The Witcher – Season 2 Episode 6 “Dear Friend…” Recap & Review

Dear Friend…

Episode 6 of The Witcher Season 2 begins with Geralt leading Ciri through the forest. They make it to the shallowest part of the river but there’s a problem. Geralt senses a Chernobog nearby; the winged beast we saw from the end of the last episode. And of course, it attacks.

Unfortunately Roach is badly wounded in the skirmish. With three nasty scratch marks across its body, Geralt eases his suffering and kills his trusty stead. After his death, Geralt manages to destroy the Chernobog.

Back at Kaer Morhen, Vesemir and Triss curse their luck. They realize that Ciri’s blood is more dangerous than they thought. Only, before they can continue this Just before he goes though, he takes the vial of Ciri’s blood.

Meanwhile, Fringilla is troubled by Cahir’s return. Given he used to be in command, she’s very clearly rattled. Cahir doesn’t blame her though, claiming she’s just distracted. However, he quickly gets back to brass tacks; finding Ciri.

With the Chernobog defeated, Geralt leads Ciri to a temple where she can learn signs and help defend herself. There, she meets Nenneke. She’s in charge of this school and after some warm welcomes, passes Ciri across to Jarre to explore the library.

In private, Nenneke tells Geralt, in no uncertain terms, that he’s f*cked. She’s the Child of Destiny and the key to everything going on here. She’s also wanted by many Kingdoms to, with a big bullseye on her back.

Back at Kaer Morhen, Triss confirms to the other Witchers that Rience is not working with the Brotherhood. Given he wields dark power, she realizes he may have already taken what he wants. And that much is especially true when Rience shows up before Lydia with the vial of Ciri’s blood. He wants to strike a deal, suggesting Lydia bring him to her superior.

Istredd arrives at Codringher and Fenn, a detective agency. He’s intent on finding out what Geralt’s purpose is with Nilfgaard and a mysterious girl. After paying his way, he learns that the girl is Cirilla.

Now, he’s obviously not the only one after her. Yennefer shows up at the same school, intent on finding Ciri. Instead, she walks into Geralt’s chamber. As the pair look set to kiss, Ciri shows up too.

Cahir turns Hake to his cause, with Fringilla’s intent on working with the elves annoying numerous guards. Intent on bringing the loyal Nilfgaard soldiers back to his cause, he begins fighting one of the elves in a “training” exercise.

The real cause here though is to usurp Fringilla, whose leadership hangs by a thread. She may have the kindness of the elves (especially after helping to deliver a new baby elf) but for the Nilfgaard soldiers, they’re not so easily swayed and are uneasy by this. After all, what happens if there’s an insurrection?

That night, Cahir receives a letter from The White Flame himself. He’s going to show up any day now, and this spells big problems for Fringilla.

While Yen and Geralt catch up, Ciri is with Nenneke, paying tribute to those who have fallen in the past. While they discuss the nature of hatred, Nenneke believes Ciri could well hold the key to breaking the cycle of anger, fear and hatred. Whether that’s true or not, remains to be seen.

Cri is but a girl and unfortunately her foolishness manifests later that evening. With a book of magic open, she finds pools of blood leading back to Jarre, who has been killed. Rience shows up with a whole bunch of soldiers. Circling her in a ring of fire, Geralt and Yennefer appear and turn the tables. Unbeknownst that Yen is actually working against Geralt, he leaves Ciri in Yen’s care while he fights off the soldiers.

With Rience at the door, ready to break the door open with fire, Yen implores Ciri to use a spell to conjure forth her magic and escape together. They do too, managing to get away as Geralt watches from the doorway, helpless.

Back at Kaer Mohen, Vesemir and Triss learn about the missing vial. The latter decides to leave the fort, arriving before Tissaia and pledging her allegiance. A drop of Ciri’s blood could change the world but in the wrong hands? It’ll destroy it. Everything rests on a precarious knife edge.

The Episode Review

The Witcher rounds out its sixth episode with some slick action (despite the slow-mo, bullet-time-esque shots) and a lot more clarity around what’s happening here.

We’ve known for a while that Cirri is the chosen one but understanding just how important she is to the fate of the world just ups the ante a little. It also brings this story much more in line with how The Witcher 3 plays out, including the Wild Hunt and Ciri’s destiny.

This chapter in particular feels like a big turning point, leaving everything wide open for the final two chapters. So far The Witcher has been just as good as the first, despite a bit of a slow start, and the darker, more gritty story certainly works well to add more stakes to the story. How will this one end? We’ll have to wait and find out for the remaining two chapters!