We have arrived at the moment where we must bid farewell to Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia, our favorite monster slayer on the Continent. Considered one of the best casting decisions in the past couple of years, Netflix and The Witcher‘s showrunner, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich managed to blow it off in a way no one could have imagined. The downfall of The Witcher series started at the end of Season 2, when the story shifted in a direction opposite to how the books were written, and the departure of Henry Cavill and his replacement with Liam Hemsworth is the last nail in the coffin. The least Netflix and Hissrich could do was to provide a respectful send-off for Henry Cavill, but sadly, such was not the case for Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia in Season 3 Vol. 2 of The Witcher.
The Disappointing Final Moments for Henry Cavill’s Geralt in Season 3, Vol.2 of The Witcher
In case you don’t remember or haven’t paid much attention, when Netflix said they will be making a show based on The Witcher universe, people weren’t that optimistic about it. But, the vibe and energy changed when it was announced that the DCU’s Superman at the time, Henry Cavill, would be playing Geralt of Rivia. Over time and with each interview, fans of this universe grew to love Cavill for not only giving them an amazing Geralt but also for how much he reveres the Witcher universe and how well he understands it.
So, it is safe to say that a huge chunk of The Witcher‘s success and popularity in the first two seasons was because of Henry Cavill. When the rumors about Cavill’s departure rose and were then confirmed, a lot of fans decided that the show is dead. The best aspect of the series would no longer be present. The people that have stuck around to watch Season 3, down approximately 33% from the viewership of Season 1, were mostly only watching to see Cavill as Geralt for the last time. And what did Netflix do for his last season? It provided a precipitous drop-off in quality and entertainment as compared to previous seasons and gave Henry Cavill a poor and disrespectful send-off.
Instead of giving Henry Cavill the most focus in the last volume of Season 2, the show focused on confusing politics and a distinct lack of action. There is a long journey through the desert for Ciri where nothing all that interesting happens, and Geralt is sidelined and on the mend for much of the proceedings. The show has become lost when it comes to what it wants to be. The whole season had been leading up to a confrontation with the Wild Hunt, but there is no sign of them in the second volume. As such, there is little for Geralt to do but wait around for an anticlimactic ending.
The biggest issue with The Witcher is that it tries to be Game of Thrones, but fails. Yes, there are political aspects in the books, but when you forget that the crux of the story and world of The Witcher revolves around Geralt and his relationships with Yennefer and Ciri, a disaster like this occurs. In the last couple of episodes of this season, the best things for fans and the show would have been to give Geralt the most screen time doing something meaningful rather than just healing from wounds and wandering around.
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The least the creative team behind The Witcher could have done was to give the fans an epic battle or fight like the Blaviken Market scene in the first season – something that audiences would remember for a long time when they think about Cavill’s Geralt. Changing actors happens all the time on TV Shows, but it should be done in a respectful and meaningful way if at all possible. The Witcher Season 3 Vol. 2 lacked every single one of those criteria.
