The back half of “The Witcher” season 3 feels as much like a beginning as it does an ending. While the three-episode second volume of the Netflix fantasy series wrapped up some plots, it used others as a jumping-off point from which to build the rest of the ongoing series. Just as Andrzej Sapkowski’s novel “Time of Contempt” burns some of its world to the ground to start fresh — sending Ciri on a formative journey of reinvention, assassinating Redania’s king, and demolishing the Brotherhood of Sorcerers completely — so does the TV adaptation.
“The Witcher” also paves the way for a storyline in which Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) parts from Geralt (Henry Cavill, due to be replaced by Liam Hemsworth) to take her own path back towards Ciri (Freya Allan). The trio of lead characters undergoes many a shifting power dynamic and personal transformation throughout Sapkowski’s book series, but few moments are as impactful for Yen as the one in which she must find inner strength after learning that her mentor, Tissaia (MyAnna Buring), has committed suicide.
A mother-daughter mentorship is suddenly cut short
In the wake of the season 3 finale, Chalotra spoke to Vulture about Tissaia’s death scene, revealing that she sees it as the most formative season 3 moment for her character. “I knew we were coming to that,” she told the outlet. “This was the most important part of season three for me: this relationship and it coming to an end as it does.” Tissaia’s death is perhaps the most poignant part of the show to date, bookended by scenes of Yennefer encouraging her not to lose hope and then, tragically, Yen finding her mentor’s body after feeling physical pain at the moment of her death.
As heartbreaking as the goodbye is, it’s a moment that feels almost fated as it pushes Yen to step up in ways she never has before. “In that ending, Yennefer is fully able to step into a position of responsibility,” Chalotra explained. “She’s always relied on Tissaia. That’s been her beacon, her guiding light for so long, and now she has to travel in those footsteps and own all the life lessons Tissaia taught her.” By season 3, it’s been decades since Yen was a student at Aretuza, but going back to the school that taught her so much (and almost broke her) obviously puts her at least somewhat back into the mindset of the child she was when she left.
Tissaia’s death forces Yen to step up
That doesn’t seem like it’ll be the case anymore now that Tissaia has died. “Only when Tissaia goes can Yennefer accept responsibility,” Chalotra told Vulture. “She’s always caused chaos — complete chaos — because there’s always been someone else to pick up the pieces. She’s known that there’s someone else in this world who will be there for her.” In a way, Yennefer’s story to date is a coming-of-age narrative, one told over a long lifetime. Tissaia’s death wounds her, but it galvanizes her, too. As Chalotra notes, Yen asks Geralt to promise he’ll still be with her, an oath that the actress says “means a lot because Tissaia’s gone.”
She also goes from being a sort of daughter to her mentor figure to a parent of her own this season, becoming a surrogate mother for Ciri. It’s a challenge that Chalotra hints may prove daunting in the face of Tissaia’s death. “Who has Yennefer got now?” she asks, adding, “Being alone with a child, and having to live for her — that’s scary enough, because it costs so much. Can she do it?” I get the sense that if Tissaia could answer, she’d say that it doesn’t really matter if Yennefer can or can’t, because she has to. We’ll see how she steps up to the plate when “The Witcher” returns for season 4. The show’s return date has not yet been announced, but the first three seasons are currently streaming on Netflix.
