‘The Witcher’: Liam Hemsworth Wields the Sword in a Fourth Season That Widens Its Fantasy Saga

Alci Rengifo

A character like Geralt of Rivia may seem easy to cast from a distance. You just need a buff and tall enough guy to dress in the costume and don the long white hair. In reality, these stoic characters really do depend on the presence of whomever is filling their boots. Season four of Netflix’s “The Witcher” arrives with anticipation from this show’s fans over Liam Hemsworth taking on the role of Geralt, after original star Henry Cavill announced he was dropping out. Fear not, Hemsworth works well as the new Witcher. He gets help easing into the role by the season being split between multiple narratives, meaning he doesn’t dominate the screen time as much. Despite threatening to get too cluttered, this season remains a visually enticing, action-packed good time, at least for devotees.

On the surface this season is an adaptation of “Baptism of Fire,” the third book in Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher saga. In a sly move to adjust us to the new lead, the show begins a hundred years in the future, with an old man reading to children the tale of “The Butcher of Blaviken,” recounting the adventures of Geralt of Rivia. A young girl starts correcting his version of the story and leads us back into the action. Geralt is currently injured after battling the evil image Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) last season. He remains separated from Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and his adoptive daughter, Ciri (Freya Allan). Geralt now rides through war-torn lands, watching burning villages from afar with Jaskier the bard (Joey Batey) and archer Milva (Meng’er Zhang), his most trusted companions. Their first immediate goal is to find Ciri. Emhyr (Bart Edwards), the emperor of Nilfgaard, is also obsessively looking for her as well, coveting her powerful Elder blood and Nilfgaard ancestry.

When “The Witcher” premiered in 2019 it was part of the wave of fantasy series streamers were rushing to greenlit in the wake of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” which had just ended that same year. Four seasons later, with its upcoming fifth announced as the last, this show has endured with excellent production values and an understanding of its audience. By now a late comer needs to go back and start at season one to understand all the intricate threads being connected. And yet, this is probably the simplest season thus far. We get several adventures for the price of one, but each storyline stays pretty clear for anyone who has been following the show. Now it has turned into a classic odyssey where key characters are separated and undergoing their own quests, picking up new characters along the way. 

For Yennefer, this means putting together a plan to take down Vilgefortz, recruiting magic-wielders and former foes Philippa (Cassie Claire), elven queen Francesca (Mecia Simson), and Fringilla (Mimî M. Khayisa). She also reaches out to Geralt’s old mentor, Vesemir (Peter Mullan). The group gathers in Aretuza to begin putting together a united front. In terms of pure adventure, Ciri’s storyline becomes quite engrossing. Now a little older, she is trying to find her own identity while trying to run from the past, despite being the most wanted person on the Continent. She finds herself being taken in by a band of thieves known as the Rats and changes her name to Falka. As typically happens, she goes so far as to chop down her long hair to have a new look. Joining an outlaw gang is never easy for a fantasy fugitive, but Ciri aka Falka finds support in Mistle (Christelle Elwin), a Rat willing to show her how to be fully accepted. Of course this will entail Ciri takes risks and putting herself in great danger just to prove herself to the other Rats. While she learns how to plunder, and even develops an attraction to Mistle, her conscience won’t leave her alone because she knows eventually her real life will catch up with her.

Geralt is the one left with the more typical journeying to do, which must include some swordplay against threats, monsters and just plain thieves that tend to crop up on the road to Nilfgaard. Rowdy dwarf Zoltan (Danny Woodburn) is a fan favorite who just happens to appear in the forest at just the right time to reconnect with our hero. The biggest addition to the cast, by sheer name alone, is Laurence Fishburne as barber-surgeon Regis. With his powerful knowledge of herbs, Regis helps Geralt recover and is soon forming part of his posse. Fishburne plays the role with the same kind of sage patience he has always done so well going back to “The Matrix.” In that enjoyable fantasy tradition, it’s the Geralt sections where we also get folk ballads and stunning natural vistas. 

Season four doesn’t resolve much considering the grand climax will come in the fifth and final outing. “The Witcher” still delivers on epic battle scenes shot with drained colors and bloody gusto, with the added touch of fiery magic. Hemsworth looks so natural in these settings, delivering his lines with the necessary gruffness while hinting at how Geralt has a big heart. At times someone like Jaskier has to remind him not to kill just for the sake of revenge, but we know Geralt only loses his temper for the right reasons, like needing to find his daughter. What this season does well is remind us that the other characters are also worth following just as much as the titular warrior. For those who have stuck with this adventure from the beginning, the end of the road is in sight, and Hemsworth will wield his big sword convincingly for the rest of the way.

“The Witcher” season four begins streaming Oct. 30 on Netflix.