Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Henry T. Casey

The Witcher season 3 volume 2 ending explained — what just happened

Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia and Joey Batey as Jaskier in The Witcher season 3 volume 2

Henry Cavill just finished his run as Geralt, as you can watch the Witcher season 3 volume 2 right now. But, well, how do we put this. Nothing quite felt like a true goodbye. We'll get to why that is below the spoiler warning.

But, yes, this season had a huge cloud above it, with Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill next season. The current Geralt is moving onto a Warhammer 40K series on Prime Video, instead of the DCU movies some would have expected after Black Adam. 

The below is an attempt to help clear up the confusing nature of these final three episodes, which don't put the focus on Geralt as much as we expected, as noted in our The Witcher season 3 volume 2 review.

The Witcher season 3 volume 2 doesn't change Geralt into Liam Hemsworth

(Image credit: Susie Allnutt)

Waiting to see Geralt change from Cavill to Liam Hemsworth will leave you blue in the face, but we do see a setup for something. In 'Everybody Has A Plan ‘til They Get Punched In the Face' Geralt realizes that Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu), not Stregobor (Lars Mikkelsen), is the series' big bad, and the two soon fight.

And then — shockingly to those unfamiliar with the source material — Geralt is easily beaten. He's beaten so badly, in fact, that our hero is basically in the fantasy world of intensive care. After some training, Geralt and Jaskier leave for Nilfgaard. And that's the end of Cavill's run.

Ciri takes on the name of Falka

(Image credit: Jay Maidment)

Ciri, who spends much of this half-season on the run, found herself in the Korath desert after opening a portal in Tor Lara and being held by the remorseful Cahir (Eamon Farren). And there, in the sweltering heat, she sees a lot of a unicorn and visions of her grandmother Calanthe (Jodhi May), her mother Pavetaa (Gaia Mondadori) and a hooded figure named Falka.

Falka, if you've not heard, was the oldest daughter of Redanian King Vridank, whose mother was his first wife: Beatrix of Kovir. She infamously rebelled against the crown, killing her father, his second wife and her two half-brothers. She was put to death on the stake, and cursed all those there. 

Ciri, it appears, is also out for revenge.

Outlook: Here's why that happened

Consulting Witcher experts who have read the books (the series adapts those, and not the games), I learned that Ciri is in fact a much bigger character than you might have thought. She's more of the overall protagonist than I'd realized, and Geralt is simply her mentor and father figure.

As for how Netflix's The Witcher transforms Cavill into Hemsworth? We'll have to wait for The Witcher season 4 (which has been confirmed, but is not likely to happen soon due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes) to find out.

More from Tom's Guide

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.