"Family" is the eighth episode of season 2 of Netflix's The Witcher series.
Characters[]
- Geralt of Rivia
- Yennefer of Vengerberg
- Ciri
- Jaskier
- Cahir
- Tissaia de Vries
- Fringilla Vigo
- Istredd
- Filavandrel
- Francesca Findabair
- Dara
- Vesemir
- Rience
- Lydia van Bredevoort
- Philippa Eilhart
- Sigismund Dijkstra
- King Foltest
- Mousesack
- Queen Calanthe
- Emhyr var Emreis
- Lambert
- Coen
- Everard
- Gwain
- Merek
- Pavetta
- Gage
- Martin
- Eredin
- King Ethain of Cidaris
- Queen Meve of Lyria
- King Henselt of Kaedwen
- King Damavend of Aedirn
Description[]
- Geralt faces off with a demon targeting his nearest and dearest while the most powerful players on the Continent ramp up their pursuit of Ciri.
Summary[]
Ciri awakens in some kind of dream. Mousesack warns her that the knighting ceremony started 20 minutes, and her grandmother has her dance card full. Ciri is in disbelief that Mousesack stands before her and tries to touch his face. Meanwhile, Ciri's body is being controlled by the Deathless Mother.
Geralt and Yennefer arrive at Kaer Morhen, where she explains that Voleth Meir came to her as a little girl. She feeds on pain, but she's more specific than that. She finds your weakness, the gaping wound in your heart, the thing that makes you feel hopeless, and she plunges her finger into it, and makes it hurt so badly you'll do anything to make it stop, like sacrifice a child, but Yennefer didn't go through with it, as she now understands how special Ciri is. She radiates the spark that Yennefer used to feel when she used her Chaos.
Voleth Meir goes room to room and slaughters multiple witchers in their sleep with the very same blade she used years before. The Deathless Mother reaches Vesemir's room and intends to slit his throat, too, but Geralt and Yennefer arrive. She pretends to be Ciri, but Geralt sees through her ruse, and she slices his face before running off.
Lambert blames Ciri for killing their brothers, but Coen reminds him that Voleth Meir isn't Ciri. After learning that she also killed Merek, Vesemir drinks an elixir and hunts her down, but Geralt tells him that his fight isn't with Ciri. Geralt reminds him that witchers don't kill out of fear, they kill to save lives. Spilling Ciri's blood won't bring anyone back. She can be saved, Geralt assures him, but he'll need Vesemir's help to do it.
Yennefer awakens Jaskier from his sleep and informs him that Ciri has been possessed.
Dara comes forward and reveals to Francesca and Filavandrel that he's been working for Redania and that they're after Ciri. He believes that their baby was killed because they befriend Nilfgaard, but Francesca believes it's just because they're elves. Dara apologizes for his hand in it all, but Francesca doesn't fault him for her misfortune. She then tells him to gather some horses.
Yennefer and Jaskier go to the lab, where she attempts to make a potion that will remove Voleth Meir from Ciri without killing her. Fortunately, she finds active jasper, which is a provider of warmth, energy, and balance. Yennefer pulled Ciri into this mess and will do anything she can to get her out of it. She tells Jaskier to give Geralt the jasper, as it helps turn wrongs into rights.
Back in her dream world, Ciri is escorted into the throne room by Mousesack and taken to sit alongside her grandmother. Ciri is a bit overwhelmed and takes a seat next to Calanthe, who Ciri pulls in for a hug. Martin approaches, and Ciri accepts his invitation to dance, much to Calanthe's surprise.
Fringilla informs Cahir that Francesca and Filavandrel are gone with some of the elves to avenge their child and stage an attack on Redania. Cahir questions why Francesca is so important to her, realizing she's the key to Fringilla's plan to show the White Flame that she's a valuable leader. Cahir proposes that they lie to the White Flame and inform him that they killed the elven child and blamed Redania in order to gain the elves' allegiance.
Lambert, Coen, and the remaining witchers drink their elixirs and search for Ciri, room to room.
Geralt finds Voleth Meir in the cafeteria, standing before the medallion tree. Before long, so do the remaining witchers. Geralt offers up himself in exchange for Ciri, but Voleth Meir doesn't desire him. The Deathless Mother unleashes a scream so loud that it cracks the medallion tree open and unveils the monolith hiding inside. She then shatters the monolith and sends the fragments flying in the direction of the witchers before opening a portal for two basilisks to exit, forcing the witchers to defend their home, whilst Vesemir and Yrden trap Geralt and Voleth Meir inside a barrier together. Voleth Meir explains that Ciri is the future before going in on the attack on Geralt, who attempts to get through to Ciri but fails. In the battle with basilisks, at least two witchers are killed. Filled with rage, Vesemir tries to kill Ciri, but Geralt defends her.
Meanwhile, Ciri is happily dancing in her dream world. Mousesack joins her for a dance and informs her that if she were to marry Martin, they'd forge quite the exceptional bloodline. Speaking of bloodlines, Ciri asks to know more about her own, and Mousesack promises that he'll share with her some day soon. Ciri then begins to hear Geralt's voice, which momentarily disrupts the dream. Just as Ciri begins to question too much, Pavetta and Duny arrive.
Francesca has led a small army into Redania. Accompanied by Filavandrel, Gage, and Dara, she slaughters all the Redanian babies in her path.
Another basilisk exits the portal and charges for Geralt, pushing him outside the cafeteria as they fight on the bridge. Geralt fortunately manages to get the upper hand and slay the beast before rushing back into the cafeteria, where Yennefer explains she made a portion to extract Voleth Meir. However, Vesemir has reached Voleth Meir and stabs her, but she heals herself within seconds. Thankfully, Lambert, Coen, and the others have managed to slay the two remaining basilisks. Geralt then realizes that it's their hate is the pain she needs to grow stronger. Geralt pleads with Ciri to hear his words and gain control.
Ciri runs into the arms of her mother and father, who tells her that they've been there the entire time, always loving her. Just like before, Ciri's dream world begins to distort at the sound of Geralt's voice. Vesemir chimes in, telling Ciri that he believes in her, as Pavetta and Duny encourage her to stay with them. While Voleth Meir struggles for control, Geralt realizes that without her hut, the Deathless Mother needs a vessel to exist within their sphere, so Ciri can't escape unless Voleth Meir has another vessel. So, Yennefer slits both her wrists open and summons Voleth Meir, which causes Ciri's dream world to disintegrate along with her family and for the Deathless Mother to be transferred to Yennefer.
When Ciri awakens, Geralt tells her that they need to trap Voleth Meir once and for all by opening a portal through the monolith and sending her through. And so, Ciri opens a portal, and she, Geralt, and Yennefer are pulled inside and taken to Voleth Meir's home world, where she is released from Yennefer and joins the ranks of the Wild Hunt as they charge towards them until Ciri pulls herself, Geralt, and Yennefer back through the portal.
Since coming back through the portal, Yennefer is healed and her Chaos has been restored, allowing her to heal Coen's wounds.
Vesemir intends to start gathering supplies so they can rebuild, but Geralt has to leave with Ciri. Between the demon and the Wild Hunt, Ciri is marked for something dark that is yet to come. And if mages and royals find out she's still alive, they'll be coming after her as well.
Tissaia reveals to the council that Ciri is alive and well, accompanied by a witcher. Tissaia recalls Dijkstra coming to Aretuza and suspects that he knew of Ciri's existence all along. Foltest suspects that that King Vizimir intends to find Ciri and marry her in order to claim Cintra. Meve notes that Ciri created far less trouble for them when she was believed to be dead, and so Tissaia and the council authorizes a bounty on Ciri and anyone protecting her.
Rience and Lydia meet with her employer to discuss their plans to find Ciri moving forward.
The elves find refuge in the woods. Gage wants to return to Xin'trea before Redania can retaliate, but Dara welcomes their attack, in the hopes of furthering their revenge, but Francesca isn't after revenge. She wants justice, recalling how when the humans first arrived, the elves welcomed them as peers, which led to a mass grave they dug themselves. Istredd is captured by the guards and reveals that Ciri is Hen Ikeir, meaning Elder blood.
Dijkstra gets word from his owl, Philippa, who transforms back into her human form, that word is out about Ciri. He then instructs her to bring him the bard, as it's about time he pay back his benefactor.
Yennefer is whole again. She felt it come back when she sacrificed herself for Ciri. Geralt doesn't forgive her, yet he wants Yennefer to join them and use her knowledge of magic to help train Ciri, as she's the only person who's helped her control her power. Geralt recalls Vilentretenmerth saying they are made for each other, destined for each other, but that nothing would come of it because destiny alone isn't sufficient. Something more is needed. Geralt believes that Ciri is that something more. He and Yennefer then join Ciri on the bridge, where she shares how tired she is of the darkness. As is Geralt, but he assures her that they'll see her along the way of her destiny. Geralt now understands what the Deathless Mother wanted from her. She's been on their Continent since the Conjunction and simply wanted to get home to her sphere. What he can't figure out is how Nilfgaard knew about Ciri before anyone else.
Emperor Emhyr, also known as the White Flame, has arrived in Cintra. Fringilla and Cahir explain that while the elves may not wear their colors, they are doing Nilfgaard's bidding, as well as pursing Ciri. He questions how they convinced the elves to fight. They did so by killing Francesca's baby and blaming Redania. However, Emhyr knows that they're lying as it was he who ordered the death of the elven baby, as it was the best path to helping him find his daughter, that being Ciri, as Emhyr is actually Duny. He then orders for Cahir and Fringilla to be taken away.