Netflix's The Witcher has followed on from the successes of Andrzej Sapkowski's books and the CD Projekt Red games of the same name. Henry Cavill has led the charge throughout the first three seasons with a faithful depiction of Geralt of Rivia, and a talented cast has followed suit. Henry Cavill's time as Geralt may be coming to a controversial end after the third season, but he has still been a part of some exceptional episodes.
These episodes and The Witcher itself thrive the most when combinations of Geralt, Jaskier, Ciri, and Yennefer are thrust into danger or traveling with haste. The best Witcher episodes feature excellent fight-choreography, interesting plots, and vast world-building.
10 "Rare Species" - 8.1
Season 1, Episode 6
The Witcher's sixth episode, "Rare Species," has Geralt, Yennefer, and Jaskier together and firing on all cylinders once again, as they go on a fun side-quest to hunt a dragon. The episode has plenty for everyone to enjoy, from the mystery and intrigue surrounding the dragon to the expertly-choreographed fight scenes.
"Rare Species" is also where Geralt and Yennefer's complex relationship blossoms and simultaneously becomes even more problematic. The Witcher continues its path down the different timelines in this episode, simultaneously showing the events that led Geralt to go back for his "Child Surprise" and Ciri's present-day struggles for survival. The brief introduction of Borch is a fun addition that helps to make "Rare Species" a memorable episode.
9 "The End's Beginning" - 8.2
Season 1, Episode 1
"The End's Beginning" is a strong opening for The Witcher. It drops a decent amount of lore and names that make it perfectly accessible to newcomers, while simultaneously satisfying hardcore fans. "The End's Beginning" also marks Henry Cavill's exceptional first outing as Geralt.
Geralt gets drawn into a feud between a mysterious woman named Renfri and a manipulative wizard called Stregobor. The audience then meets Geralt and sees his complex flirtations with Destiny, even if this is just the start. "The End's Beginning" also introduces Cintra and its royalty before quickly showing the Nilfgaard invading and attacking them. The two narratives set a clear pathway for everything linking together.
8 "Voleth Meir" - 8.2
Season 2, Episode 7
The Witcher Season 2 goes to great lengths to establish Voleth Meir as an ominous threat. In Episode 7, she runs wild and unleashes her chaos wherever she possibly can. Her mental torment of Yennefer, Fringilla, and Francesca brings chaos, destruction, and devastation to all.
Fringilla stands up to Cahir by mercilessly killing his men as a show of strength, while Francesca enjoys her newborn baby for a brief moment before it is slain, feeding Voleth Meir with her despair. Yennefer betrays Geralt and leads Ciri toward the Nilfgaardians. Voleth Meir possessing Ciri while Geralt and Yen are at odds is a fantastic cliffhanger that concludes a strong episode and perfectly sets up the season finale.
7 "Bottled Appetites" - 8.3
Season 1, Episode 5
After episodes of building them up separately, "Bottled Appetites" finally brings Geralt and Yennefer together for the first time. The circumstances and the general direction of their meeting are anything but nice, as Jaskier nearly dies after a djinn attacks him.
"Bottled Appetites" shows the rocky start to Geralt and Yennefer's relationship. Ciri's storyline takes more of a backseat role as she settles into the Brokilon Forest, but she still enters a perilous situation when a doppler disguised as Mousesack arrives to take Ciri back to Cahir. This episode represents a turning point in The Witcher, from Yen's desperation to regain her fertility and finally meeting Geralt to Ciri once again going on the move.
6 "Before A Fall" - 8.3
Season 1, Episode 7
The Witcher's "Before A Fall" sets the scene for the impending conflicts by revisiting the past. Yennefer returns to Aretuza as Nilfgaard prepare their attack on Cintra. "Before A Fall" also reveals that Geralt was there during the attack from Episode 1. Geralt actually returned to claim his "Child Surprise" and keep her safe before Calanthe tricked and imprisoned him. She only relented on her deathbed.
While there were certainly reference points before, "Before A Fall" brings some much-needed clarity to the different timelines. The episode also serves to build up the Brotherhood's inevitable fight with Nilfgaard, as well as following Ciri on her own out in the wilderness. Ciri even demonstrates her destructive powers when she is attacked by boys she once played knucklebones with back in Cintra.
5 "Of Banquets, Bastards & Burials" - 8.4
Season 1, Episode 4
When Jaskier persuades Geralt to accompany him to a fancy party at Cintra Castle, the last thing he expects to experience is a date with Destiny. "Of Banquets, Bastards & Burials" is the fourth episode of The Witcher that starts to flesh out the various timelines, as Geralt meets a younger Calanthe and her daughter, Ciri's late mother.
The episode is full of fascinating interactions, as Geralt interacts with various characters who are deceased in Ciri's timeline. There's forbidden romance, destiny, fight scenes, and backroom politics. This is all without considering Yen fleeing from a deadly assassin in an action-packed sequence, while Ciri rests at the Brokilon Forest. Episode 4 picks up the pace while pushing the show's disjointed timelines and sections in a logical direction.
4 "Family" - 8.5
Season 2, Episode 8
The Witcher's Season 2 finale sees the ultimate showdown between Voleth Meir and all the Witchers at Kaer Morhen. In "Family," fans get to enjoy watching Witchers at work and fighting monsters. However, the stakes are even higher because their enemy has taken temporary lodging inside Ciri.
This episode sees Yennefer finally seek to atone for her mistakes, as she tries to sacrifice herself for Ciri. "Family"'s closing stages have plenty of reveals to satisfy game fans, from the introduction of the Wild Hunt to the reveal that Emperor Emhyr is Ciri's father. It even sets up the next season perfectly, as everyone learns of Ciri's true power and potential and prepares for a hunt.
3 "A Grain Of Truth" - 8.5
Season 2, Episode 1
"A Grain of Truth" kick-starts the second season of The Witcher on a rare wholesome note when Geralt and Ciri finally travel together. Their bliss and safety are short-lived as they are quickly thrust back into the bleak outside world. On their travels, they meet a strange man-beast named Nivellen.
Elsewhere, The Witcher reveals that Yen is alive but held captive behind enemy lines. On the flip side, Tissaia has Cahir as her prisoner at Aretuza. All the pieces begin to fall into place in this episode and set up the rest of the season, but not before Geralt fights a monster and gives Ciri some pointers along the way.
2 "Betrayer Moon" - 8.6
Season 1, Episode 3
Season 1, Episode 3 follows Geralt on a trip to Temeria, as he investigates the murder of another witcher and uncovers a sinister plot in the process. "Betrayer Moon" brings more horror to the series. This comes through scandal and scheming behind the monster's existence, not just in Geralt's fights against it. The striga shows that Witchers are not invincible, as it kills one and very nearly gets the better of Geralt.
Yennefer makes a drastic decision to become "beautiful" at the cost of a huge sacrifice, which ultimately fuels her desire to reverse the effects moving forward. Ciri being on the run falls to the back burner with such action and tension firing on all the other fronts, but "Betrayer Moon" hints that she will have her time in later episodes. It is an important episode and one of the best.
1 "Much More" - 8.8
Season 1, Episode 8
As a finale, "Much More" delivers on all fronts. The Brotherhood launches a seemingly-futile attempt at fending off Nilfgaardian attacks, but it quickly hots up into an intense battle full of magical tricks and traps. Tissaia and Yen come into their own as fans see the ultimate showdown between Vilgefortz and Cahir.
The most satisfying moment of "Much More" comes from Ciri finally linking up with Geralt, with a gentle push from Destiny to have them cross paths. Yen's uncertain fate, Ciri and Geralt together at last, and the aftermath of the mages' fight against Nilfgaard leave The Witcher in a strong state going into the second season. It comes as no surprise that "Much More" is the highest-rated episode of The Witcher on IMDb.