The Witcher Season 3 Episode 6 Recap

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Summary

In the aptly titled sixth episode, it appears that everyone gets blindsided. Most of all, Tissaia, whose lover reveals himself to be the worst kind of snake.

We recap the Netflix series The Witcher Season 3 Episode 6, “Everybody Has a Plan ‘Till They Get Punched in the Face,” which contains spoilers.

Episode six starts where Volume One ended, but we see Dijkstra holding a sword to Geral’s throat. He and Phillipa have organized a coup, and the spymaster seems to want Geralt on his side, as some of the mages have already joined him.

Dijkstra and Phillipa’s Coup

As Redanian soldiers are detaining all the mages, Yennefer makes her escape. While she’s searching for Ciri, she comes face to (half) face with Lydia, who wants to take Ciri to Emhyr. Lydia gets close to defeating Yennefer, but Triss intervenes at the last minute and puts an end to the disfigured villain.

At the cabin, Jaskier wakes up and catches Radovid in the act of trying to kidnap Ciri. To say he’s disappointed in his lover would be an understatement. Luckily, Ciri had already made a run for it.

Why did the Redanians plan the Thanedd Coup?

The Redanians plan on purging the Brotherhood of the mages who have taken Nilfgaard’s side. At the end of Episode 5, it was revealed that Vilgefortz, not Stregobor, was the mage behind the renegades Rience and Lydia.

But Tissaia is among the few mages not in magical chains, and she’s not convinced of the veracity of the accusations against her lover. She breaks the binding spell holding the mages captive, allowing them to put an end to Phillipa and Dijkstra’s coup.

Vilgefortz’s betrayal

It’s far too late when Tissaia realizes what a mistake she made. Vilgefortz reveals his true nature, breaking her heart in the process.

He then opens up a portal allowing Nilfgaardian soldiers inside Aretuza, including Cahir, Fringilla, and Francesca, with the Scoia’Tael.

A strong-willed Tissaia stands her ground, and her fellow members of the Brotherhood join in their attempt to protect Aretuza. Even those who took part in the failed coup are now fighting against Nilfgaard.

Luckily, Ciri and Yennefer are away from the battle of Aretuza and plan on running off the island. They’re joined by Geralt, who, after killing Rience once and for all, updates Yen about the happenings at the castle.

Who dies in the Battle at the Aretuza?

The Aretuza battle is bloody and sees several characters fall, including Artorius, who dies at the hands of his own niece, and Francesca’s husband, killed by Tissaia. However, Phillipa and Dijkstra do make it out in one piece.

As the battle rages on, Tissaia makes a last-ditch effort to save her beloved Aretuza by summoning Alzur’s thunder. Yen realizes how desperate her mentor must be, so she decides to leave Ciri and Geralt to go and fight by Tissaia’s side.

Cahir wants redemption

Confusingly, Cahir finds Ciri and Geralt, but instead of fighting the princess whose life he destroyed, he apologizes. As Cahir is offering his life to Ciri and seems to only want her forgiveness in exchange for his death, a group of elves looking for the princess arrive. The newly reformed knight distracts them, and Ciri and Geralt head to the beach, hoping to escape the island.

Despite Yen’s arrival at the battle scene, the mages are outnumbered, and Tissaia’s thunder spell has run out. As Francesca is readying to finish off what’s left of the mages, Stregoborshows up.

For a chance to take out some elves, the disgraced professor is willing to tap into that forbidden fire magic.

The Witcher Season 3 Episode 6 Ending Explained

As Gerald and Ciri get to a boat, he can sense Vilgefortz’s presence. The Witcher tells Ciri to run while he engages in one-on-one combat with the evil mage. Geralt takes quite the beating from the overly chatty Vilgefortz, but the sorcerer chooses not to kill the witcher.

After leaving an injured Geralt on the beach, Vilgefortz finds Ciri and tries convincing her to allow him to train her. Instead, she heads to the top of the Tor Lara, where she taps into a new and mysterious force. Ciri makes the tower explode, and the blast hits Vilgefortz, shutting him up.

The episode ends with Yen, Tissaia, and the remaining mages away from the castle in tears about the destruction of Aretuza.

What did you think of The Witcher Season 3 Episode 6? Comment below.

Article by Lori Meek

Lori Meek has been a Ready Steady Cut contributing writer since September 2022 and has had over 400 published articles since. She studied Film and Television at Southampton Solent University, where she gained most of her knowledge and passion for the entertainment industry. Lori’s work is also featured on platforms such as TBreak Media and ShowFaves.

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The Witcher Season 3 Episode 6 Recap - who dies in the Battle of Aretuza? (2024)