Summary
The Witcher Season 4 finally gets going in “Twilight of the Wolf”, delivering enough action and character deaths to make up for a slow start.
It’s easy to think about the disappointingly inert previous episode as the calm before the storm in light of “Twilight of the Wolf”, an all-guns-blazing, protracted action sequence that barely comes up for air. It’s the clear highlight of The Witcher Season 4 thus far, and also marks a clear turning point, since it includes several character deaths and plot turns — including, most notably, the destruction of Vilgefortz’s portal-controlling machinery — that open up the storytelling possibilities. The fact that Episode 6 ends with Yennefer simply teleporting into Nilfgaard, which Geralt has spent the entire season walking towards, is almost like a bit of a gag at his expense.
The only real downside of an episode like this is that it doesn’t give us a great deal to really break down, since it’s not very plotty. Instead, the whole thing is a barrage of sight and sound that makes use of a lot of gore and swirly visual effects to create some needed excitement. Framed around Vilgefortz’s assault on Montecalvo, it’s a nice, surprisingly kinetic payoff to over half a season of build-up.
Vilgefortz’s plan is rooted in arrogance. Now that he knows where Yennefer and the other mages are hiding out, he tries to open up a portal and drop a bunch of his own loyalists into the castle to wipe everyone out, with him arriving later to finish off Yen. Doesn’t work out like that, though, since Fringilla managed to tip Yen off that he was coming, so the novices have already created a barrier to stave off the invaders. It takes considerably more effort than Vilgefortz expected even to breach the building, though he does eventually manage it, and thus chaos ensues.
Lots of characters die in this melee, though admittedly most of them ones we only met this season or don’t care much about in general, like Margarita (RIP!). Vilgefortz has a colossal advantage in the fact that his mages keep portalling around whenever Yen and the others fight back, which prevents them from securing a foothold. Yen is able to reach out to Fringilla and tell her to find a way to destroy Vilgefortz’s block on the portals, but that’s easier said than done. Even after Fringilla frees herself from her cell, she has to rescue Istredd, who, for plot-related magical reasons, has to connect himself to the monolith in order to counteract Vilgefortz’s spell. Fringilla tries to talk him out of it. Later, so does Yennefer. But Istredd is simply determined to die in this episode, and, eventually, he does, albeit saving the day.
It’s the same with Vesemir. He and the other Witchers help to fight off the mages and the monsters they bring with them, but he’s adamant about fighting Vilgefortz himself, which we just know is going to end in tears. And, again, it does. It’s a nice villain moment for Vilgefortz and will no doubt unsettle Geralt when he eventually hears about it, but Geralt isn’t even in The Witcher Season 4, Episode 6, so it won’t be coming up any time soon. And to think people were worried about Liam Hemsworth ruining the show. He’s barely in it!
Anyway, just when it seems like Vilgefortz has the upper hand, Philippa turns the water in the castle back on, allowing Yen to gain the upper hand, and Istredd’s sacrifice reactivates the portals, allowing all the survivors to take control. Vilgefortz, true to form, portals away, and Yen gets to say goodbye to Istredd, whose final words implore her to get to Stygga Castle, where Vilgefortz has been basing his operations. At the end of the episode, she teleports right into the heart of Emhyr’s fortress to rescue her daughter, still entirely unaware that Ciri isn’t even there.
Ciri remains, as we know, with the Rats, who in “Twilight of the Wolf” take it upon themselves to kidnap a wealthy young boy and ransom him off. When the guards try to stop them, Ciri massacres them all, and then enjoys a night of drink and drugs to solidify her half-heel turn into a damaged, murderous party animal. But Leo isn’t far behind. At this rate, it’s looking likely that he’ll find Ciri long before Yennefer and Geralt do.
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