Jaskier's Drastic Change In The Witcher Season 2 Explained
Warning: Spoilers for "The Witcher" Season 2
Bards tend to elicit a rather strong reaction in fans of the fantasy genre. Some people love the traveling minstrels, while others may want to smash a lute over their head. Yet, some may actually feel a little bit of both, and this is especially true in the world of "The Witcher." Jaskier (Joey Batey) is a fairly good representation of the aforementioned fantasy archetype, as the character earns both friends and enemies in equal degree. Dramatic, animated, and opinionated, Jaskier acts as a strong counterpart to his silent traveling partner Geralt (Henry Cavill) during the first season of "The Witcher."
Unleashing the banger that is "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher," Jaskier eventually falls out of favor with Geralt, and the famous White Wolf tells the bard to bugger off, in much more harsh language. This causes some emotional distress to the troubadour, and the two go their separate ways. Season 2 of "The Witcher" sees Jaskier return to the stage, but this new iteration of the character is far more different in demeanor then his first appearance. Batey recently had some thoughts to share regarding this new development for Jaskier.
Jaskier is different because he is willing to risk his life
In a recent interview with Metro, Batey stated that Jaskier "feels more emotionally vulnerable, open, engaged, he's also braver. For the first time he's risking his life to do something that is morally good, which is perhaps the first time he's done this in his life, so that was really rewarding." The second season has Jaskier looking rather rough around the edges, and his first scene consists of him singing a ballad that is most assuredly about Geralt, and it isn't exactly the happiest song.
Going by the alias of the "Sandpiper" to the elves, a haggard Jaskier helps refugees flee a city in order to return to Cintra. He risks his life to help the downtrodden elves, utilizing his charisma and swift-talking to squirrel them away on sea-bound vessels. Batey added, "We get to see Jaskier in his element, and then we get to see him very suddenly not in his element, and that wrong footing and that sort of feeling of being out of place and out of time in some points ends him in some real trouble. It feels like an ordeal and an endeavor." Connecting Jaskier's experience to the other characters in "The Witcher," Batey went on to say that all of "these characters are going through some big stuff, and I think that's hopefully what's going to be imparted on the audience."
Fans of "The Witcher" are happy to see the character return, and Season 2 brings all of the major players together -– Geralt, Ciri (Freya Allan), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and Jaskier. How Jaskier will be in the next season is anybody's guess, but we can be sure to get plenty of witty banter and more songs from the famous bard.