The Witcher Season 1 Episode 3 Recap – Betrayer Moon

[00:01:00] A boy lay on his bed telling a witcher about what attacked him. He swears that a vukodlak is the creature that attacked him. The witcher stepped forward into the light, but it wasn’t Geralt. He demanded payment from the boy’s father. The man got up and paid him, but by the time he went back to his son, he was already dead. The father shouted in agony over his son’s death. The man’s screams echoed through the night. The witcher went back to the area where the boy was attacked. There was blood everywhere. He followed the trail of blood that led into a meat cellar. There was another victim inside the cellar. The witcher heard a shriek and followed the noise. The pig meat started moving from their hooks. The hooks’ clanking echoed through the air. After a few moments, the monster attacked.

[00:04:00] Geralt spent the night with a whore. She kept checking his body to find all the scars that bards sing about in their songs. The whore found a new scar just above Geralt’s knee. She knew it was a new one. The whore asked Geralt who tried to take his treasures from him. He responded that it was a princess. She asked for a name, but Geralt didn’t tell her. The whore changed the topic of their conversation and told Geralt that another witcher came to town a few days ago. She told Geralt that the witcher went to Temeria. Geralt left the inn and used Roach as collateral for his accommodation. He promised the innkeeper that he would turn up in a few days with payment.

[00:06:30] The innkeeper pointed the way towards Temeria. Geralt arrived in Temeria just as the miners were planning to kill their king. They’ve had enough with the maltreatment towards them and all the other miners in Temeria. Geralt offered his services for a third of the price as a sort of apology from the Witcher guild. The miners accepted his offer while soldiers arrived at the mine. The soldiers’ commander told the miners to go back to their homes. The father of the child that was killed by the vukodlak came forward to spit in the name of the king. The soldiers prepared to retaliate, but their commander stopped them. The miners went back home as the soldiers escorted Geralt out of Temerian borders.

[00:10:00] The soldiers fell from their horses while Geralt heard a whisper from the woods. He turned in the direction of the whisper, and a witch appeared. She introduced herself as Triss Merigold. She told Geralt that she worked for King Foltest. Geralt understood that the king planned to pay Geralt to kill the vukodlak. Triss responded that it’s her plan and money to be used as payment, but she doesn’t want to kill the vukodlak; she wants to save it. Triss kept the corpses of the vukodlak’s victims, including the other witcher. Geralt knew it was Triss who told the people that the witcher ran off with their money. He checked the witcher’s corpse and discovered that he was missing his heart and liver. Geralt told Triss that their creature is a striga. The striga is the daughter of King Foltest’s sister, Adda.

[00:14:00] Back at Aretuza, Yennefer and Istredd were having sex in front of a council. It seems to be part of an initiation for the tasks they were about to take on. Their climax was met with thunderous applause. The council left as Yennefer and Istredd started getting dressed. Yennefer continues to doubt herself despite her months of hard work. After her talk with Istredd, Yennefer went to see a stylist. They were picking out a dress for her return to Aedirn when Tissaia entered the room. Tissaia went to see Yennefer in order to ease her woes. Yennefer didn’t see herself as a beautiful maiden which was destroying her self confidence. Tissaia told her that everyone has their flaws. It’s up to oneself how he or she presents themselves to the world.

[00:20:00] Geralt and Triss went to see King Foltest. A guard named Segelin argued with Triss and Geralt. He didn’t believe that anyone would be able to kill Princess Adda. He told Geralt that the rumors of Adda having a lover were mere gossip and telltales. Geralt didn’t care about their beliefs about Adda. He explained to them what a Striga looked like and what happened to it when Adda died. King Foltest ordered everyone to leave the room. Geralt was the last to leave the room, but he locked himself inside with the king. Segelin and the other guards were alarmed and tried to force the door open. Geralt spoke to King Foltest. Geralt knew that Foltest knew who the father of Adda’s daughter was.  The king’s reaction suggests that he’s the father of Adda’s daughter.

[00:24:00] The guards manage to force the door open. They thought that Geralt would harm the king. Foltest ordered Geralt to leave Temeria and never return. Geralt walked out the hall as Triss wanted to know what the king told Geralt. The Chapter held a meeting to discuss the order within the Kingdoms. They were made up of sorcerers and sorceresses. Fringilla is the nephew of one of the members, and he didn’t want her to go to Nilfgaard. The stories of King Fergus’s lust had spread all over the land. He spent the kingdom’s resources on women while everyone starved to death. Tissaia disagreed with sending Yennefer to Nilfgaard, but she lost control of the debate. Stergobor revealed to the council that Yennefer has elven blood. The city of Aedirn is under the Cintran borders. The Cintran’s hated elves, which is why they couldn’t risk sending Yennefer to Aedirn.

[00:27:00] The stylist went to see Yennefer to swap out her gray dress for a red one. The stylist told her that King Fergus prefers the red dress. Yennefer didn’t understand why she was being sent to Nilfgaard, so she went to confront Tissaia. Yennefer demanded to see the Chapter. She thought that they overruled Tissaia’s decision to send her to Aedirn. Tissaia explained that Stregobor knew about her elven blood, which is why the council sent her to Nilfgaard instead. Yennefer realized that Istredd deceived her, so she left Tissaia’s office. Back at Temeria, Triss found Geralt at the abandoned castle. He threw a rock to make the guards leave. Triss and Geralt went inside the castle to search for clues. Triss told Geralt that Temeria has its secrets that she would like to unveil. Geralt told Triss about his hunch that Foltest is the father of Adda’s daughter.

[00:32:00] Triss found letters hidden within a music box. They brought the letters to the courtier of Temeria, Ostrit. He claims to have a close relationship with Adda, but Geralt knew otherwise. He smelled Ostrit’s scent within the old and new sheets in Adda’s room. Ostrit confessed that he cursed Adda’s daughter in order to get revenge. Ostrit told them that Foltest and Adda’s relationship wasn’t consensual. Foltest abused his power and position in order to get Adda and turn her against him. Geralt asked Ostrit to tell them how to lift the curse, but he refused. Part of Ostrit’s plan was to allow the Striga to wreak havoc in Temeria so that the people would unite against King Foltest. Seeing no end to their conversation, Geralt punched Ostrit to knock him out.

[00:35:00] The enchantment ceremony began. Istredd was looking for Yennefer. One of the women in her group told Istredd what happened. He went to the tower to look for Yennefer after the ceremony. She was writing a letter in hopes of changing her fate. Yennefer didn’t want to go to Nilfgaard. Istredd and Yennefer ended up arguing about their relationship as well as Yennefer’s desire to be beautiful. After their argument, Yennefer went back to the stylist to challenge him. He didn’t want to proceed, but Yennefer asked him if the brotherhood also took his guts. The stylist told Yennefer that he needed time to prepare the herbs, but she refused. Yennefer told him that she’s continuing with the procedure while she’s awake. The stylist told Yennefer that she couldn’t do it, but once again, she proved that she could.

[00:40:30] Geralt went to the abandoned castle alone. He was met with guards of King Foltest. He drew out his sword, but Foltest stopped him. Foltest told Geralt that Triss advised him to trust Geralt. Geralt told Foltest that he wasn’t sure if he could successfully lift the curse. He added that the princess would need special care if she’s to grow up like a normal person. Foltest explained that he and Adda tried to avoid each other, but their love grew stronger. Geralt gave a gift to Foltest; it was some sort of medallion. He told Foltest that it wasn’t his first time trying to save a princess that everyone saw as a monster. Geralt was referring to Renfri. Foltest asked what happened to Renfri. Geralt responded that he had killed her.

[00:43:30] Foltest left with his guards. They allowed Geralt to enter the abandoned castle. Geralt tied Ostrit to Adda’s bedposts. He asked Ostrit again how to lift the curse he placed on Adda’s daughter. Ostrit refused to tell Geralt. He told Geralt that Foltest needed to pay for what he did to Adda. Ostrit explained what happened the night he cursed Adda’s daughter. He told Geralt that someone had approached him and told him what to do. Ostrit recited a spell and bathed in sheep’s blood until sunrise. Ostrit recited the spell, and Geralt understood what needed to be done. He needs to fight the Striga until dawn without killing it.

[00:46:00] Meanwhile, at Aretuza, Yennefer and the stylist were starting the procedure for her beautification. Yennefer requested to leave her eyes as well as the scars of on her wrists. The stylist told Yennefer that she could no longer bear a child if she wished to be reborn. Yennefer agreed without a single shred of doubt or fear. Back at Temeria, the striga got out of the crypt and went to Ostrit. He asked for forgiveness, but the striga still killed him. She went out looking for Geralt. He tried to bind the striga with chains, but it broke out of it like it was just a piece of thread. While Geralt battled the striga, Yennefer screamed and yelled in agony.

[00:50:00] Geralt placed a barrier on the exits of the room so that he could trap the striga. Yennefer continues screaming while enduring the pain of the procedure. The stylist burned away her ovaries. He drew black paint on her deformities and recited an incantation in order to remove them from her. After a few hours, sunshine filled the castle. The striga tried to get back inside her crypt, but Geralt stopped it. He sealed the crypt off in order to trap the striga in daylight. Meanwhile, at Aretuza, Yennefer survived the procedure and was reborn. Geralt saw the princess lying naked on the floor. She changed back into a human. Geralt approached her, but she attacked him.

[00:56:00] Geralt passed out from the wound that the princess inflicted on him. Yennefer attended the ball to meet the King of Sodden. She went against everyone in the brotherhood. Tissaia tried to remove Yennefer from the ball, but she had already introduced herself to the king. The king asked Yennefer to dance. Fringilla left the ball while everyone else was left to watch Yennefer dance with the king. Geralt woke up thinking he was still with Renfri, but it was Triss tending to his wounds. She told Geralt that the princess was safe. King Foltest issued a statement that Ostrit gave his life to help save the princess. Miners were collecting ore for his statue. With the mission successfully completed, Geralt demanded his payment from Triss.

[01:00:00] Triss handed over a purse full of coins to Geralt. He opened the purse and found the medallion he gave Foltest the night before. Triss asked Geralt who Renfri was, but he refused to answer. Triss told Geralt that destiny awaits him outside the borders of Temeria. Meanwhile, Cirilla just woke up in the middle of the forest. She followed the whispers that woke her up and eventually found herself walking in the middle of the fields. Dara also woke up and tried to follow Cirilla, but he got hit by an arrow. Cirilla managed to cross the field without any harm. She re-entered the forest and continued following the whispers.