Yennefer may just be the most complex character on Netflix's The Witcher. She certainly has the biggest character arc, going from helpless to a sorceress completely in control of her own life and others. Throughout the show, she goes through various phases, and that leads to a lot of good deeds and a lot of pretty terrible ones.
With her moral compass being steeped in shades of grey, she's certainly divided over fans — but there are some moments where most love her, and others where viewers turn on her. She certainly likes to keep everyone on their toes.
Felt Bad: Her Very Beginning
Seeing Yennefer in the beginning before her transformation makes it difficult to avoid sympathizing with her, even for those viewers who may not like her. She comes from an abusive background where she's been told that her condition of "twisted spine" defines her worth, and she's bullied for it. She has no friends and clearly not a supportive family, and she's sold for a degradingly low price to Tissaia.
Not that any price in the world isn't degrading when someone is being sold like cattle, but Yennefer hangs onto the specific price years later when she thinks back on her treatment.
Hated Her: Manipulating The Girls
On her first trip back to Aretuza, Yennefer meets some of its current students and she's very spiteful towards them. She turns them against the place and insults them for ever having been accepted in the first place. It'd be prudent of her to leave them alone, but she manipulates and scares them out of spite.
Felt Bad: Tissaia's Abuse
Tissaia may be a badass, but she's certainly cruel to Yennefer in the beginning, more so than the other students. If Yennefer thought she was going to get a better life after leaving her abusive parents, Tissaia proves her wrong by reminding her she's worthless and refusing to be sympathetic even when Yennefer tries to take her own life.
Hated Her: Risking Jaskier
Yennefer seems very willing to risk Jaskier's life to harness the power of the Djinn, and fans aren't happy with her when this happens. Jaskier is one of the most beloved characters in the show — a little irritating, perhaps, especially to Geralt, but ultimately well-intentioned and definitely far less malicious than most characters in the show. For Yennefer to treat him like he's expendable for her own gain is pretty cruel, because at this point in the show she's definitely it for herself and herself alone.
Felt Bad: Her Transformation
It's customary for a sorceress to be unconscious during her transformation, and one glance at Yennefer's is easy to see why.
She insists she can stay awake, and is clearly in excruciating agony throughout. Her bones twist and snap and her entire shape is reformed, and she's screaming all the while. After the transformation, she lies on the floor covered in blood, clearly traumatized.
Hated Her: When She Briefly Leaves The Queen And Baby
When Yennefer is taking care of the queen and her baby, an assassin appears to try and kill them. Yennefer opens portals to get them to safety but eventually goes off on her own. For a second, it appears she's left them both to their fate, which would be her cruelest and most selfish move in the show despite the way the queen has treated her.
Felt Bad: When She Comes Back
It becomes obvious she means to save them when she returns, though she only gets the baby. The baby, sadly, dies in her arms as she tries to pass through another portal and she's left to bury the child at the beach. It's a heart-wrenching scene that lets fans see a vulnerable side to Yennefer and shows them that even after her transformation, she still has deep feelings.
Hated Her: Leaving Geralt
She leaves Geralt out of spite, telling him he's lost her and that the only thing tying them together is the Djinn.
It seems that Yennefer just wants to push him away despite their obvious chemistry. Geralt is clearly heartbroken by her actions, and it seems the two of them could actually work if Yennefer would let her guard down.
Felt Bad: When She Saves The Continent
At the end of the show, Yennefer saves everyone at the Battle of Sodden by engulfing Nilfgaard's army in flames. She's doing what she was always best at. By letting her go of her emotions and channeling them into her magic, she causes enough pure chaos to take out an entire army, and it's nothing short of seriously impressive.
Hated Her: When She Almost Killed A Sorceress
This doesn't mean her emotions have always been a good thing.
When she was less in control of them at Aretuza, she almost killed another sorceress when she screamed and magic was let loose. Like everything else when it comes to Yennefer, her emotions causing magic have both a positive and negative side, and this was one time they were downright dangerous.