‘The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep’ Ending Explained: How Closely Does the Finale Tie to the Main Show?
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Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.The newest addition to The Witcher franchise is the animated film The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, which features Geralt (Doug Cockle) and Jaskier (Joey Batey) as it adapts Andrzej Sapkowski‘s “A Little Sacrifice,” which is a short story found in Sword of Destiny. The ever-growing franchise has ventured into animation before with The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which served as a prequel that explains the declining Witcher population and introduced Vesemir (Theo James). Though Nightmare of the Wolf set up The Witcher Season 2 and even showed a young Geralt, the Sirens of the Deep is even more interconnected with the story fans know. Not only does it center on the series’ main characters, but the story takes audiences back to the events of Season 1 during the time Geralt and Jaskier traveled together, and it even references a few pivotal moments to place it in the timeline.
While Sirens of the Deep takes the audience to a familiar part of Jaskier and Geralt’s character arcs, it also has an emotional story, particularly for Jaskier as he returns to his childhood home, Bremervoord, which forces him to confront his old bully, Zelest (Ray Chase), and reunite with his friend Essi (Christina Wren). However, Bremervoord is on the brink of war with the nearby merpeople because of recent attacks on the pearl divers and a longstanding hatred between the two groups. Though the human prince, Agloval (Camrus Johnson), and the mermaid princess, Sh’eenaz (Emily Carey), are in love, it has no bearing on the relations between their people. Geralt is resistant to taking the job but eventually agrees to look for and kill whatever is attacking the divers in hopes of preventing the war. But more than his ability to kill monsters, Bremervoord needs Geralt to uncover the truth behind a bigger conspiracy.
‘Sirens of the Deep’s Villains Are Not Obvious
As is often the case in The Witcher franchise, the villains are not who you first expect. The people of Bremervoord blame the merpeople with no evidence. As Geralt investigates, with the help of Essi, who can speak mermaid, he learns that the attacker is a member of the merpeople’s royal family, shapeshifting into a kraken, leading him to Melusina (Mallory Jansen), She’eenaz’s aunt, in a twist reminiscent of The Little Mermaid. The sorceress is seeking revenge on the merpeople’s king and queen, who she feels wronged her in their marriage. Having been in love with the king but unable to have children, Melunsina was rejected, and the king married her sister instead. But when Geralt exposes her, he discovers that the conspiracy goes deeper.
When Geralt unveils the truth, Melusina is in the palace, posing as a human princess to prevent Agloval from marrying Sh’eenaz, proving she has been working with the human king, Usveldt (Simon Templeman). Serving as another villain, Usveldt has been escalating the tension with the merpeople to dissuade his son from marrying Sh’eenaz simply because he fears the end of his bloodline. This twist highlights one of The Witcher‘s biggest themes: that humans are often the villains regardless of how they tell the story. Usveldt callously let people die for his own selfish goals of continuing his line. It’s even more messed up that Usveldt had another son, Zelest, who may not be a legitimate heir but is still his descendant, as much as Usveldt may want to ignore that. With these two villains, Sirens of the Deep depicts a complex conspiracy based on selfishness, hatred, and vengeance.
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Both Joey Batey and Anya Chalotra reprise their roles as Jaskier and Yennefer in the film.
Geralt Fights the Kraken in ‘Sirens of the Deep’
Usveldt orders Geralt and Jaskier to be killed for the crime of revealing the truth, and though Zelest stands up for them, he is only added to the list. As Usveldt initiates the attack on the merpeople, his three new victims will be dumped in the water. Yet they break free, and as the humans and merpeople fight, the trio is caught in the middle as they try to end the battle. When Melusina joins the fray, she turns into a kraken for all to see, tearing Zelest apart, which, after his noble actions, even Jaskier regrets. Melusina targets Geralt and Sh’eenaz, who fights alongside her people. Though Geralt is swallowed by the monster, he slices his way out and kills the witch.
Meanwhile, Usveldt has his own plan. Having arrived to defy his father, thanks to Essi’s encouragement, Agloval and Sh’eenaz’s broken relationship may be restored. But, while Geralt and Jaskier stop Melusnina from killing Sh’eenez, Usveldt takes on the task, blaming her and her relationship with Aglavol for the conflict as he injures her and throws her into the water. After Geralt ends the battle, Aglavol restores peace, ending the conflict between his people and the merpeople. Aglavol chooses to take the form of the merpeople and marry Sh’eenaz, who barely survived due to her mother’s healing abilities. Aglavol’s choice denies Usveldt the legacy he desperately wanted, punishing him though he survived. Bitter that his son defied him, Usveldt can be seen loading poison on a ship, proving Geralt’s point that as long as corrupt men have power, there will never be peace.
How Does ‘Sirens of the Deep’ Tie Into the Main Story?
In the very end, Jaskier and Geralt head off to Caingorn in the Dragon Mountains, leading into their adventure in Season 1, Episode 6, which does include Yennifer (Anya Chalotra) despite Jaskier’s insistence that she won’t be there. Though Geralt had a romantic fling with Essi in the film, he is still haunted by his tumultuous relationship with Yennifer. Essi and Geralt’s relationship falls apart as she realizes she wants to stay put and he needs to move on, but it is amicable and helps to frame how Geralt sees his dynamic with Yennifer. He tells Jaskier that normal human lives are so short that they cannot share the perspective he has, while Yennifer can. The more recent seasons of the original show explore how that unfolds. Similarly, the animated film shows Geralt’s growing skepticism, tying into the main series. With the people of Bremervoord lying to him and the king’s selfish goals, Geralt can justify his removal from society.
Yet there is the possibility for more connections as the show is ongoing. Bremervoord may have found peace, but it is temporary. The hatred between humans and merepeople still exists, much like the conflict with the Elves in The Witcher. More specifically, Essi’s fate is changed from the short story. While the source material shows Essi dying (years later), the film does not, leaving the character open to return for other projects. Whatever future seasons have to offer, Sirens of the Deep is closely connected to the original series as a part of Geralt’s arc.
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep
- Release Date
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February 11, 2025
- Director
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Kang Hei Chul
- Writers
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Rae Benjamin, Mike Ostrowski
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