Diksha Sundriyal
The fourth season of Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ brings new challenges in the form of enemies and monsters who keep Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer apart. Over the course of four episodes, the trio embarks on individual adventures that, in some ways, prepare them for the battles yet to come. The season ends on tragic and uncertain notes for all three of them, as Ciri finds herself at the mercy of a ruthless enemy, while Yennefer walks into the mouth of danger to defeat Vilgefortz once and for all. Meanwhile, Geralt helps Queen Meve of Lyria and Rivia win a battle against Nilfgaardian forces. But unbeknownst to him, a new challenge has already been set up for him by Emperor Emhyr, one designed to kill him. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Witcher Season 4 Sets Up a New Challenge for Geralt in Season 5
In his long and trying career as a Witcher, Geralt of Rivia has faced all sorts of monsters. The first season, particularly, focuses on him battling a new creature in each episode. With his experience, one cannot be particularly worried about him, as he usually knows how to beat every monster. However, the one that Emhyr has in store for him might not be so easy to kill. In Season 4, the White Flame’s focus is on finding and marrying Ciri, especially after he discovers that the one Vilgefortz brought him is an impostor. When all his efforts to find the princess fail, he attacks Lord Skellen, who was supposed to have found Ciri by now.
This is when Skellen points out that they have been overlooking a major flaw with their plan. Emhyr believes Ciri is his destiny because she is his daughter. However, due to the Law of Surprise, Ciri is now Geralt’s daughter, which means that as long as the Witcher has a claim on her, Emhyr’s plan cannot come to fruition. So now, Emhyr is focused on killing Geralt, because once the Witcher is out of the day, destiny’s path will be clear and Ciri will come to him. The problem is that being a Witcher, Geralt is trained to kill the fiercest and most terrible of monsters.
The fact that he has survived for so long shows that he is incredible at his job, and no lesser monster will be able to get a shot at him, let alone kill him. This is why Xarthisius brings forth something new. The mage introduces it as “a truly magnificent specimen,” which is the “largest and most brutish” creature. While the beast is not revealed to the audience, it is impressive enough to convince Emhyr, who had been a monster at one time when a curse turned him into a porcupine-ish creature, that it will be sufficient to kill the Witcher.
Emhyr’s Mysterious Creature Will Decide Geralt’s Fate in the Final Season
Considering the source material of Netflix, whether it be Andrzej Sapkowski’s books or the video games they inspired, there is a plethora of monsters that have not been featured in the Netflix series yet. It could be anything from a basilisk to an arch griffin or a superpowered werewolf. The only glimpse we get of it is its shadow, which suggests that it may have wings, which means its power of flight can give it a significant advantage in its fight against the Witcher. Because Xarthisius uses the word “specimen” to describe it, it can be assumed that the creature is something that he created, most likely by combining the powers of different creatures to create a mega-monster that could kill Geralt. Since this plot point is not mentioned in the books, Xarthisius’ creation is original to the show. This means that the creators of the Netflix series have complete creative freedom in choosing the monster.
Since the next season is also the final one, the introduction of the beast sets up a major monster battle that will most likely take place towards the end of the show. The timing of the fight might also decide Geralt’s fate. If it happens while he is still searching for Ciri, there is a good chance that he will kill the creature and survive to live another day. Though there is no telling the toll this fight will take on him, and more importantly, how it will impact his search for Ciri. Moreover, if the battle takes place closer to the finale, or even in the last episode of the series, it may be the last monster or battle that Geralt fights, making his chances of survival relatively low. Thus, the unseen creature has already set up a chain of events, deciding how the ending will play out for the White Wolf, and whether he will get a happy ending or if his tale will end in tragedy.
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