Ep. 19 — "Betrayer Moon" from Netflix's The Witcher (Part 1)

Rob P. from New York and Mitch from Nebraska join Alyssa from GoodMorhen for the first half of our discussion of “Betrayer Moon”, the third episode in season one of Netflix’s The Witcher. Very important bits include: working in post-production in the film industry, the horror influences and atmosphere in this episode, analyzing the storytelling and conflict through an editing and screenwriting lens, Teenage Dreams, and the freelance gig economy in Temeria for witchers and workers of the self-described variety.

This episode is available at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

Transcript

Cold Open

ALYSSA: This final fight scene was one of your favorite moments from the episode. Can you tell us about that?

MITCH: It was cool. That's all I have to say.

ALYSSA: Aaand… we're done.

MITCH: Goodbye, everyone. Thank you for listening. Stay classy.

ROB P.: Good night, folks!

Introduction

[Breakfast in Beauclair theme music by MojoFilter Media]

ALYSSA: Welcome to Breakfast in Beauclair, a global Witcher Podcast. My name is Alyssa from GoodMorhen, and I’ll be your host as you, I, and our international hanza accompany Geralt of Rivia and his destiny, Cirilla of Cintra, across The Continent.

[Welcome]

It’s the fourth episode of Breakfast in Beauclair Season 2 and I feel properly back in the swing of things after the three month break. I’m back on the podcast schedule, I received our new breakfast-themed merch from Emily at Morris + Norris: a beautiful handmade tea towel set with the black and speckled chickens from the Beauclair palace kitchens in a print inspired by traditional Polish papercutting crafts, and now that we’re back in the flow, we have new friends to welcome to the company!

[Patron Announcements]

I’m excited to introduce James of Cintra and Wes who have become the newest patrons of the show. We also have a massive class of new Producer-level patrons. So, let’s extend a welcome to Louis (like Vuitton), The Original Roach, AerialKitty, TheOneTrueChef, Dustin and a shout out to existing patrons RedKite and Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye who upgraded their pledges to Producer-level patronage.

They join our existing Producer-level patrons: Luis of Kovir, The Owner of The Churlish Porpoise, Arix the Godling, Katie (The Redhead of Toussaint), Jacob B., Julie, Sylvia of Skellige, Jamison, Ayvo of Gulet, Bee Haven of the Edge of the World, Jacob Meeks, and Sebastian von Novigrad.

As Producer-level patrons, they receive an introduction shoutout, a spot on the website, bonus content the Saturday after every episode, stickers, exclusive Producer gifts from partner Emily at Morris + Norris, and producer credits in each and every episode.

If you’d like to explore becoming a patron of the show, head over to patreon.com/breakfastinbeauclair.

[Episode Details]

As for this episode, Rob P. from New York and Mitch from Nebraska join us for the first half of Episode 103 “Betrayer Moon” from Netflix’s The Witcher. Join us for a conversation about post-production work in the film industry, the horror influences and atmosphere in this episode, analyzing the storytelling and conflict through an editing and screenwriting lens, Teenage Dreams, and the freelance gig economy in Temeria for witchers and workers of the self-described variety.

In our mid-episode news segment, “Tidings from Toussaint,” Lars from Witcherflix launches Henry Cavill Power Hour with tidbits from some of the actors’ recent interviews as well as additional insights into Season 2 from showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich.

Without further ado, let’s get to the discussion for The Witcher Episode 103, “Betrayer Moon” (Part 1).

Discussion

[Breakfast in Beauclair stinger by MojoFilter Media]

ALYSSA: Welcome to Breakfast in Beauclair. My name is Alyssa and joining us today are Rob from New York and Mitch from Nebraska. We have the wonderful opportunity to talk to someone who's studying film and also someone who is working as a professional in the film industry as well. Mitch, you're currently studying film in Nebraska. Can you tell us about how you decided to pursue film in your studies?

MITCH: Yeah. When I was like a little kid, I didn't really have the understanding that television was, like, made by people. And, so, I thought television was like a screen to another world. And, so, I really wanted to step into that world. You know, as I grew up, I got into movies a lot. And, like, I applied to the film school here in Nebraska. Johnny Carson's funded a great film school down here in the Midwest. And I’m doing pretty well here. I'm a junior now, even though I think when this comes out, I will no longer be a junior. Yeah, because I think this is coming out in the summer, right? Yeah.

ALYSSA: It will come out in summer. It's only February.

MITCH: Yeah.

ALYSSA: It's Valentine's Day weekend.

MITCH: Yeah. In the summer, I won't be a junior. And I will be going into my senior year. And, you know, like, before I was going into college, I kind of wanted to just get into the industry without any college experience. But I've really enjoyed college. This experience showed me a lot about who I am as a person. And, and, you know, I've kind of also learned about, like, what aspects of filmmaking I really like.

ALYSSA: For anyone that might be interested in, let's say, pursuing education and film or entertainment, what kind of tracks are available to you as a student? And, ultimately, why did you decide to pursue the one that you pursued?

MITCH: What always brought me in about filmmaking, in general, is this storytelling. Screenwriting appeals to me the most because it appeals to my want to create stories and my favorite medium, which is film and television. And that's why I love television so much. And this is why I was so excited for The Witcher. You know, television is, like, kind of a great combination of film and novels, because it can – actually, it has time to focus on character. That's why I think The Witcher novels are so successful. It’s because you love every single character that they introduce. That's what I really enjoy about screenwriting and, especially, like teleplay writing. It’s that you can really delve into these more personal matters. So, I get much more connected to the characters.

ALYSSA: I know that you mentioned that it's February, but, by the time this episode releases, it'll be sometime in summer. Can you tell us a little bit about what's going to happen during your program during my last year?

MITCH: I still have the opportunity to either create a capstone film or write a screenplay. I think I definitely want to go down the feature film screenplay route. Writing a screenplay would probably be more down the line of, like, what I want to do. And I think it'd be great for me to graduate from school.

ALYSSA: So, Rob, you're currently working as a freelance editor, assistant editor, and screenwriter. And you're currently here in New York as well. Can you tell us a little bit about your background? How you got into this aspect of the industry?

ROB: Sure. Similar to Mitch, I went to Film School at NYU Tisch, specifically, their Film and TV Production Undergraduate Program. And I specialized in screenwriting, and documentary filmmaking, and editing. So, I got into filmmaking, specifically, editing, when I was 15 as a kind of coping mechanism to kind of deal with, unfortunately, the suicide of my father. I just kind of discovered editing while I was kind of in this weird funk of not really knowing what I wanted to do in my life and not really knowing where my life was going to go. And, from then on, since the age of 15, 16, I've been editing my own YouTube videos, short films, and feature films. I've been working as an assistant editor since I graduated from NYU on documentaries, independent features. I've worked as a post-production assistant on some bigger blockbusters like Ready Player One. Yeah, I've worked entirely in New York City. So, I've been living in New York City for eight and a half years. I'm lucky enough to have been able to have a sustainable career as a freelance assistant editor since then. And then, on the side, I've been writing feature-length screenplays, working on a TV pilot. And I've been writing my first novel, which I'm on my fifth or sixth draft of right now. You know, it's a combination of working on other people's projects and then working on my own projects. So, I keep myself creatively invigorated and not be stagnant, because then it's very easy, when you're a freelancer, to kind of just go from job to job and be worried about working paycheck to paycheck. And, sometimes, you forget to work on your own stuff. And I always try to remember that I have my own artistic voice. And it's important to be able to express that when I can't do that working on other people's projects a lot of the time.

ALYSSA: Something that I think would be really interesting to go into, especially, again, for people who may be interested in pursuing film or just learning about the industry. So, you did mention that you're a freelancer, what are some other opportunities that might be part of the market or industry that editors could pursue?

ROB: There's a lot of ways to break into the industry. Everyone has a different story. You know, if you want to be a freelancer like me, the big thing is to start out as, usually, a post-production assistant on a film and let people know that you want to be an editor. Or maybe you work as a post-production assistant, and you'd realize that you'd rather be a post-production coordinator or a post-production supervisor. That's a big thing to really think about when you're choosing kind of entry-level jobs. What is this job going to offer you? What are you going to offer in return to the people that are hiring you? And then, ultimately, what do you want your career goals to be a year, five years, 10 years from this job, you know? And letting people know that you're interested in editing or you're interested in being a coordinator or supervisor for a team of post people. Either working on a film or in a facility, they are both great ways to meet people, learn, start building your network, and then, hopefully, start figuring out what you want to do, what you don't want to do in the industry. And maybe you don't want to be in the industry, you know. That's a perfectly reasonable thing because it's a tough – it's a tough industry. There's a lot of rejection. There's a lot of failure. There's a lot of times where you'll be let go of jobs. And, sometimes, it's not even your fault. There's a lot of obstacles to overcome sometimes in terms of maintaining a career. So, that's all good things to keep in mind. But, if you wake up in the morning and there's nothing else that you would rather do than work in the film industry or work as an editor, an assistant editor, whatever part of post-production or production you want to work in, you know, that means that you've realized that you want to be a part of the film industry.

ALYSSA: Today, we'll be discussing Betrayer Moon, the third episode of Netflix’s first season of The Witcher. This episode primarily focuses on Geralt and Yennefer. In Geralt’s timeline, it adapts Sapkowski’s original short story, The Witcher, which was written in 1986 for a contest in Fantastyka, Poland's leading science fiction, and fantasy literary magazine. Betrayer Moon also continues the show's original plotline for Yennefer following her origins at Aretuza, the continent’s Magical Academy for Girls. At the end, a brief scene with Ciri, the fleeing Cintran princess, sets up her arc for the following episode of Banquets, Bastards, and Burials. In this episode, The Witcher journeys to Temeria, where he attempts to cure the kingdom of its Striga attacks by turning the monster back into their Princess and the sole heir to their firm. The opening of the Geralt’s storyline starts with actually a different Witcher in Temeria learning about the Striga attack from an injured boy who eventually dies. He goes to, you know, hunt for the creature and is, ultimately, killed. These are the two scenes that set up Geralt’s arc throughout the story.

ROB: What I love about this opening is that it starts with audio under black, and then it fades up. And you just see this really wonderful close-up shot of his kind of pained face. You know, there's a little bit of movement. And the way that he's lit, the music that's coming in, and the tail of this monster that he's recounting, it immediately establishes this really great, like, very uncomfortable horror atmosphere.

MITCH: Yeah, it's very clear – that director, Alex Garcia Lopez, it's very clear that he's a big horror fan. May even be a fan of, like, Brian De Palma films with, like, Carrie. And that becomes very clear at the end of the episode.

ROB: Yeah. And Alex Garcia Lopez had directed episodes of Daredevil also for Netflix. He directed episodes of the dark thriller series Utopia.

MITCH: I think he did The Punisher as well. 

ROB: Yes. He's directed a lot of stuff for Netflix and a lot of really wonderful TV episodes. This episode is also written by Beau de Mayo, who's also writing the animated Witcher film, which, just based on the title alone, Nightmare of the Wolf, it also sounds like it's going to be horror-themed. And the director of photography for this episode is Jean-Philippe Gossart, who shot episodes of Into the Badlands and also the horror Amazon series, Lore. And this episode was edited by Nick Arthurs, who edited episodes of Doctor Who, The Alienist, also, an adaptation, and His Dark Materials, also a fantasy adaptation. So, you can clearly tell from this opening sequence, which immediately establishes this horror atmosphere that this episode is going to be different from the previous two that have come before. The way that it's cut, the pacing of this opening sequence, it really gets you in the mood. But then it also shows you for the first time that there are other witchers in this world. The way that it's cut with just kind of this witcher standing in the shadows and a close up of his medallion, that we think that this is Gerald, and then, of course, he steps out of the shadows, and it's a different witcher, who is, immediately we can tell, a bit different from Geralt because he immediately demands 3,000 orens. By the time that this caretaker of this dying boy has handed them over, the poor boy is revealed to have these massive cuts in his chest. What's so great about the sequence and just, purely, in terms of editing is how it doles out information bit by bit. It doesn't throw everything right at you immediately. It kind of slowly builds this atmosphere and builds out each of these characters I think really cleverly leading up to then this sequence where the Witcher tracks this creature that has killed this boy. In my opinion, it was a great homage to films like Alien and Jaws, where there's a lot of tension in terms of the camera movements and the framing of the shots. It's a kind of cutting between POV shots and shots of The Witcher just kind of creeping through this meat freezer. You know, it's this really great tense atmosphere that's reminiscent of creature features from the 70s with the sound design and the music. It’s a really great, really atmospheric opening sequence that then leads us into finding what Geralt is doing.

MITCH: Yeah, it's a really great setup for the episode’ because I feel like this episode is kind of emulating the classic TV arc of, like, monster of the week.

ALYSSA: Absolutely.

ROB: Mhmm.

MITCH: I mean it’s really a monster. And it's one episode, but, you know, you were set up as this witcher who's been tasked to kill this monster. And witchers, as we know, are professional monster hunters. So, we know they're very good at this. And this monster kills this witcher easily. And, so, it sets up the episode really well, because we’re only led to believe, like, “Oh, Geralt’s gonna have to kill this monster somehow.” And we know that this monster is very capable of killing him extremely easily because it can kill somebody at least equal to him.

ALYSSA: Yeah, it definitely sets up not just the premise of the episode, but also the stakes. Ultimately, we do have five more episodes to go, but, like, it does set up like the expectations that this is going to be a difficult confrontation.

ROB: Yeah, man, even if Geralt doesn't get killed, there’s definitely tension in terms of how is he going to stop this creature --

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

ROB: —that's clearly capable of doing really horrendous things.

ALYSSA: Right. In the upward arc of Geralt’s storyline, he learns about the monster that's terrorizing to Temeria. His call to action in this episode actually begins with a whore that he's bedding in the opening scenes for Geralt. She's the one who incentivizes him to go to Temeria. He then is introduced to Triss Merigold, who's serving as advisor taking Foltest as well as some of King Foltest’s advisors; Segelin and Ostrit. Segelin seems to be the captain of his guard. And Ostrit is a magnate, according to the books. So, he is someone in a position of power. And, throughout the beginnings of the episode, we're getting introduced to what's terrorizing Temeria.

MITCH: Right in the beginning of the episode when he's – you know, I'm gonna call her – she's a sex worker.

ALYSSA: Yes.

ROB: She's a self-described whore, but, yeah, she's a sex worker.

MITCH: When – you know, when he's with the self-described whore, what I think that seemed as well is that it establishes, like, how Jaskier has affected his life, because she's singing all of his ballads. And it's showing that Geralt has, like, gained some fame in between the second episode and third episode. She knows, like, his adventures. And she's, like, putting out the scars, like, showing, like, what monsters she got them from. It shows throughout the story that he is kind of known for his heroic feats now.

ALYSSA: That's an idea that really came up in the last episode, Episode 2, which had the adaptation of The Edge of the World, which is the first time that Jaskier and Geralt meet and the episode in which Toss A Coin To Your Witcher appears. We're starting to see, like, the creation of this infamous witcher persona.

ROB: The myth of Geralt.

ALYSSA: Yes. Yeah.

MITCH: Yeah. And it kind of shows that he doesn't really like this persona that's been created for him, because she's, like, pointing out all these scars in him. And I don't think he really likes being remembered for his heroic deeds. I think he doesn't really appreciate the fame. He kind of just wants to go unnoticed, do his job, make money, and live in peace. But, you know, this stupid bard has changed his plans.

ROB: I think what's kind of notable for me is that it's not something you see a lot; depictions of sex work in general in fiction. He hands over the money. And he says, “Thank you for everything,” after, you know, she gives him the lowdown on this past witcher that kind of came through town.

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

ROB: And I was kind of like, “Oh, that's a nice little detail to show that he actually kind of respects her profession.”

ALYSSA: Yeah.

ROB: He's kind of a bit more mature. It's kind of one, one freelancer to another. So, I like that little detail. It's good character building from episode to episode and makes Geralt likable.

MITCH: And also sets up that he may be a little lonely.

ROB: For sure.

ALYSSA: Exactly.

MITCH: This will come back later in the episode because people always say that he's, you know, devoid of emotion.

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

MITCH: So, this kind of sets up how he feels about himself at that particular moment.

ALYSSA: Right. I think the other thing that we see is we have these grand moments of fights of action sequences. We get to see him work. But there's very few moments that we just see the banality of his everyday living, which, you know, does seem like staying in an end for three days with a sex worker. It sets up a baseline foundation for what we expect of him as a character, at least, in the beginning, and then also seeing how different kinds of relationships change his independent routine.

ROB: Yeah, absolutely. Of course, that leads into the moment when we get a little bit more Roach interaction when he kind of has to give up Roach as collateral to the tavern owner. And we get this fun little sequence where both men are trying to, like, intimidate each other, which then leads to the, the title card for the episode.

ALYSSA: Yeah, from here on out, this is where we're getting the meat of exposition and the premise of why Geralt is now in Temeria. From the sex worker, we do learn that this is a problem that's plaguing Temeria as a whole. Not just the king and not just the upper class, but this is really severely impacting lower-class workers, such as miners. And this is the family of the boy in the beginning of the episode. So, a few moments of exposition that we get, we learn about this, as you had said earlier, Rob, when we see these miners – these workers talking about how this problem is now manifesting in multiple ways. And then they, ultimately, decide, like, we should overthrow our king. And then that is then stopped by Ostrit, who's a magnate. And then, eventually, Geralt injects himself into the situation. He's then sent away by Ostrit, but then brought back in by Triss Merigold, who's a sorceress. And then she gives him additional exposition. Eventually, he's brought before the king, who gives them more exposition. So, we're kind of getting multiple layers of the issue.

ROB: Yeah. And it should be noted that Triss works as the sorceress for Foltest.

ALYSSA: On the command of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers.

ROB: Exactly. This is, I believe, the first episode where that whole concept is broached—

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

ROB: —in terms of Yen’s storyline. Once we get into Yen’s storyline, we kind of get into a bit more of the politics of the Brotherhood and how sorcerers and sorceresses are assigned to different kings and queens around the Continent. Triss is kind of the peaceful approach to resolving this conflict with the Striga, whereas the miners kind of represent the more violent approach. By introducing the miners, the king’s advisors, and then Triss, in a lot of ways, it's taken a lot of inspiration. Not just from monster of the week episodes from TV shows like X Files, but it's also seemingly taking inspiration from the really great side quests from The Witcher video games as well. I think, structurally, this whole episode feels something like the Bloody Baron side quests from The Witcher 3, where there are multiple options for Geralt to take. And, as the situation unravels, things get more and more complicated.

MITCH: I mean, from, like, reading about these episodes online, I think that's why people connected to this episode the most, especially, like, people who played the games primarily because it felt most like the video game to me. You know, I was actually talking with my friends about this show and he said, like, “Yeah, like, this is one of the only episodes where you see Geralt actually doing his job. So, I think that's why so many people have connected with it.

ALYSSA: Yeah. We can specifically outline three different approaches to this problem. As you said, Rob, the first is a more peaceful approach, a curing approach somehow with Triss that'll turn this monster back into this Princess. The violent approach, through both Segelin and Ostrit, seems to kill it somehow. And then Foltest actually just is completely inactive and does nothing, which is what angers the miners so much. There's, like, peaceful activity, violent activity, and then just complete inactivity.

ROB: Yeah, I wouldn't even call it neutral. It's just he just don't care.

ALYSSA: Yeah, which is kind of why we have so much animosity flowing down the ranks of not just the other people in the upper classes, but also flowing all the way down to people such as the miners that we meet. When we actually start to see Geralt's work, he does partner with Triss through this whole sleuthing throughout the episode. When he actually starts to work, Triss catches him outside of the old palace. They chase the guards away, and the two of them enter the palace and start snooping around. Ultimately, they discover letters that reveal that Foltest, the king, had had an incestral relationship with Ada, his sister. This is how we found out that the Striga was born from a curse specifically. Someone was really unhappy with our incestral relationship. Ultimately, Geralt and Triss then question Ostrit, the magnate, who we've seen kind of throughout the episode as Foltest’s advisor. And we discover that he attempted to curse Foltest, but, ultimately, cursed Ada’s child.

ROB: Yeah. And the scene where Geralt and Triss are walking through the abandoned section of the castle, there's a scene where they pass by an old weathered portrait of Foltest and Ada as children. That is the moment where Geralt reveals that he thinks Foltest is the father of the Striga, you know. And that portrait, obviously, will come back later once we get further into Yen’s storyline. Now, I think what this episode does really well is it gives the audience enough clues in terms of setting up and paying things off within the episode in terms of establishing how far apart Geralt and Yen’s storylines are I think for the first time this season.

MITCH: I mean, really, it's basically this whole thing is just like an investigation. And I feel like I can talk about this when we talk about, like, how it differs from the book because it's like all the Information is, like, revealed gradually. Well, in the book it's just kind of revealed at one time. And there's really no suspense or like shock value when all of this is revealed.

ALYSSA: Once Geralt and Triss have gathered as much information as they possibly can, through both the exposition earlier in the episode as well as through their exploration of the old palace, Geralt comes back later prepared to fight the Striga. By the time he arrived at the old palace, Foltest was already there with some of his guards. We see a very strong callback to the events of Episode 1 where Geralt killed Renfri. This is something that we'll see throughout the season as a whole. But choosing the lesser evil is something that continually informs the way that Geralt makes decisions. And we will see that here. Part of the reason why he seems to want to help Foltest and to find a cure for this princess is because he feels some sort of penance for how he handled the situation with Renfri. Geralt enters the old palace. He has Ostrit in there in Ada’s old bed. It's revealed that Ostrit was the one who cursed Foltest and Ada. And Geralt uses him as bait for the Striga and then a fight ensues.

MITCH: So, that scene with Foltests in the bridge, I think it's a great little moment for both him and Geralt, because, you know, when we were first introduced to Foltest, he’s eating like a big old chicken leg or turkey leg. And it's kind of gross.

ROB: Extremely grotesque.

MITCH: Yeah. And then, later, it was revealed that he thinks that Geralt doesn't have any emotions, which is, obviously, false. But, like, once he's talking to Geralt, he, like, says that he envies Geralt because Geralt won't – doesn't have the capability of feeling love, which I think kind of hits Geralt a little bit because he very much obviously can. I think it kind of foreshadows future events in the show, his relationship with Jennifer, the people that are important to him that he loves very much. He just doesn't have very many people important to him right now. So, that might also be why he's doing this for Renfri, because this was, like, a person he connected with. And he, ultimately, had to kill her. So, it's kind of, like, he killed one of the only people in his life that was actually important to him. It may seem as a way of him reconnecting with something that he might have lost.

ROB: And, you know, what's so great about that scene on the bridge with Foltest and Geralt is that it humanizes both characters, because, you know, Foltest goes from kind of being the stereotypical king to more of a weirdly tragic figure kind of similar once again to the Bloody Baron in Witcher 3. The audience's view of Foltest kind of shifts throughout the whole episode up to the moment where he's on the bridge and he's kind of having this heart to heart with Geralt. What's so interesting is that you know, like you said, Mitch, he assumes that Geralt doesn't have emotions. He can't feel love. And what's so interesting to me and I think what makes Geralt such an interesting character is that he doesn't correct Foltest on this assumption. He kind of gives him this kind of stare, this look of apprehension, but he doesn't really correct him. He kind of lets him have this assumption. And I think that's so interesting that Geralt is someone that very clearly keeps his emotions close to his chest. And he keeps this kind of image that a lot of people have of witchers and doesn't try to change it. I think that's what makes him such an interesting protagonist. It’s that he knows he's a more complicated person than people assume, but he doesn't seemingly want the public perception of witchers to be anything other than what he thinks would ultimately benefit him the most, and, in this case, having kings and rulers assume that he's this kind of emotionless, one-note kind of killing machine. I thought that was such a great moment that Henry Cavill played opposite Shaun Dooley, the actor who played Foltest.

ALYSSA: One of the things that we know about Henry Cavill’s take on Geralt is that, when he and showrunner, Lauren Hissrich, were on set together, apparently, they actually paired down the script as they were on set. Part of that is because of Henry's intimate knowledge of the character before the show was even really cast. Supposedly, they did cut back on a lot of his dialogue as well. So, the huge bouts of monologues and insight into Geralt's thinking that we get in the books, ultimately, we just don't get that explicitly in the screenplay. We just have to kind of read it from his body language and from his acting. I think that's really the beautiful thing about seeing this onscreen, I think. It’s not just what they're saying explicitly, but we have the added dimension of what they're not saying, which is really nice in moments like this where you kind of see the contrast of Foltest monologuing to fill the silence and then Geralt just not saying anything at all.

MITCH: Yeah, he does.

ROB: And it's so interesting, because, in the books, from what I know, it’s that Geralt talks a lot, right? But I think it still works in a visual medium. And this can be something that we talk more in talk – you know, adapting a short story to the screen. But I think what's so great about this scene and, you know, a lot of the scenes throughout the entire show is that Henry Cavill is such a good actor. And you can tell that he clearly understands the character of Geralt so intimately. He can do what, in the books, Geralt did with a paragraph long monologue, he can do that with one look or one line of dialogue. And I think that's the mark of a really good actor in my opinion.

MITCH: Yeah, that's the big difference between novels, and television, and film. It’s that subtext is drawn very differently. So, like, in a book, like, subtext can just be flat out told to you. Well, I think a really great thing about films when you're watching something, like, subtext of a character really isn't told to you directly. You know, a great thing about being a viewer of film is that your task is to kind of figure out what their subtext is. And I think Geralt is a great study for that very purpose. It's because he went more with the game approach, where he doesn't talk a whole lot. So, you really have to delve into how he's looking at people, how Henry Cavill is acting, and how his performance is informing his thoughts and emotions. Sometimes, people pick up on this subconsciously. They're not even thinking about it, like, academically. So, when they're watching it, they kind of understand how he's feeling without even consciously processing it.

ALYSSA: The bit of dialogue here on the bridge that really exemplifies this idea, Geralt tells Foltest in regards to the Striga, Foltest’s daughter, “This isn't my first time trying to save a princess who other sees as a monster.” Foltest then asks, “What happened to that princess?” And Geralt just says flatly, “I killed her.” The dialogue there is so sparse. And it's so straightforward that he only limits what he says to what Foltest needs to know. But the amount of I think honesty, forwardness, and vulnerability that even those short few phrases contain, I think says a lot about his character coupled with what Henry Cavill is able to bring on-screen in terms of subtext, acting, tone of voice, and his body language.

ROB: Yeah, absolutely. It's always about less is more I think when it comes to dialogue, especially in fantasy. The big thing about a new fantasy story that you're introducing to a wide audience is how much exposition do you give versus how much normal character dialogue do you give when telling a story. And it can be a difficult thing balancing that out. And, you know, there can be arguments that maybe The Witcher wasn't totally successful in the first season in that regard, but I think, at its best moments, I think it balances the expository language of fantasy with the real human emotion of all good dramas, all good stories. And I think this little scene between two characters I think is a really great example of the show I think really nailing that balance.

ALYSSA: At this point, Geralt gives Foltest Renfri’s brooch saying that it's going to be a gift for the princess if he's successful. And Foltest assumes that this is because Geralt thinks that he's going to die. So, he's giving Foltest the brooch before he walks in. We'll talk about the fight scene in much more detail toward the end of the episode. But, at this point, Geralt enters the old palace. He uses Ostrit as bait to bring the Striga out. And then he spends the rest of the night fighting the Striga. Ultimately, he's able to put himself in her crypt, keep her out until the morning. And this is what transforms her back into a human girl. Foltest’s daughter, in her human form and Geralt without the help of his butcher potions have a small brawl at the end of the fight, which leaves them both bleeding profusely. Geralt faints. He's then awoken in the care of Triss Merigold. And she recaps kind of everything that has happened.

ROB: It's good that we get that final scene because it kind of gives us a nice little capstone on the beginning of the episode where Geralt was in bed with the sex worker, and, now, he's kind of in bed, again, being nursed by Triss. He really kind of sums up his whole life attitude in the scene to Triss and allows himself to be a bit more vulnerable. And it kind of also shows that, around women, especially, Geralt tends to allow himself to be more vulnerable, to open up a little bit more than he would around men. And I thought that was really interesting in the way the kind of the structure of the episodes starts and ends with him in bed. Obviously, he's gone on this journey in between, but, essentially, he starts in bed with a woman and he kind of ends in bed being nurtured by a woman.

ALYSSA: And it does come full circle and, as you said, Geralt’s approach to his lifestyle. This is where we get this little piece of dialogue that we saw in the trailer. Triss asks, “Is that all life is to you, monsters and money?” And Geralt responds, “That's all it needs to be.” Definitely, a kind of a nice little neat bow on that monster of the week approach. I know, Mitch, you are going to go really into detail on this fight scene. But did you have any, like, thoughts on the close of Geralt’s storyline in this episode?

MITCH: Umm. I did this with Renfri in the first episode, where they set up that he has a destiny. And Triss also sort of alludes to he may have somebody out there for him. I mean the show is kind of showing that it's Ciri that they're referencing. But the show might also be alluding to Yennefer as well, because, at this point in his life, Geralt really hasn't found anybody except for, like, Vesemir that's, like, really important to him. I mean, at the beginning of the episode, he's pretty much gonna kill the Striga. So, we can get this horse back. He doesn't really have anybody for himself or, like, to support him. I mean Jaskier is there, but he's not going to accept Jaskier. He doesn't even do it at the end of the season. So --

ALYSSA: And he's not in this episode. So, aside from, you know, meeting Triss for the first time and then kind of forming this, like, Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, we really don't see him in the context of anybody. Yeah, I don't know how to describe it other than it just feels very monster of the week. It feels very routine for Geralt.

MITCH: Yeah. And, like, the way he reacts to the situation is, is pretty interesting, because it's like Triss kind of makes it seem like, “Oh, this is a big deal. You just save the princess. The king’s really happy. They’re building a statue for Ostrit, but Geralt's just like, “Yeah, that was just another day in the job. I do this all the time. I just want to take the money and leave. I don't really care about the fanfare.”

ROB: It's very detective, like, noir type story ending. The truth of what actually happened that's only ever really going to be known between a few people. Everything else is going to be covered up. And, you know, Geralt is very much like a fantasy detective in a lot of ways in the fact that he does a lot of investigating and is very world-weary. And he's witty. He has a dark sense of humor. He's very similar to characters like Philip Marlowe and kind of your classic noir detectives almost except he has a huge sword that he kills monsters with instead of a gun.

MITCH: Yeah. And I think it goes back to like why Sapkowski even started writing the whole thing. It’s because I know he got, like, a degree in business. So, it seems like he's a practical business guy. He wanted to be like, “Well, if there was a world of dangerous monsters that had to be killed, either they’d be a person or they’d be a professional who would do that. And, so, that's Geralt’s job. For Geralt, it’s just like, “Well, it’s just another monster I'm getting rid of. So—

ROB: Exactly. Geralt would thrive in today's great economy for sure.

ALYSSA: One of the last things we get here is that we come to a close on Renfri again. Triss mentions that Geralt had been continually calling out Renfri’s name in his sleep. And then she ultimately gives him back the brooch that he gave to Foltest. How it got into her possession is unknown. When they were on the bridge Foltest assumed that Geralt was giving it to him, because he thought he was going to die. Maybe Foltest gave it back because Geralt didn't die or maybe Triss knew that it was of importance to Geralt. So, she took it and gave it back. But, yeah, so, Renfri is very present in his motivations and choices throughout the entire episode.

ROB: Which is I find a good thing, because it continues the arc of the season, which is Geralt realizing his destiny and what's the purpose of his life. Geralt doesn't strike me as a religious man, but I'm sure he believes in something bigger than himself, and he kind of struggles with that. And I feel like everything of Renfri that gets set up from Episode 1 continues on for the whole season. I think it's kind of meant to really show his kind of continuing internal emotional conflict of who is Geralt. Like, who am I? And is this my life? Is my life just going around killing monsters as a bounty hunter and just kind of living day by day? Or, do I have a greater purpose? So, I guess then that would lead us to Yen’s storyline.

ALYSSA: Absolutely. Before we get to Yennefer and Ciri’s storylines, we’re going to hand it over to Lars from WitcherFlix for recent news on the Netflix show. When we come back, Rob, Mitch, and I will continue our discussion of “Betrayer Moon.”

“Tidings from Toussaint”

[“Tidings from Toussaint” theme music by Bettina Campomanes]

LARS FROM WITCHERFLIX: Hey, it's Lars from WitcherFlix and this is "Tidings from Toussaint". Welcome back everybody. There are some cool interviews to talk about, so let's dive right into it.

In an interview for Variety, Henry Cavill talked about how he came up with Geralt's voice. This is what he had to say: "It didn't feel quite right to me (to use his normal voice). Almost accidentally (the final Geralt voice) started coming out in a scene and I finished the scene and I thought, 'I really liked that scene, it felt really good!' I was watching the rushes later and I thought, 'Oh no, I did a voice for that whole scene!' And so I went to Alex (Garcia-Lopez, director) and Lauren (Hissrich, showrunner) and said, 'Look, I've done this thing, I know we've shot some stuff already without it, but I really like it and I think it really brings something. And they said, 'Let's go with it.’”

Henry Cavill also sat down with VanityFair.com for another interview about his experiences on the set of season 1 of The Witcher. First he talked about his costume and Geralt's gritty looks. He said: "The costumers were, towards the end, quite horrified with me. Before takes I would look at myself and say, ‘We need more dirt on me.’ They’d come up to me with this tiny little—it’s like a pair of tights rolled up into a ball, with some dust in, and they’d sort of pat it on me. And I’d say, ‘Yeah, guys, that’s not enough.’ So I’d go stand out in the rain. Sometimes I’d roll around in puddles. I would just try and get as much of the world on me, so this character looked like he had lived within it."

Henry also talked about using contacts for Geralt's cat's eyes: "I didn’t really have a problem with them at the beginning. [But] when we went to the Canary Islands, there was lots of very fine volcanic dust flying about in the air, and my eyes were getting more and more sore. (...) When we went back to Budapest, she (Henry's eye technician) took me in to have my eyes checked. It turned out that whatever the dust was, volcanic, it ended up scratching my eye, because it got behind the contacts and was just rubbing there for however long. It took about, I want to say three weeks to heal, and then the contacts were back in."

Moreover Henry talked about the fan's reactions to him playing Geralt: "I am very happy that people liked the character so much. I know that there are mixed opinions out there as well, which I really thrive upon reading as well. For me, it’s vital to go about and read—I’m on all the Reddit forums. I’m reading all the reviews. I’m literally trying to get everyone’s information. Some of it is not useful, and other criticisms are incredibly useful. I take it all in, and I look forward to bringing it even closer and closer to Sapkowski’s writing."

So, guys, be careful what you are writing on the Internet. Henry might read it.

In an interview for TVGuide.com, show runner Lauren Hissrich teased what we can expect from Season 2 of The Witcher. It is nothing substantially new, but it's interesting nevertheless.

Lauren said: "Moving into Season 2, what's interesting is our storylines start to become a little bit more cohesive. The characters start overlapping a lot more. But it's been really important to us to continue exactly what you brought up, those different genres and different tones within the show. So there's still a lot of really dark humor and some ridiculously silly humor. There's obviously romance; Geralt and Yennefer are at the forefront of it. But I think now we have this additional layer of family. There's a new emotional layer to the show, which is what it means to be a parent, what it means to be a child, and what it means to sort of realize that you need people. And I think that's one of the most exciting parts of Season 2."

Anyway guys, that's it for me for today. I hope you all stay safe and well. We'll talk again in the next episode of Breakfast in Beauclair. Until then, thanks again for listening and good luck on the path!

[“Tidings from Toussaint” theme music by Bettina Campomanes]

Discussion

ALYSSA: Hey everyone! Welcome back from the break. I’m here with Rob and Mitch discussing “Betrayer Moon” from Season 1 of Netflix’s The Witcher. When we left off, we had discussed the adaptation of “The Witcher” short story in Geralt’s timeline and now we’ll jump into Yennefer and Ciri’s.

ALYSSA: In Yennefer’s storyline, Yennefer, nearing completion of her education in Aretuza, takes control of her future from those who would prefer to see her as their pawn. Yennefer here goes on this huge journey through the second half of her education. In Episode 2, we saw the true origin of how she ended up discovering her magical capabilities. But it really is in this episode that we kind of see the close of that education before she then sets off into the rest of the world. In the opening scenes of Yennefer’s storyline, we hear her talk about her future first with Istredd and then with Tissaia. With Istredd, they sort of kind of plan their futures together and what that might look like for them. And then, with Tissaia, we see Yennefer go through a consultation for her enhancements; the enhancements that are, ultimately, going to make her “more beautiful” and presentable for court. She plans to go back to Aedirn, her home kingdom, and serve the king there. In these opening scenes, Yennefer with Istredd and Yennefer with Tissaia, it makes clear the amount of character development that has happened since Episode 2. And we kind of see where their relationships have ended up and that Yennefer's relationship with Istredd has become sexual and romantic. And Yennefer's relationship with Tissaia does, ultimately, end up being one of mutual respect at this point in time.

MITCH: Yeah, I looked it up online, because Netflix released that really cool timeline map thing.

ROB: Yeah, that was amazing.

MITCH: Yeah, like, so, it's been four years since she's entered Aretuza. She's learned a lot of magic. And I feel like that – you know, that audience sex scene, I mean it's kind of silly.

ROB: It's great.

MITCH: I think it's kind of a funny choice, but I think it's there to show that she can, like, make, like, illusions and make, like, actual people. She has, like, that magical capability now

ROB: Yeah. And just the way it's shot – that whole sexy, the way it's shot, it was just a lot of close-up, you know, of Yen and Istredd and a couple of wide shots. And you kind of see this just, like, eerily smiling audience of people just watching them. And you get a couple close-ups of Istredd just looking at them and he's, like, very uncomfortable. And Yen is just, like, not looking at them at all and just, like, playing to the audience. And it's just, like, this really funny, but also awkward sex scene that you don't typically see in fantasy shows because it actually builds character and pushes the story forward. And the characters are both clearly enjoying themselves, but it's also building character. I, I really liked that scene a lot. It was – I really liked it a lot.

MITCH: Yeah, I think it's fun because it's, like, I kind of think it's fun when sex scenes are kind of funny. Because it's like, yeah, usually they are. Especially in Game of Thrones, the sex scene is, like, more like gratuitous or something. But, like, this is – I don’t know. I think this was very tastefully done.

ALYSSA: It took me a while to realize that it was an illusion. And I'm sure that that was intentional on production’s part.

MITCH: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: I was just like, “Is this some sort of like ritual? Is this something that they're taking away her virginity?” Like—

ROB: This is like a Midsommar. Yeah.

ALYSSA: Yeah, it seemed – it was really unclear as to, like, the purpose for why these people were there until you realize like, “Oh, they just disappeared. It's an illusion. She made them do that. The applause was a nice touch,” as Istredd says. As you said, it kind of, like, serves as a developmental place marker for where Yennefer is now, how confident she is not just with Istredd and Tissaia in the context of both the characters. But she seems to have a lot more confidence and self-assurance. Between her two conversations, she very clearly has her life mapped out. So, we learn from her conversation with Istredd and with Tissaia, you know, that she expects to go to court and that she wants to go to court in Aedirn. And this is all set. This assurance is what sets up the conflict. We get a scene with the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, which includes mages such as Tissaia herself. It includes Stregobor, who we met all the way in Episode 1 in Geralt’s storyline with Renfri who is also the rector at Ban Ard, which is the Magical School for Boys. It includes people such as Fringilla’s uncle, who's also on the board as well. For reasons of state, the Brotherhood overrules Tissaia and Tissaia’s decision to send Yennefer back to her home country of Aedirn and, instead, send her to Nilfgaard.. This change in her life plan is again what kind of triggers the rest of the conflict in the episode. The reason for this is Yennefer's elven blood. So, even though she is from Aedirn, the King of Aedirn prefers mages from his own kingdom. Aedirn has a political alliance with Cintra, and Cintra hates mages and elves. This is what kind of boots Yennefer out of Aedirn. In the scenes that follow, Yennefer finds out that she's no longer going back home. She's expected to go to Nilfgaard. She then confronts Tissaia, who, ultimately, tells her that it wasn't her that told the council about her elven blood. It was Stregobor and, therefore, Istredd. We see the collapse of Yennefer's trust in, like, the system, in her circle of friends and confidants.

ROB: Yeah, this is the first time that we kind of get a sense of the political machinations of the world of the Continent and, specifically, the Brotherhood. You know, I love how the initial shot of, like, kind of the circle of mages. It’s kind of framed in the way that Fringilla’s uncle is framed as he's, like, clearly the head of this entire group. And everyone else is kind of on the margins trying to get their points across. It's a great conflict building between Stregobor and Tissaia, and the consequences of Istredd telling Stregobor in Episode 2 about Yen’s elven blood finally being paid off in this scene. It's definitely a great scene that kind of orients people that don't really know the world to how mages and sorcerers are the ones that kind of control the power dynamics and the power structure of the continent and how important it is to have the right mage advising the right ruler. So, yeah, I actually really like this scene a lot.

MITCH: It also sets up the timeline, because they mentioned King Fergus of Nilfgaard, who isn't the king in the beginning of the episode when the miners are talking because they talk about how Fergus was overthrown.

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

MITCH: So, this kind of sets up, again, that this is in the far past.

ROB: And there's also a mention to Princess Calanthe—

ALYSSA: Yeah.

ROB: —who, of course, in previous episodes, we know with Ciri’s storyline, she is Queen Calanthe in those episodes. So, it's another kind of indicator that this is definitely taking place sometime in the distant past.

ALYSSA: After learning of Istredd’s betrayal, we see the sorcerer initiation ceremony, which is when all of these adepts are then promoted to full sorcerers. Yennefer misses the ceremony because she's desperate to try to prove herself in order to go back to Aedirn. Istredd then finds her in order to apologize. And this, ultimately, ends up in their fallout. And it's what pushes her to eventually go through with her enchantments on her own, regardless of the Brotherhood and their decision. There's a few things that kind of happen in this argument between Istrdd and Yennefer. We established their romantic relationship and how that's kind of changed over the last, you know, three or four years. Suddenly, in this moment of conflict, we see how their individual aspirations are so incompatible to what they're trying to be. Yennefer has aspirations of going to court. She wants to be powerful. She wants to be beautiful. And she feels that this is what she's owed. Istredd, on the other hand, wants to enter research. He doesn't want to go to court. He doesn't care about that aspect of being a mage. These two pieces of their aspiration are what they use in order to hurt each other in this argument.

MITCH: Yeah. And one thing I really like about this argument is that it's definitely wrong of him to, like, spy on her, especially when they had such an intimate relationship. But, like, also, like, Yennefer was also spying on him. So, I think that doesn't completely condemn him since, like, the character we’re following did the exact same thing. It's just that there was more of a consequence on her than there was on him. But I think some of the greatest arguments are, like, when there really isn't a right to either side. They're fighting because there's just a disconnection and a lack of communication. They still, like, really care for each. They just, you know, can't make the relationship work anymore. So, I think that makes this a good argument.

ROB: Yeah. And I think just the way this scene is shot I think just speaks to how Alex Garcia Lopez and his DP, you know, frame not just the action scenes but also the dialogue scenes I think in a really interesting way that kind of enhances the storytelling. The argument starts with Istredd holding Yen close. He's kind of framed in behind this medium shot over the shoulder of Yen relating what he wants their future to be together. Meanwhile, Yen is kind of framed in this high angle shot that's kind of a close-up. And the whole scene turns on the dialogue when she calls being shackled to him, basically, slow suicide. It's like in any argument, once you say something, even if you don't fully mean it, you can't take it back. And the way that's framed it kind of lingers on her face for a bit before finally cutting to Istredd. And you kind of feel the impact of that sentence. And you really kind of feel, like, how hurt he is by that. I think both actors play it really well. And I mean it's just framed, you know, and shot in a really great way that you kind of feel the emotional hurt that moment really does and how their relationship is never the same after that moment. And their fates after that moment are kind of defined by this argument in a lot of ways.

MITCH: Yeah. And this episode really, like, puts both Yennefer and Geralt on equal footing, because Yennefer kind of just lost both of her closest companions. And, now, she feels like she doesn't really have anyone but herself. You know, Geralt seems like he's in the same situation as well. It's kind of setting up to, like, once they finally meet each other, they're both in a similar situation. That's why they connect so much because they're kind of both lost people looking for somebody that cares about them and who won't betray them. So, I think that is a very important thing that’s setting up for character.

ALYSSA: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that taking her independence back from Istredd back from, like, their together plan is, again, kind of what informs the next immediate decision that she makes. At the point that, she now expects this independence from herself and that she's liberated herself of the expectations that she and Istredd have together. She immediately marches to the “artists'' that is responsible for enchantments. And she demands to go through with them, regardless of the pain because he's supposed to put her under. So, she insists on it in a moment of anger. And there's a number of different consequences for this. First of all, we learn that, in order for her to go through these enhancements such as fixing the deformity in her jaw and her hunchback as well, she has to sacrifice her reproductive organs. This is again a callback to what we learned in the previous episode, where we learn that magic has, like, a price. And that price is life source, whether that's from the magician themselves or drawn from some other source. Ultimately, reproductive organs, her uterus, her tubes, her eggs are removed, burned. And those ashes are used as the material for her transformation. This scene is juxtaposed, as we'll talk about later, with the scene of the Striga’s transformation. And Yennefer undergoes her transformation here as well.

MITCH: One thing I will say about this scene is I mean, like, if you weren't, like, sold on Anya Chalotra before this episode, I feel like you really were with the scene. Because, like, I think it's so impressive what she did. I already really, really liked her. From, like, the moment I saw her onscreen, I thought she was great. But I think this scene is just so, like – Okay. What's the word?

ROB: Visceral.

MITCH: Yeah. And, like – oh, man, it's a very simple word. I'm looking for it.

ALYSSA: Would ‘raw’ work?

MITCH: ‘Raw?’ Umm—

ALYSSA: It's animalistic.

ROB: It's disturbing.

MITCH: It's not intimidating. I mean it is an intimidating scene, but it's, so – you know, I mean I think, from listening to the official Witcher podcasts, that they had very few people on. But it's just so, like – I mean, yeah, she's sitting on a chair. And she's, like, naked. And she's, like, screaming all the time. It's, it’s so vulnerable. That's the word, vulnerable. I found it, people. I think that's what's so impressive about the scenes. It’s that she takes such a vulnerable scene from her character and, like, really, like, digs into it, because I feel like, for, like, maybe weaker actors, that would probably be a very hard scene. I mean I'm assuming this was probably pretty hard for, but I think she does such a great job with it. I thought it was a very impressive scene, because, yeah, it is very vulnerable. And I know, if I was in that situation, I would definitely shrink up and, like, probably freeze.

ALYSSA: Absolutely. In the last scene of Yennefer’s storyline, Yennefer arrives at the sorceress ball transformed, earning the attention of King Virfuril of Aedirn and a place in his court. Fringilla was sent to Nilfgaard as a direct result. The two decisions that are made in this episode that will, ultimately, inform her character in later episodes; one, her infertility, which we do hear about in that transformation scene, where her reproductive organs are removed. This is a decision that is made in this episode that will then come back in later episodes and inform her character as well. And a decision that later informs the plot is Fringilla, ultimately, being sent to Nilfgaard in Yennefer’s place. Yennefer’s push for Aedirn directly impacts the course of Nilfgaardian history, which we then see in Ciri’s timeline with a future Fringilla.

MITCH: I really love this scene. I mean even kind of like a callback to, like, when she first goes to that artist, and he gives her, like, a dress and stuff because, like, she probably didn't have very many opportunities when she was younger to, like, dress up, make herself look pretty or anything like that really. She never really had that opportunity. And, so, now, she, like, takes her own agency. And she, like, gets all of that. It's really interesting how Anya Chalotra and how Alex Garcia Lopez frame it, because, you know, she opens the door, and it's like this very epic moment, but she looks very, like, vulnerable. This is the first time she's, like, standing up straight. You know, everybody's looking at her, like, she's the attention of the room. All of this is a first for her, and she's like – it just seems so new to her. And it's a really well-done scene. Finally, she goes up to the king. And she introduces herself. I feel like that's the actual transformation of her character.

ROB: Absolutely, when she says Yennefer of Vengerberg.

MITCH: Yeah, because, like, that's her introducing herself to the world, not just her physical transformation, which I feel like that was the point they were trying to make in the episode that her value is more coming from her character. Her turning into a new person isn't about her physicality and her looks and her attractiveness. It's more about, like, what she already was.

ALYSSA: I mean we do hear repeatedly, in this episode and the episode previously, that Yennefer's biggest fear is not being enough despite her power, despite her beauty, and that no one will ever love her. We hear this in Episode 2 when Tissaia tells that to Yennefer to her face as, like, a young student at Aretuza. It's, again, reiterated here I believe by Tissaia, but, definitely, by Istredd as well when they're arguing. And I think, like, her vulnerability immediately after this transformation is part of that. But we'll definitely see how it plays out in later episodes as well.

ROB: Yeah. And I think it's just a great reminder. It’s that, Anya Chalotra, she's now played someone who's like 14, 18, and will play someone that's essentially like hundreds of years old or close to 100 years old. And, just the fact that she can portray this character so well at all these different ages and time periods, I just think speaks to her remarkable capabilities as an actress. I think this whole scene – also, I agree with you, Mitch – is really well done. And I love how it starts with Istredd noticing that the doors opening. And it cuts Tissaia and she can tell that something is up. Then we get the reveal of Yennefer or, at least, into her dancing with the king to Fringilla and her uncle kind of reacting to this really weird, unexpected eruption. It definitely affects her storyline as well. Obviously, Fringilla, her path forward and becoming the advisor for Nilfgaard. It's a really great, great shot acted and edited sequence. And it's a really great combination of the entire storyline for Yennefer. And, also, we see, visually, I think for the first time for anyone that hasn't realized this at this point, we visually see that this storyline takes place well into the past because we get a payoff to the portrait where we see young Foltest and Ada next to each other dressed in the same clothes that they wore when the portrait was done. So, yeah, there's a lot of things going on in the scene. I think, like all the other students in this episode, it's really well done.

MITCH: I really love the point that you made Rob about how – you know, how she has to play like multiple versions of the same character I think, like, especially, like, after her transformation versus, like, before transformation. Now, this might have been like a physical thing, because there's something in her mouth. Maybe it was like a big ball of cotton or something to give her the jaw. Her voice is so much different after her transformation. And I think that was a very strong choice by her. Her voice sounds way more full. It sounds a little bit deeper. It sounds much more mature. And I think it really works. And I think it shows that she is much older. I just think her, her performance is great.

ALYSSA: And, as I said, the events of the scene and all the character development that takes place over the course of this episode really does inform who she is and the decisions that she makes later on the season. But I do think that the close of her time at Aretuza really pushes her forward. The very last scene that we get in the episode is a very brief one with Ciri, where her and Dara wake up in the forest. And Ciri is drawn across a snowy field in a trance hearing voices coming from the other side in the forest.

ROB: It's a good kind of capper on the episode, because, even up to the very last moments of the episode, we still look at this kind of, like, horror atmosphere. Like, that whole sequence felt very reminiscent of The Shining, honestly, with some of the camera angles and also The Witch just in terms of a character that's kind of being attracted by this kind of supernatural presence to this dark and mysterious forest. And I mean the reveal that Dara and Ciri are kind of walking across this battlefield that's full of, you know, all these skeletons of presumably dead elves or dead humans. We're not 100% sure. But it's very eerie and very haunting. And I think it's just a great capper to kind of the overall horror atmosphere that's established throughout the entire episode.

MITCH: Yeah, I mean I feel like the reason they put this scene in is – well, there's probably two reasons. Like, one, they probably didn't want to have an episode without Ciri in it. And, two, since this is like serial storytelling, they probably wanted something that would lead into the next episode. So, like, people would continue watching because they kind of put this scene in that asks a lot of questions that aren't answered in this episode. Why is she going that way? Is Dara okay? He just got shot with an arrow. It asks a lot of questions and you're wondering, like, what's gonna happen next. I think that's why they put that scene in.

ROB: Yeah, it leaves the episode on a good foreboding cliffhanger.

ALYSSA: A cliffhanger just like this episode of the podcast! Now that we’ve broken down the plot of the Netflix episode, we’re gonna pick back up with Mitch and Rob for a thrilling breakdown of the horror themes and the climactic transformation scenes of “Betrayer Moon” in the next episode of Breakfast in Beauclair.

Outro & Credits

[Breakfast in Beauclair theme music by MojoFilter Media]

ALYSSA: Thanks for joining us at the breakfast table! For show notes, transcripts of each episode, and a complete list of our social platforms and listening services, head over to breakfastinbeauclair.com.

Breakfast in Beauclair is created by Alyssa from GoodMorhen. It’s hosted by Alyssa with the “Tidings from Toussaint” News Segment by Lars from WitcherFlix. The show is edited by Alyssa with the Breakfast in Beauclair theme by MojoFilter Media and the “Tidings from Toussaint” theme by Bettina Campomanes.

Breakfast in Beauclair is produced by Alyssa in New York City with Luis of Kovir, The Owner of The Churlish Porpoise, Arix the Godling, Katie (The Redhead of Toussaint), Jacob B., Julie, Sylvia of Skellige, Jamison, Ayvo of Gulet, Bee Haven of the Edge of the World, Jacob Meeks, Sebastian von Novigrad, Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye, RedKite, Louis (like Vuitton), The Original Roach, AerialKitty, TheOneTrueChef, and Dustin.

Special thanks to Rob P. and Mitch for joining us for this episode and our international hanza for their support.

Transcriptionist: Rachelle Rose Bacharo
Editor: Krizia Casil

 

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Podcast EpisodeAlyssa EstebanNetflix's The Witcher S1