TV viewers with a Netflix subscription know that the fantasy hit, The Witcher, has made news for lots of things since it debuted in late 2019. Something that has captured fan attention the most, likely because many who watch are also fans of the book series on which the show is based or the video game franchise, is how the story of Witcher Geralt, sorceress Yennefer, and the powerful Princess Ciri has played out on screen. While we’re all looking ahead toward Henry Cavill’s last go-round in the fast-approaching The Witcher Season 3, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has opened up about the blowback she got from fans after Season 2.
What Did The Witcher’s Showrunner Say About Fan Criticism After Season 2?
This series really knows how to wrap a set of episodes, and The Witcher Season 2 ending was no different. A lot of big reveals were made, but, possibly most importantly, we saw that Yen and Geralt were fully on the outs. He couldn’t forgive her for trying (for far too long) to hand Ciri over to the Deathless Mother, which led to the young woman’s possession by the ancient being, and the deaths of several other Witchers. It turns out that fans were not cool with this turn of events, and let Schmidt Hissrich know it. In relaying some of those comments to Entertainment Weekly recently, she said:
'How could you do that to these characters?' 'They'll never be able to forgive her.' Well, that just becomes a story problem for us. How do two characters forgive each other?
Of course, this is part of what we’ll be treated to in the upcoming season. Ciri still needs a lot of training when it comes to harnessing her mysterious powers, and Yen is the best person for that gig. So, Geralt has made it clear that he can tolerate her presence as long as she’s helping his child of surprise, and though they are all hiding from the many forces who seek Ciri for their own nefarious purposes, the trio will head to Aretuza so that the woman who ended the Battle of Sodden Hill can do just that.
Every season of this magic and creature-focused show has come with complaints about something with regards to the storyline. Many were less than enthused with the controversial multiple timelines of Season 1, and now the third outing will have to deal with Yen’s betrayal in the second season. Even if you didn’t enjoy watching her attempt to sell out Ciri (and Geralt by default), you can’t deny that it brings the story to an intriguing point, where our three main characters both need each other and can’t part ways, but Yen also has a lot of work to do when regaining the trust of her companion and student.
Anya Chalotra, who portrays Yen and also participated in the interview, noted that her character will put much “time and energy and effort” into making amends at the start of the new season, and that it will lead to “a real family dynamic” which will develop “quite quickly and quite organically.” In addition, Schmidt Hissrich said that it won’t be all strife, mistrust, and battles for our three heroes:
Our characters still find time to have fun and enjoy each other, and you finally get some long-long-awaited emotional moments between them.
How can you not love the idea of that? The series will return for Season 3 Volume 1 (which is five episodes) on June 29, with Volume 2 (the remaining three) debuting on July 27.
