The Witcher season 2: What you need to know about season 1 to watch

The Witcher season 2 premieres this Friday, Dec. 17, and it’s been approximately a lifetime since we last saw Geralt in season 1. These are the two years that have passed between now, and The WitcherThe animated origin story of the Netflix original has been first seen on Netflix. Lot of other TV, and a global pandemic, so we’ll forgive you if it feels like the timelines got a little mixed up.

The second season drops viewers on The Continent right in the middle a lot more social turmoil. So knowing not everyone has time to catch up, here’s what happened to Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer, Roach, Fringilla, and the other characters back in season 1 who you’ll need to keep track of in season 2.

[Ed. note: As you might have surmised, this post contains full spoilers for season 1 of The Witcher.]

Geralt’s story:

Photo: Katalin Vermes/Netflix

Geralt worked as a helper for magic events around the Continent over a period of a hundred years. Through his work he met Jaskier (who adopted Geralt’s story into a certified banger, both in and outside the show) and Yennefer, a powerful mage whom he fell in love with. He accidentally signed up for the child surprise Cirilla, Cintra’s princess.

By the end of the season, Geralt isn’t interested in his growing legend so much as he is in trying to help Ciri escape Cintra. He is thrown into jail and the city attacked. He leaves Ciri behind in all the chaos and flees alone with Roach.

Geralt, when he is injured by the stray monster in season finale, has his vague delusions giving us the broad strokes his backstory. His mother was Vissena, a sorceress. She abandoned Geralt at the door of Vesemir who made him a Witcher. He survived, along with three other boys (10).

Yennefer, where are you now?

Photo: Katalin Vermes/Netflix

Yennefer’s season 1 arc revolved around power — namely the acquisition, the control, and rewards of it. Yennefer was born with a hunchback. She wasn’t taken seriously by anyone around her. She soon rose quickly in the Aretuza school for wizardesses after discovering her magical abilities. Her original assignment was to Nilfgaard to be the queen, but then she gets transferred to Aedrin. She finally sets her sights on being an independent woman. She wants a baby above all else, something that’s virtually impossible for sorceresses.

Geralt is eventually her man and she begins to fall in love with him. Yennefer ends her relationship with Geralt when she discovers that Geralt may have made a wish on a djinn to cause their attraction.

She returns to the mages, who have gathered to figure out how to deal with Nilfgaard’s growing military presence, having already attacked Cintra. This leads to the Battle of Sodden Hill, the narrowest part of the Yaruga River and the area that stands between Nilfgaard’s army and the north.

On Tissaia’s advice, Yen saves her chaos until things look most dire, before letting every ounce of her power pour out in fire magic. Conjuring fire can be very dangerous for any mage that uses it. Even after Nilfgaard has fled and the earth is scorched, Tissaia or Geralt cannot find Yen.

Geralt is how Ciri gets to Geralt

While Geralt can’t find Yennefer, his call does manage to reach Cirilla, who’s been wielding some strange powers throughout the first season. While her grandmother seems to allude to some secret, it’s not until the fall of Cintra that Ciri sees the powers in action: When being attacked during her escape, her panicked screams cause glasses to move and a monolith to crumble.

Ciri enters a trance after another attack in this season. The speech she delivers proclaims the end to the world. After that, power explodes from her. She knocks the attackers back, and the grass below them is flattened. Not too long later she finally meets up with Geralt; the two instinctively hug before Ciri asks: “Who is Yennefer?”

Fringilla And the Nilfgaardian force fits in

Photo: Katalin Vermes/Netflix

Fringilla could’ve used a bit more arc to her story in season 1, but here’s the highlights: She was initially the most talented student at the Aretuza academy, before being surpassed by Yennefer. Yen ends up stealing Fringilla’s posting as the mage for Aedirn, which means Fringilla ships off to Nilfgaard.

Which ends up being what she prefers, spending most of season 1 devotedly following the will of Nilfgaard’s leader “The White Flame.” Together with Cahir, the Black Knight, she searches for Ciri and hopes to spread the White Flame’s supremacy throughout the Continent. Unfortunately for both of them, season 1 leaves them at the Battle of Sodden Hill, separating Cahir and Fringilla thanks to Yen’s fire power.

The WitcherNetflix premieres season 2 on December 17.