The Witcher “Dear Friend…” Spoilers Ahead
Since The Witcher‘s Season 1 finale, we’ve all been eagerly awaiting Geralt and Yennefer’s reunion in Season 2, and though the scene is laced with all sorts of emotions, it does not disappoint. Their journey will be a long and winding road, but it’s going to be worth it because this very scene beautifully showcases how much love is burning within them.
There’s a plethora to be said about senses and how much they hold within a person—the detail that lilac and gooseberries will transport Geralt back home at every turn. And the moment he realizes it’s the very scent that’s taking over the room, Henry Cavill touches on a myriad of emotions with a single expression that floors me. (And I’ve said this before, but it’s no small feat to emote as poignantly with colored contact lenses.) All the pain and heartache that Geralt has tried to bury disband in the return of hope—the engulfing longing that thus spreads like embers.
There’s a lot the two of them need to talk about at this moment, considering where things were left off before, but none of that matters after believing the person you thought was dead is still alive. No wish, no former quarrels—it all pales in comparison to the thought of never seeing each other again. No form of intimacy could match the profound longing that takes over both of them. The undeniable pull to each other tells us that the emotions rupturing within are more potent than anything they’ve ever faced before.
Much of the beauty in this scene is by virtue of the performances Anya Chalotra and Henry Cavill bring to the table. It’s each of them revealing through expressions alone that the tremendous weight they’ve been carrying has finally lifted off their shoulders.
The Witcher’s “Dear Friend…” is an appropriately titled episode because friendship is what they need to strengthen before diving back into a relationship again. And though the longing is much too powerful at this moment to question any of the more critical matters, it’s proof of the fact that they’re it for each other.
It’s proof that Geralt doesn’t care how this is possible despite all that’s happened. He doesn’t care about anything other than the fact that she’s here, in front of him—alive and whole and perfect as she is. The warmth in loving her, the undeniable pull to be with her, and every ounce of his adoration for her is all that matters now. This is their present. This is their time, and the same rings true for Yennefer—this isn’t a dream version of Geralt. He’s real. He’s there.
And though the scene is interrupted by Ciri, the events of the episode essentially prelude the kind of family they can be. The type of family that can sit together in laughter and eventual heartaches. The kind of family who can get through trials by continuing to learn how to operate as a unit as opposed to doing things on their own. The Witcher “Dear Friend…” is the kind of prologue that shows what can be, and it does so by placing emotions at the forefront to act as a light in darkness going forward. We can doubt many things about this show, but there’s no doubt that once they’ve learned to trust more profoundly and how to better honor one another’s agency, Geralt and Yennefer will be stronger for it.