Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Season 3 Vol. 1 of The Witcher.
It’s been less than a week since the first part ofThe WitcherSeason 3 dropped on Netflix, and if you just so happened to binge all five episodes in a single day, you’re likely filled with questions abouteverything leading up to that surprising cliffhanger. Although the identity of the rogue mage hunting Ciri (Freya Allan) has been revealed, there’s still the overhanging issue of a little coup that might currently be in progress in Aretuza, where Geralt (Henry Cavill) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) are presently cut off from their daughter and may be forced to pick a side in the battle to come. But, before all that happens, there’s always an opportunity for a party!
Episode 5, “The Art of Illusion,“takes place almost entirely at the Conclave of Mages that’s been organized primarily at Yennefer’s behest, where everyone — Geralt included — assembles in a ballroomdecked out in their absolute finest. (Much to her chagrin, Ciri has been ordered to stay behind under the watchful eye of Jaskier [Joey Batey].) But don’t let all that elegant evening wear fool you; Geralt and Yennefer know that they have very few allies in this room, and if they’re going to uncover the culprit responsible for targeting Ciri, as well as several part-elven Aretuzan novices, they have to tread carefully.
“The Art of Illusion” plays with time in a fascinating way, allowing us to bear witness to one conversation happening before rewinding and letting us eavesdrop on another chat entirely. It’s no wonder, then, that the episode took so long to film, as revealed byMyAnna Buring, who plays the sorceress Tissaia, during a junket interview ahead of the Season 3 premiere: “That took about a month. It was a month of every day, all of us had to be in it all the time.”
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‘The Witcher’ Season 3 Cast Was Excited About the Challenge of Filming Episode 5
Given how many different angles needed to be captured for the purposes of telling Episode 5’s story — the framing device revolves around Geralt and Yennefer recalling various encounters from their time both together and apart at the ball — the length of filming comes as little surprise. But Buring also expanded on the fact that the cast was all looking forward to the opportunity to shoot “The Art of Illusion,” not just because it presented a challenge for the overall season but because it gave them all a chance to hang out together on set:
“Loni [Peristere], our director, was always like, ‘Listen, this is going to be a challenge, but everyone knuckle down. This is going to pay off.’ All of us were really excited about this. We definitely love and are so looking forward to seeing this episode. So it was really full-on, but it was wonderful because we also got to hang out a lot together and be there with each other. We had a huge supporting cast who were all phenomenal. The makeup and hair departments had gone above and beyond, and the costume departments. Really extraordinary work on display all the time. … To sort of see a vision like that come together in front of your eyes, it was very special.”
The aftermath of the ball is a little less lovely, unfortunately — once Geralt and Yennefer finally manage to drag themselves out of bed after spending most of the night making up and reminiscing about events, they finally put two and two together when it comes to the season’s largest conspiracy. If Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) is truly responsible, then that means that Tissaia and who knows how many other mages are in danger. However, as soon as Geralt steps foot outside the room, he’s confronted by none other thanRedanian spymaster Dijkstra (Graham McTavish), who puts a blade to his throat. What will play out next is anyone’s guess, but it looks like the party is officially over.
The WitcherSeason 3, Volume 1 is currently available on Netflix. Volume 2 will be released on July 27.
