The Witcher season 2 introduced more witchers, among those Eskel, but the series made major changes to his story and he was killed shortly after his introduction. The fantasy genre is home to some of the most popular and extensive universes with their own mythologies, and among those is The Witcher. Created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher is a series of novels and short stories that became widely popular when they were adapted to video games, and after being adapted into a movie and a TV series in Poland in 2001 and 2002, it got its first English language adaptation in 2019 thanks to Netflix.
The Witcher quickly became one of Netflix’s most popular titles, and it returned with a second season in December 2021. The series follows three different characters (Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Ciri), and while season 1 went with a non-linear narrative, following them in different places and points in time, season 2’s narrative was clearer and the paths of these characters finally became one. The Witcher season 2 also introduced new characters, including more witchers, especially some who were very close to Geralt as they grew up together, among those Eskel (Basil Eidenbenz).
Eskel was very close to Geralt, to the point where they considered each other brothers, and in the books, he was known for his professionalism, reliability, and relaxed disposition. Eskel helped train Ciri and became worried after she began having trances after accidentally taking a sip of White Gull. Unfortunately, none of that happened in The Witcher season 2, and his story was changed and cut short, and didn’t give the audience a chance to get to know him. Eskel arrived at Kaer Morhen shortly after Geralt and Ciri after battling a leshen (or leshy) and joined their party later on. However, Eskel had been infected by the leshy, something that should have been impossible, and though he tried to get help, the leshy took over and transformed Eskel into one, attacking Vesemir, Geralt, and the rest.
Geralt had no other choice than to kill his old friend, something Vesemir resented through the rest of the season. As Eskel was already manifesting the symptoms of being infected by the leshy, viewers didn’t get to see the real Eskel and instead met a hostile and rude version of him, and while this didn’t sit well with fans of The Witcher, Eskel’s death so early in season 2 was necessary for Geralt and Ciri’s arcs. In a special video released by Netflix, The Witcher showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich explained they planned to have someone die in that episode as they “wanted a monster to enter Kaer Morhen” so that Geralt, Vesemir, and the rest of the witchers realized that having Ciri at the keep was going to change things. Their original plan, however, was to kill a new witcher named John, but they changed their mind and chose Eskel instead due to his connection with Geralt, using his death as a turning point in Geralt’s arc. Eskel’s death drove Geralt to figure out what to do with Ciri and realize she needed training, otherwise he could lose her and his brothers.
Hissrich also noted that The Witcher season 2 is not just about various threats coming after Ciri and the young princess embracing her power but also about whether or not the witcher brotherhood is over, and Eskel’s death added more tension to that layer of the series. As mentioned above, Vesemir had a hard time accepting Eskel’s death and forgiving Geralt for it, so it wasn’t only about pushing Geralt and Ciri’s arcs forward with his death but also questioning the witchers’ work, bond, and their future. It’s to be seen if and how Eskel’s death will continue to affect Geralt, Ciri, Vesemir, and the rest in The Witcher season 3, and even though it was a necessary loss, it’s still a shame that viewers didn’t get to know him.