The Witcher's Unexpected Twist: Rience's Fate Takes a Surprising Turn!
An unexpected twist in The Witcher Season 3 alters Rience's fate, leaving fans divided Explore the controversial change that diverges from the books and its impact on the character's ultimate demise
Warning: spoilers for The Witcher season 3
Summary
The Witcher season 3 disappointingly alters Rience's storyline from the books, leading to a less satisfying resolution for the fire mage.
In the show, Rience's death diverges significantly from the books as Geralt effortlessly seeks retribution for the harm caused by Rience, instead of Ciri seizing control and seeking her own revenge.
Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher deviated from the books, particularly in season 3 where Ciri's pivotal moment of killing Rience was changed. This alteration undermined her agency and the consequences of his actions. Geralt of Rivia's quest to eliminate Rience also faced criticism for the unsatisfactory fate given to the fire mage, straying from the original storyline. While season 3 of The Witcher tried to rectify these concerns by being more faithful to the source novel (Time of Contempt), it still introduced various alterations. Some of these modifications were minor and improved the characters and the overall series, but others, like the handling of Rience, ended up causing more harm.
How Rience's Death Is Different In The Witcher Season 3 Compared To The Books
In season 2 of The Witcher, Rience made his debut. He was rescued from a Cintran prison by Lydia van Bredevoort, who sought his assistance on behalf of an unidentified individual (later revealed to be Vilgefortz in season 3) in the quest to locate and capture Ciri. Rience's dedication to the mission was unwavering, as he resorted to torturing Jaskier for information and even attacked Vesemir in Kaer Morhen. In season 3 of The Witcher, Geralt embarked on a mission to track down and eliminate Rience, which led him to some unexpected revelations before ultimately seeking revenge in Part 2. However, the outcome left much to be desired.
Despite not acting alone in his search for Ciri, Rience became Geralt’s primary target in The Witcher season 3 Part 1 due to his previous actions towards her. Rience succeeded in evading the witcher, but not before inflicting considerable damage. He ruthlessly burned Codringher and Fenn alive at their office, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. In the first episode of Part 2, Rience unexpectedly encountered Ciri and Yennefer at Thanedd Island. Swiftly engaging the fire mage, Ciri managed to injure him by severing some of his fingers. However, Rience halted her attacks by conjuring a fiery barrier. Yennefer intervened, informing him that he couldn't harm Ciri as she was desired by his master. To this, Rience defiantly proclaimed that he had no master. Seizing the moment, Yennefer swiftly grabbed Geralt's sword and hurled it at the witcher, positioned discreetly behind Rience, ultimately beheading the arrogant mage.
Rience's demise unfolds differently in the books, with no involvement from Geralt. In the novel "The Tower of the Swallow," Rience's fate intertwines with that of Ciri. After parting ways with the Rats, Ciri is captured by the bounty hunter Leo Bonhart, who forces her to fight for survival in a gladiatorial arena. Managing to break free, Ciri stumbles upon an elderly philosopher named Vysogota who takes her in. However, Ciri discovers that agents of Stefen Skellen lie in wait to ambush her. In a daring move, she equips herself with a pair of ice skates and flees. Leading Bonhart, Skellen, and Rience to a frozen lake, Skellen demands that Rience employ his magical abilities to subdue the Princess. Frightened, Rience casts a spell that only partially works, causing the ice beneath them to crack. As the others flee, Rience plunges into the frigid water, desperately clinging to the jagged edges of the ice, crying out for assistance. Attempting to negotiate with Ciri to secure his rescue, Rience finds himself skating on the brink of the ice. Ciri skillfully glides, cutting through Rience's fingers, ultimately condemning him to drown.
Why Rience's Death Was Better In The Witcher Books
The death of Rience in Netflix's The Witcher was a letdown, despite the nod to his demise in the books when Ciri wounded him with her sword. While it was satisfying to witness Geralt seeking his long-awaited revenge, the events unfolded too seamlessly and swiftly. Ideally, it should have been Ciri who dealt the final blow to Rience. What made Rience's death in the books more impactful was that Ciri was the one who ended his life. Moreover, she did so after the mage attempted to manipulate her by offering information about Yennefer's whereabouts in exchange for his life. Ciri, aware that she couldn't trust someone like Rience, was in control this time. Finally, Ciri was able to obtain her revenge for the harm Rience had caused her, Geralt, and Yennefer. Unfortunately, Netflix's The Witcher completely ruined this significant moment.
