The Witcher Season 3 Doesn't Let Yennefer Off Easy

This post contains spoilers for "The Witcher" Season 3 Volume 1.

"The Witcher" has returned to Netflix, with Geralt (Henry Cavill, for one more season) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) in a different place than we've ever seen them before. The sometimes-lovers bonded quickly when they met in season 1, thanks a little bit to a djinn and a lot to their own crackling chemistry. Season 2 saw the pair separated for a time, and their reunion wasn't an easy one as temporarily powerless Yen turned out to be aligned with a dark entity called Voleth Meir.

In the end, Yen got her powers back and also decided not to sacrifice Geralt's Child Surprise Ciri (Freya Allan) to an ancient evil, leaving the trio on decidedly unsteady ground. Still, "The Witcher" is at its best when its core group is together, and the latest episodes demonstrate that Yen's mistake won't actually doom her to estrangement from the man she cares about most. "People don't always make the right choices," Allan told Netflix's Tudum in an interview ahead of season 3, adding, "but ultimately, I think everyone knows [Yen]'s good at the core." The actor says Yennefer and Ciri are able to "begin to build that trust up" when Yen begins teaching Ciri to master her magic, something the powerful, Elder Blood-possessing girl desperately needs.

"They have such similarities that I think Ciri can't help but latch onto Yennefer," Allan added. Caring for Ciri changes the dynamic between Geralt and Yen, too. "We talked about: What has to happen for Geralt to trust Yen again?" series creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said in that same article. According to Tudum, series writers debated cutting to the chase and starting off season 3 with "a big fat kiss" between the previously estranged couple, but it just didn't feel right.

Instead, they decided to write the pair teaming up in a relationship that goes beyond simple attraction. "They get to come together as partners," Schmidt Hissrich told Tudum. "Since it's not just about them anymore, it becomes more than romance. It also becomes about soulmates." That decision makes a kiss that comes later in the season — and is presented with no words besides the goofy commentary presented by Jaskier (Joey Batey) — feel more well-earned and authentic. They might be older than they look, but it's never to late for Geralt and Yen to grow up a bit, and they seem to be doing that this season.

Yennefer and Geralt's relationship spans several novels in Andrzej Sapkowski's "Witcher" book series, but so does Yen's motherly relationship with Ciri. In the novels, as in the new season, she becomes a mentor for the girl and one half of a team of her fiercest protectors. It's perhaps not as flashy a role as Yen's previous turn as a mysterious mage who comes and goes as she pleases, but it's a mature relationship that reflects the changes Ciri's inclusion brings to the group. The Netflix series also refuses to leave Yen completely on the outs, even if her relationship with Geralt might be on unsteady ground in the premiere episode. At first, the pair communicate solely through notes, as Yen seems to be doing penance in the form of silence and distance from her on-and-off lover.

According to Tudum, Chalotra is enthusiastic about Schmidt Hissrich's comment that the pair have reached soulmate status. "One thing that they can't deny is their history and the connection that's inescapable," she told the outlet. "They're pulled towards each other, but more important than that, they need each other." That need is stronger than ever this season, given how many people seem to be after Ciri. The girl's blood may be the key to the future of the Elven race, and military and political leaders, spies, and even dark mages are all clamoring to get their hands on her. That pressure becomes a unifying force for Yen, Geralt, and Ciri, even when they're forced to split up.

Chalotra says that Yennefer has "got a lot of work to do," but also notes that she has faith in the character. In the five-episode first volume of season 3, Yen makes amends in a big way, not just by teaching Ciri and taking her to Aretuza, but also by having Geralt's back as the pair head into a pit of vipers in the mid-season finale. Volume 1 ends with the pair surrounded by untrustworthy forces, but it's a testament to Chalotra's performance — and the show's writing of her redemptive arc — that Yennefer of Vengerberg is decidedly not one of them.

"The Witcher" Season 3 Volume 1 is now on Netflix. Volume 2 will premiere on Netflix on July 27, 2023.