The Witcher Season 4 Premiere Features The Show's Biggest Mistake (And It Has Nothing To Do With Liam Hemsworth)

This article contains spoilers for "The Witcher" season 4, episode 1 – "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger."

Liam Hemsworth isn't a problem, no matter what the most reactive fans of "The Witcher" would have you believe. He's such a natural fit as Henry Cavill's successor that all those flashbacks and fight scenes in "The Witcher" season 4 premiere trying to convince us that Geralt of Rivia is still Geralt of Rivia come across as a bit redundant. 

Unfortunately, "The Witcher" season 4, episode 1 stumbles on another front. We already knew that the season will likely adapt Andrzej Sapkowski's third novel in the "Witcher saga," titled "Baptism of Fire." This means that Geralt, Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri ("Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" star Freya Allan) pursue their own quest lines in the wake of the tumultuous events of season 3. It also means that the latter will unfortunately spend much of her time with the Rats – a loose collection of thieves and outcasts. In true "The Witcher" style, they're far from Robin Hood and his Merry Men. In one of the most controversial scenes in the entire franchise, a night of partying after Ciri's first theft mission with the group ends with a Rat called Kayleigh (Fabian McCallum) trying to sexually assault Ciri. Another Rat called Mistle (Christelle Elwin) steps between the two, but soon makes a move on the shaken and tearful Ciri herself. 

Fans of the novels knew to expect that some version of this scene would be coming sooner or later. Still, "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger" is arguably the most important "The Witcher" premiere since season 1, so it's a pretty peculiar move to put such an unsavory moment in play at this stage. 

It's been known for a while that Ciri is a very different person in "The Witcher" season 4, with plenty of character growth in store. As such, it could be generously thought that the show's trying to get her rock bottom moment out of the way as soon as possible. However, a less generous train of thought might be inclined to suspect that putting the scene in the season premiere is an attempt to create at least one major Moment for the fans to discuss that doesn't revolve around Hemsworth.

In the interest of fairness, the scene isn't quite as bad as it comes across in the book, but Ciri is still visibly traumatized by the ordeal and it's a pretty uncomfortable watch. Freya Allan even issued a warning for those in the know that the scene would be coming in her 2024 interview with Elle:  

"She has her first experience with romance, if you can even call it that, because it's not a good relationship. She goes into a very dark part of herself that I think is going to be terrifying to look at."

As such, the writing for Ciri's darkest moments has certainly been on the wall. Still, I'd argue that including this scene so early in the season does the show a great disservice. "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger" might earn a whole lot of goodwill for Hemsworth's Geralt, but it ends up undermining itself by treating Ciri like a throwaway "Game of Thrones" character.

"The Witcher" season 4 is streaming on Netflix.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).