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.
What did you think of Netflix’s The Witcher Season 3 Volume 2? Comment below.
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I was so hopeful when this series was announced that it would just produce the same story from the successful video game series. I know that The Witcher was a book series first, idc, the source material was best presented in the form of those games. Over the last decade, the games became far more successful than the books ever were. Why this show had to stray so far from that is beyond me. The games focused on Geralt and monster-slaying. Ciri wasn’t introduced until the third game. There was so much solid source material to utilize. The entire second game is at least a full season’s worth of entertaining storytelling. Geralt was intelligent, resourceful, and a detective with his powers in the games. He solved problems for people and had more depth to his character. There isn’t a lick of any of this in season 3. It’s like someone wanted to jam the politics of the lore into every scene. It makes for a lame and boring show. It’s sloppily thrown together and becomes so convoluted, I have no idea why you’re trying to show me what you’re showing me. There’s no rhyme or reason to most of what transpires. It’s a lot of pageantry and no sustenance. I’ll admit I’ve watched season 3 twice now and it’s bad television. I feel dumb for having written my opinion here regarding how I feel about it. I don’t usually care enough to say anything but maybe that’s how sh!t tv like this gets written. We let it slide for too long and this is what we get. I understand entirely why Henry Cavill walked, the Geralt in this show is pathetic. It genuinely feels deliberate. I wish the writers and actors went on strike before this season. Not that I wish anyone to be out of work or to be taken advantage of but I sure do feel taken advantage of for initially being a fan. Hissrich, I wish you no harm but I hope someone takes something you’re a fan of and turns it into a wicked lame tv show you can’t give two sh!ts about.