The Witcher Season 2: ‘The World’s Acting Strange’ in New Trailer
The official trailer for The Witcher season 2 provides an extended look at the chaos in store and the reasons behind it.
Netflix has done a great job of minimizing spoilers in the trailers for The Witcher season 2, and the latest promo in particular focuses on the rising tensions in the world of the show while only hinting at the causes behind the increasing conflict. There are, however, certain conclusions that can be drawn about how the turmoil will affect Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer differently and what aspect of the story lies at the center of all three character arcs. Why, after all, would everything be getting so dangerous all at once?
Perhaps even those who haven’t read The Witcher novels by Andrzej Sapkowski or played the CD Projekt video games can tell that it has something to do with Ciri. Nilfgaard invaded Cintra for a reason beyond a simple land grab, and Yennefer scolds Fringilla, the empire’s head sorceress, saying, “Your precious leader is after something; you’re a pawn to get to it.” It’s no coincidence that the trailer shows Ciri at that point before switching to Yennefer’s point of view.
Unlike previous trailers for The Witcher season 2, however, this one focuses less on Ciri’s training to fight her own battles and more on what’s happening as a result of the princess’ increasing power. Geralt’s beastly friend warns, “Something has changed, Geralt; the world’s acting strange these days. The north and south at war; monsters roaming when they should be hibernating. Maybe it’s the end of days!” And while Geralt dismisses the idea, it’s hard not to heed Kanye West’s lyrics from “Monster” in the background, “Are you willing to sacrifice your life?”
In fact, the trailer features plenty of action sequences fans can look forward to seeing in their entirety in The Witcher season 2, including Geralt’s use of shielding spells common in the video game but not yet seen extensively in the show. But his kind of combat training, even with defensive magic, might not be enough to channel Ciri’s raw energy, confirmed when a sorceress tells the witcher, “If what you say about that girl’s power is true, you can’t help her.”
So who can? The trailer shows Yennefer during that part of the voiceover, and a sorceress mentor could certainly supplement whatever training the witchers can provide at Kaer Morhen. But The Witcher has developed its own story for Yennefer that’s quite separate from the books, and with her apparent imprisonment and torture, it may take some time for her to be of use to Ciri. That initial meeting is almost as hotly anticipated as the one between Geralt and Ciri at the end of season one.
It’s still unclear what Ciri’s power actually is, and how Nilfgaard could exploit it if they ever captured her is anyone’s guess. Is it worth going to war against an entire continent for the undisciplined chaos contained in one young girl? Apparently the zealots of the south think so, and if the official trailer for The Witcher season 2 is any indication, Geralt will have to slice through an army of monsters — and reunite with his bard friend Jaskier — to prepare his child of surprise for the strife that awaits her.
Written by
Michael Ahr is a writer and multimedia producer at Den of Geek with a focus on science fiction television. Elsewhere, he teaches video production to high…