The Witcher: A Look Inside the Episodes (2020) s01e03 Episode Script
Episode 3
["GERALT OF RIVIA" BY SONYA BELOUSOVA
& GIONA OSTINELLI PLAYS]
[WOMAN] "Betrayer Moon", episode 103,
is about two stories of transformation.
Yennefer's story of transforming
from the hunchback girl
into this more powerful,
beautiful sorceress.
What we wanted to dig into as writers
is that that was an easy choice for her.
One of the first things
that we talked about is:
why would Yennefer want to be beautiful?
Could we actually portray a woman
who is kind of questioning
this transformation?
If she wants to really look
perfect on the outside
when she feels like
such a mess on the inside.
You can free the victim
in the mirror forever.
I don't know where to begin.
The transformation in Geralt's story
is actually the opposite.
Obviously, he's a Witcher.
His entire job is to kill monsters.
But what I love exploring is the moments
that he chooses not to kill,
but instead to try to save,
and this is why we chose
the story of the striga.
The striga seems like a horrible monster
and what we actually learn is,
it's not a monster at all.
This striga's a princess.
[LAUREN] It is someone who
was transformed against their will.
So, these stories
are really interplaying
throughout the entire episode.
First, Istredd, this
person that she loves,
chooses to betray her,
and that hurts her more than
how her father mistreated her
or how she was an outcast
in her town growing up
You're just angry because you lost
your chance to be beautiful!
I want to be powerful.
I demand an audience with the Chapter.
[LAUREN] One of the things
I love most about Yennefer
is this streak of stubbornness
that she has.
She is willing to undergo anything,
including a really painful transformation,
in order to prove that
she can do this on her own
without anyone's help.
A lot is made in the books
about the changes that
mages must undergo
before they're allowed
to go serve the Royal Courts.
We played with it a little bit
in our series
and we called it "the enchantment".
It's a little bit of a fairy-tale twist,
because the enchantment
sounds like something lovely,
something you'd want to go through,
something a fairy
godmother would perform.
There is a cost to all creation.
Do you understand?
[LAUREN] At the end of the day,
when Geralt shows up,
he realizes that the princess trapped
inside the striga's body, basically,
is innocent.
It wasn't her fault that she was cursed,
and coming off the heels of episode 101,
where Geralt chooses to kill a princess,
he chooses to kill Renfri,
this episode with the striga
really provides a chance
to do it all over again and
to make a different decision.
He does not want to
kill another princess.
And it was really fun to craft
a battle for this episode
where one of the people
fighting the battle
doesn't want it to end in death.
In fact, all he wants is to
be able to reverse the curse.
[WAILING EERILY]
[LAUREN] This is what's really interesting
about Geralt's character.
It's not something that
you expect from a Witcher,
but in fact, it alludes
to the white knight
that Geralt has always
wanted to be inside.
He would rather be
a savior than a killer.
And to me, that just makes his character
that much more interesting.
[GASPING]
- [SQUELCHING SOUND]
- [SCREAMS]
[LAUREN] There was something
very powerful, to us,
about the sterilization
not being forced on Yennefer,
but her weighing her choices
and thinking about her priorities
and what is most important
to her in this moment,
and what is most important to her
in this moment is being powerful
and in the world of the Witcher,
she must be beautiful.
She must be able to sway
kings and queens with her beauty.
And that was her choice.
That was what was most important to her.
This is a young woman who has
been held back for her whole life
and she has finally decided
to take charge
and start making decisions for herself
and, as a woman, I have to say,
it's this pure fantasy moment
of seeing everything
that you've been working for
come to fruition
and it looks beautiful.
In this moment, when Istredd
sees her and walks away,
he believes that she's actually
not living up to her potential.
He believes that Yennefer
has chosen looks and power
over, sort of, the innate magic
that's already in her,
and, in fact, it doesn't turn out so well.
[DREAMLIKE MUSIC PLAYS]
& GIONA OSTINELLI PLAYS]
[WOMAN] "Betrayer Moon", episode 103,
is about two stories of transformation.
Yennefer's story of transforming
from the hunchback girl
into this more powerful,
beautiful sorceress.
What we wanted to dig into as writers
is that that was an easy choice for her.
One of the first things
that we talked about is:
why would Yennefer want to be beautiful?
Could we actually portray a woman
who is kind of questioning
this transformation?
If she wants to really look
perfect on the outside
when she feels like
such a mess on the inside.
You can free the victim
in the mirror forever.
I don't know where to begin.
The transformation in Geralt's story
is actually the opposite.
Obviously, he's a Witcher.
His entire job is to kill monsters.
But what I love exploring is the moments
that he chooses not to kill,
but instead to try to save,
and this is why we chose
the story of the striga.
The striga seems like a horrible monster
and what we actually learn is,
it's not a monster at all.
This striga's a princess.
[LAUREN] It is someone who
was transformed against their will.
So, these stories
are really interplaying
throughout the entire episode.
First, Istredd, this
person that she loves,
chooses to betray her,
and that hurts her more than
how her father mistreated her
or how she was an outcast
in her town growing up
You're just angry because you lost
your chance to be beautiful!
I want to be powerful.
I demand an audience with the Chapter.
[LAUREN] One of the things
I love most about Yennefer
is this streak of stubbornness
that she has.
She is willing to undergo anything,
including a really painful transformation,
in order to prove that
she can do this on her own
without anyone's help.
A lot is made in the books
about the changes that
mages must undergo
before they're allowed
to go serve the Royal Courts.
We played with it a little bit
in our series
and we called it "the enchantment".
It's a little bit of a fairy-tale twist,
because the enchantment
sounds like something lovely,
something you'd want to go through,
something a fairy
godmother would perform.
There is a cost to all creation.
Do you understand?
[LAUREN] At the end of the day,
when Geralt shows up,
he realizes that the princess trapped
inside the striga's body, basically,
is innocent.
It wasn't her fault that she was cursed,
and coming off the heels of episode 101,
where Geralt chooses to kill a princess,
he chooses to kill Renfri,
this episode with the striga
really provides a chance
to do it all over again and
to make a different decision.
He does not want to
kill another princess.
And it was really fun to craft
a battle for this episode
where one of the people
fighting the battle
doesn't want it to end in death.
In fact, all he wants is to
be able to reverse the curse.
[WAILING EERILY]
[LAUREN] This is what's really interesting
about Geralt's character.
It's not something that
you expect from a Witcher,
but in fact, it alludes
to the white knight
that Geralt has always
wanted to be inside.
He would rather be
a savior than a killer.
And to me, that just makes his character
that much more interesting.
[GASPING]
- [SQUELCHING SOUND]
- [SCREAMS]
[LAUREN] There was something
very powerful, to us,
about the sterilization
not being forced on Yennefer,
but her weighing her choices
and thinking about her priorities
and what is most important
to her in this moment,
and what is most important to her
in this moment is being powerful
and in the world of the Witcher,
she must be beautiful.
She must be able to sway
kings and queens with her beauty.
And that was her choice.
That was what was most important to her.
This is a young woman who has
been held back for her whole life
and she has finally decided
to take charge
and start making decisions for herself
and, as a woman, I have to say,
it's this pure fantasy moment
of seeing everything
that you've been working for
come to fruition
and it looks beautiful.
In this moment, when Istredd
sees her and walks away,
he believes that she's actually
not living up to her potential.
He believes that Yennefer
has chosen looks and power
over, sort of, the innate magic
that's already in her,
and, in fact, it doesn't turn out so well.
[DREAMLIKE MUSIC PLAYS]