Voleth Meir is an entirely new character to the Witcher setting, not featured in the books or the games. Voleth Meir was a solid addition, a Baba Yaga-esque manipulating witch-goddess bound to a hut by the first witchers. She’s been manipulating everything all season, and we’re finally on our way to that confrontation.
Voleth Meir gave the elves their first pure-blood elf in a long time, and it gave Fringilla power, and then it took both away through the same event. The birth of the child makes the elves less willing to fight on behalf of Cintra; they’d rather rebuild, which puts Cintra and the elves back against each other.
We start with Jaskier having an amusing sequence in jail, absolutely tormenting his captor with his incessant singing, as well as having befriended the mice. Typical Jaskier stuff. Geralt comes in to rescue him. Yennefer had mentioned meeting him before she took Ciri and fled, so he’s come to get what information he can.
Jaskier reminds Geralt that he’d left him on a mountainside the last they’d spoken, and is still irritated, but gives up that anger for a fairly quick reconciliation. This is for the best, as keeping Jaskier and Geralt apart does nothing for the show.
Their travel also includes running into Yarpen Zigrin, last seen in Season 1, Episode 5, and his band of stab-happy dwarves, who join them on a mission Geralt won’t tell them about.
Yennefer and Ciri meanwhile keep fleeing, and Yennefer convinces Ciri that Geralt is likely a captive of Cintra. Ciri still believes Yennefer is trying to keep her safe and follows along. Yennefer dodges most questions or answers in half-truths, but saying Geralt is likely captured and in Cintra is a full-throated lie, intended to get Ciri to the shattered door so Yennefer can make her trade with Voleth Meir and get her magic back.
When they finally reach it, Ciri figures it out and Yennefer tells her she can flee. Yennefer can’t, but she can suggest that Ciri run away. Instead, Ciri screams and her uncontrollable magic breaks the ground all the way to Cintra, which alerts some guards who come after them. Geralt also shows up to rescue Ciri. The convergence of the plot-lines—three groups showing up in the same place at the exact same time—feels odd considering Yennefer and Ciri teleported and Geralt and Jaskier did not. That said, The Witcher has always been a show that puts drama over logistics.
But that’s a minor nuisance to see Geralt’s fury at Yennefer. His sword lingers at her neck. His growled ‘Mine’ to Yarpin is another example of just how well Cavill understands this character. He sends Ciri away with Jaskier, and Yarpin and his dwarves, without moving his sword from Yennefer’s neck.
He gets her to recite the incantation to get back into Voleth Meir’s hut, only for them to realize that she’s made enough chaos in the world that she can finally manifest in the real world once more.
