The showrunners completely parted ways with the source material in this episode, and not for the better. The best thing about it was Jaskier singing in prison and making friends with mice (I guess since they looked smaller than rats), Geralt rescuing him and their conversations as well as the meeting with Yarpen and his company, which could have been developed further but the showrunners decided to spent the time on something not taken from the novels. The political meetings between the Brotherhood is rather boring, though Dijkstra is rather well-acted. Nothing has been revealed about Phillipa yet. I do not really care about Fringilla's plot, who first teleports to her uncle and asks him to help her; I was hoping he would send her to Toussaint so that she can become more like the book!Fringilla but apparently no, she is back to Cintra and kills the Nilfgardian officers apparently under the influence of the eponymous witch Voleth, whose introduction to the show is beyond me as it doesn't make any sense, doesn't have anything to do with the novels and is a completely stupid plot device. Francesca's baby seems to be killed, it is not certain whether Fringilla killed it because the baby made the elves unwilling to cooperate with Nilfgaard anymore or the witch Voleth killed it herself. There are stupid changes to other characters as well, the wicked Lydia is killed by Ciri's blood, and Tissaia suddenly turns out to have an affair with Vilgefortz. Yennefer manages to coax Ciri into believing that they need to go to Cintra because the Nilfgardians are torturing Geralt but she has the ulterior motive of getting back her magic and only wants to use Ciri. The princess finally discovers her betrayal and creates another ravine in shock and anger, which makes the Niflgardian soldiers come to capture her, and Geralt and his company come in the last moment to save her. Then the witch Voleth seems to escape her hut and attacks Ciri. The whole Voleth storyline is so stupid that I can even. They could have made a calmer season concentrating on Ciri being taught to control her magic, first by Triss, later by Nenneke and at the end by Yennefer who loves Ciri as her daughter in the books instead of using the girl for her own ends. Yennefer seems to be the antagonist and a negative character this season, just like many positive and neutral characters who were changed into baddies such as Cahir and Fringilla and many others.
Review by LineageBlockedParent2022-01-06T20:45:50Z
Great, more political warfare/chess. That's easily the weakest aspect of this season. I have no idea whether it's the opposite in the novels. It's certainly not very interesting in this season. But I imagine there are plenty of people who love the way it's written/done. Or maybe not. Who knows.
Another of the weakest aspects is everything to do with this Voleth Meir demon/monster thing. When it began in the second episode, it didn't make much sense: and now, it still doesn't make much sense. I mean, I guess it does make sense now. The most important thing, anyway. What the whole Deathless Mother thing was. It was so she could free herself. Still, everything about that seems so disconnected, so thank god it's kind of over now.
The structuring of all the plot points has also been weird. It's like the ones responsible for that don't have enough experience, or they aren't good at it, yet the source material requires more characters to be introduced and for the world to expand, and so on. So, they have no choice but to structure everything, probably to the liking of the writers/directors of each episode, or Lauren Schmidt Hissrich herself, only they just aren't suited enough for the task.
For example:
I think the last time Aretuza showed up was in the third episode. That's when Yennefer rescued Cahir. Yet we're thrown back into the swing of things with Aretuza. Not only that, Tissaia and Vilgefortz are suddenly a thing as well as a part of the Council now. I guess them making "a play for their seats" worked out for them, yet it's sudden to us. To begin with, we don't even have that much context and information on all of that, either. The Council, their purpose, etc. You're just expected to and have no choice but to follow along based on a whole lot of vagueness and ambiguity.
cont.) You'd think that Yennefer escaping with Cahir would've destroyed that effort. You know, considering how Stregobor is always using Yennefer as a talking point to sway the masses in his favor and against Tissaia; by extension, Vilgefortz, too. Guess not.
cont.) As far as Tissaia and Vilgefortz and being together are concerned, it wasn't as sudden. It was foreshadowed and hinted at in the finale of the first season. But still. There's a little too much ambiguity and not enough explaining regarding stuff in this season, and the way the plot points and plot lines are structured isn't doing any favors.
My other thoughts:
The cinematography at the beginning and end of the episode looked nice. The blue color palette (?) at the beginning looked nice. As did the end of the episode with the sun setting. Especially at the end of the episode. Something about how the shots looked with natural lighting and being a little dimmed because of the sun setting looked great.
I can't believe I didn't notice it until now, but Mecia Simson would make a fantastic Diana Burnwood. Her voice is perfect.
Wait, what? Is Lydia dead, just like that? If she's dead, that's hilarious. Dying, all from inhaling the Witcher mutagen with Cirilla's blood in smoke form. Or something more magic-y. That's a good one. I think we'd all like to go out as she did: an idiot. If only there were other ways to do what she was doing that isn't so conveniently made to where she'd die from it. /s
cont.) Or Rience did something to it. It did look like her face was burning. And he said to her that he hadn't the time nor strength to open a portal; also aided with his escape. But he did. That's how he escaped, so he lied to Lydia.
cont.) There's no way she's dead. In the finale, so it shall be revealed. I guarantee it. But if she is dead, let us all come together to create some good ol' hearty laughter. Boy, was her death hilarious! AMEN!
Fringilla taking matters into her hands was cool; how everyone was stuck as she went through them, one by one. The entire scene itself. That was one of this episode's highlights, for sure.
As far as Francesca's child getting murdered is concerned, I think it was Cahir. He did tell Fringilla at the beginning of the episode that if the elves refuse to serve, to let him deal with them. Everything he does "is in service of the White Flame." And he seems devoted. Devoted enough to where he'd likely make hard decisions; if it were for the White Flame.
cont.) The only other person I can think of is Dara. But it couldn't have been him. Fringilla is another possibility, and I think some people think it was her. I don't think it was her, either. It could've been Voleth Meir, but she'd have to have a physical body, which I don't think she has.
cont.) So, it had to have been Cahir or someone else. Maybe it was nobody in a physical sense, and the baby magically blew up or something like that, thanks to Voleth Meir, and that's why there was blood. Or General Hake told someone to go and kill Francesca's child before Fringilla did her thing. The camera did focus on him when Gage yelled to Filavandrel that the baby was early in the previous episode.
I guess the callback was cool. To the second episode. The callback to what Vesemir told Cirilla about one of the first Witchers, including one of the oldest monsters: a demon. And how the Witchers bound her deep in the forest. At the time, I figured that story was referring to the hut-in-the-woods lady, and now it's confirmed. Now, Cirilla is possessed by Voleth Meir and heading to Kaer Morhen. The knife she used to kill Klef, one of the first Witchers, also comes to mind. It could end up used against Voleth Meir-possessed Cirilla.