The Witcherseason 4 is facing many challenges, including one about its villains, as it now has to replace a major bad guy who was killed way too soon and was key to Ciri’s (Freya Allan) most badass book scene. Netflix’sThe Witcherhad a strong start with its first season in 2019, but when its second season arrived, it became one of the most divisive TV shows.The Witcherdrew backlash for the changes it made to its source material, and though season 3 was an improvement, season 4 now has to overcome more challenges.
The Witcherseason 3 endedwith Ciri, Geralt (Henry Cavill), and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) separated again, with Ciri joining the Rats, Yennefer forming the Lodge of Sorceresses, and Geralt setting out to find Ciri after he recovered in Brokilon. Now,The Witcherseason 4will introduce Liam Hemsworth as the new Geralt, will cover some dark storylines from the books, and has to replace a key villain killed in season 3, who is key to Ciri’s most badass book scene: Rience.
How Rience’s Death Was Different In The Witcher Show
Rience’s Death In Season 3 Was Unexpected & Underwhelming
Among the problems Netflix’sThe Witcherhas faced is one related to its villains. It wasn’t until the show’s third season that it finally got defined villains thanks to Vilgefortz andthe White Flame, but this was also the season that killed a villain with great potential.The Witcherseason 2 introduced Rience (Chris Fulton), a powerful mage who usedthe forbidden fire magic. Rience had been imprisoned by Queen Calanthe but was freed by Lydia van Bredevoort after the fall of Cintra, ashe was recruited to find and capture Ciri.
Rience was recast inThe Witcherseason 3, with Sam Woolf playing the character.
Rience was cruel and relentless, to the point where he kidnapped and tortured Jaskier for information and attacked Vesemir and Triss in Kaer Morhen. Rience continued looking for Ciri and Geralt in season 3, even hiring mercenaries to help him, and just when he was close to getting what he wanted, he had a surprising and underwhelming end. Rience trapped Ciri in a circle of fire and threatened Yennefer if she dared to help the Princess, butYennefer instead threw a sword at Geralt, who was standing behind Rience, and decapitated the mage.
Rience’s end comes in the novelThe Tower of the Swallow, during his final encounter with Ciri.
InThe Witcherbooks, Rience has a bigger role and a completely different death, one that is a lot more satisfying than being decapitated by Geralt. Rience’s end comes in the novelThe Tower of the Swallow, during his final encounter with Ciri. The Cintran Princess lures Rience, Bonhart, and Skellen to a frozen lake, where Rience is forced by Skellen to use his magic to stop Ciri. Rience’s spell half works and cracks the ice below them, withthe mage falling into the freezing water and clinging to the edges of the iceas he asks for help.
Rience, desperate to save himself, tries to negotiate with Ciri so she will save him, butCiri slices through his fingers with her ice skates. Rience drowns in the lake, and that’sthe end of Rience. After everything he did to Ciri and all the harm he caused, it’s very satisfying that it was Ciri who ended him.
Rience Is Part Of Ciri’s Coolest Book Moment - And The Show Needs To Do It
The Witcher Season 4 Or 5 Needs To Adapt This Ciri Scene
Ciri goes through a lot inThe Witcherbooks, both good and bad, but her coolest book moment is the one described above, fromThe Tower of the Swallow. In this book, Ciri escapes from Bonhart, who forced her to fight in a gladiatorial arena, and is taken in by the elder philosopher Vysogota. However, after hearing her story, Vysogota tells her there are agents of Skellen waiting in ambush in nearby towns,Ciri escapes and takes a pair of ice skatesthat belonged to Vysogota’s daughter.
What Happens To Ciri After The Witcher Season 3: 8 Key Events To Know If Abandoning The Show
There’s still a lot that Netflix’s The Witcher has to cover about Ciri’s story, and here are the biggest events in her post-season 3 story.
Ciri then lures Bonhart, Skellen, Rience, and their people to the frozen lake, where she causes Rience to drown. By then, Ciri had gone through some of the most traumatic experiences of her life, and seeing her defend herself and trick these men on the lake was very satisfying. Ciri in Netflix’sThe Witcherhas also been through some very challenging and traumatic things and there are more to come, and if there’s one book scene the show needs to do, it’s the frozen lake one, as Ciri deserves this moment.
Can The Witcher Replace Rience For Ciri’s Ice Skating Sequence?
Who Could Take Rience’s Place?
Ciri’s ice skating scene fromThe Tower of the Swallowcan still happen in Netflix’sThe Witcher, but Rience would have to be replaced. Neither Skellen nor Bonhart can take Rience’s place because they have their own, well-deserved deaths in the books that would be great to see in the show, but season 4 might already have the perfect Rience replacement.The Witcherseason 4 will introduce Nazarian, played by Rowan Polonski, who in the books is hired by Rience to attack the agency of Codringher and Fenn to get information on Ciri’s whereabouts.
The changes the show has made to the books don’t leave room for Nazarian’s story as is in the source material, but with Rience gone, Nazarian can have his role inThe Witcherseasons 4 and 5, with a couple of changes.The Witcherseason 4 is suffering the consequences of the past seasons, but it can still fix some old mistakes.
