Editor's Note: The below contains spoilers for The Witcher Season 3, Episode 5.
So far, Season 3 of The Witcher is doing a great job of linking the many plotlines across the Continent. At the point of convergence, a mysterious villain is playing with other people’s lives to get to Ciri (Freya Allan). Episode 5, “The Art of Illusion,” finally reveals the identity of this villain, teasing how the second part of Season 3 will deal with the bloody execution of their plan. But before things take a turn for the worse, “The Art of Illusion” allows Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) to enjoy some steamy time alone.
In Season 3, Episode 5, Geralt and Yennefer explore each other’s bodies for a whole night while reflecting on the events at Aretuza's ball. Together, the couple shares secrets and org*sms, thinking about how their actions helped, or doomed, the Continent. As such, the episode is structured as a series of flashbacks through which we relieve the same evening through different angles, slowly unveiling the many layers of a party filled with secrets and suggestive whispers. It’s a format that helps maintain the mystery until just before the credits roll while offering viewers the chance to piece everything together. It will be excruciating waiting another month to find out what happens next in Season 3.
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Geralt and Yennefer Set Their Sights on Stregobor
In Episode 4, Geralt and Yennefer conclude that Stregobor (Lars Mikkelsen) is the one giving Rience (Sam Woolf) orders. Geralt wants to kill Stregobor, but Yennefer knows they must expose the mage before the entire Brotherhood of Sorcerers to avoid further chaos on the Continent. After all, with Nilfgaard still posing a threat, the Brotherhood and the Northern Kingdoms need to be united more than ever.
Before the Conclave of Mages happens, the Brotherhood hosts a ball on the island of Thanedd so that people can mingle and release tensions. It’s a clever strategy, as the party helps to elevate the mages’ spirits before they are forced to debate complex matters. In addition, the ball gives Geralt and Yennefer the time they need to talk with different mages and try to gather the proof they need to take Stregobor down. Geralt and Yennefer intend to find evidence of Stregobor’s crimes to present during the Conclave of Mages. However, they soon discover they need to act fast. After working together in Episode 4, Triss (Anna Shaffer) and Istredd (Royce Pierreson) have located the Book of Monoliths inside Stregobor’s safe. Triss shares this information with Geralt and Yennefer, underlining how a magic wielder can use the book to travel through space and time, which could be catastrophic if Stregobor ever got his hands on Ciri and her raw magic power. So, instead of waiting, Geralt and Yennefer need to improvise, and fast.
Geralt pretends to pick a fight with Istredd, Yennefer’s former lover. Istredd plays along so that people are distracted. Meanwhile, Yennefer sneaks into Stregobor’s quarters and breaks into his safe. Inside the safe, Yennefer finds a list with the names of every half-Elf student that came to Aretuza. The sorcerer also finds objects that used to belong to the missing girls. Channeling her magic, Yennefer can even use the objects to catch a glimpse of the moment when Stregobor attacked each girl.
While Yennefer gets the proof she needed, however, Stregobor’s safe possessed a safety device to alert its owner about intruders. As a result, Stregobor goes to confront Yennefer in his quarters. Istredd, Triss, and Geralt soon follow. And when they are all missing from the party, Tissaia (MyAnna Buring), Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu), and Artorius (Terence Maynard) join the group. Stregobor admits he’s trying to cleanse the school from elves, like the racist he is. However, Stregobor denies conducting experiments on the missing girls or going after Ciri. Stregobor is also puzzled by the Book of Monoliths that Istredd takes from inside his vault. Stregobor is arrested anyway, to be put on trial after the Conclave of Mages. Still, his genuine surprise indicates that he might not be the mastermind behind everything.
‘The Witcher’ Season 3 Reveals Its True Villain
During their stay in Aretuza and the ball on Thanedd Island, Geralt and Yennefer learn new clues about the identity of the true villain behind the conspiracy against Ciri. After Stregobor is arrested, they don’t think much about it. But after spending the night making love and talking, the duo soon realizes they've made a huge mistake.
During the ball, Dijkstra (Graham McTavish) tells Geralt there are Nilfgaard spies inside the Brotherhood, and only Redania can keep Ciri safe. Philippa (Cassie Clare) also tells Yennefer there’s no stopping what’s coming, and they should be working together instead of serving the Brotherhood. Philippa (Cassie Clare) also tells Yennefer that Tissaia is a lot like Lydia (Aisha Fabienne Ross), the telepath blinded by love and following every order of her lover.
Geralt, with his Witcher senses, saw that Lydia was wearing an earring made from the same rare stone displayed on Tissaia’s bracelet, which she lost during Stregobor’s arrest, and which Yennefer retrieved. The precious stone can only be found in West Redania, where the White Wolf uncovered the gruesome experiments of Rience’s master. And since the only survivor of these experiments, Teryn (Frances Pooley), revealed Rience worked together with a familiar face from Aretuza and a woman with a “funny voice,” Geralt correctly deduces the telepathy Lydia works for the villain, the man she loves. Since Vilgefortz gifted Tissaia her bracelet, it’s not hard to imagine he also gave Lydia her earrings.
That’s not all the evidence Geralt and Yennefer have to piece everything together. During the ball, Vilgefortz tries to question Geralt’s neutrality and enlist the White Wolf to work with him. And while the Conclave of Mages is being held to unite the Continent, Vilgefortz still says there’s no stopping the upcoming conflict. Vilgefortz also shows Geralt his favorite painting, representing the coast where the Brotherhood was forged. As it turns out, that coast is where Yennefer was dragged to once her portal was corrupted in Episode 4. Since Vilgefortz created the portal, he would have the ability to change it. In short, Stregobor is a villain, for sure, but Vilgefortz is the mage that Geralt and Yennefer have been looking for all along.
Yennefer stays in her room, using a location spell to find Tissaia, who she believes is in danger. Meanwhile, Geralt goes after Vilgefortz. However, once Geralt leaves the room, he hears the noises of battle already beginning to echo in the corridors. While the White Wolf tries to make sense of everything, Dijkstra steps out of the shadows, surprising the witcher with a blade to his neck, and says Geralt should have chosen a side. It’s a thrilling conclusion for Volume 1 of Season 3, and we can’t wait to see how things unfold during the Thanedd Coup.
The Witcher Season 3, Volume 1 is currently available on Netflix. Volume 2 will be released on July 27.
