The following contains spoilers from The Witcher, Season 3, Part 1, now streaming on Netflix.
Creating two characters who are (in some cases, literally) made for each other and keeping them apart is a common convention in television. The first five episodes of The Witcher Season 3 continue this tradition, but this time the storytellers deliver important emotional moments between the central characters. Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri become the family that fans of The Witcher in other media have been waiting for.
Perhaps the loudest criticism when The Witcher debuted on Netflix was Season 1 ending the moment Geralt and Ciri find each other. Season 2 put them together yet kept Yennefer at arm's length until the very end. However, showrunner Lauren Hissrich, writers and filmmakers know the Netflix series is many folks' first encounter with Geralt of Rivia and his friends. Rightly or wrongly, they decided that they had to earn the unlikely family he forms with Yennefer and Ciri. In fact, the series arguably makes Yennefer even more important to Geralt and Ciri, making the decision to keep her at a distance so much more frustrating for fans. Even though Season 3 still sends them all on their own missions and journeys, there are enough touching family moments to fill the hearts of viewers. The stakes for The Witcher are higher than ever this season, which also allows the fear of the family unit splitting up to create that kind of dramatic tension storytellers want.
Geralt, Yennefer, Ciri and Even Jaskier Are a Big, Happy Witcher Family
Yennefer's journey in Season 2 led to a moment of betrayal, again stirring controversy among the fans. Season 3 begins with Geralt still stinging from it, though Ciri seems to have moved on. It's clear that she now trusts Yennefer as much as she trusts Geralt. Since Ciri took to Witcher-ing more easily than wielding chaos magic, they experience a new kind of strain on their relationship. Still, Season 3 perfectly balances Ciri's need to be a kid, the pressure of her destiny and her path to accepting it. It doesn't even take long to get there. Their dinner in the Season 3 premiere shows the surly Witcher enjoying his found family, almost in spite of himself.
The episode also features some classic Witcher-on-monster action, but before that, Yen and Geralt begin to repair their own relationship. As the threat becomes clearer, The Witcher splits them up again. However, unlike the previous season, though characters go in separate directions, they don't "leave" each other. As Geralt and Yennefer both take steps to make the world safe for Ciri, she splits her time between her two unlikely parental figures. In a way, Yennefer and Geralt swap roles in Season 3. She becomes the exacting mentor, testing Ciri's character and faith in herself. Meanwhile, Geralt recognizes her abilities and praises her accomplishments. The moments between the two on the deck of the ship are some of the best in the series.
At the Conclave of Wizards, the family is again reunited. Ciri and Yennefer don't waste time on their anger, instead, they both apologize for their quarrels. Along for the ride is Jaskier, who takes on a big brother, younger uncle role with Ciri. The two have a delightfully funny exchange providing voices for Geralt and Yennefer while they talk at a distance. It's remarkably like a scene from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds when Lt. Ortegas mimics Spock talking to a Vulcan he doesn't like. Like the crew of the Enterprise, The Witcher's central trinity of characters is a fully formed family.
Why Netflix's The Witcher Delayed Bringing Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri Together
While The Witcher faces a lot of bad faith criticism, one of the few fair complaints from audiences was how they handled Geralt and Ciri's meeting. Season 1 used a time-jump storytelling convention, which is the only way the show could effectively establish the backstories of characters as long-lived as Geralt and Yennefer. The series also skipped over a number of Geralt, Yennefer and Jaskier adventures (intentionally, it seems). In a way, it was a good problem for The Witcher to have. Viewers thought they got that relationship right -- they just wanted more of it.
Unfortunately, they didn't get more than a partial episode's worth in Season 2. Yennefer's loss of her magic was a huge swing, including her betrayal of Geralt and Ciri. The relationship between the Witcher and the princess was the strongest in Season 2. The show fairly balanced their relationship and Ciri's relationship with the others at Kaer Morhen. Again a victim of its own success, some viewers felt Yennefer's betrayal was "too big" for Geralt or Ciri to reasonably forgive. Thankfully, Season 3, Part 1 of The Witcher firmly reveals those concerns to be unfounded.
The family trinity is still on the run from mortals, monsters and the Wild Hunt. However, instead of being lost, scared and overwhelmed, Ciri is finally confident and, more importantly, eager. She has more training in magic and is a more-than-competent Witcher. Yet, the underpinning of her character evolution isn't her skills. Rather, since the first time Cintra fell, she has a family that loves and protects her. Even more importantly, Geralt and Yennefer trust Ciri enough to give her a say in her own destiny, which is something she's never had before.
The Witcher Season 3, Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix, Season 3, Part 2 debuts July 27, 2023.