There are three timelines going on for each episode. Ciri is the present. Yenn and Geralt are the past. Yenn being far into the past, while Geralt being in the middle with Yennefer eventually catching up with him and then Geralt eventually catching up with Ciri. Also keep in mind that Yennefer doesn't age, and Geralt ages slowly. Answer from Arsenic_Touch on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/netflixwitcher › the witcher - 1x04 "of banquets, bastards and burials" (no book spoilers)
r/netflixwitcher on Reddit: The Witcher - 1x04 "Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials" (No Book Spoilers)
June 29, 2019 -

Season 1 Episode 4: Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials

Released: December 20th, 2019


Synopsis: Against his better judgment, Geralt accompanies Jaskier to a royal ball. Ciri wanders into an enchanted forest. Yennefer tries to protect her charges.


Directed by: Alex Garcia Lopez

Written by: Declan de Barra


Useful links

  • Watch now on Netflix

  • Season 1 episode discussion directory

  • On-season rules

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/netflixwitcher › can someone help explain episode 4?im about 10 minutes in and confused af
r/netflixwitcher on Reddit: Can someone help explain episode 4?im about 10 minutes in and confused af
October 20, 2017 - Ya but to see them spend an entire season doing it can be disappointing for people who haven’t read the books ... Ok so ep 1 showed the slaughter of cintra which happened in the year 1263. Ep 4 occurs in either 1251 or 1252 ... This timeline graphic might be helpful (minor spoilers about timelines converging): https://www.instagram.com/p/B6V2rSaiN7L/ ... This made everything make so much more sense. Thank you! ... WELCOME TO R/NETFLIXWITCHER Netflix Witcher discussion, pictures, memes, and more.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/netflixwitcher › [spoilers] episode 1 and episode 4 - i'm confused
[SPOILERS] Episode 1 and Episode 4 - I'm confused : r/netflixwitcher
November 5, 2019 - 39 votes, 178 comments. 1.2M subscribers in the netflixwitcher community. WELCOME TO R/NETFLIXWITCHER This is a respectful, inclusive place to enjoy and discuss Netflix's The Witcher Universe. Watch THE WITCHER: SEASON 4 and THE RATS: A WITCHER TALE now on Netflix!
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/witcher › season 1, episode 4 - i'm confused as hell
r/witcher on Reddit: Season 1, Episode 4 - I'm confused as hell
February 20, 2024 -

So Geralt is at a ball with the Lioness of Cintra and his pet Bard. But the Lioness died in the invasion by the Nifel guys..... meanwhile her grand daughter who bolted from the castle during the invasion and is now slumming it with some eleves in some forrest with magical healing water...

The hell is going on ????

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/netflixwitcher › possible spoilers. i just watched episode 4. could someone answer some questions please. and please do not spoil anything past episode 4, thank you.
r/netflixwitcher on Reddit: Possible SPOILERS. I just watched episode 4. Could someone answer some questions please. And please do not spoil anything past episode 4, thank you.
June 7, 2019 -
  1. What is this "suprise" thing? And what did Geralt swear by before he left and why was everyone so shocked? 2. Was it ever stated at the start of the episode that the feast was a flashback? 3. Does this mean that everything we've seen of Geralt in the series so far has been set in the past before the city sacking in episode 1? 4. What was that magic whirlwind happening between the princess and the cursed man? And why did Geralt stop it so desperately? 5. What happened to Ciri's parents? 6. Why did the princess vomit followed by Geralt saying, "fuck." Thank you.

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/netflixwitcher › i'm confused (episode 4 spoilers)
r/netflixwitcher on Reddit: I'm confused (episode 4 spoilers)
October 15, 2019 -

I've never played the game or read the novels soo..

In episode 4, is there some timeline jump I'm missing? Why does pavetta look like ciri? Is she her mother? And the Queen, wasn't she killed in episode 1? Pavettas's pregnant.. With ciri? But isn't ciri already alive? Is this the past or something? Could someone explain it to me without giving to much spoilers for the remaining episodes? Or do I need to continue watching to understand it all

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/witcher › i need someone to explain this to me until episode 4 end cause i am lost..
r/witcher on Reddit: I need someone to explain this to me until episode 4 end cause i am lost..
November 20, 2019 -

Wtf is happening in episode 4. Why is yennifer all of a sudden on a horse ride protecting someone. Wtf is going on with geralt how did he get to the family shit. Also isnt the family the same one from episode 1. Im so fukin confused.

Thanks

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/witcher › i don’t understand the ending of episode 4. minor spoilers
r/witcher on Reddit: I don’t understand the ending of Episode 4. Minor spoilers
November 13, 2019 -

Why is Geralt forever bound to the unborn child in Episode 4 and why does he say, “fuck,” when it’s revealed that the princess is pregnant?

“The bond between you and this child, when it is born, will be extraordinary.” - Mousesack

I don’t understand this part of the episode.

Top answer
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In the Witcher world, there’s something called the Law of Surprise... you save someone’s life, and in payment you ask for “that which you have, but do not know”. The reward is a surprise... the debtor goes home and finds his dog has had puppies, or his fields have yielded a bumper crop... and that’s the payment, a puppy or some grain. But, sometimes, it’s something more. Sometimes it’s a child... the debtor goes home and finds out his wife is pregnant, or has given birth while he was away. The child is called a Child Surprise, and destiny links the two parties, the saviour and the child. That’s what happened to Duny (the hedgehog guy) and Pavetta... Duny saved her father, and claimed the law of surprise in payment, that surprise was Pavetta, and through him claiming her, having Calanthe accept their marriage, his curse was lifted. Geralt asked Duny for the law of surprise in payment because he didn’t really want a reward, and he doesn’t believe in destiny, he expected a puppy or bumper crop... not a child. He says “fuck” because a child is not something he wants to deal with, a Witchers life is not a good one for a child, as he explains in episode 6. Why the bond between Geralt and Ciri is particularly extraordinary... it’s probably due to a few things, like Ciri being special in her own right, and because she is the child surprise born of a child surprise... her mother was Duny’s child surprise and Ciri is Geralt’s... it’s like a double helping of Destiny, or Destiny squared.
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Gerald saved Ciri father so he called the payment via Law of Surprise, Ciri was the surprise so she is now bound to him. Nothing weird she is just like his daughter Edit: adding What Mousesack means was that The child will born with real power and he is a Witcher so the power the will have is amazing
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/witcher › season 4 - discussion hub - the witcher
r/witcher on Reddit: Season 4 - Discussion Hub - The Witcher
September 9, 2025 -

This thread is for sharing your thoughts and discussing Netflix’s The Witcher Season 4. Feel free to share your reactions, theories, and opinions full spoilers are welcome here.

S04E01: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

S04E02: Dream of a Wish Fulfilled

S04E03: Trial by Ordeal

S04E04: A Sermon of Survival

S04E05: The Joy of Cooking

S04E06: Twilight of the Wolf

S04E07: What I Love I Do Not Carry

S04E08: Baptism of Fire

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/netflixwitcher › episode 4 has me so confused
r/netflixwitcher on Reddit: Episode 4 has me so confused
July 23, 2017 -

So why did Cintra fall and the queen commit sui then now they’re all back it seems like or are they not back idk. Is the green dressed princess the same one as the ciri girl or what? I’m so confused by basically the whole episode someone explain but don’t spoil at all

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Winter is Coming
winteriscoming.net › home › the witcher
The Witcher season 4 episode 1 recap and review: "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger"
October 30, 2025 - It's a creepy scene and my favorite of the episode for Yen. Burnita's character completely changes while she mocks Yen, before the possession suddenly dissipates and Burnita's eyes explode from a spell Vilgefortz laid to cover his tracks.
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Straight Dope Message Board
boards.straightdope.com › cafe society
The Witcher, S1:E4, I'm Confused (Open Spoilers) - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board
January 5, 2020 - Been watching The Witcher on Netflix, just finished Episode 4. It bears noting that I have neither read the books nor played the video games (tried one, couldn’t get into it). So obviously there’s a lot of context that I’m missing here. Anyway, the episode’s timing didn’t make sense.
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Show Snob
showsnob.com › home › netflix
The Witcher season 1, episode 4 recap: Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials
March 11, 2020 - Elsewhere, a portion of Queen Calanthe (Jodhi May) is eaten by a magical seer, who is then himself gutted to magically trace Cirilla to Brokilon Forest (yes, it’s a very weird scene, and not exactly the most useful form of magic imaginable). Later, by the episode’s end, Ciri has a vision of a magical tree in the desert — which must be the legendary Shan-Kayan. For new lyrical material, Jaskier the Bard (Joey Batey) listens to the story of a Witcher being swallowed by a Selkiemore.
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The Review Geek
thereviewgeek.com › home › tv shows › the witcher – season 4 episode 1 recap & review
The Witcher - Season 4 Episode 1 Recap & Review | The Review Geek
November 16, 2025 - The episode does try its best to soften the blow by quickly recapping Geralt’s past with Hemsworth recreating moments from the past seasons. But the problem is that he cannot commit. At times, he tries to mimic Cavill while other times, he decides to turn the witcher into a whole new person.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/netflixwitcher › thoughts on season 4 (heavy spoilers for show, books, and games).
r/netflixwitcher on Reddit: Thoughts on Season 4 (HEAVY SPOILERS FOR SHOW, BOOKS, AND GAMES).
October 31, 2025 -

I’m surprised by season 4, but also not at the same time. Somehow, most of the Ciri stuff and Geralt stuff was not that inaccurate, while Yennefer’s side was kind of everywhere.

Yennefer gets a bunch of mages killed along with Istredd and Vesemir, but they’re all characters that would’ve died (had the show made it to an adaptation of Wild Hunt). The only character that died who wasn’t eventually supposed to die was Margarita (Istredd isn’t supposed to die, but he wasn’t supposed to be around this long to begin with).

Somehow, they actually managed to use Yennefer’s screen time to fix big inconsistencies between the show and books, while also providing endings for certain characters we won’t see again due to the five season limit (Vesemir, Istredd, Margarita, etc.). They also used her screen time to condense down a mage genocide plot, close the multiverse obelisk bullshit, establish The Lodge properly, and isolate Yennefer (the way she’s supposed to be for most of the remaining story). Meanwhile they were able to use Geralt’s story to put Radovid on the path to tyranny and rectify the Jaskier X Radovid thing.

Laurence Fishburne gave a good performance for Regis, and Milve’s acting has improved drastically. Liam was no Henry, but he was decent (minus some clunky dialogue that’s not really his fault). I like that they just reshot key scenes from Season 1-3 with him instead of pulling some weird sort of multiverse bullshit to explain the change.

All in all, they definitely took liberties, but somehow it ends more or less the way it should’ve, and it wasn’t as inaccurate as I’ve come to expect from this series.