Witcher Season 3’s Story Setup Can Properly Fix Its Yennefer Problem

The Witcher season 2 set up a bunch of things for season 3, and among those is one that can properly fix the series’ Yennefer problem. The fantasy genre is home to a variety of rich universes, and one that has gained a lot of force in recent years is that of The Witcher. Created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher is a series of novels and short stories that became widely popular when they were adapted into video games, and in 2019, it got its first English language adaptation thanks to Netflix, quickly becoming one of the streaming giant’s most popular titles.

The Witcher season 1 went for a nonlinear timeline and followed Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri (Freya Allan) in different places and points in time, with their paths converging at the end. Season 2 of The Witcher opted for a much easier-to-follow timeline and saw Geralt and Ciri traveling to Kaer Morhen, where the princess of Cintra was trained by other witchers, while Yennefer dealt with the loss of her powers, which led her to make a dangerous deal with the Voleth Meir. Season 2 also made big changes to Yennefer’s story, which ended up being quite controversial.

Through most of The Witcher season 2, Yennefer had an antagonistic role as her deal with the Voleth Meir led her to betray Geralt and Ciri’s trust as the Deathless Mother wanted Ciri, and in return, she would give Yennefer her powers back. However, one of the biggest setups for season 3 is a perfect opportunity to fix The Witcher’s Yennefer problem while also being more loyal to the book in the process, and it’s all about the Thanedd Coup and the Lodge of Sorceresses.

What Role Will Yennefer Play In The Witcher Season 3?

The Witcher season 2 was mostly based on the book Blood of Elves, in which, in addition to training at Kaer Morhen, Yennefer helped Ciri understand and control her chaos, and while Yennefer briefly mentored Ciri in season 2, she definitely wasn’t the mother figure that the audience expected. Instead, Yennefer was more focused on getting her powers back at all costs, even if that meant handing Ciri to the Voleth Meir. At the end of The Witcher season 2, Yennefer corrected her course by sacrificing herself to free Ciri from the Voleth Meir, so season 3 is expected to see more of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri together. The finale of The Witcher season 2 also revealed that pretty much half the Continent is now going after Ciri, including the mages, which is setting up the Thanedd Coup in season 3.

The Thanedd Coup was an attack between mages during one of their conclaves in Aretuza, located on Thanedd Island. The mages were secretly divided into two groups – one supporting Nilfgaard and the other the North – and both planned to use the meeting to catch the other side unaware. The meeting turned violent and there were many casualties, and the Brotherhood of Sorcerers was dissolved after this. Yennefer played a neutral role in this, but the coup made way for the formation of the Lodge of Sorceresses, a secret organization formed by female mages and led by Philippa Eilhart (played by Cassie Clare). Yennefer was part of this group along with Triss Merigold, Francesca Findabair, and Fringilla, but with time, the Lodge of Sorceresses also went after Ciri for the wrong reasons. This is the perfect opportunity for Yennefer to make up for what she did in season 2 and protect Ciri while also giving her proper training so the princess can better use and control her powers. The Witcher’s Yennefer problem and be fixed through her role in the coup and the Lodge of Sorceresses, giving her the chance to correct her path, regain Ciri and Geralt’s trust, and be a lot more than a troubled sorceress with too much power.