Adapts the short story "A Grain of Truth" from the anthology The Last Wish.
In the aftermath of the Battle of Sodden Hill, Tissaia searches for Yennefer, while Geralt tries to get Ciri as far away as possible. On the way, he stops at the home of an old friend.
Tropes present in this episode:
- Abnormal Limb Rotation Range: Once she's impaled by Nivellen in her human form, Vereena turns her head 180 degrees to face him along with her arms pivoting 360 degrees to "impale herself" closer to him.
- Affably Evil:
- Verenna seems genuinely fond of Ciri, treats her very kindly and gives her gifts, and only threatens to harm her at the very end out of pure desperation. She also genuinely loved Nivellen and wasn't just using him as an endless food supply.
- Nivellen is also revealed to be this. He seems genuinely friendly, affable, an Old Friend of Geralt's and a gracious host to Ciri. Too bad he murdered all his servants in a rage when he was first turned into a beast, fell in love with a bruxa, allowed her to feast on all the local villagers and travelers, and was cursed to become a monster in the first place because he raped a priestess.
- Ambiguously Evil: Nivellen believes this of Verenna, but Geralt isn't buying it, pointing out that even with a steady, unkillable food source (Nivellen) she still went out to hunt, eventually killing the entire population of the nearby village.
- And I Must Scream: The fate Tissaia has planned for Cahir.Tissaia: So now I will take your knowledge…your memories, your very being, and leave you cold and helpless, trapped in the eternal darkness of your own mind.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Before now, Tissaia has certainly not shied away from being pragmatically ruthless or even aloof, but has usually maintained a veneer of civility. With Yennefer seemingly dead, that veneer is gone, as Cahir finds out the hard way.
- Blatant Lies: Nivellen claims that "Verenna" is his cat who's mistrustful of strangers. Turns out she's actually a bruxa who he's fallen in love with and is giving shelter because she's the first companion he's had in years.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Implied with Verenna. She believes that most people want to kill her because she's "different," not because she slaughters and feasts on them. When Ciri claims that monsters hurt people, Verenna counters that humans hurt everything. Ciri can't bring herself to argue.
- Break the Haughty: Even beaten and chained to a chair, Cahir is just as arrogant as always. That only lasts until Tissaia touches his shoulder, inflicting such a wave of pain that he can't even scream for a few seconds.
- Central Theme: What makes a monster? Verenna discusses how monsters can both look scary and feast on people, while Nivellen discusses how monstrous actions can define normal looking man.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Tissaia does this to Cahir in an effort to learn why the Nilfgaardians are invading the North.
- Cruel Mercy: After losing Verenna, Nivellen begs Geralt to kill him, but Geralt lets him live. Nivellen can either try to live with what he did, or he can end his life himself.
- Deadpan Snarker: When Cahir questions whether Tissaia is his interrogator or his executioner, she remarks that they'll "see where the night leads."
- Downer Ending: Nivellen's curse is finally lifted (the conditions of regaining his human form turned out to be losing the woman he genuinely loved), but he loses Geralt & Ciri's friendship by admitting his crime and is once again alone in his house.
- Drinking Game: Geralt challenges Nivellen to a drinking game where they throw daggers at a portrait of Nivellen's father. Whoever misses his head drinks and tells a truth. Geralt loses every round, telling Nivellen all about him and Ciri and Yennefer, until he throws one dagger out of turn and hits dead-on, exposing Nivellen's use of magic to cheat.
- Humans Are Bastards: Verenna seems to hold this view. She indirectly justifies her actions to Ciri, denying being a monster just because she's "different." When Ciri claims that monsters hurt people, Verenna counters that humans hurt most living beings, to which Ciri can't really argue.
- I Cannot Self-Terminate: Defied by Geralt. After Nivellen reveals the the evil things he's done to warrant being cursed by the priestess, he begs Geralt to use his sword to end his life. Geralt brusquely replies that Nivellen is mortal now, so he can do it himself.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: The mages note the wildly inconsistent way the adaptation treated Cahir's position in the first season (where he fluctuated wildly between the solo agent he was in the books and supreme commander of the invasion) as one of the things that they want to get an explanation for through interrogation.
- Morton's Fork: Nivellen was cursed to live alone forever as a monster... unless the woman he loves is slain. He couldn't bring himself to slay Verenna (even though she killed the local village) since she alone loved him despite his monstrous form, and past monstrous actions. When she's slain and the curse is lifted anyway, Nivellen is mortal again but now has to live with both the guilt of his past monstrous actions and the loss of the woman he loves.
- Oh, Crap!: Ciri has this reaction several times: first when she sees Geralt's potion-altered appearance (black eyes, pale skin, and black veins), then again when Verenna contorts her body to try and feed on Nivellen.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Nivellen claims he was cursed for getting stoned and desecrating a temple. At the end of the episode, he admits the real reason he was cursed was that he raped the priestess. On learning this Ciri, who had previously been sympathetic to his situation, turns her back on him and leaves.
- Reduced to Ratburgers: Yennefer wonders why Fringilla’s bothering to ride when her horse is lame, and everyone’s too tired to go faster than a walk anyway. Fringilla snaps that if she dismounts, her men will eat it. In their next scene, the horse is gone and there’s a suspiciously huge slab of meat over a fire.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: While Season 1 was filled with Beauty Is Never Tarnished for Ciri, it is quite refreshing for the girl to have had a nice hot bath and given a white dress to wear, at least.
- Skyward Scream: Cahir does this, albeit silently, when Tissaia literally begins digging into his brain to learn what he knows.
- Suicide by Cop: After losing his love and exposing his evil past, Nivellen tries to get Geralt to kill him by claiming that Witchers kill evil monsters, and that he deserves to be slain for all the monstrous things he's done. Geralt's having none of it, though, and simply replies that since Nivellen is mortal again (with the curse lifted) then he can kill himself.
- Unholy Matrimony: Nivellen and Verenna's relationship is revealed to be this. He loved her partly because she accepted him despite his monstrous form and past actions, and she loved him partly because he accepted her slaughtering local villagers and travelers. Woe to anyone within a day's ride from their mansion.
- War Is Hell: The aftermath of the Battle of Sodden Hill is shown. Dead bodies are everywhere, wounded are screaming in pain, and people are looking for loved ones.
- Was It Really Worth It?: Yennefer channeling fire magic won the battle, but Geralt and Tissaia don't think it was worth her life.
- We Have Ways of Making You Talk: Cahir is a normal human. Tissaia is a mage. He defies her by claiming what she can do to him doesn't matter, before learning that yes, it does matter.
