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
(Image credit: Netflix via YouTube)

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.

An image indicating spoilers are ahead.

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

Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher season 3 volume 2

(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

Freya Allan as Ciri, in the desert, in The Witcher season 4

(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.

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Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.