The Witcher has already made an even bigger splash than Geralt in that bathtub, and his story is far from over. With multiple books and video games to draw inspiration from, fans can expect to see plenty more of Henry Cavill in that illustrious wig, but how does season one set up his character's future?
Thankfully, season two has already been confirmed, so there's no need to storm the gates of Netflix HQ and wither away while casting one of those blasted fire spells. Instead, we can focus on gleaning all the information we need from the source material, as well as interviews with The Witcher cast and crew.
Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich recently teased what fans can expect from season two during an exclusive interview with Digital Spy. According to her, season one "is very much about building blocks... It's about constructing the world, and setting up these characters, and putting them on paths, and knocking those dominoes over."
By interweaving the mostly separate origin stories of our three "heroes" across multiple timelines, season one was particularly confusing for some newcomers to the franchise.
However, as we noted in our review, this "extended prologue" has now set everything up ready for an explosive and more epic second season — something which Hissrich explained to us in greater detail:
"When you get to season 2, all of those things start to come to play, which is that characters start meeting each other – sometimes getting along, sometimes not. All those things that we set up – Geralt and Yennefer; Geralt and Ciri; Yennefer and Ciri; all of the different kingdoms that you just barely hear about in season one, start rising to the surface in season 2.
What to Read Next
"So the storytelling is a little more intense in a way, and maybe a little more focused and driven in the journeys that we're telling in season 2."
But what does this "more intense" follow-up actually look like in practical terms?
Well, while the first season focused mainly on two short story collections called The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, it's looking more and more likely that season two will draw heavily from the five Witcher novels, starting with Blood of Elves.
Not only does this hint at what kind of story arcs season two will explore, it also implies that the structure of the show will change too.
The short stories that season one are based on hopped around different times and locations, much like Jaskier the Bard after he's had too much to drink. Most of the episodes we've seen so far followed this same pattern, but the subsequent novels follow an epic, yet more linear narrative which may draw further comparisons to Game of Thrones when season two drops.
This arc follows Geralt and Yennefer as they fight to protect Ciri from various forces on The Continent who wish to use her power for themselves. Along the way, Geralt trains Ciri in the lore of Witchers, teaching her how to fight monsters while Yennefer helps her control the magic powers that threaten to consume the young girl entirely.
The last moments of season one confirm that this is the path season two will take as Geralt and Ciri are finally united on screen together for the first time, pledging to search for Yennefer.
Hissrich explained to IGN why the writers waited so long to bring our "heroes" together:
"I knew from the very beginning of writing this season that I wanted the last moment to be the meeting, and realising that [Geralt and Ciri's] destiny has been fulfilled. Because that's what so much of Season 1 is about, right? It's about the destiny of these three characters and how they find each other and how they move through the world, and interacting and moving together even though they don't want to be. So, [in] Season 2 we actually get to explore some of that."
Hints of their shared destiny were also given in episode seven, 'Before a Fall', during Ciri's prophetic trance. Here, the budding Witcher warned of a potential apocalypse, but her role in this remains to be seen. Either way, Geralt and Ciri will now be inseparable moving forward as Cavill's character starts to accept his role in shaping The Continent's fate.
However, it's not just Geralt's future which will come into play. Season one also set up some vital plot threads tied to The Witcher's past which will undoubtedly crop up again, much like one of The Bard's catchiest songs.
Key among these is the question of The Witcher's mother. Following a fight in the season one finale, Geralt has visions of a woman called Visenna who heals his wounds using magic. Flashbacks suggest that Visenna is his mother, and the pair then fight over why she abandoned him as a young child.
The books don't focus too much on Geralt's lineage beyond this scene, but given how much the show has already expanded on the source material, it seems likely that Visenna will play a more prominent role in future seasons.
Another question that season one has left dangling over us concerns Geralt's last wish. Back in episode five, 'Bottled Appetites', The Witcher was granted three wishes by a destructive djinn. While the first two were readily revealed, Geralt's final wish remains a secret, although we do know that it saved Yennefer's life and bound the pair together in some unspoken way.
There are plenty of theories circulating online, some of which revolve around Yennefer's infertility, but there's a chance the show will never reveal what Geralt actually wished for.
When TVGuide asked Henry Cavill about this, he said, "That is up to [showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich]. Lauren and I have discussed it at length. And time will tell if she's willing to reveal that."
If we had three wishes of our own, we'd be sorely tempted to use one up revealing the answer to this secret, but then again, it wouldn't hurt to wish for more bathhouse scenes too...
The Witcher is now streaming worldwide on Netflix.
The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher
Sword of Destiny: Witcher 2
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Complete Edition (Nintendo Switch)
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
