Review: The Witcher Season 3 Vol. 2 – A Witcher’s Sendoff?

The Witcher series on Netflix has had a very tumultuous run with its past two seasons of episodes. Lots of drama behind the scenes and fan discourse have made the show’s run all the more difficult. While there have been some great moments littered throughout various episodes, the majority of the show hasn’t exceeded the quality expectations of fans. Season 3 volume 1 of The Witcher started things off on a better footing after the poor reception of Season 2. We reviewed the first part of Season 3 when it first appeared on Netflix, praising the parts where Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer were finally together for an extensive period. But does volume 2 of the show’s third season bring things to a satisfying conclusion and tease what comes next? Unfortunately, it does not. Geralt of Rivia can’t seem to catch a break with this show.

The final three episodes of the third season pick up right at the end of the last episode of Volume 1. Aretuza is being attacked by Redania forces and binding the mages who reside there. While Geralt is unharmed by Dykstra and brought into custody with the rest of the mages, Yennefer slips away and reunites with Ciri, who has run away from the place she and Jaskier were hiding. Things come to a boiling point at Aretuza when there’s a full fledge battle between the mages and Redania forces, led by Dykstra and Phillipa. All of this is happening at Aretuza as Geralt is able to get away and clash with Vilgefortz, the real mastermind behind those pursuing Ciri. Following a rough battle, Geralt is forced into hiding, while both Ciri and Yennefer go their separate ways to stay safe. Yennefer goes to help the mages at Aretuza, while Ciri finds herself in a faraway place after escaping capture by Vilgefortz. The season ends with Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri all in various places and individual paths that may or may not bring them together again.

The biggest issue with these last few episodes of the season is how all of the conflict doesn’t feel like a grand payoff for the season. Not only are some problems left hanging or completely abandoned by the last episode, but the episodes lay out teases for the next season rather than conclude everything for this one. A lot of the political conflict between Aretuza and Redania ends up overshadowing the status of Geralt and his allies, with a lot of screen time focusing on other characters than Geralt himself.

These side plots are very important to the state of the Continent as a whole, and it eventually ties into Yennefer, but they become more distracting than interesting as the episodes go on. Some characters have a very quick and anti-climactic conclusion, despite being a big part of the earlier episodes of Season 3. It feels like things just end with a thud, rather than a big blowout.

The massive elephant in the room with Season 3 is that Geralt of Rivia himself, Henry Cavill, is leaving the show. It’s very hard to ignore this fact and not see some of the areas where episodes either underutilize him or flat-out ignore him to set up other things for the eventual fourth season. Henry’s Geralt of Rivia does get some big moments in the first episode of Volume 2, including a fight with Vilgefortz that has been built up for a while. Unfortunately, how the fight unfolds will rub many the wrong way, especially with the fallout from it afterward. The penultimate episode almost completely forgets about Geralt as he is hiding with the druids after the battle at Aretuza.

And just when things seem to be getting back on track for Geralt, the season finale comes to an end. It’s a very bitter wrap-up of Henry Cavill’s time on the show, even if he gets one last fight to show off his Witcher skills. The whole sequence feels very undercooked, and the sendoff feels unfair for someone who has carried a lot of the weight of the show since Season 1. For what Geralt is given to do in these last few episodes, Henry Cavill does a great job. But fans will undoubtedly agree that he deserved better in his final moments in the show.

As for everyone else, there’s a lot of hit-and-miss in these last few episodes. Ciri gets a lot of screen time and has the ability to display a range of emotions and reactions, especially when she arrives in a desert alone. She definitely gets the most care by the time the season wraps up, with a promise of things to come for her that will definitely speak to fans of The Witcher books. Yennefer gets to interact with the mages a lot more when she regroups with them and has a few good moments that assist Geralt in a major way. But there’s a lot more that happens after the fighting is done towards the last episode, where some major changes for her and Aretuza take place. Both Yennefer and Ciri feel as though they get more interesting conclusions this season than Geralt, putting them in places that seem better off despite the craziness in the last few episodes.

Other characters that have been around this season have elements that seem rushed if they aren’t killed off quickly. Jaskier finds himself together again with Geralt by the end, while his relationship with Radovid is quickly shoved aside. Many fans were adamant about the two of them having a relationship this season, mostly due to heavy changes from the books.

Nothing interesting or super important really came from the two of them being together, as by the end of this season each one is on very different paths. Others like Stregobor, Artorius, and Tissaia have endings this season that don’t always feel earned enough or emotionally impactful, despite how much time we’ve seen them on the show. It’s a shame because how events with them in these last few episodes unfold could have been handled a little bit differently, which would’ve given their sendoffs a lot more weight.

Because much of Volume 2 takes place at Aretuza, there’s no monster hunting for Geralt or anyone like earlier in the season. But are the fights still good to watch? Everything from the battle of the mages, Geralt’s clash with Vilgefortz, and his final fight are very much on par with the earlier battles of the season. The effects on the magic being used by mages aren’t better or worse than before, nor are the signs that Geralt uses here and there.

Seeing Geralt slash his way through enemies is still great and has a ferocity that works. Even the fight with Vilgefortz does look good most of the time. The unfortunate part of this is that none of the battles feel like an exclamation point to the season. The Battle at Aretuza has big moments, but they never feel like a culmination of tension or blowout that one would hope to see during an ending to the season. It all just comes off as business as usual.

The ending of The Witcher Season 3 could have, and should have been better. The last three episodes of the season feel like a dull ending that doesn’t leave much excitement for a Season 4 to the show. Things are definitely changing for The Witcher, in and out of the universe, and it all might not be for the better. Fans will find themselves divided on continuing to watch the show or not, especially in light of Henry Cavill’s departure, but the second part of this season doesn’t make a strong argument to keep them around. There were some good moments throughout Season 3, but all of it has culminated to a bitter ending for most fans.

What do you think of The Witcher Season 3? Did you enjoy watching the second volume of the season? How do you feel about Henry Cavill leaving the show? Tell us your thoughts on everything down below in the comment section!