Geralt, likely setting up a major plot point for season five.

For fans who couldn’t get enough of The Witcher, Netflix has unexpectedly released The Rats: A Witcher’s Tale as a full-length 92-minute movie. It feels a bit strange watching it knowing how the story ends for the Rats, but it’s worth checking out if you’re interested in seeing their initial meeting with Leo Bonhart and learning more about Brehen, who everyone mentions.

If you liked learning about Queen Meve, you can play as her in the video game Thronebreaker: The Witcher Chronicles. The game features the moment when Meve knights Geralt of Rivia, though the situation is a bit different than what you see in the TV show.

In a surprisingly understated turn of events, Milva experiences a miscarriage, which is primarily used as a reason for both her and Regis to avoid participating in the upcoming battle. Regis remains with Milva to provide care during this difficult time.

Despite the surrounding conflict, there are touching interactions between Geralt and Milva. Before leaving for battle, he affectionately calls her “Maria” and offers comfort. Later, after learning she’s lost the baby, Geralt immediately shifts the focus back to her emotional state, asking again how she is doing, showing his genuine care for his friend.

Vilgefortz celebrated his few remaining soldiers after the battle, but then shockingly murdered them, taking a hand, tongue, and eyes – likely for a sinister magical ritual. It really makes you wonder why anyone would willingly fight for someone like him.

It’s an old joke, but I have to admit I found it funny when the naive ferry operators mistook baboons for ‘gorillas’.

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2025-10-31 04:58