Diksha Sundriyal
The fourth season of Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ serves as the penultimate chapter in the story of Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer. This turning point is revealed to the audience through a new character, known as Nimue, whose appearance bookends the season. She appears at the beginning of the first episode and then again in the last one, serving as a narrator who provides context for what’s about to happen to the main trio. While it may seem that she doesn’t have a significant role, she is actually a significant character whose presence will prove crucial to Ciri’s survival, as well as that of her friends. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Nimue is an Integral Part of Ciri’s Storyline in The Witcher Season 5
Nimue is introduced as a young girl living in a small village, decades after the stories of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri appear to have come to an end. The trio has been immortalized as legends, but young Nimue believes that she is somehow connected to them, at least to Ciri. She feels strongly about the role that destiny has played in the lives of the main trio, and is somehow convinced that she, too, has a part to play in the grander scheme of events. She holds on to this belief over the years, as she grows older. In the last episode, we see a grown-up Nimue, who reveals that she is going to join the Lodge of Sorceresses as a novice. This proves that she has magical powers. However, her primary reason to join the Lodge is to figure out her connection with Ciri, which is where her storyline is headed in Season 5.
Nimue’s storyline borrows from ‘The Lady of the Lake,’ the last novel in the Witcher series, written by Andrej Sapkowski. Her feeling about being connected to Ciri through destiny proves right when Ciri shows up in her timeline, a long time after she, Geralt, and Yennefer become the stuff of legends. This follows the events of ‘The Tower of the Swallow,’ where Ciri, while escaping the grasp of those who want to capture and use her for their own ends, ends up in an alternate world. Not surprisingly, here, too, she is seen as a means to an end, and eventually, she decides to flee back to her own world. This is where Nimue comes into the picture, as she helps create a portal that can not only take Ciri back to her own world but also to the time she belongs to. Thus, Nimue becomes instrumental in ensuring Ciri’s safe return and allowing destiny to take its course.
Two Actresses Present Different Versions of Nimue
Two different actresses play the role of Nimue in the first and last episodes of ‘The Witcher’ Season 4. In the first episode, Nimue is still a young girl, and Eve Ridley brings her to life. The actress is best known for playing the role of Follower in Netflix’s sci-fi drama series, ‘3 Body Problem.’ Additionally, she has appeared in BBC’s ‘Casualty’ and is a part of the second season of Netflix’s adult-animated series, ‘Blue Eye Samurai.’ She has also played the role of Young Eponine in the UK Tour of ‘Les Misérables,’ marking her theatre debut. She is also set to appear as Ruthye Marye Knoll in DCU’s ‘Supergirl.’ In the final episode of the fourth season, a time jump takes place, and we meet a grown-up Nimue. This is where actress Sha Dessi takes over the role from Ridley, and she is expected to reprise the role in the fifth season as well.
‘The Witcher’ marks Dessi’s debut TV performance. Before this, she had been highly active in the world of theatre. She has a BA in Musical Theatre from the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Interestingly, her most notable performance is as Éponine in Les Misérables on the West End. She got the role fresh off her graduation from Mountview and received a Stage 25 Awards nomination in 2022. With Ridley playing a younger version of the same role, it appears that destiny may have conspired to have them play Nimue as well. For Dessi, acting happened by chance. As a child, she went on a play date with a friend whose mother forgot she had an audition for a pantomime. So, she decided to take Dessi with her, hoping that the young girl would enjoy her time there, singing and dancing.
It turned out that Dessi ended up liking it a little too much, and when she auditioned, she was cast in the pantomime, alongside her friend. She returned to the panto the following year as well, and a few years later, she turned her attention to community theatre. She’d already begun to harbor a love for acting, particularly musical theatre, and it became more permanent after she saw Cynthia Erivo perform in ‘The Color Purple.’ Following her successful run in ‘Les Misérables.’ Dessi hoped to expand her horizons. She thought about exploring different forms of theatre, but with ‘The Witcher,’ her career took quite a turn. Her potential and talent hint at a great future for her, but she doesn’t want work to be her only priority. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her friends, going to the movies, and exercising.
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