It’s been a few weeks since Volume I of “The Witcher” season 3 aired on Netflix, ending with a cliffhanger that anticipates the massacre after the Thanedd Ball. While the first two seasons have been pretty eventful so far, season 3 gets to the meat of the overarching story pretty quickly, making it fairly clear that Geralt (Henry Cavill) is not the sole protagonist of the series. In Andrzej Sapkowski’s “The Witcher” novel series, there are many players that assume key roles, but Geralt and Ciri emerge as equally important in a tale about power, betrayal, and political upheaval. While Geralt still plays a crucial part in guiding Ciri (Freya Allan) in the right direction, the series will soon set up Ciri as the main character, as the fate of the Continent hinges on her actions.
“The Witcher” executive producers Steve Gaub and Tomek Baginski told Yahoo! News about this important transition for Allan’s character, which will pick up pace right after season 3 ends. After the Thanedd coup, Geralt, Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri get separated again, as the three of them are burdened with their respective roles as chaos spreads throughout the Continent. With Nilgaard quickly announcing its hold over the other nations, Yennefer has to protect her kind, while Geralt needs to find Ciri once again after she is zapped to an unknown realm during the Thanedd incident.
Let’s look into what Gaub and Baginski had to say about Ciri as the main character of the show, and what it could potentially mean for her arc down the line as the child of Elder Blood.
Ciri is the MVP now
In the interview linked above, Gaub and Baginski seem enthusiastic about Ciri assuming a more central role in the show. There might be some confusion about her main character status as the show is titled “The Witcher,” referring to Geralt — however, it is important to remember that Ciri is a witcher too and that one of her canon game endings in “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” lets her be a witcher for the rest of her life. Just like in the books, Ciri in the show is many things: Ithelinne’s prophecy revolves around her, potentially making her the future queen of Cintra, the savior of the Elves, a formidable witcher, and the one capable of uniting the Continent during widespread division and turmoil.
Baginski spoke in detail about Allan’s responsibility to up the stakes as Ciri and praised the actor for her dedication to making Ciri the protagonist in a story filled with compelling characters:
“I think this was very exciting to do, but especially for Freya. This is also the book [Time of Contempt] where Ciri – let’s be blunt about this – becomes the main character of the saga, because this is how it was done in the books, and watching Ciri evolve, and watching Freya evolve as an actress in this season, was incredible, just incredible.”
Moreover, Gaud echoed Baginski’s sentiment by stating that Allan “knew it was her time to step up centerstage and carry a lot of massively important moments to the overall story.” As the story’s focus shifts to Ciri after season 3, one should expect Geralt to play a more subtle, supportive role while still being important, with Ciri grabbing the reins of her fate to evolve into the fierce, complex, and self-sufficient woman that book-readers know and love.
What can we expect from Ciri in the future?
After the Thanedd Coup in the books, Ciri finds herself transported to Korath and slowly loses her mind in this unforgiving desert landscape. The books describe her Korath excursion in vivid detail, replete with hallucinations that haunt Ciri and push her to the point of death. However, this is when she meets a friendly unicorn and a woman named Falka, and the latter helps her tap into powers she had previously never dreamt of.
After escaping the desert, Ciri has a run-in with the notorious Rats, who are Robin Hood-esque thieves who kill and plunder to help the poor. This opportunity allows Ciri to shed her true identity and pursue a life of freedom — however, her involvement with the group makes her addicted to the thrill of murder, granting her an edge of ruthlessness that she never had before. This is a pretty serious development from a character standpoint, as Ciri is someone we are supposed to root for: her actions here, although morally dubious, solely serve to complicate her legacy and add nuance to her sense of identity, which is an interesting premise for the show to go off of and scale accordingly.
Yes, “The Witcher” is about Geralt, but it has always been Ciri’s story, where her choices dictate the fate of the world she lives in. Geralt might be her emotional anchor while guiding and encouraging her, but it is vital for Ciri to grow into her own person and experience life without Geralt’s looming shadow. This will inevitably mean personal missteps, but these flaws are as important as her virtues in a world that is so entrenched in shady grey areas.
Volume II of “The Witcher” season 3 will drop on July 27, 2023, on Netflix.
