It's Time To Talk About That Fringilla Scene In The Witcher Season 2
Contains spoilers for "The Witcher" Season 2
The world of "The Witcher" is populated by ruthless and powerful mages. Schooled at either Aretuza or Ban Ard, would-be wizards are subject to a vigorous training regiment. Neophytes are quickly exposed to magical arts that can warp, wound, and disfigure those that do not cast the spell exactly as it should be. Those that cannot keep up or are found to be lacking in the skill department may find themselves transformed into magical eels in order to power arcane wards.
Fringilla (Mimi M. Khayisa) is the court mage for Nilfgaard, and a true believer in their pseudo-religious "White Flame" doctrine. She wishes to bring the world peace and prosperity, though her means are less than idealistic. The Nilfgaardian Empire is brutal, and their conquest seemed unstoppable until the events of Sodden, where Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) taps into the forbidden school of fire magic to unleash a devastating wave of destruction. Season 2 picks up Fringilla and Yennefer in the immediate aftermath of the blast, and Fringilla is even more resolute in her dedication to Nilfgaard, desperate to prove her worth to the Emperor. So desperate that she makes a bargain with an eldritch demon and an elf that results in a shocking and bloody scene.
Fringilla kills her opposition during dinner
In episode 7, "Voleth Meir," the elves have finished celebrating the birth of the first elf in decades, and are reluctant to honor their agreement to fight alongside Nilfgaard. This causes some of the generals to doubt Fringilla, and they believe that the Emperor will behead the sorceress. However, Fringilla has different plans and executes a cunning, heartless, and savage attack on her would-be detractors during dinner. She paralyzes them with a blend of nightshade, and then systematically kills each one of them with murderous precision.
Fans were shocked, and took to Reddit to discuss the jaw-dropping scene. Reddit user MambyPamby8 said, "Fringilla killing those soldiers. Holy **** I flinched when I saw that. That eyeball scene made me physically cringe and let out a Yelp. Great scene. So brutal but somehow so calm. Like she barely batted an eyelid."
Redditor jewelsandbones replied, "Really loved Fringilla's ruthlessness this episode, and yikes about the baby. First time I gave a **** about her in the entire series so far. The character and actress hasn't been working for me, but that was cold blooded." It seemed that most fans of the show were impressed, but Reddit user BotanicFurry was not keen at the timing of it all, while Reddit user GosuDosu stated, "This bugged the heck out of me. I understand they're trying to make a reference to Gaunter O'Dimm from the game (100% with the utensil thru the eye), but it's stupid as heck to say 'I've poisoned you with nightshade, how do you like that paralysis' when literally all of the people sat at the table freeze completely at the EXACT SAME TIME." Considering the shocking twist at the end of Season 2, we haven't seen the end of Fringilla quite yet.