Warning: spoilers for The Witcher season 3 part 2
Summary
- The Witcher season 3 finally brings Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri together as a family, but their happiness is short-lived as they have to part ways for safety.
- Yennefer calling Ciri “my daughter” fixes controversial book changes in the series and solidifies their mother/daughter bond.
- Yennefer’s story in The Witcher season 3 develops her character and sets her on a new path, but her future remains uncertain as she faces capture and torture.
The Witcher season 3 saw some heartwarming moments between Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer before they had to part ways again, and one between Ciri and Yennefer finally fixed the controversial book changes from the first two seasons. After exploring prequel stories in an animated movie and a miniseries, the universe of The Witcher returned to the main series to continue the stories of Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt of Rivia, and Ciri. After spending two seasons apart, The Witcher season 3 finally saw these three characters together and forming a one-of-a-kind family, though that, unfortunately, didn’t last for long.
With half the Continent going after Ciri for her Elder Blood, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri did their best to hide and be safe, but the Thanedd Coup was a major shake-up for everyone, and this family had to part ways to ensure their safety. Before leaving Ciri and Geralt and again, Yennefer reminded Ciri that they will never really be apart as they will always find each other (“never lost, always found”), and for the first time in the series, the sorceress called the Lion Cub of Cintra “my daughter” – and with this, The Witcher fixed two seasons of controversial book changes.
Why Yennefer Calling Ciri “Daughter” Is So Important In The Witcher
A lot of things happen in the universe of The Witcher, both in the books and the video games, but the heart of the series is the family bond created between Ciri, Yennefer, and Geralt. The Princess of Cintra grows to love the sorceress and the witcher as her parents, and they loved her back like a daughter. The Witcher season 1 didn’t go this far in the relationship between Yennefer, Geralt, and Ciri, but it’s understandable as it’s the season that introduced the audience to the characters, and it took all the time it had to explore parts of their backstory and establish their places in the series’ storyline.
The Witcher season 2 was expected to finally see Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri bonding and becoming a family, more so as this season was based on the novel Blood of Elves, where Yennefer and Ciri’s bond is explored. However, Netflix’s The Witcher decided to not follow the source material and made some controversial changes to the characters and their stories, mostly Yennefer’s. The sorceress lost her powers after using fire magic during the Battle of Sodden Hill at the end of The Witcher season 1, so she made a deal with the Voleth Meir to get them back – the problem was that the Deathless Mother wanted Ciri in exchange. Yennefer was willing to give Ciri to the Voleth Meir and she almost did, but she redeemed herself at the end of The Witcher season 2 by offering herself as a vessel to the Deathless Mother.
It’s understandable, then, that it took Geralt and Ciri some time to trust Yennefer again during the first episodes of The Witcher season 3, but she and the Princess bonded quickly after Yennefer trained Ciri in magic. When it was time for them to separate again during the Thanedd Coup, Yennefer reminded Ciri that they will always find each other, told her “I love you, my daughter” with a kiss on the cheek, and left. Yennefer and Ciri finally have the mother/daughter relationship they have in the books, which gives Yennefer a new purpose and, most importantly, gives her what she can never have.
The Witcher Season 3, Part 2 Makes Yennefer’s Story Much Better
As mentioned above, The Witcher season 1 was all about introducing the main characters, exploring the most important parts of their backstories, and explaining their place in the overall story of the series. However, The Witcher season 2 took major steps back when it comes to Yennefer’s story, and instead of further developing her character as both a powerful sorceress and Ciri’s mother figure, she was turned into a selfish antagonist, willing to hand an innocent girl to a monster in exchange for her lost powers. In The Witcher season 3, Yennefer’s story is more layered and actually develops the character, and though it took her a while to shake off the mistakes of season 2, she’s finally where she’s supposed to be.
What’s Next For Yennefer In The Witcher?
Yennefer’s story is about to get more intense now that the Brotherhood of Sorcerers was destroyed, Tissaia is dead, and Ciri is missing. As seen in the final episodes of The Witcher season 3, Yennefer and the surviving sorceresses are starting the Lodge of Sorceresses, but if the series follows the books closely, Yennefer will be captured and tortured by Vilgefortz at some point.
Depending on how far Netlfix’s The Witcher goes, the series could see Ciri negotiating Yennefer’s freedom and Geralt arriving to rescue them, only for the sorceress and the witcher to be captured by the White Flame. Yennefer and Geralt’s story has a tragic ending in The Witcher books, so it’s to be seen if the Netflix series goes on that path or gives Yennefer a different ending.