Netflix’s biggest first TV season ever, and the streaming giant renewed it for a second season before the first one came out.
In addition to Geralt’s story, season 1 of The Witcher followed those of Vesemir, and the story of the first Witcher, respectively.
Viewers will then have to wait for season 2 of The Witcher to reunite with Geralt and continue his story, which will actually have its proper beginning in this season. The new episodes reportedly won’t have a non-linear narrative, which will make it easier for the audience to follow, and it will be time for them to truly get to know Geralt’s story. Here’s how season 2 of The Witcher will be the proper beginning of Geralt’s arc.
The Witcher Season 1 Was More Like A Prologue
The world of The Witcher is very rich, full of creatures, monsters, mages, healers, and more. One season was never going to be enough to fully build that world, but it did a good job in giving the audience a taste of what it has to offer. In just eight episodes, Geralt came across with different monsters and gained a couple of allies and enemies on the way, but not enough as to consider season 1 the starting point of his story – if anything, season 1 was more like a prologue to what The Witcher is planning to share with the audience.
The addition of Yennefer and Ciri’s stories parallel to Geralt’s and in a non-linear manner, jumping from present-day to past with no warning, also gives season 1 the feeling of being a primer rather the beginning of Geralt’s story. Furthermore, each episode was based on a short story, either from The Last Wish or Sword of Destiny, so there wasn’t much to actually build the first parts of Geralt’s arc, though it did establish why Ciri is going to be an important character in the series and his life.
The Witcher Season 2 Begins Geralt’s Story With Ciri
At the end of The Witcher season 1, Geralt and Ciri finally found each other in the woods, leaving viewers wondering what will happen next. Thanks to the casting of the characters Lambert (Paul Bullion), Eskel (Thue Ersted Rasmussen), and Coën (Yasen Atour), it’s known that season 2 will see Ciri training at Kaer Morhen, an old keep where witchers of the School of the Wolf, like Geralt, were trained. The aforementioned witchers actually have a role in Ciri’s training – Lambert trained her in fencing, Coën in sword combat, and Eskel kept an eye on her after she started having trances after accidentally sipping of White Gull.
Geralt’s story, then, will begin alongside Ciri, with whom he’s bound to by destiny through the Law of Surprise. Ciri is still a target of the Nilfgaardian army, especially Cahir, who was fooled by her and a doppler who took her place so she could escape, so Geralt will surely choose to take her to a safer place where she can also train and thus be able to defend herself – and what better place than Kaer Morhen. This also gives the series the chance to explore Geralt’s beginnings, especially with the introduction of his mentor, Vesemir (Kim Bodnia), while also establishing what his arc will truly be about in future seasons.
Book & Game Stories Witcher Season 2 Could Adapt
As mentioned above, Dandelion, a.k.a. Jaskier. This, then, would not only properly kickstart Geralt’s story, but it would also set Ciri’s into motion.
As for the games, it’s unlikely the team behind Netflix’s The Witcher will take stories from them and add them to the series, but that doesn’t mean it can’t keep having various references to them. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich told The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Although season 1 of The Witcher failed to explore most of this world, this is actually a good thing as it gives future seasons more chances to introduce new monsters, creatures, and human characters. Most importantly, the way season 1 was approached makes way for Geralt’s story to be properly built now, without having to spend a good part introducing him and what he does, so it can now fully focus on his arc and how it’s linked to those of Ciri and Yennefer.