The Witcher: Every Episode From Season 1 On Netflix Summarized and Recapped

The hit TV show that’s based on the hit game that’s based on the hit books. The Witcher was bound to be a success from its announcement back in 2017.

With the show being called on for a second season just 2 months after its initial release it’s no doubt the production was instantly granted its wish. Season 1 was a brand new, inspired take on its famous counterparts, here’s what happened.

8 EPISODE 1: The Ends Beginning

Aside from the fantastic fight scene, interesting illusions, and stunning scenery, episode 1 instantly sets the tone for the entire show, killing off a character that many thought would be key to the story’s development. The show begins with Geralt fighting a huge beast, bringing him to the unaccepting town of Blaviken.

There he meets a princess and a wizard, both set out to end each other. Neither succeeds when the princess, Renfri, attacks Geralt getting herself killed at the end of the episode. Meanwhile, in Cintra, Princess Cirilla finds her world uprooted by the invasion of Nilfgaard which sends her fleeing into the unknown, with everyone she loves dying around her.

7 EPISODE 2: Four Marks

The introduction to Elves, Yennefer, Jaskier, and Tissaia. This episode is full of laughs, songs, and fighting; but surprisingly also bargaining and appeasing. The scene begins with Yennefer, a shy, bullied, and crippled girl, neglected by her family. As she is bullied she seems to teleport to a crypt which turns out to be pivotal in later episodes. Upon being noticed for her talents she is quickly sold to Tissaia for 4 marks, less than half the price of a pig.

Meanwhile, Ciri meets Dara, an elf, and stumbles across an encampment of Cintra refugees. She hides her identity to stay safe and finds trust in a family, as loose as their morals may be. As for Geralt, he unwillingly finds a companion in Jaskier, creating the famous song ‘Toss A Coin To Your Witcher’ on his hunt for a ‘Devil’. Through this journey, he is kidnapped by elves who reveal all they have been through and what their plans are for humans.

6 EPISODE 3: Betrayer Moon

A beautiful battle between Geralt and a vicious werewolf is what makes this episode one of the best. Not to mention Yennefer’s painful and hard to watch transformation. The beginning of the episode shows a Witcher walk straight into his death, so when Geralt is tasked to do the same it’s equally as tense and horrifying to watch him get beaten down as much as he does. However, he ultimately succeeds in bringing her down.

The tone remains the same, as Yennefer makes the biggest sacrifice of all. In a rather hard to watch scene she undergoes extremely painful changes to become a king’s mage, ultimately leaving her unrecognizable, aside from her eyes. As beautiful as she looks it’s hard to be satisfied with her decision as she ultimately loses her true self and the chance to have a child. Something she comes to regret.

5 EPISODE 4: Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials

An odd episode filled with hedgehog men, portal assassins, and the law of surprise. Just another day for Geralt when he accompanies Jaskier to a royal ball. Ciri finds an enchanted forest and Yennefer uses her magic to cause some chaos. Geralt to accompanies Jaskier to a banquet as his unwilling protector. The purpose is to find a suitor to the princess, Pavetta, mother of Ciri. During this, a knight claims Pavetta due to the Law of Surprise. However, he is cursed to look like a hedgehog. The knights and Geralt are commanded to kill him but Geralt refuses, saving his life. Due to this, Geralt is granted their firstborn due to the Law of Surprise, that being Ciri. This takes place a long time before Ciri was born and serves as an introduction to why she is looking for Geralt.

Meanwhile, in a more recent time frame, Ciri wanders into an enchanted forest filled with Dryads. They persuade Ciri and Dara to stay and end their suffering, something the two are desperate to do. In Yennefer’s story, she has been tasked to look after Queen Kalis. However, due to her recently giving birth to a girl, they find themselves in the middle of an assassination attempt, orchestrated by the king. To save her life Yennefer portals them to safely, only to find that the assassin can do the same. After a series of insults, Yennefer leaves the Queen. Coming back for the baby soon after. Unfortunately, the baby dies but it is the start of her ache for a child.

4 EPISODE 5: Bottled Appetites

A spin of fate allows three key characters to work together, whilst also nearly killing two of them. There’s trouble for Ciri, a shapeshifter takes on the form of her trusted Mousesack, intent on killing Ciri. Meanwhile, after Yennefer left the Queen for dead, she has begun a new business for some quick coin. Thought of having a child is overwhelming, forcing her to take drastic action. Placing her in the same place as Geralt.

After trying to find a djinn, Jaskier and Geralt fight causing the djinn to attack Jaskier. Rapidly dying Geralt takes him to the only person who can save him, Yennefer. Typically, she sees this as an opportunity to capture the djinn so she can wish to have a child. Unbeknownst to her, she would die before completing her wish. Ultimately Geralt uses the last wish to save her life, bringing them closer, even though Yennefer is distraught.

3 EPISODE 6: Rare Species

Full of our favorite characters and a fantastic plot twist, this episode does little to disappoint. Geralt is met by a mysterious man who convinces him to go on the hunt for a dragon after the king promised to grant the killer a title of lord. However they’re not alone, 4 teams are set out on the quest, along with Yennefer who’s working with a knight to slay the dragon. The episode follows Geralt and Yennefer’s tumultuous relationship and the self-destructive nature of the other groups.

The dwarves lead them down a broken path causing the mysterious man to fall down the mountain. Surprisingly, the man is, in fact, the dragon and has recruited Geralt to protect him, which he ultimately does in a fantastic fight scene with Yennefer. Meanwhile, ‘Mousesack’ has found Ciri and she comes with him to find Geralt, thankfully Dara doesn’t trust him and they discover he is a shapeshifter causing Ciri to flee.

2 EPISODE 7: Before A Fall

Taking place before the fall of Cintra, this episode explores Geralt reconsidering his obligation to the law of surprise. It also delves into the convent of mages, dealing a great insight into Yennefer’s past. Yennefer meets an old friend who warns her and brings great insight into the massive battle to come in the next episode. She is invited back into the convent and shows a group of young girls, much like her old self, what it’s like to be a student there where we meet Ticilla again.

During her time at the convent, she finds out that Nilfgaard is on the attack. She and the rest of the mages have a debate over protecting Cintra or to let it fall. They vote to let it fall. However, all is not lost and the mages who disagree go rogue and plan to stop Nilfgaard their own way. Meanwhile, Ciri realizes her true talent when her safety is compromised.

1 EPISODE 8: Much More

In the final episode, Geralt and Ciri almost cross paths and Yennefer battles Nilfgaard with the mages. Interestingly, Geralt is incapacitated for the majority of this episode due to him being bitten and nearly killed. However, his savior ends up uniting him with Ciri after they took her in at the end of the previous episode.

Yennefer and the mages begin to battle the Nilfgaardians. However many of her loved ones are slaughtered in the process due to Nilfgaards savage battle technique. Luckily Yennefer and Ticilla live to see another day.

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