Summary
With one strong episode, one bottle episode, and one Season 4 set-up episode, it’s hard to understand why Netflix chose to split the season this way.
Volume 2 of The Witcher Season 3 also marks the final three episodes with Henry Cavill as the titular White Wolf. The actor has been portraying the eponymous Geralt of Rivia since the series first dropped on Netflix in 2019 and has arguably contributed to the show’s immense popularity.
While it’s unclear what the future holds for the series with Liam Hemsworth taking the lead, the way Volume 2 ends is underwhelming, to say the least. And it’s an example of a show that didn’t need to be split into two parts.
The Witcher Season 3 Volume 2 Review and Plot Summary
Consisting of only three episodes, Volume 2 starts with “Everybody Has a Plan ‘Till They Get Punched in the Face,” which acts as a sort-of finale to the storylines introduced this season. Without going into spoilers, there’s a coup, an epic battle, and the death of several beloved and not-so-beloved characters.
Of the three, episode six is the strongest because it offers everything we’ve come to love in the series. The emotions are running high, there are at least two shocking twists, and Henry Cavill gives his strongest performance of the series, as does Anya Chalotra as Yennefer.
Episode 7, “Out of the Fire, Into the Frying Pan,” offers nearly 50 minutes of Ciri (Freya Allan) on a lonesome journey of self-discovery. She spends the whole episode in the desert. Bottle episodes are rarely compelling enough to move the story forward in a meaningful way, and this one is no exception.
The finale was the most frustrating season end this show has produced so far. We get over an hour of painfully slow exposition, setting the stage for Season 4. Nothing gets resolved, Cavill’s Geralt doesn’t get a goodbye, and it turns out that an entire hour of continuous exposition and cliffhangers can quickly turn tedious.
One character’s death, in particular, was beyond upsetting and in contrast with everything we’ve seen so far from them.
With one strong episode, one bottle episode, and one Season 4 set-up episode, it’s hard to understand why Netflix chose to split the season this way. Considering how strong it started with Volume One, these last three installments are but a bitter disappointment.
Is The Witcher Season 3 Volume 2 good or bad?
The second part of the season is not bad per se, but it’s not exactly great, either. It has one brilliantly epic episode out of three. And the finale does have a couple of entertaining scenes of political intrigue.
Is The Witcher Season 3 Volume 2 Worth Watching?
Episode 6 is well worth streaming and is probably one of the best single episodes the series has produced so far. As for the other two, I wouldn’t recommend them unless you’re planning to tune in for Season 4.
