Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), the mostly solitary, emotionally unavailable monster-hunter-for-hire, is about to be a lot less alone on Season 2 of the fan-favorite series The Witcher.
For starters, since he is duty-bound to protect Princess Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allan), he’s reluctantly taken on a fatherly role. And when the season kicks off, Geralt and Ciri are journeying to the remote Witcher home base, Kaer Morhen, so Ciri can receive training to defend herself.
(Credit: Netflix)
Once there, a new side of Geralt emerges. “You get to see a vulnerability in him. You get to see the teasing between siblings, and the protectiveness of a father,” says showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich of the Witchers’ family-like dynamic and Geralt’s own tough parental figure, Vesemir (Kim Bodnia).
On the way to Kaer Morhen, Geralt and Ciri make a pit stop at the magical mansion of his old pal Nivellen (Kristofer Hivju, who played Game of Thrones warrior Tormund Giantsbane).
“Nivellen is cursed, imprisoned in this boar-meets-bear-meets-human body, and haunted by his past,” Hivju teases of the tale, reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast. Stories like those told in these episodes are “probably a little bit more intense than Season 1,” says Hissrich. “We lean into suspense, horror and those darker elements a little bit more heavily.” Just what we want.
The Witcher, Season 2 Premiere, Friday, December 17, Netflix