"Turn Your Back" is the fifth episode of season 2 of Netflix's The Witcher series.
Characters[]
- Geralt of Rivia
- Yennefer of Vengerberg
- Ciri
- Jaskier
- Cahir
- Fringilla Vigo
- Triss Merigold
- Istredd
- Filavandrel
- Francesca Findabair
- Dara
- Vesemir
- Rience
- Lydia van Bredevoort
- Duny
- Queen Calanthe
- Voleth Meir
- Gage
- Pavetta
- Lara Dorren
- Peach
- Lambert
- Coen
- Everard
- Gwain
- Merek
- Korvin
Description[]
- As a powerful mage joins the hunt for Ciri, she cuts a deal with Vesemir over his extraordinary discovery. Geralt explores the mystery of the monoliths.
Summary[]
Lydia visits Rience in his Cintran cell of ten years to inform him of Calanthe's death. Still, his conviction lives on, unless he agrees to Lydia's proposal: his freedom in exchange for hunting down Calanthe's granddaughter.
Istredd is struggling to find a new land route to Cintra when Geralt unexpectedly portals in.
Yennefer misses the last call to board the boat for Cintra in search of Jaskier, who has been taken and restrained to a chair by Rience, who has tapped into fire magic and uses it as a means of intimidation.
Geralt explains that he was sent by Triss, as he is in need of a monolith expert, informing Istredd about the stellacite tower that cracked and fell just outside Cintra, and now a new subspecies of monsters are coming from it. Geralt suspects they were nesting in the subterranean structure for years, which might explains the new mutations.
Yennefer approaches a whore and asks if she would like to make some money on her feet instead of on her back. She fears that Jaskier might have gotten into some trouble at the docks and asks the lady to go to the garrison and see if he's been caged.
On the road to Cintra, Istredd tells Geralt that monoliths are supposedly indestructible and asks what could possibly have the force to destroy one. Istredd has never actually seen Cintra's monolith, as Calanthe didn't allow access, whereas Nilfgaard did. While nearing the site of the monolith collapse, they are approached by two Nilfgaard guards, and when Istredd fails to convince them that they're official researchers, he and Geralt are forced to attack the guards.
Ciri continues her training at Kaer Morhen, on the training course. Triss finds her and asks if she's given up on magic lessons already, but Ciri explains that she's simply trying to conquer her fears and that she'll join Triss for their lesson later. On her way back inside, Vesemir presses further about Ciri's Elder blood, which according to tales, can create witcher mutagen. Triss reminds Vesemir that Ciri is a girl, not a tool, and if they are to test his theory that her blood can create more witchers, it's only because Ciri agrees to it.
Yennefer watches helplessly as guards from the Northern Kingdom take a daughter away from her mother. She tries to use magic to help, but without access to Chaos, she is powerless. The lady whom she employed to check out the garrison has returned and informs Yennefer that no one by the name of Jaskier was there. However, she tells Yennefer to check the taverns. From experience, when she loses a man, he's usually at the first place she found him.
Jaskier is tortured by Rience, but he insists that he hasn't seen Geralt in months or his Child Surprise. Rience isn't convinced and uses fire to burn the answers from Jaskier while explaining that Chaos is drawn from a source. In his case, it's fire, though it is a forbidden source because it typically consumes those who draw from it, though Rience has found a balance. Jaskier pleads with Rience to believe him when he says that he doesn't know anything about Geralt's whereabouts. Fortunately for Jaskier, Yennefer stumbles in, posing as his drunken wife. With a mouthful of alcohol, Yennefer waits until Rience conjures fire before spitting the alcohol out and engulfing his face in fire, allowing her and Jaskier to escape.
Geralt and Istredd, much to his disbelief, arrive at the sight of the fallen monolith, which defies every historical precedent. Geralt was expecting tracks or bones, but he can't see anything from up top and decides to take a look down.
Vesemir is impressed with Ciri's efforts on the training course and tells her about the Conjunction of the Spheres; when it happened, it wasn't just the elves, humans, and dwarves. Spheres of beasts collided, too. Mages weaponized monsters and tried to conquer the land with them, but that backfired. Then 300 years ago, mages weaponized man and created witchers to kill the beasts and save humanity from extinction, but they're fewer now because when Kaer Mohern was destroyed, so was the mutagen that allowed them to make new witchers, but Vesemir believes that Ciri's Elder blood can change that and with a vile of her blood, they can make more. Ciri agrees to help him so long as he tests it on her first, but he refuses, as many didn't survive the trials, and he won't take that chance with her. However, with the witchers slowly dying off, Ciri convinces Vesemir to agree to her terms.
Geralt and Istredd have crawled down into the subterranean, where there's not a nest or any evidence of life. Historians have always theorized that monoliths are scars from the Conjunction. Leftover points of impact, but monster didn't exist on their plane before the Conjunction. All species were on different planes until the spheres merged into one. A Conjunction like that would've required two things: a massive surge of energy and conduits to channel it, leading Istredd to suspect that the monoliths are conduits.
With Ciri's blessing, Vesemir and Triss take a vile of her blood to test his theory and create the witcher mutagen successfully. It is then that Triss learns that Ciri seeks to be the first new witcher.
Jaskier reveals to Yennefer that Rience is after Geralt and tells her to warn him, but without magic she can't. They are approached by three men. Yennefer kicks one in between his legs, and she and Jaskier split up. The lady from before offers Yennefer shelter in her whorehouse, but unbeknownst to Yennefer, Redanian guards await inside to apprehend her.
Ciri believes that becoming a witcher might help her find a new truth, but Triss attempts to convince her out of it, proposing a different method to find out where Ciri's power comes from by performing a Dol Durza, which roughly translates to Valley of the Soul, which allows her to enter the deepest layer of Ciri's consciousness and uncover things that may be hidden, like genetic memories.
Triss performs Dol Durza, allowing them to not only walk through Ciri's memories, but those of her mother and grandmother's as well. Although, when Ciri's mother, Pavetta, directly interacts with Ciri, Triss becomes worried, as this is not how it's supposed to work. They proceed through a door leading to Cintra, where her mother and father are worried about her well-being. Duny feared that they would kill Ciri if they knew about the prophecy. This is the night they died, before fleeing on a boat. Pavetta once again makes eye contact with Ciri, which startles Triss, who pulls Ciri out the room. Ciri then follows the sound of a whispering voice calling out to her.
Istredd was at a dig in Nazair a while back, where he witnessed a monolith emitting strange vibrations. It only lasted a few seconds, but the date corresponds with the night Cintra fell. They are currently standing where the energy surge originated, which activated the conduit system and the monoliths started talking. Their monoliths are calling to the original spheres, opening a gateway between the spheres and their plane. The monsters aren't new, they're just new to the Continent. Istredd wants to know how Geralt knew the monsters and monoliths were linked, but Geralt is reluctant to tell him anything, as he still doesn't trust Istredd, who in a moment of transparency, reveals that he actually came to Cintra in search of Yennefer. It's from Istredd that Geralt learns that she's still alive.
The Dol Durza has taken Ciri and Triss to some kind of desert-like plane, where the wounded elven warrior Lara Dorren sits on the ground with her child. When Triss tries to heal her, Lara Dorren grabs her by the throat. The elven warrior then looks over to Ciri, referring to her as the "Child of Elder blood, child of wrath." She explains that the world will die amidst frost and be reborn of the new sun. It will be reborn in Elder blood, of the seed that has been sewn. A seed that will not sprout, but will burst into flame. Just as the Wild Hunt approaches, Ciri screams out to Geralt, cracking the witcher medallion tree as her voice echoes throughout all the lands, an echo with such great reach that even Geralt and Istredd hear her cry for help. However, they're forced to take cover as shards of stellacite begin flying at them.
Ciri and Triss return to their bodies in a panic, Triss more so. She's terrified of what she saw. Something is ending, and Ciri will be at the center of it; the seed that bursts into flames and will destroy them all.
Istredd questions where did the stellacite fragments go and whose voice was that calling out to Geralt. Unfortunately for them, it would seem a portal has opened and a chernobog has emerged and flies away.
Ciri demands that Vesemir turn her into a witcher at once. So, he straps her down to a bed and prepares to inject her with the mutagen, but Geralt arrives and stops him. However, Ciri wants to go through with it. All she ever thinks about are consequences. No matter how hard she trains, it'll never be enough. She reveals that she wants to be a witcher so that she no longer has to feel the pain of her past. However, Geralt explains that no one can forget who they are, including witchers. Their best chance is to kill the hatred they hold on to and move on.
Istredd returns to his studies, questioning if the monolith is what Queen Calanthe was protecting all this time. He then begins searching through the royal Cintrian family tree.
Cahir awakens from a nightmare on the boat just as they're approaching Cintra. Meanwhile, Fringilla is searching for an alternative after receiving word that guards have begun boarding ships. She's making Francesca privy to this so that they can be instep together. This is a new experience for both of them, as they've never had partners before. The next ship is due soon, and Francesca wants her people to meet their liberator.
Cahir tries to skip the line into Xin'trea, but Gage blocks his entrance and informs him that he must first declare himself, as Dara did before him. Filavandrel intervenes and asks for Cahir to identify himself, but then Fringilla joins them and welcomes Cahir home.
While restrained to a chair, Yennefer can hear the Deathless Mother speaking to her, informing her how Fringilla and Francesca are thriving. All she has to do to get her magic back is say the incantation, which she does and portals away. Jaskier watches this unfold from outside and is apprehended by guards.
Yennefer is brought before the Deathless Mother, who explains that she doesn't grant wishes. She's merely a guide to get Yennefer what she wants. Yennefer exclaims that she deserves access to Chaos. The Deathless Mother reveals that Ciri is the key to Yennefer getting her power back. All she has to do is deliver her to a shattered black door just outside Cintra.
