SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses Season 1 of Netflix ‘s The Witcher . Please proceed with caution if you have not yet viewed all available episodes and wish to avoid spoilers.
During the first season of Netflix’s The Witcher , viewers became confused when characters who had died in the first episode suddenly appeared again in Episode 4 (titled “Of Banquets’ Bastards, and Burials.”) However, as IGN explains, the reason for this is that the main character’s storylines are not actually occurring chronologically.
Much in the way in which HBO ‘s Westworld showed multiple storylines in their first season that was actually occurring many years apart, so too does Netflix with its new epic fantasy series.
In Episode 1, Ciri’s (Freya Allan) grandparents, Queen Calanthe (Jodhi May) and Eist (Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson), are killed during the fall of Cintra. Ciri is then forced to flee and search out Geralt of Rivia ( Henry Cavill ) at the behest of her grandmother and for reasons that were presently unknown. Then, in Episode 4, Calanthe and Eist appear once more. During this scene, Geralt is attending a banquet along with the bard, Jaskier (Joey Batey), as a suitor was found for Calanthe’s daughter, Pavetta (Gaia Mondadori). It was at this point that viewers realized that something was up with the timeline and, by the end of the episode, an explanation was given as to why Calanthe told Ciri to seek out Geralt.
Once it was established that different timelines were occurring simultaneously, viewers were quick to go back and rewatch episodes, catching many clues along the way that were previously missed regarding the time changes between characters.
For those who are wondering, the events occurring for Geralt at the start of the series are generally happening some 25 to 30 years prior to the fall of Cintra and Ciri’s storyline which can be considered to be present-day. However, his storyline does tend to jump around. For example, his run-in with the Striga occurred approximately 20 to 25 years before Ciri’s storyline and his meeting with Queen Calanthe and Ciri’s mother, Pavetta, occurred 13 years prior.
Regarding Yennefer’s transformation into a powerful mage, this is occurring approximately 70 years before the fall of Cintra, according to what The Witcher ‘s showrunner, Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich, has told the TV Guide . Her storyline also progresses to present-day throughout the first season.
While all of these storylines played out over differing timelines during season one of The Witcher , as previously reported by The Inquisitr , these storylines will join and create a much more cohesive storyline in Season 2.
Season 1 of The Witcher is currently streaming globally on Netflix. Season 2 has been confirmed by the network but, as yet, no premiere date has been announced.