Netflix’s The Witcher series continues the story of the witcher Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon (Freya Allan). The trio are like a family: father, mother, and daughter. However, powerful forces, kingdoms, and factions hunt the trio because of Cirilla’s status as the child of the ancient Elder bloodline, which holds the power to shape the world’s fate and travel to other worlds across The Witcher multiverse. The episode begins with Geralt and Jaskier (Joey Batey) bringing Fake Ciri to Geralt’s druidess friend, Anika (Catherine McCormack), to examine.
Geralt and Jaskier bring Fake Ciri to Anika and werewolf Otto Dusan (Dempsey Bovell). Anika uses her druidic magic to examine Fake Ciri. She discovers that mind control magic was used on Fake Ciri, causing the girl to identify as Cirilla. After the treatment was over, Fake Ciri reveals her real name is Teryn (Frances Pooley), an Aretuzan mage student, and talks about Rience’s master but fails to disclose the master’s real name. Teryn became violent due to the mind control magic enchantment on her and her violence led to Anika getting injured. Sometime after the chaotic event, Anika would later tell Geralt that his mother and her friend, Visenna, passed away.
In Gors Velen, Yennefer and Cirilla head to Giancardi’s Bank to meet with Yennefer’s old friend, Molnar Giancardi (Giuseppe Lentini), to prepare a meeting place with Tissaia (MyAnna Buring) in the bank’s safe vault. In the safe vault, Yennefer and Tissaia argue about Cirilla and how the Northern kingdoms were oblivious to the growing threat of the Empire of Nilgaard. Yennefer also asks and requests Tissaia to provide a home and a haven to Cirilla in Aretuza so she could be protected in an environment where she could control her Elder Blood powers. In the city of Gors Velen, Cirilla gets into trouble when fighting monsters at a small circus and getting her money stolen by a thief. Cirilla attempted to catch the thief but she ran into Yennefer, Tissaia, Margarita Laux-Antille (Rochelle Rose), and Sabrina Glevissig (Therica Wilson-Read) in the process. In the bathhouse, Yennefer suggested to Tissaia that the Aretuzan mages form a conclave to strengthen the Brotherhood of Sorcerers and regain the trust of the Northern monarchs as a way to prepare for the coming war against Nilfgaard.
In Redania, Dijkstra (Graham McTavish) and Philippa (Cassie Clare) talk with King Vizimir of Redania (Ed Birch) regarding the king’s deal with Nilfgaard. The deal was that after Nilfgaard conquers the North and offer half of Temaria as a vassal state. Djikstra warned Vizimir that he is being conned by Nilfgaard and that the Empire will not honor their agreement. Later, Dijkstra and Philippa discuss the hunt for Rience (Sam Woolf) and Rience’s master. Because of the power of Rience’s master, they believe that they need the help of Tissaia and the Aretuzan mages to deal with their prey. However, they prioritized convincing Vizimir to not ally with Nilfgaard. Djikstra orchestrated the assassination and decapitation of Vizimir’s wife, Queen Hedwig of Redania (Tracy-Ann Oberman), and framed Nilfgaard for her murder. In response to the assassination, Vizimir cut off all ties with Nilfgaard and Redania continued to become a Northern enemy to the Empire. Dijkstra’s actions shocked Prince Radovid (Hugh Skinner) to the annoyance of the Redanian spymaster who believe the prince to be an idiot and a fool.
In Cintra, Cahir (Eamon Farren) and Gallatin (Robbie Amell) meet with Emperor Emhyr of Nilgaard (Bart Edwards). Gallatin tells Emhyr his concerns and doubts about Queen Francesca (Mecia Simson) and her leadership of the Scoia’tael Elves because of her deep obsession with capturing Cirilla. After the meeting, Emhyr became concerned with Gallatin’s rebellious behavior because the Emperor does not want his Elvish allies to be divided. Therefore, Emhyr ordered Cahir to assassinate Gallatin as a way to reaffirm his loyalty to the Nilfgaardian throne. Following the order, Cahir assassinates Gallatin, much to the former’s sorrow.
At an unknown location, Rience meets with his accomplice Lydia van Bredevoort (Aisha Fabienne Ross), another agent of Rience’s master. Rience is angry that their master is working for Emhyr. Lydia corrects him by saying their master works with Emhyr and the Emperor of Nilfgaard as a means to an end. The meeting ends with Rience telling Lydia to tell their master that he will only continue his service as long as their master does something for him. What Rience wants from his master is unknown.
The episode ends with Cirilla escaping Yennefer after another heated argument. She attempted to meet Geralt but was pursued by the Wild Hunt led by Eredin (Sam Hazeldine). Cirilla managed to escape the Wild Hunt long enough for Geralt to save her. When Geralt arrived to fight the Wild Hunt, Eredin and his group escape. In the aftermath, Geralt and Cirilla are reunited and the two later learn the Wild Hunt were real entities but also mortal when a broken Wild Hunt chainmail armor piece is found on the ground.
The Wild Hunt Pursues Cirilla
The Witcher Season 3 Episode 3 focuses on the continued hunt for Cirilla by Redania, Nilfgaard, the Scoia’tael Elves, and the Brotherhood of Sorcerers. The Wild Hunt was also part of the hunt because of their desire to control Cirilla’s Elder Blood powers. The episode did well in presenting how the hunt for Cirilla is costing the girl her innocence because she has to lie and deceive others just to ensure her survival and freedom. This cost was revealed when Cirilla has to act out of character just to find haven in Aretuza under the protection of the Northern mages. Although the Wild Hunt was cut short in the episode, the last shot reveals that the Wild Hunt are mortals, not actual evil spirits as most believe in tales and myths.
In The Witcher novels, the Wild Hunt was a group led by Eredin on behalf of the Aen Elle Elves. The Aen Elle Elves, led by King Auberon Muircetach, were natives of the world of the Aen Elle, inhabited by the Aen Elle Elves and her enemies, the unicorns. The Aen Elle built themselves a perfect society. However, out of a desire for slaves and servants, Eredin formed the Wild Hunt to plunder worlds across the multiverse and kidnap humans from the Continent to become slaves for the Aen Elle elves. The problem was that they could not send larger numbers of Aen Elle Elves to other worlds and desire Cirilla due to her Elder Blood power of being able to travel to any world she desires to if she manages to control her power to do so. Therefore, like the desire of many of the Continent’s male monarchs, King Auberon desires to wed Cirilla and have her give birth to an Aen Elle child with Elder Blood.
Rating: 6/10