THE WITCHER
CIRI'S JOURNEY
By Michael Ahr
Princess Cirilla of Cintra went from pampered royal to beleaguered woman on the run in The Witcher Season 1, but can she actually train to be a Witcher herself in Season 2?
Freya Allan portrays Ciri in The Witcher, and although she’s been aged up from the character in the books and games, her youth and innocence in the first season was palpable.
Much has been made of all the running away Ciri does in the first season, from her initial escape to her encounter with the elves to finally finding Geralt of Rivia.
“She is ultimately running through the woods a lot,” says Allan. “And I don’t think people got to see how interesting her journey is.”
The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich agrees: “I do think that we did a little bit of a disservice to Ciri in season one. Not intentionally, but… she’s literally running away a lot.”
Destiny has tied her fate to that of Geralt of Rivia, but does that mean she must become a Witcher herself, as many children claimed by the Law of Surprise do?
Allan admits Ciri has that as her motivation in season 2: “What she wants most this season is to feel secure… which is attached to the idea that she wants to be a Witcher.”
But besides the fact that all previous Witchers have been male, the process used to create the monster hunters is often fatal.
None of that matters to Ciri, though. “She’s surrounded by all these other Witchers, these big blokes and she’s like, I don’t want to be left behind in this.”
“Ciri’s journey in season 2 is so compelling,” says Hissrich. “For women who want to take back power… [or those who] make that choice between looking backward and looking forwards.”
The Witcher season 2 drops on Netflix on Friday, December 17, 2021, and it features a decidedly more mature-looking Ciri.