Ep. 22 — "Of Banquets, Bastards, and Burials" from Netflix's The Witcher (Part 2)

Christiaan from South Africa and Canada and Shaun from Northern Ireland join Alyssa from GoodMorhen for the second half of our discussion of “Of Banquets, Bastards, and Burials”, the fourth episode in season one of Netflix’s The Witcher. Very important bits include: a breakdown of Ciri’s storyline, a discussion of comparisons to the source material, legacy, the importance of independence, Geralt’s Simpsons Movie moment, and Alyssa wields the Sorting Hat.

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

Transcript

Cold Open

SHAUN: Don't drink the booze!

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]

Uh, well, a whole bunch of sudden news! Yesterday, Netflix surprised fans with “Making The Witcher”, a 30-minute documentary about the production, and CD Projekt Red announced The Witcher: Monster Slayer, a mobile augmented-reality exploration game set long before Geralt’s time on The Continent. It’s promising to see the continued investment in the Witcher universe from both companies. For my breakdown on what we learned from the Netflix documentary, head over to breakfastinbeauclair.com then reddit.com/r/thehanza to share your thoughts with our global community.

[Patron Announcements]

Speaking of our global community, thank you to our Producer-level patrons for continuing to support the show: 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, The Original Roach, AerialKitty, TheOneTrueChef, Dustin, and Chris K. of Kovir.

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[Episode Details]

As for this episode, Christiaan from South Africa and Canada and Shaun from Northern Ireland return for the second half of Episode 104 “Of Banquets, Bastards, and Burials” from Netflix’s The Witcher. Join us as we break down of Ciri’s storyline, draw comparisons between the adaptation and the source material, discuss legacy and the importance of independence, have a laugh about Geralt’s Simpsons Movie moment, and I helm the Sorting Hat.

In our mid-episode news segment, “Tidings from Toussaint,” Lars from Witcherflix shares production updates from the cast. Tune in for details about how you can score Yennefer’s lace mask from Episode 105, “Bottled Appetites” at auction for charity.

Without further ado, let’s get to the discussion for The Witcher Episode 104, “Of Banquets, Bastards, and Burials” (Part 2).

Discussion

[Breakfast in Beauclair stinger by MojoFilter Media]

ALYSSA: Hey, everyone, welcome back from the break. I'm here with Christiaan and Shaun discussing Of Banquets, Bastards, and Burials from Season 1 of Netflix's The Witcher. When we left off, we broke down Geralt and Yennefer’s storylines. And, now, we're going to jump straight back into Ciri’s. In our last storyline, we jumped to the present day with Ciri and with Nilfgaard. In the opening scenes, Ciri and Dara find themselves in Brokilon Forest, the home of the dryads. This is now a new environment. We saw CIri escape Cintra in Episode 1. And she's kind of been muddling around in a snowy forest for about two episodes. And we finally see her here in Brokilon, which contrasts the winter outside, is incredibly lush and green. And – yeah.

SHAUN: Yeah, definitely, a very contrasted environment from where she just was. And, obviously, we see Ciri, like, kind of stumble in a way at the start. She’s just insanely confused. And she doesn't have Dara with her here at the very start. When she's there, she's just insanely confused as to where she is. And then, obviously, all the dryads confront Ciri me, and she's probably increased her confusion more. So – yeah.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, I know. It's just amazing, because she’s just got, like, lured in. Like, almost like a siren call for sailors. Not knowing what the hell's going on when she got there. And then everybody's like, “How on earth did you get in? How did you get past everybody?”

ALYSSA: Yeah, it's really curious. Again, like, we don't really know what this is. I think, as we've seen throughout previous episodes and as we'll see in future ones, a lot of things aren’t explicitly explained about the world. And this is one of those things. We don't really know why this forest is calling to Ciri, why Ciri drawn to it. But there's clearly some sort of, like, magical relationship there. Whether that's something about the forest or about Ciri herself, I don't know for sure at this point in the story. So, she meets the dryads. They're very threatening toward her. And, ultimately, she meets their queen. I actually don't know if we hear her name in this episode, but, at least, when we talked about her in Sword of Destiny episodes with Lars, we just called her Eithné. So, she meets the Queen of the dryads. They have a chat. And she learns about the waters of Brokilon. So, apparently, these are magical waters that newcomers are required to drink. And, over time, that will make them forget who they are. And then they can live in Brokilon. We're told that, if people come to Brokilon with ill intention and they drink it, that they die. So, it's a little grim. And this sets up an important part of the story later, which is why it's important now. A little later, Ciri reveals her true identity to Dara, her identity as the Princess of Cintra and Calanthe’s granddaughter. Dara is angry, because Calanthe ordered the slaughter of his family after Filavandrel’s uprising. So, this is a very heavy scene between these characters.

SHAUN: Yeah, I agree, because [Inaudible 5:33] Ciri, but then, you know, barely even knows her almost. He almost acts as if he's like he doesn't understand, like, who she is anymore, because of Calanthe’s impression that she's very friendly toward elves. It's definitely, like, a heavy scene, yeah, for Ciri, because Ciri is a very, like, innocent person as well. So, she's nothing like her grandmother. She doesn't hate people at all to be honest. She’s really just innocent. And Dara just sees Ciri, now, as the granddaughter of Calanthe. She’s not Ciri anymore. So, it's definitely a heavy scene between the Dara and Ciri and their whole relationship. It makes Dara think twice about it.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, I think it comes back to the same thing as I was saying earlier about some Calanthe and Pavetta. Don’t blame me for my grandmother's legacy, you know. Like, things have changed. I have a different way of thinking about things. But, also, then, again, Ciri doesn't even know about her grandmother and what she's done.

SHAUN: Yeah.

CHRISTIAAN: So, it's a big shock for sure. I mean – yeah. You hear about that stuff. Even my father was in the war, you know, in South Africa. And you hear different things. You're like, “Oh, my.” You never know.

ALYSSA: I mean it's interesting to see her, because we've gotten the understanding over a number of different episodes that she's been very sheltered in her time in the Cintran Palace. You know, to her, her grandmother is someone who's revered. She's incredibly strong-willed, very protective of Ciri. To Ciri, she's an incredible queen. In Episode 2, we got to see her at that Cintran camp – the Cintran refugee camp, where Ciri is waiting in a food line, tries to cut the line. She says like, “This food was paid for by the crown and by Calanthe.” And someone says like, “May she rot in hell.” She meets that Cintran family, who then calls Calanthe all these awful things. And then she sees Dara’s reaction to Calanthe here as well. Yes. So, I think she's being confronted by her grandmother's legacy for the first time. And I think that, you know, if not now, then soon, she's going to have to decide on how to act upon it and where her own path is going to be forged.

SHAUN: Yeah, it's definitely one of those scenes where you see just – she just doesn't want anything to do with it. And she is just not anything like Calanthe. She still, obviously, loves her grandmother and still sad by hearing about her passing stuff. But, now that she's finding out the serious things about her and, like, the people's opinion of Calanthe, she see more and more, seeing, you know, the flaws of her grandmother.

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, it's shocking. It's not a nice thing to hear when you look up to somebody and then you hear these – all these terrible things. Maybe, in the back of her mind, she did know and just chose not to see it that way. You know, blissfully naive in a sense.

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHRISTIAAN: But, when you're confronted with that thing, especially with somebody that you care about, Dara and your grandmother, then it's like, “Oh, man.”

ALYSSA: And, based on the information that we hear in Geralt’s timeline, we know that Calanthe’s animosity towards elves and nonhumans stems far beyond Ciri’s own life. This is something that's been going on for a very long time. So, it's kind of incredible that Ciri has been rather protected from it. The actual, like, plot point or event here that Dara talks about, Calanthe ordered the slaughtering of elves as a response to Filavandrel’s uprising. We met Filavandrel in Episode 2, Four Marks. This is the adaptation of the Edge of the Worlds in Geralt's storyline, where he first meets Jaskier. So, we see the actual effect here, again, from an elven perspective. We learned that Filavandrel had been pushed to the Edge of the World and Geralt told him to go somewhere else. We found out, sometime between that episode and now, I believe, that Filavandrel tried to take a bit of Cintran land. This is Calanthe’s retaliation. Yeah. And, apparently, Dara was the only one left. He details the slaughter and says that he only survived, because he remained hidden throughout it. It's – um, it's pretty shocking.

CHRISTIAAN: It is. Yeah.

ALYSSA: But it's interesting to see how these events compile over a number of different storylines and different episodes.

SHAUN: Yeah, it's – it's interesting to see the different point of views as well just from, like, opposing sides, obviously. You know, we've seen it back in – earlier on in this episode of Cintra's view of it. They were all celebrating here for killing the elves. They, they were praising Geralt for killing the elves at the Edge of the World. And then we see it from an elf’s perspective that was on the slaughter. And, obviously it's very, very different. It’s almost the complete opposite, and they only see Calanthe as like a devil sort of. She just purges their people. So, yeah, it’s definitely interesting to see the different point of views.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, no wonder Dara is so angry and just brings it up with, with Ciri. I mean for obvious reasons, you know – you know, killed his entire family. But I think he's feeling guilty in a sense for the only reason he survived is not by fighting back but by hiding. So, there's that sort of frustration with the whole situation, but also within himself.

ALYSSA: And you had one note here, Christiaan, too about the situation in Cintra and what that must be like for Mousesack. Do you want to go into that?

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, sure. It was just something that I kind of made a note of. Like, I was just curious as to why Mousesack, a druid, would stick around in Cintra and support the slaughter of elves. Being a druid, you know, in itself is being in one with nature. He does make mention, at one point, he’s like he'll stick around, because she's a powerful leader. She's strong and he believes in the cause or he believes in her. It's most of her actions that I was curious about as to why he would stick around, as a druid, when there's a slaughter of elves.

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHRISTIAAN: I don't know. I don't have an answer. It was just more of an observation.

ALYSSA: Yeah, the interesting thing in the adaptation is that it's never totally clear what Mousesack is. Like, there doesn't seem to be a distinction between druids and sorcerers in the adaptation.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: Maybe it's that. Maybe there's a chance that he talked Calanthe out of slaughtering elves once he was brought on to Cintra full time, but I don't know.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: There's no, like, explicit clues that Mousesack is any different than the sorcerers that we see.

CHRISTIAAN: You're right. Yeah.

SHAUN: And I can explanation for what I least thought my – it just was kind of – like, Mousesack is a very dedicated person to, like, Skellige. He's, obviously, very patriotic in a way you would say. That he likes his country a lot or his kingdom. And, obviously, he knows that Cintra and Skellige are such close, like, friends and allies. I think it's more of just his respect for like Skellige that he sticks around rather than his agreement with Calanthe or, at least, that's how I saw it. Yeah.

CHRISTIAAN: It makes sense.

ALYSSA: I think it's also, like, Calanthe is quite boorish as well. So, like, uhh, I don't like – obviously, he's a trusted advisor to the Queen. We know as much from Episode 1 where she thanks him for his service. He thanks her for hers.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: So, we know that they do have a lot of trust and respect for her. Whether or not that's enough to make her change her ethics and her approach to her kingdom, who knows. I think it leaves more questions.

SHAUN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: So, there's a few short scenes that follow this. Ciri has nightmares about the sacking of Cintra. When she wakes up, she finds that Dara is drinking the waters of Brokilon in an attempt to forget his past. Ciri then tries herself, but nothing happens. Meanwhile, in Cintra, Nilfgaard divines Ciri’s whereabouts in Brokilon Forest. Ciri drinks the pure waters of Brokilon, which causes her to fall into a trance. In a dark desert, she sees a tree reaching up to the heavens and a voice demands to know what she is.

CHRISTIAAN: Goosebumps scene by the way. That little – that big tree.

SHAUN: Yeah. Very curious scene. And it makes the – leaves people want more in a ways. Overall, like, these really short scenes. Sure. They're – they're short, but they are important to Ciri. It was definitely weird to see how she drank the water of Brokilon and pretty much nothing happened at all. There's just so many things that Ciri doesn't understand that’s happening here over these past couple of – you know, it happens very quickly for her as well. So, it's definitely taken its tools on Ciri.

CHRISTIAAN: And I like the approach that they took for us as viewers. We don't really know either.

SHAUN: Yeah.

CHRISTIAAN: It's not like, you know, how sometimes you know who the – who the killer is in a murder mystery, but nobody else does.

SHAUN: Yeah.

CHRISTIAAN: There's none of that. You don't know what's going on. You're just as curious as she is. So, that journey that we take along with Ciri is pretty cool. You know that something's going on, but, you know, so, does she. You know, she's not just a normal child. That's – that's pretty fun. It's a good approach, I think.

ALYSSA: Yeah, I think that's what makes Ciri’s stories are unique in the context of a series. Over the course of eight episodes, we see only small snippets of her journey. Whereas we get kind of, like, complete stories in Yennefer and Geralt's story arcs throughout the show. But Ciri’s is very – it takes place over a very short period of time and it's continuous. So, it's interesting to see, like, her change incrementally ver the course of these episodes and to follow along in her journey as you put it. And it's interesting to see here that she wants to drink the waters. At first she's very resistant, she's like, “Why would I want to forget?” And then, when she's given the opportunity, she explores and she takes the opportunity to attempt to drink those waters in order to forget her past. It seems to be almost like a trial of her own, like, values, I suppose.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: That she kind of turns her back on Cintra even briefly here and on her destiny as well just to see if this would work.

CHRISTIAAN: I know. So ,I guess it made it a bit easier, because Dora drank it. So, in a sense, there's a little bit of peer pressure going on as well.

ALYSSA: Oh, absolutely.

SHAUN: And it’s – it's also very – like, she's been on the her own from all these soldiers. So, I think the fact that she almost kind of feels, like, at home in Brokilon and they – like, they want her to be there. I feel like it's more of a – even a sort of security sort of thing that she wants to make guarantee her safety.

ALYSSA: Yeah. You know, even though I don't necessarily agree with the way that Brokilon Forest was introduced into the show and the adaptation, I do think it was an important part of Ciri’s storyline, because it gave her that opportunity to stop and, like, actually collect herself. It gave her a couple of plot points in which she could challenge her views, choose to walk away from her destiny, and, ultimately, decide to take it. So, there are important things that happen in Brokilon for Ciri even though, you know, it is different for the show.

SHAUN: There was also the part where – with Mousesack and stuff and they’re, like, shapeshifter sort of people.

ALYSSA: Oh, no. That's a – that's the next episode.

SHAUN: Oh. What – what happened at the end? I remember seeing something with Nilfgaard people—

ALYSSA: Yeah.

SHAUN: —at the end. And I don't remember exactly what it was.

ALYSSA: Yeah. So, this part is creepy. We're very suddenly transported back to Cintra. And they actually do this very beautifully. There's a transition between, I believe, one of Geralt’s scenes toward the end of the adaptation of A Question of Price between the banquet scene and present-day burning Cintra. And the way that they do this is they show, like, a far shot of the entire city. You see a flag in front of the camera. And then the flag takes over the entire shot. And then it's revealed that it's now a black Nilfgaardian flag with the gold sun. And then you just see Cintra burning in the background. It's a really, really, really well done transition. And, at this point, we're brought into the sacked city and the aftermath. There sot everywhere from the fires. They're going around checking the bodies of the dead looking for Calanthe. It’s – oh, it's so creepy.

SHAUN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: Ultimately, they find her. They flip her over. You know, obviously, Jodhi May just looks incredibly dead as she should.

SHAUN: Great acting.

ALYSSA: Yeah. If I was told to play dead, like, that, for an acting purpose, I probably wouldn't be able to, unless, it was a real—

SHAUN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: —a real situation, which I needed to. But, if I was to do that for screen, I would not be able to.

CHRISTIAAN: I’d probably just giggle the whole while through. Yeah.

ALYSSA: I would just blink. Like, I just wouldn't be able to control the fact that I'm blinking.

SHAUN: I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah.

SHAUN: That would have been my – I would have keep laughing.

ALYSSA: Yeah, she does it perfectly fine. And we see this little Nilfgaardian Task Force, I suppose I could call them. They find the queen and they skin off a part of her forearm. Like, that was gross, like, watching them literally skin it and, like, pull it back. I—

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: I had to skip through this. And then they have someone eat it. Like, eat the skin – the raw skin. That's been laying there for, like, who knows how long.

CHRISTIAAN: Oh, you'd rather have it cooked?

ALYSSA: She’s got to be decomposing. Like, that's so gross. Anyway.

SHAUN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: So, so, this relatively faceless mage – we don't find out who he is because he eats this and then Fringilla immediately stabs him in the stomach. And then examines his entrails to divine the fact that Ciri’s in Brokilon.

CHRISTIAAN: It's very much witch – witch doctor kind of vibes.

ALYSSA: Yeah, it's super grim.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, rolling the bones. Mhmm.

ALYSSA: Yeah. Yeah, there's some sort of commander with them. They have a number of soldiers to spare and then makes the joke that, like, we could send in 200 or maybe we'll only need 12. The knight that has been plaguing Ciri’s dreams says something along the lines of force is not the way into Brokilon. And that's kind of the whole Nilfgaardian scene.

CHRISTIAAN: Coming back to the whole Nilfgaard thing where the one general says, like, “We have so many men to spare. Let's just storm in Brokilon Forest.” We know that it's no easy task. We saw how difficult it was even for, for Dara to come in. And, if you read the books, you know how impenetrable it is. So, this guy's kind of ego and he's just, like, kind of badassness. He’s like, “We'll take the forest. Don’t worry.” And it’s like, “No, don't be silly. You can't do that.” It just also shows the sheer size and military force of Nilfgaard, which is pretty scary and impressive. But then, with, with regards to, like, I guess the black magic we were talking about earlier, it’s also a good segue into, like we said, there’s magic of all kinds used for all different kinds of things. And then, when you see Fringilla use it, you wonder what kind of path she's on. You wonder what's going on. What is she up to? How is she doing this? Why is she doing this? It opens up a whole ‘nother can of worms when it comes to magic. And then, yeah, we find out they are forbidden magics.

SHAUN: You know, it was definitely interesting to see, especially because Fringilla was a student at the same time as Yennefer in Aretuza. And she was taught in the same lessons that Yennefer was taught. She's perfectly fine with using black magic and stuff. And it's, like, you can just see how deadly Nilfgaard is. Like, they're willing to just kill an entire mage just to find out, you know, the location of someone. I think we see it later in the last episode as well. We see stuff where they're literally sacrificing, like, their entire [Inaudible 19:51] to make a ball of fire. They definitely are more, like, experimentive. I don’t know if that's the word you would use.

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

SHAUN: But they’re, definitely, more open to the darker side of magic. Aretuza and everything, they do not support that at all. Yeah, it's definitely cool to see Fringilla change Nilfgaard as well when she went in there.

ALYSSA: Yeah, I mean I don't know if this is the exact terminology I should be using. But it shows like this difference in individualism in the northern kingdoms and this kind of collectivist way of thinking in Nilfgaard. As we'll see in Episode 8, we have intimate moments with each of these mages. Whereas the Nilfgaardian army as well as the Nilfgaardian mages all feel very expendable for the sake of the cause. It's not a cult, but, in the show, it comes across as, like, a very cult-like mentality. If it's for the sake of furthering their message, you know, it does seem that anyone's expendable. You see this in, as you said, that commander’s willingness to send as many people as they have, as they need into Brokilon as well as the very easy stabbing of that mage just in order to get information. So—

SHAUN: Yeah, I agree with that as well. I think – I think the did make a very different Nilfgaard from the books. It's almost like a religious sort of [Inaudible 21:05]. Like, it was absolute [Inaudible 21:06] or something. And, like, Geralt, like, is trying to talk to one of the Nilfgaardian soldiers. And he's like, “Where did they take her? Like, Ciri?” And he just starts, like, reciting the words of, like, the prophecy and stuff. And it's like they definitely seem like religious fanatics. So, it's cool to see their take on it. Like, a different take on Nilfgaard, but it sure was different to me than it was from the ones I imagine from the books.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, I think it's one of those and break everybody down as individuals and build them up as a group. So, yeah, it was pretty powerful.

ALYSSA: So, we'll see how this plays out, particularly later in the season. But I think that, ultimately, as Shaun said, we get a slightly different interpretation of Nilfgaard here. One that seems much more religious, instead of, let's say, political or empirical. So, we'll get to see that. Lots to look forward to, I think, in future episodes of the podcast as well as the show. So, this last scene that we get Ciri drinks the waters of Brokilon, and we get this weird trance in which she talks to a tree. She is in the desert. Watching it the first time, I wasn't sure what that tree was. And then watching it, again, I believe you see the same roots of the tree where she drunk from is the tree that she's been in the desert with.

CHRISTIAAN: Ooh.

ALYSSA: But there's little to no explanation for why this is happening or what the tree represents.

SHAUN: The only thing I related that to you at all was, yeah, that is like the logo for that episode, I think. They had the trees. It was, like, they have a logo for each episode. And I think the tree was that episode. So, I kind of just related that to, like, Ciri and the prophecy and stuff.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, this massive space tree and asking her what she is. You’re like, “Oh, my.” I mean this – obviously, this tree seems like a magical force that's beyond comprehension. But it's asking Ciri, “What are you?” And you realize, “Oh, wow. Okay. Ciri must be really strong.”

ALYSSA: Every time we see Ciri, I think we have more questions than we do answers. And I don't think that Episode 4 is an exception. So, by the end of this, we don't really know what she is. We're equally as confused as this dream tree. We don't know why she's feeling such a strong connection to Brokilon, for example. We don't know where her powers come from. We don't really understand who the dryads are, what they want from her. So, a lot of – a lot of stacking questions by the end. But I think, as I said earlier, the opportunity for her to, like, question her path happens in this episode. And I think that is, ultimately, very important as we'll see in the following ones.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, just questions lead to more questions. I don't know if it's worth noting this. This is a question that I had or a thought that came to mind. It’s that perhaps the dryads were trying to get Ciri on their side as they normally do with people who make it into the forest to kind of expand their dryad army. You know, the more people, the better their chances of survival. And then, sensing that Ciri is the special child who's just wandered into the forest, unseen, unheard. And I thought, well, this could be a very invaluable resource for our own survival. It's curious to see then that Eithné lets her go and says, “Fulfill your destiny.”

SHAUN: Yeah, I think I agree. There's a – it's like they're almost seeing her as like a – like a power move. Like, if they keep her, she – she's, obviously, very hard for from what they could tell. Just seeing your notes saying, like, they were acting a bit selfish almost thinking, “How can we use her?” Like, can we keep this girl for ourselves really?” And I think we even see a bit like – a bit of hesitancy when she does let her go. Like, she doesn't want to let her go, but she does.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah.

SHAUN: Yeah. So, I think – yeah, I think you're right there.

CHRISTIAAN: Just a thought.

ALYSSA: Yeah, I think it would be nice to see more about the animosity between humans and dryads and to see their characterization fleshed out a little bit here. So, it doesn't feel like these racial relations are exclusive to elves and humans, but that it really is like a larger issue that we see on the continent and the dryad animosity. It's a really fascinating part of the story. And I would have loved to get to know the dryads a little bit more.

CHRISTIAAN: Oh, me too. I was so looking forward to the dryads. I enjoyed every time they were mentioned in the books. So, yeah, I was definitely looking forward to the dryads and just seeing a bit more of a wild side, but more of a – I don't know. It was slightly disappointing. I'm glad they were in there, because it's a very integral part of the story. But I think the point came across, and it was a necessary endeavor, a necessary adventure for Cirilla and her destiny.

ALYSSA: Before we jump into our standout parts of the episode, we're gonna hand it over to Lars from WitcherFlix for recent news on the Netflix show. When we come back, Christiaan, Shaun, and I will continue our discussion of Of Banquets, Bastards, and Burials.

“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. This is going to be a another short edition of Tidings from Toussaint. So, let's see what we've got this week.

The filming for Season 2 has finally continued and there is still a lot of secrecy surrounding the production. Only Henry Cavill posted a cool picture of himself in the make-up department. He wrote, "No bald cap this year. Just pounds of 2 types of medical tape and some glue…. Removal is a joy. Jacqui and Ailbhe here (the make-up artists), though, have the deft touch of angels. Jacqui more so an Angel of Vengeance, but that's all part of her charm. Oh and for those who may be worrying. All of us are Covid cleared and bubbled. We get tested twice a week up here in Kaer Morhen!"

On the picture Henry looks injured, so what has Geralt gotten himself into again? He definitely was in a fight. But what monster (creature or man) did he fight? Let's see. Season 2 will adapt the first book in the Witcher main saga, called Blood of Elves. There are far less monster fights in the books than you think. We know that Season 2 will adapt the short story "A Grain of Truth" where Geralt fights a bruxa, a special type of intelligent vampire. Could this be Geralt after slaying a bruxa? In Blood of Elves, Geralt also fights a nasty water monster called "aeschna" when he is on a ferry to Oxenfurt. This might also be it. There is also the possibility of a fight against a manticore, which is also mentioned in Blood of Elves. Moreover, Redanian Intelligence had reported that everybody's favorite monster from the Witcher games will also make an appearance in Season 2: The leshen or leshy, as he is called in the Witcher books. It would definitely be a sight to behold. But it is also possible that he might get himself into a fight that doesn't involve monsters and other terrible creatures. Could Henry's photo depict Geralt after fighting Scoia’tael warriors or did they already film the scenes where he fights the Michelet Brothers (a band of professional murderers) in Oxenfurt? Unfortunately, your guess is as good as mine.

In other social media related news Eamonn Farren (who plays the Nilfgaardian-Vicovarian knight Cahir) half-sarcastically, half-honestly answered an interesting fan question. He was asked "Are you Cahir yet?" Eamon answered: "Cahir is conflicted, charismatic, haunted and pure of heart - I've always been Cahir." This description of Cahir is actually spot on. Moreover, Season 1 stunt coordinator Vladimir Furdik has posted a video showing some concept artworks and training sessions for the fight between the mage Vilgefortz and the Nilfgaardian soldiers during the Battle of Sodden Hill in the final episode of season 1. This includes some spectacular stunts. To see this video, visit breakfastinbeauclair.com or Vladimir Furdik on Instagram. His Insta handle is @vladimirfurdikofficial.

Last but not least there is an interesting auction taking place at the moment: Yennefer's lace mask worn by Anya Chalotra in the episode "Bottled Appetites" (the one with the djinn) is currently on auction for charity. The proceeds of this auction will go to War Child's Emergency Coronavirus Crowdfunder to support children whose lives have been torn apart by war. The auction ends on September 1st. So hurry up. This is your chance to actually feel like Yennefer, own something from the show and do something good at the same time. You can find the link to the auction on CharityStars.com or again on breakfastinbeauclair.com.

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 Christiaan and Shaun discussing Of Banquets, Bastards, and Burials from Season 1 of Netflix's The Witcher. When we left off, we broke down the plot of the episode. And, now, it's time to dive into the key points and themes that interested us most. For this conversation, we're gonna really focus on comparisons to the books. So, we have the luxury here of having multiple stories that are very similar to short stories that are available in the books, specifically, A Question of Price from The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, the title story from Sword of Destiny. So, there's a lot here. If any of you guys listened to the bonus content from Episode 1, you'll know that Cyprian went on a very long rant about how Calanthe was, for example, in this episode. And, so, there are a couple of key differences in the adaptation of A Question of Price. For the most part, a lot of the broad plot points are very much the same. Some of the differences are, I think, how proactive and how reactive some of the characters are. Those aspects changed. The information that each character knows at what time is a little different between the books and the show. Geralt’s relationship with the Law of Surprise is a little different in the show as well. And the characterization of Pavetta, I think, is something that changed too.

SHAUN: Yeah, the whole thing about Calanthe, like, [Inaudible 30:52] made her, like, strong and intelligent characters as well. It's almost like the [Inaudible 30:56] learn more from the books because, obviously, she has a really great plan obviously in the books that she turns the clock back. She convinces Duny to think that it's actually past midnight when it's not. I think that, you know, going from a really intriguing plan such as that and, like, Calanthe knowing everything and plan that out beforehand.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah. I think – I think Geralt’s sword—

SHAUN: Yeah.

CHRISTIAAN: Having Geralt’s sword stashed behind her own furniture.

SHAUN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: Yeah. So, let's see. So, in A Question of Price, some of the broad plot points are that, yes, Geralt wasn't in the story. So, the catalyst is much different. Calanthe is commissioning Geralt specifically to come attend this banquet. So, Geralt attends this banquet on his own as Ravix of Fourhorn. He sits next to Calanthe the whole time. They get into these very interesting conversations. We saw an interpretation of that in the show, which I think was done quite well. And then Pavetta is brought into the banquet rather than Calanthe entering that mid-scene as we see in the series. So, Pavetta is brought in. The banquet kind of continues. The suitors are there. Pavetta’s there. And this hedgehog man enters. So, again, the broad strokes are still pretty much the same. Urcheon tells the story also noting that he cannot remove his helmet before midnight. This is still the same in the series, but it's a little different in the books in that nobody takes it off too early. Instead Calan theturns to a page and, as we find out, tells him to ring the bell early so people think it's midnight so Urcheon takes off his helmet. He's revealed to have the face of a hedgehog. The scene continues. Hell breaks loose. Pavetta loses control. It kind of keeps going from there. Eventually, the clock strikes midnight, and Duny turns back. So, this is before that marriage happens. He's transformed back into a human. There's a private conversation between Eist, Calanthe, Duny, Pavetta, and Geralt, and Mousesack. I feel like I'm telling this in a very circular way. They've been talking about the Law of Surprise this whole time. I have a feeling that Geralt and Mousesack already knew that Pavetta was pregnant. And, when Duny then offered something to Geralt, Geralt is the one who invoked the Law of Surprise, but, particularly, intentionally. So, I think he knew that Pavetta was pregnant— 

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: —before he asked. That's kind of the broad strokes of A Question of Price.

SHAUN: I think we all can agree that a lot of it was due to, like, timing reasons and, like, cut for obviously TV reasons and stuff like that. But, even if they had to push it one or two more episodes and made them a bit longer, I feel like it would have helped. And it would have eased a lot of book readers as well. I think it is very important when making an adaptation to honor the source material. And I get – I'm not saying that they did a bad job or anything. I’m not – I think they still did it rightfully so. And the other people still understand the story. And that's, obviously, the main goal of it. It's not really about change anything, but I just think, in my opinion, that would have kept sort of the same storyline as the books and they wouldn't have changed it as much as the show did.

CHRISTIAAN: I loved the, the actual book itself in terms of the, like, sneaky ways around it. You know, she knew that this was coming in and nobody did really – Geralt had his suspicions, you know. Later on, you learn that he did, but he can't prove anything. He just doesn't want to be a part of it. I know this back and forth bickering between them about their views and their morals. They did a good job, because the urgency of everything just took precedence. And then you kind of realize, “Okay. This is important,” and paying attention. And, somehow, your brain just puts two and two together. And, you know, the story makes sense for those who did not read the books. So, I think they did a great job. And I really – besides for the Shrek and Fiona moment.

ALYSSA: Yeah, which is also a little apt considering that Ciri presents herself as Fiona throughout the series.

SHAUN: Yeah.

CHRISTIAAN: Oh, yes. You're right.

ALYSSA: Yeah, I think, when it comes to – you know, if we focus on Calanthe, specifically, I think that Jodhi May, with what she was working with, did a fantastic job bringing her to screen. I do like the way that she interpreted Calanthe. Like, considering what she was given in terms of her storyline.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: I think a lot of her characterization on the show was very much focused on her stubbornness, on her charisma.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, she was quite brash.

ALYSSA: Yeah. Yeah. So, she had a lot of gusto, I think.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: And it's interesting in the books, because that stubbornness, and her forwardness as a queen, the hardness that she's developed is contrasted with the fact that she's very smart. Like, she does a lot of these things preemptively. And she's very cunning. Calanthe would be a Slytherin. I'm fairly certain.

SHAUN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: Like, one of the cool Slytherins, but, like, a Slytherin nonetheless.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: Yeah, I think that's the comparison I would make. Book Calanthe is a Slytherin.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: And Show Calanthe is a Gryffindor, I would say.

CHRISTIAAN: Well put. Very well put.

ALYSSA: I think that having those additional facets of our character, I think, would have made her more interesting. She's very reactive in the show. She sticks very clearly to her own moral compass, which I think is a good characteristic. But there doesn't seem to be much else driving her or many other personality traits other than her stubbornness and her, her belief in, in herself. I think I should – I could put it that way.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: So, I would have liked to see more of that. 

SHAUN: Yeah, I think I agree with you. She had more wits in the book. And I mean she was more, like, smart and, like, intelligent behind the scenes, you know, sort of thing. Like, doing everything with [Inaudible 36:18] one on one. Whereas, you know, obviously, it was just about more, more comedic almost in the, the show when Eist, obviously, just tap the helmet off him. It was like bullocks it up. It was funny. And if – for people who, obviously, never read the books, it totally gets the point across. And, honestly, like, I did really enjoy it. Like, I know it sounds like I'm saying it's not a good thing. But it's – me, personally, I would have rather seen them stick more to the source material of Calanthe in “A Question of Price.”

ALYSSA: I'm trying to remember what I meant when I wrote Geralt’s relationship to the Law of Surprise, like, four months ago. I think it's that we're told in A Question of Price that he's a child was surprised himself. Yeah, I don't know what I meant by that.

CHRISTIAAN: It was a glimpse into The life of our hero. The life before he became a witcher. It's always so interesting to me to learn about the backstories of characters, the actual character development. This is the first time that you – well, sorry – for me that I can think of now, in a serious way. You think about Geralt having a family. You just know that he's this mutant creator Terminator-type thing that was created for one reason and one reason only. But he was a boy. You know, he came from a family. He came from a mother and a father. So, when you start hearing that, I become immediately more emotionally attached to him and his backstory. They use it as you should believe Geralt when he talks about the Law of Surprise, because he himself is a product of the Law of Surprise. That's kind of what I took from that.

ALYSSA: Yeah, that's – that's what they ultimately end up using. There's another character that we get in the books that's not necessarily in the show. He is the Baron of Tigg. He's affectionately known as Coodcoodak. And he's the one that gives us a lot of information about the Law of Surprise as well as that insight into Geralt. As you mentioned, Christiaan, we see a little bit at that high table. Here in the books, we learn from the Baron of Tigg and Mousesack, I believe, that Geralt was a child of surprised himself. Also, the way that he invokes the Law of Surprise is very different in the books than in the show. In the books, it's incredibly intentional. Geralt knows that Pavetta is pregnant. And he knows that Duny doesn't know yet. So, when he asked for something that you already have, but do not know, it's Pavetta’s child. There's no question about that.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: Whereas, in the show, he says it very flippantly. And, as I said earlier, to me, it seems out of character, but he asks for the Law of Surprise in order to get Duny off his back. And then that's when we find out that Pavetta’s pregnant.

SHAUN: I mean it completely changes. They are completely two different points all together. I mean, from being Geralt knowing what he was going to receive from asking for it, then having just, you know, casually saying that, like, to get out of there as fast as possible. I mean it really completely changes the whole story. All the other – it really just makes it seem like Geralt has no intention at all of coming back. Whereas, obviously, in the books, Geralt knows what he's asking for, and he's prepared to come back and get it. You know what I mean?

ALYSSA: Yeah, I think the intention drives a lot. Like, you know, in the books, they talk about the Law of Surprise a lot. When Cyprian and I first did this episode about A Question of Price, we talked about why Geralt would choose to invoke it at the end. I was like, well, maybe they were just talking about it so much that he was just like, “Oh, yeah, that's a thing. I could ask for that.” And then he just did. Whereas – you know, I guess it's kind of the same here. He hears that Duny did it. So, he's just like, “Whatever. That one.”

CHRISTIAAN: I'll have what he's having.

ALYSSA: Yeah. Basically, there's like a clear, I think, intention and responsibility to take a child in the books. Whereas, in the show, he just gets stuck with it. I don't know. It just it seems he's putting himself in a situation or he gets stuck in a situation that he didn't intend to, which, you know, shouldn't be a personality trait, but it's a defining part of Geralt's character. It’s that he just ends up in all these situations that he doesn't really mean to.

SHAUN: Yeah, like, I think it – I think it pays off more near, like, the end of the series. Like, we get a lot more. Obviously, in the last couple of episodes, we see him seeking out Ciri himself. And he actually does want to go get her. And he knows what he's doing. But compared to the – you know, the fourth episode in which we see basically he tells them, “I will be won’t be coming back to claim a child.” That was definitely different from A Question of Price. Obviously, there are call times. They had to do it for time wise. And I can understand that. So—

ALYSSA: I guess really quickly, like, this isn't necessarily like a particularly deep plot point. But they changed Pavetta slightly here. In the books, she’s just kind of there until she's needed. To me, she's like the Chekhov's gun of the story. It's like she's there. She's introduced and then, inevitably, goes off. In the series, she's much more vocal. It pairs very nicely with the kind of Queen that Calanthe is on the show. She spars her mother verbally. She's very clear about her intentions and what she wants.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, I'm trying to rack my brain about, like, what happened to the story with Pavetta, but I can't. And that's, obviously, because she isn't featured that much besides for, you know, the main thing.

ALYSSA: Yeah.

SHAUN: Yeah, I think that was one of the actual stronger points of the show. It was that they actually give Pavetta more of a character and more of a personality and stuff. And, in the book, she's almost just like a plot tool. I think both renditions are good, but I do like this change. I don't think it was necessarily about change at all. I thought it was fairly well done.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, I agree.

ALYSSA: Yeah, giving important characters identity is always good. So, the second short story represented in this episode is Sword of Destiny. This is the title story from the compilation of the same name and the second to the last story in it as well. And this is very, very different. This is not a direct adaptation at all for what happens in the books, ultimately, as we'll see. But, in the books, Geralt goes into Brokilon Forest seeking the dryad Queen Eithné in order to create some sort of peace treaty between an outside king and Eithné, the queen of Brokilon. On the way, he meets Ciri. He doesn't know it's Ciri. And then, when they get to the center of Brokilon, the dryads claim Ciri and tried to turn her into one of them using the waters Brokilon. The waters don't work on her. This is the same in the books. And she tells Eithné that she wants to go with Geralt. Geralt takes Ciri out of the forest, where they're attacked by some brigands and the dryad saved them as well as Mousesack. At the end of it, Mousesack offers to give Ciri to Geralt and Geralt refuses and leaves. So, that's, like, the very brief TL;DR of “Sword of Destiny”. So, we don't see that ultimately at all in the Netflix series. Geralt is never in Brokilon. But here we do see Ciri entering Brokilon. There's some sort of kind of palpable magic to the forest. We do see the dryads, who, in the Netflix show, have spears as opposed to the traditional bows and arrows from the books. So, yeah.

 SHAUN: Yeah. To me – to me, that was, like, one of the biggest points that I was waiting to see as well. It was Geralt and Ciri meeting Brokilon. The first moment they meet each other, you know, when they're bond by destiny. And it was a very important thing. And I agree. I still think that the – it was – it was definitely a needed point that Ciri had to go to Brokilon. She learned a lot of stuff still on the show, but it was definitely an important moment in the books where it was the first time Geralt and Ciri met with each other, and he denied her. But then ends up with her again, because of destiny and stuff. I think that should have been kept in the show. I think it could have been almost swapped out for some of the other things we did get. You know what I mean? Like, I think some of the other stuff that we didn’t need in it could have been cut out to show that scene with Geralt and Ciri. But I don't think it was necessarily bad. I just felt that the showed a very underrated version of, like, Brokilon in the show in comparison to the book version.

CHRISTIAAN: I was just kind of thinking. By the way, really good too long didn't read explanation there. Great summary, Alyssa.

ALYSSA: Oh, thanks. Hopefully, I did better on that one than I did with “A Question of Price.”

CHRISTIAAN: It takes a practice round. What struck me is, when you said he denies taking Ciri when Mousesack offers her, that was denial number one of three or two or three or something like that.

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHRISTIAAN: I think what they did well, in comparison in the series, was there was only one denial, but the urgency was there.

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHRISTIAAN: Their meeting, it was like – it was magical. It’s his whole endeavor to try and find out her having only denied her once as opposed to the books where he denied her three times. I think they did that well. That was just a thought that came to mind. With regards to, I guess, the dryads, yeah, as we kept mentioning, it's was an important scene. It was an important endeavor in her – in her adventure, but yeah, totally different – totally different. And I don't know how I feel about it. So, I don’t feel sad about it. I don't feel bad. I don't feel angry, but I didn't feel good.

ALYSSA: Yeah, it does end up feeling like another stop.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: Some of the things that I would have liked to see from her time with the dryads were – I don't know if it was incredibly clear that they're nonhuman. And part of this could be, you know, my own interpretation, particularly with, one, having read the books; two, if you see CD Projekt Red’s Gwent cards, dryads are just green in all of their card artwork.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: So, there was something in the series that the dryads felt very human, like, particularly human. Not to say that CD Projekt Red’s renderings are like the end-all, be-all, because I believe, in the books, there's virtually little to no difference between human girls and dryads. Just dryads could have weird hair colors and they smell like Willow leaves.

CHRISTIAAN: I think that's also just because there's so in nature. You know what I mean? There's so involved. There's hardly any clothes. So, they kind of just end up growing moss on their backs. That's a lie. But I'm kind of just – you know what I'm saying?

ALYSSA: Yeah. I would have liked to see the nonhuman aspect of them played up a little more. I think that would have rounded out the variety of people in tribes that are on the continent. Obviously, the story is very human centric. It's focused on the witcher, a sorceress and a princess, but I think it would round out the lore of the worlds a little bit better. The same thing if we actually got to know the history of the dryads a little more the way that we do in the books. We get to hear about, you know, the kingdoms that are surrounding them with Eithné. We get to hear about how human men are used as studs to father, you know, baby dryads. We get to hear that Eithné has outlived dozens of kings in her lifetime, and that she's held on to Brokilon for, like, hundreds of years. And, like, the, their purpose, they see themselves as protectors of this forest. They see themselves as the LAST PLACE. Like all capital letters. So, I think that there's a lot of, like, value in their morality that we, unfortunately, missed out on in the show that I really would have loved to see, you know, play up in order to better inform an audience for why this human-nonhuman relationship is so antagonized, I suppose, because it informs a lot more relationships that we'll see throughout the series.

SHAUN: Yeah, I agree, because one my friends, like, watched the show. And they've only played Witcher 3, you know, So, they're not like I a huge fan. And they don't know, like, read anything. And he loved the show. And that was great. But he constantly told me that he didn't have any clue what was going on pretty much in like all of the Brokilon scenes. He understood some of it, but he doesn't understand who they were or why it was so important, which is, like, it should have been more explained rather than trying to just kind of get it on there for the sake of having Brokilon in the show, you know.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, it was just another – it just felt like another stop – another pit stop on the adventure.

SHAUN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: Yeah. I mean, in terms of changes on story, you know, they're totally different. So, I don't know if there is like an apt comparison to be made. But I think, you know, the most important comparison is really in how the story of the dryads and the dryads themselves were adopted. Yeah. They don't seem as hostile toward Dara and Ciri, I think, as we would expect as book readers.

SHAUN: Yeah, it's almost like they just, like, kind of, like, give them three questions. And then they're like, “Oh, you seem right. Come on to --

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah.

SHAUN: So, it just so casual by then.

ALYSSA: It doesn't seem like there's this much at stake. Like, they don't seem like they're about to die at any point in Brokilon.

SHAUN: Yeah.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm. Mhmm.

ALYSSA: I think that's drastically different from the books. In the books, dryads are out to kill you. The forest is out to kill you. They've booby trapped the whole place.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: There's an immediacy and a need to befriending the dryad that we meet Braenn and, yep, we just don't get that here. So, like I, I would have liked to see, as I said, a little bit more of their animosity and of their plight. Yeah.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm. Because, even as Geralt enters the forest in the book, he is surprised by how many elves or dryads he didn't see even with his, you know, hearing and sight. These guys were just casual.

ALYSSA: Maybe there'll be an opportunity down the line to explore them a little more. But, for the moment, I do think that that's just something that could have been improved upon. Do we talk about the waters of Brokilon?

CHRISTIAAN: Didn't Geralt, like, take a sip of it when Ciri didn't take any effect. He was like, “Oh, that's fake.” And he took some and he, like, trip balls.

ALYSSA: Yeah. Yeah, that's actually – yeah, that is a good point. So, the waters of Brokilon are still a thing between the books and the show and serve roughly the same purpose. The difference is that, like, in the series, Dara drinks the water in an effort to forget his past, and Ciri drinks it to forget hers. We do know that elves are brought into Brokilon to be healed, but I don't think they're expected to stay. It's just like a place for them to heal before they're sent out to Scoia'tael commandos, which we'll get to in Baptism of Fire. I believe we'll get to that. In the books, the waters of Brokilon are meant to turn little girls into dryads. And it doesn't really seem like an incremental thing as it does in the series. In the books, Geralt notes that, when children have drunk the waters of Brokilon, there's seizures among other things as they kind of transform. And he mentions the emptiness in their eyes when they wake up. And Ciri drinks the waters of Brokilon. Nothing happens. Geralt thanks Eithné for giving Ciri a placebo. Eithné then calls him a fool basically. She says, “If you're so sure, why don't you drink them yourself?” She says, like, “You don't know what destiny is and what it's doing. Will you drink the waters?” He's skeptical, and he does. And, as you said, Christiaan, it just knocks him off his feet. He trips balls for a ton. He sees Yennefer. He sees Calanthe dead. Something about the Law of Surprise. He is said to protect her. Dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. And, at that point, when he wakes up, he realizes who Ciri is and that she must be Calathe’s granddaughter.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: So, he goes through like a very strong spiritual journey during that.

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah.

ALYSSA: So, this isn't necessarily direct comparisons to the books, but we do get an entirely new storyline for Yennefer here. As we've spoken about in previous episodes, we don't really know much about Yennefer's backstory before Geralt meets her. Just the basics. She had been a hunchback. She went to Aretuza. But, for example, the storyline, during her time at court, is entirely new. In light of that, how do you think Yennefer's new story, which is original to the show, further develop her character for this audience?

SHAUN: I think it does pretty much, like, as I was talking about earlier on with the Pavetta thing as well, I think – I mean Ciri, Geralt, and Yennefer are essentially the three main characters of The Witcher. So, I guess, to get a better bond to the main characters, you want to know more about them. I think showing that in more detail than the books described, I think, it helped it a lot and, especially, Anya’s performance as well. It only increased it even more. Like, I, I genuinely thought she did a great job as Yennefer.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

SHAUN: I thought she was very impressive. But then the just sorceress she's very opinionated and she does everything for herself, the whole show and the backstory and, like, waiting to see in detail definitely helped a lot more. And I think it was a good change to be honest. I liked how they expanded more on Yennefer’s character and let the viewers connect more with her in the same way they do with Geralt and Ciri.

CHRISTIAAN: Totally agree, Shaun. Well put. Yeah. Yeah, because, for those of us who didn't read the books but are still interested, it paints a really, really good picture about who she is, where she's coming from. You know, just her whole character development.

ALYSSA: Yeah. And this does end up being our last episode with Yennefer before she meets Geralt of Rivia. It's interesting to see where she's been and then, ultimately, where she's going to go in the next four episodes.

SHAUN: It's cool to see as well how, from every episode, it shows how much Yennefer progresses and how much her, like, opinions of everything changed literally episode to episode. So, it's definitely great to see that. And I think, you know, it’s a good character development for Yennefer.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm. They've managed to portray Yennefer's animosity towards her ex-school colleagues and Tissaia just because of, you know, how tricked she felt. And they managed to do that really well. Whereas, in the books, it was told through various little short stories. But they managed to do it through a few episodes, which is really fantastic. Really stunning.

ALYSSA: Yeah. And that sets her up for a really nice arc. I’m very interested in seeing how her story is going to continue over the next seasons in the Netflix show.

CHRISTIAAN: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: Was there anything else to talk about? I think we're – I think that's about it.

CHRISTIAAN: I think so. I mean you can always call us back for another rerun.

ALYSSA: Another. So, that is it for our show today. Christiaan, Shaun, thank you so much for joining us this episode. And thank you to our sponsor for listening. So, Christiaan, you mentioned that you're with a new coffee shop. Do you mind telling us about that newest endeavor?

CHRISTIAAN: Yeah, the company's called Brown Bag Coffee Roasters. They've been on the go for about two years now. And I started in the beginning of this year, which is very fortunate. Also based in Antwerp with subscription based coffee, but we also have a set of wholesale clients. Feel free to look us up on any kind of socials. It's just Brown Bag Coffee Roasters or bbcr.ca. Yeah. We've got some interesting stuff. Even if you just have questions you want to ask us, I'd love to answer them.

ALYSSA: Awesome. And thank you to you guys again just for being good sports and for re-recording this episode with me four months later. It's been really interesting recording this, you know, with additional perspective on the show. So, thank you guys so much for recording again and for also being such wonderful parts of our community.

SHAUN: You’re welcome. Thank you very much. Yeah.

CHRISTIAAN: Thanks, Alyssa. Thanks for the opportunity. Yeah, it was tons of fun. And it's also a good excuse to catch up with you guys. Perfect.

ALYSSA: And thanks for making me cry.

SHAUN: Anytime.

CHRISTIAAN: Oh, man.

ALYSSA: Next episode, join us as we discuss Geralt and Yennefer’s fateful first meeting in our coverage of Episode 5, Bottled Appetites. Pew, pew, pew. Okay. I think we're done.

CHRISTIAAN: Pe, pe, peng.

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, The Original Roach, AerialKitty, TheOneTrueChef, Dustin, and Chris K. of Kovir.

Special thanks to Christiaan and Shaun for joining us for this episode and our international hanza for their support.

Transcriptionist: Rachelle Rose Bacharo
Editor: Krizia Casil

 

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