The Witcher Season 4 is basically 8 episodes worth of setup for the end of this story. It’s an altogether enjoyable season that allows Liam Hemsworth to embody the character of Geralt of Rivia and take him in a new direction—one that a successful TV adaptation truly required. But not even Hemsworth being a really good Geralt nor the chemistry he has with Anya Chalotra’s Yennefer can change the fact that the season feels distinctly like not much actually happened.
In a way, this is the curse of the penultimate season, particularly when the fifth and final season has already been announced. The story of The Witcher has always been leading to Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri coming together as a family, and if the show gives us that in Season 4, then what will Season 5 be about? By virtue of this, however, we spend an entire season with our three main characters scattered, only sharing scenes via flashbacks or dreams.
What they do in the meantime is, indeed, engaging. Geralt’s entire story of growth and learning how to be a team player—even if the team surrounding him is made up of the strangest group of people—is compelling, and Hemsworth sells the changes that feel more like growth than anything else really well. Yennefer’s storyline with the other mages coming together to fight Vilgefortz is even better, as she develops into the leader we always knew she could be.
Ciri’s story with the Rats is, without a doubt, the weak link, but it’s still not a horrible device for her to learn a few lessons. Her whole love affair with Mistle is way less disturbing than in the source material, even if it always feels a little off, but her time with the Rats allows Ciri some agency and sets her on the path for what comes next.
All of those things being true, however, the show suffers when Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri are not sharing scenes, and Season 4 in particular drags at times, mainly because all we get are flashbacks and one booty call/romantic night between Yennefer and Geralt. It’s not more or less than we got before, but as a buildup to the end, it still leaves something to be desired. This family has always worked better when it fought together, and Season 4 doesn’t even give us much of Geralt and Yennefer doing that on behalf of Ciri, much less the three of them actually sharing scenes.
There are still highlights. For someone stepping into Henry Cavill’s big shoes as Geralt of Rivia, Hemsworth is a revelation. The show sets him up perfectly with a beginning montage that recreates some of Geralt’s best moments, but Hemsworth takes it from there and runs. It didn’t take me more than one episode to forget that the character was played by someone else before, so make of that what you will.
Chalotra, meanwhile, is once again the high point of a show that gives Yennefer a chance to fight for her family—and her daughter—and claim both things out loud, over and over. Allan is the perfect complement to the dynamic; even when we don’t love what Ciri is doing, we never stop trying to understand her.
All of this will come in handy once Season 5 rolls around and the characters are given a chance to interact once more. For now, even though Season 4 gave us much-needed setup for these characters, the truth is that it does end up feeling like a little too much setup, particularly considering how everything ends. It’s not that we could have skipped this—it’s very much necessary if what comes next is going to be enjoyable. It’s just that we wish we’d gotten a little more of the main story instead of so many different side quests.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of The Witcher Season 4? Share with us in the comments below!
The Witcher Season 4 is now available to stream on Netflix.
I am not going to lie after watching season 3 when it first came out and knowing Cavill was going to be replaced by someone else, I was a bit distraught. I enjoyed his “seriously funny” moments as the seasons went by and embodied his character very well with how he interacted with his costars. However; original Gerald or not, season 4 still gave us a story líne as the three main characters reface their past while still clinging onto their future. I do agree that seeing the characters apart made it feel a bit scattered. Yet we are back to how season 1 started: Yennefer regains her power through not magic but through her natural leadership abilities; Geralt finds himself merging with individuals new and old that join him in his journey as destiny that depends on it (similar to the seven in the Blood Origin); then, Ciri is forced to mature her skills through “abandonment” and understanding who she is as an individual. I cannot wait to see her growth continue as she becomes unstoppable with not only Geralts teachings but Yenefer’s as well.