The Witcher season 3

 So sadly is is time to watch Henry Cavill, aka Geek-lord, do his last dance as Geralt of Rivia.

Because unless you have been living under a rock, you know he will be recast for season 4 sadly.

Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri are on the run and hiding, with Yennefer trying to teach Ciri magic and how to control it.  But the evil forces are on the hunt for them, causing them to relocate often.  Never the less, Ciri gets a break going to a festival, but even their they are tracked as Rience, the firemage, has her bloodsample.  Forced once more to relocate to an elven ruin, the caravan is ambushed by elves, who also suffer from internal strife.  Killing the elven leader's brother, they do escape once again, before splitting up.  Geralt will be going after Rience, while the girls will travel to the school Yennefer trained.

As Yennefer and Ciri travel to Aretuza, Ciri warns a messenger named Aplegatt of his impeding death, resulting in Yennefer lecturing her on how one single decision can change the future and cause a lot of more death and suffering.  Geralt, having learned Rience apparently stays at a castle called Vuilpanne, travels there.

Ciri and Yennefer have another fall-out as she makes another rash decision based on her seeing the future, and Yennefer decides to take a detour to show her where she came from.  In Vuilpanne, Geralt faces off against a monster as he saves a young girl who claims she is Ciri, as she has been brainwashed by magic.  Gallatin in the meantime seeks the fallen top general Cahir, who is being punished for his failures in the previous season.

Vespula, Jaskir's muse, deduces he has a crush on prince Radovid, but are interfered by Geralt who takes him to see a druid, Anika, with the mysterious girl.  They meet Otto, who can control his lycantrophy by an amulet given by Geralt, and she deducts the powerfull magics used on the girl's mind.  In the meantime, Yennefer and Ciri arrive in Gors Velen, and while she leaves Ciri with a chaperone, Fabio, she goes to see Tissaia to get a favour, to have Ciri trained.

King Vizimir seems to have struck a deal with Nilfgaard, much to the chagrin of Dijkstra and Philippa for being left out of the loop, so they decide to send a message.  Dijkstra has the queen murdered and her head gifted to the king, to make him believe Nilfgaard is behind it.  At Anika's, they seem to figure out that the mage controlling the girl is working from Aretuza.  Ciri on the other hand learns the hard way being a novice there is no fun at all, and after a fight with Yennefer decides to leave.

Cahir murders Gallatin though, as he needs the elves united and fears his ally is to headstrong, chosing to serve Francesca instead on Emhyr's orders.  Ciri, running from Aretuza, is beset by The Wild Hunt, only to be saved by Geralt.  But as she finds a piece of armour, she realises this was real and not just in her dreams.

Yennefer makes her plea before the Brotherhood, gaining the support even though Stregebor opposes her.  But novices are seemingly disappearing from the mage school, all of half-elven lineage, and Triss sets out with Istredd to investigate.  Geralt, Ciri and Jaskir take the ferry to Aretuza, overcoming a seamonster during the journey to cover their payment.  Yennefer, portaling back from Queen Hedwig's funeral where she invited Philippa, Dijkstra and prince Radovid to the conclave, is diverted and faces an illusionary attacker looking like Geralt.  She and Geralt discuss the matter, suspecting Stregebor to be behind it.

The next episode, episode 5, which was also the mid-season finale is in my view the best of the season.  In a heist like build up, it follows the ball at Aretuza first in general, and then in viewpoints of the characters, every time revealing a bit more of the complexities going on in the political scheming.  We learn that Geralt and Yennefer work together with Istredd and Triss to capture Stregebor, but Geralt realises something when Yennefer finds the bracelet Volgefortz gave Tissaia, that the ore used was near the castle where he found the Ciri imposter and the novices.  It isn`t Stregebor after all behind it all, but Vilgefortz, and they split up to hunt him and warn Tissaia.

 

A coup starts on Aretuza,as Thanedd is invaded to grab the power and captures the mages.  Tissaia is brought forth to uncover Vilgefortz, but fails to do so blinded by love.  Geralt notices a fog creeping up, covering people not of Thanedd.  Vilgefortz reveals himself as the traitor, opening a portal to let the elves and Nilfgardian troops in and a bloody battle ensues, killing many of the mages.  Outside, Geralt and Yennefer run into Rience, but they swiftly decapitate him.  Francesca, the elven queen, sees her husband murdered by Tissaia in the battle, and she unlocks her full power for revenge, dropping a huge flaming circle on the courtyard.  Tissaia, sensing loss, starts summoning a last resort spell, Alzur's Thunder, which unleashes lightning bolts on the enemy and slaying many.  Stregebor buys time by using forbidden fire magic, seemingly sacrificing himself in a huge conflagration to take as many elves as he can with him.

Geralt and Ciri flee the battle to bring her to safety, but she faces Cahir... who surrenders to her.  Unable to take his life, he tells her to run with Geralt as he faces off mounted troops heading their way.  Vilgefortz faces Geralt, and soundly beats him leaving him a badly wounded and his back broken, but sparing him as a lesson to the Continent.  Ciri flees into Tor Lara, tapping into it's power and blowing up the tower and Vilgefortz as she is sucked into a portal.

 

Ciri finds herself in the desert, and wanders across to find civilisation.   She is troubled by visions that take form of her past and future, and is saved by a Unicorn that guides her to water as she faces the ordeals of the hot sand.  But when the unicorn gets poisoned, she summons forbidden fire magic to heal it, instigated by a vision of the power mad princess Falka, a figure of legend that once let a huge rebellion. Geralt in the meantime is seeingly dying in Brokilon, where the dryads try to take care of his injuries together with Jaskir.  

Francesca, arriving in Niflgaard with Fringilla, is offered a ruling position, but only over the elderly and sick elves.  The troops must remain in Emhyr's service, and she is infuriated about this.  King Vizimir, angry at Dijkstra for the failed coup, is murdered, putting Radovid on the throne instead.  Geralt and Jaskir leave to search for Ciri, joined by the archer Milva, while Ciri herself is captured by bounty hunters.   However, the rats, a band of rogues, free her and she takes her first human life in a duel, and takes the name Falka.

In Nilfgaard, the fake Ciri is presented before the crowd, including a severly disfigured Vilgefortz.  This draws Geralt and his travelling companions to journey that way to free her, unknowing it is not the real one, while Yennefer and the surviving mages band together to form the Lodge of Sorceresses...

And so ends Henry Cavill's awesome stint as Geralt of Rivia.  We know he has been recast for season 4, but Liam Helmsworth will have some immense shoes to fill!  But never the less, I`m looking forward to the rest of the story, so let's hope future seasons are somewhat decent!