The Witcher Recap: Thou Art a Villain

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The story of The Witcher has always revolved around Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri, even before they actually met. This focus on the three characters is reflected in the show’s logo, which features a circular design composed of three symbols – a wolf representing Geralt, a star for Yennefer, and a swallow for Ciri.

As a long-time fan, I’m really enjoying how much bigger the world of The Witcher feels this season. We’ve always loved Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri, but what’s really working in the fourth season – especially as we’re halfway through – is the focus on all the other fascinating, morally grey characters and the villains. Seeing how everyone reacts to threats like Vilgefortz and the Nilfgaardian empire is bringing out some unexpected sides of them. It’s compelling to watch where all these powerful figures are ending up and who they’ll align with – it really feels like anything could happen across the Continent!

I was really thrown when the story opened with that soldier! After the attack on the camp, Geralt wakes up to find he’s been captured, but it wasn’t the Nilfgaardians – it was the Northern army! And this soldier? He’s a Cintran, still clinging to his kingdom even after it fell. What’s wild is, we actually met him way back in season one, when Geralt first used the Law of Surprise with Duny. Now, he blames Geralt for everything that’s happened to Ciri, thinking Geralt somehow caused all her troubles. It’s a great connection and really adds layers to the story.

The soldier confidently threatens to kill Geralt, unaware of how much Geralt cares for Ciri, and sees himself as a righteous avenger. However, he quickly changes his tune when Dijkstra arrives and demands to punish Geralt instead. Dijkstra clearly enjoys this turn of events, likely because Geralt is responsible for his limp. Yet, Dijkstra insists his primary motivation is patriotism – he genuinely believes he’s working to secure the best future for Redania.

Dijkstra devised a plan to get King Radovid to stop dwelling on Jaskier and focus on leading Redania against Emhyr’s forces. Though his methods involved torturing Geralt – intending Jaskier to overhear and break ties with Radovid – Dijkstra believed the ends justified the means. He argued that if Redania didn’t stand up to the growing threats on the Continent, no one would.

Yennefer is gathering allies, though they’re currently more focused on stopping Vilgefortz than the Nilfgaardian emperor he betrayed. Thanks to her efforts, her army is growing, and we see some familiar faces from the show return, like Marti Södergren and Nenneke the priestess. The episode also focuses on a new alliance: Yennefer and other sorceresses teaming up with a group of witchers, including Vesemir, who was Geralt’s mentor.

As a huge fan of fantasy, one thing I always loved about The Witcher is how witchers are seen as outsiders – people the common folk tolerate, but don’t exactly like. And sorceresses? They’re treated even worse, feared for their power and always getting involved in politics. So, it’s really cool to see Vesemir and the other witchers – Lambert and Coen – actually teaching these powerful sorceresses how to fight with swords. It’s a smart move, because when the inevitable showdown with Vilgefortz happens, everyone will need to be ready for a real brawl, and every skill will be valuable.

The witchers are right: Ciri’s skills have proven valuable, even as she tries to escape her history. We saw this in the last episode when her training allowed her to quickly defeat three attackers, and again here, as she skillfully identifies and destroys a dangerous parasite infecting a normal dog – a feat very similar to something Geralt would do.

Like many stories this season, this episode reminds us that Ciri can disguise herself, but she can’t change her fundamental nature. Mistle is correct when she guesses that Ciri’s upbringing – with wealth, good manners, and training in combat – and the love she received have shaped who she is. Ciri has now found herself living a life as someone who operates outside the law, though some, like the Duke’s daughter, would call her a villain. The key now is whether the guidance she’s received from past mentors, or her own inherent goodness, will ultimately prevail.

Meanwhile, back at the Redanian camp, several characters are starting to change sides. Radovid, realizing a relationship with Jaskier isn’t possible, takes a firm step as king by dismissing Dijkstra. He’s grown to distrust Dijkstra’s clever schemes and wants to rule without his influence. Geralt is still about to be executed when a surprising ally intervenes – Regis, who is revealed to be a vampire. Regis frees Geralt and gives him a potion to make him a stronger fighter, right as the camp comes under attack by Nilfgaardian forces.

Wow, this episode really made me think about how blurry the line between good and evil can be! It hit home when Geralt drank Regis’s potion and just became this unstoppable force. Seeing him fight through all those soldiers, desperate to get his friends to safety, was intense. It was almost too much when he went after Cahir, and Milva had to step in – that was a really powerful moment. It just shows you that even heroes can lose control sometimes.

In a time when many dismiss the Continent, Cahir’s story offers a different possibility: a move away from believing you’re always right and being distrustful, and toward a more positive direction. Defeating Vilgefortz and Nilfgaard will require more moments like this – instances where former enemies are willing to change their ways and lay down their weapons.

Stray Arrows

Vilgefortz discovers, through Istredd, that Ciri has the incredible ability to manipulate space and time, potentially impacting not just this world, but other realities as well. While the idea of multiple universes is now common in popular culture, it’s fascinating to consider what a parallel world to the one in The Witcher might be like.

Much of this episode features the Rats recalling a witcher named Brehan who rescued them during a difficult job in Brocayne. This story is actually the basis for a planned Netflix spinoff series, originally intended to star Dolph Lundgren as Brehan. While the series hasn’t been released, recent news suggests it’s been reimagined as a standalone movie that may come out soon.

Leo Bonhart, the monster hunter Skellen hired to find Falka, is closing in. He’s discovered the bodies of those she’s killed and realized she’s a highly skilled fighter. Disturbingly, he’s also shown his cruelty by killing a widow simply because she bothered him.

After being tortured, Geralt talks to Jaskier and asks about the well-being of Milva, the dwarves, and people in nearby villages and camps. Surprisingly, he doesn’t ask about Regis, the vampire who ultimately saved him. At first, this seems heartless, but a closer look reveals Geralt is likely still hesitant to become too close to Regis, or maybe he simply trusts Regis is capable of handling things on his own.

Vesemir claims Yennefer is different from when they last met. Interestingly, the actor playing Vesemir has also changed – Peter Mullan now takes on the role, after Kim Bodnia played him in season two. Mullan is known for his recent work as King Duran III in the fantasy series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

This map helps explain why a potential peace agreement between King Foltest of Temeria and Nilfgaard is so important.

If you’re interested in learning more about Vesemir, the anime movie The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf is a great place to start. It tells the story of his younger years and how he became the character you know.

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2025-10-30 18:55