#this is just the summary and its already so long lol
I watched it! And I have a lot of opinions about the tweaks it would take to fix it!
Anyway, I wrote about ep 1-4 on DW here, and ep 5-8 here, where for each episode, I briefly sum up what happens, and then what I would do to fix it. I know there’s lots of different ways to do a fixit, but I tried to keep most of the major plot beats, just moving some scenes around, mostly removing unnecessary plot maneuvering and adding in more character interactions. (So that when Ciri says that Geralt is always there for her, we believe it.) Also, I bring Yen and Jaskier into the story more (goodbye, Triss!), and Eskel is replaced by a different Witcher named Neskel.)
So, read on if you want my alternate version of Witcher Season 2:
Ep 1: Ciri and Geralt visit Nivellen and gain sympathy for the bruxa. Everyone thinks Yen is dead.
Ep 2: Ciri and Geralt at KM, Neskel (Not-Eskel) returns from a leshy hunt, and before he has a chance to invite everyone from town, he goes all Leshy and Geralt ends up having to kill Neskel. All the witchers gather for his burial, and Ciri learns a bit about Witchers and KM. Ciri decides to do training, with Geralt’s help. Yen/Fringilla/Francesca have their Baba Yaga vision, Yen realizes that she doesn’t have Chaos, Frin/Fran teams up.
Ep 3: Yen gets to Aretuza and tells Tissaia that she lost her Chaos, and Tissaia basically shoves her back out the door (in order to protect her but also bc power is everything). Feeling desperate and alone, Yen agrees to Baba Yaga’s deal of getting Ciri, starts heading toward KM. Geralt does some training with Ciri, and takes her Leshy hunting. Ciri learns about how to be a Witcher, bonds with Geralt and Vesemir and other KM denizens.
Ep 4: Yen runs into Jaskier on her journey up to KM, they have some good moments – Jaskier helps smuggle Yen through Redania, Yen helps Jaskier when he gets caught by Rience. Yen asks Jaskier to travel with her to KM and Jaskier decides to stay where he’s more needed (also because he wants Geralt to apologize, which Yen agrees with). Yen shows up at KM and offers to help Ciri with her magic (secretly hoping to get Ciri strong enough to portal to Baba Yaga). Background stuff about Cintra becoming a haven for elves, and Frin/Fran bonding moments.
Ep 5: Geralt goes to investigate the Leshy forest and finds a broken Monolith. Yen begins to be attached to Ciri as she teaches her magic. Vesemir pressures Ciri about using her blood to create Witcher mutagen. Ciri is tempted and confused, and has a good convo with Yen about feeling powerless. After a vision quest with Yen’s help, Ciri remembers Calanthe and Eist and decides to call an all-Witcher council to discuss whether to bring back the mutagens or not. Geralt returns in time to (a) explain Witcher mutagen trauma, (b) reassure Ciri that she doesn’t need that to be a Witcher, © reassure Ciri that he’s there for her, she doesn’t need to be a Witcher. Meanwhile, Istredd does some Monolith-studying and Cintran records research, and realizes that Ciri has Elderblood. He returns to the Cintran capital just in time to see Cahir return.
Ep 6: Geralt, Yen and Ciri gets attacked by a monster and Yen isn’t able to use her magic, leading to Roach death. Geralt takes both her and Ciri to Nenneke for magic help. As they arrive, Yen talks to Geralt about how Jaskier is nearby and he really needs to go and apologize. Geralt grunts thoughtfully. While there, Geralt talks with Ciri about her worries, and he talks to Yen about how she is more than her magic. Rience attacks, and Yen and Ciri portal out, leaving Geralt. Meanwhile, tensions rise in Cintra under Cahir, and Francesca has a baby.
Ep 7: Yen leads Ciri to the broken Monolith in Cintra, thinking she can outwit and control Baba Yaga. Meanwhile, mounting tensions in Cintra as Francesca thinks she’s outwitted Baba Yaga and starts reneging on her promises to Fringilla. Cut back to Ciri, finding out Yen’s plan and feeling betrayed, then hearing the voice of Baba Yaga, saying that she knows what Ciri wants. Fringilla, in order to seize power, kills the Nilfgaard generals. Geralt finds and frees Jaskier, apologizes to him properly, and Jaskier uses his bard/smuggling connections to find out that (a) Yen/Ciri are in Cintra and (b) Nilfgaardians and Redanians are both after her. (Meanwhile, in Aretuza, Istredd tells Tissaia about Ciri.) Geralt and Jaskier (and dwarves) go to save Ciri from Nilfgaardian soldiers, and they ride back to KM. There is a flash of Baba Yaga inside Ciri. Francesca’s baby gets assassinated.
Ep 8: Francesca declares war on all humans but then Istredd shows up and tells her about Ciri, and from that Francesca finds hope. Meanwhile Ciri is living her dream of the past, while Baba Yaga pilots her body to open the Monolith at KM and summon monsters. The Witchers agree that they don’t want a re-run of Neskel, and while Vesemir leads the other Witchers to deal with the monsters, Geralt, Yen and Jaskier try to get Ciri back. Yen is using potions and Geralt is using his words and Jaskier is playing a song from Cintra. These things combined reminds Ciri that she has family here, and that she hasn’t lost Cintra forever, either. She says goodbye to Calanthe, Eist and Mousesack in her vision (no parents bc she has no memory of them), and returns just in time to do that weird portal thing and foreshadow the Wild Hunt. Emhyr shows up, reveals that he’s behind the baby killing, ousts Fringilla. Montage of Emhyr, Elves, Redania, and Brotherhood all deciding that they need to hunt down Ciri, juxtaposed with Ciri being happy with her family at KM.
