WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Witcher, Season 1, streaming now on Netflix.
Three timelines. That was how Netflix's The Witcher was able to introduce all three major protagonists -- Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri -- without deviating too drastically from Andrzej Sapkowski's novels. Without them, audiences would have had to wait until at least the second season to even meet Ciri, who is integral to the overarching story. It was a clever solution, at least on paper. In practice, a lot of viewers found the timelines to be confusing. It doesn't help that several of the show's notable characters -- including Roach -- don't age naturally.
Those who are already familiar with the story or those who are on their second viewing and know what to look for might have an easier time piecing it all together. But if you need it all explained, the answer to your troubles is right here. Now, Netflix has already released an infographic featuring the show's major events in chronological order, but we're going to go into a little more detail.
The story actually begins with Yennefer. Her scenes in Episode 2, "Four Marks," which show how she was bought and trained by Tissaia de Vries, take place in the year 1210. Several years pass between her introduction and her transformation, but from there, the timelines get a little easier to follow, thanks to the appearance of young Foltest at the mages' ball in Episode 3, "Betrayer Moon." After Yenn transforms and introduces herself to King Virfuril of Aedirn, she serves the kingdom for at least three decades, a fact Yennefer herself reveals in her conversation with Queen Kalis in Episode 4, "Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials," shortly before the queen's demise.
Meanwhile, during those 30 years, Geralt's tale in Episode 1, "The End's Beginning," unfolds. He meets and ends up having to kill Renfri and her band of brigands, earning him the nickname, "the Butcher of Blaviken." As all of that is happening, Queen Calanthe, as revealed by Renfri, has just won her first battle at Hochebuz. Thanks to Ciri's conversation with her grandmother earlier in the episode, we know that Calanthe was in her teenage years at the time.
Some time in the years that follow, Geralt is introduced to Jaskier in Posada, just before being captured by the elf, Filavandrel, somewhere in Dol Blathanna. Their adventure results in the conception of the ballad, "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher," which becomes a popular song across The Continent (just like it did in the real world), helping to improve Geralt's popularity among the common folk.
Returning to events following Queen Kalis' assassination, Yennefer abandons the Brotherhood of Sorcerers to create her own life, free from the politicking and hypocrisy of the other mages.
Geralt spends years traveling The Continent, gaining quite the reputation, judging by how much his companion is shown to know about him at the beginning of "Betrayer Moon." The White Wolf meets Triss and an older King Foltest and lifts the curse on the king's daughter. The Netflix timeline places this event after Queen Kalis' death.
After his adventure in Temeria, Geralt meets Jaskier once again and is hired to act as the bard's bodyguard when Jaskier attends a Cintran banquet held by Queen Calanthe. Calanthe wants to marry off her daughter, Pavetta, to one of the suitable nobles from around The Continent. The banquet turns to chaos when Duny, who was cursed to look like a human/hedgehog hybrid, arrives. Thankfully Geralt and the mage, Mousesack, are able to restore order and help lift Duny's curse. As recompense, Geralt carelessly invokes the Law of Surprise, binding his destiny to Pavetta and Duny's unborn child: Ciri.
By now, Yennefer has been living on her own, selling curiosities and spells for coin and presumably searching for a cure for her infertility. She does this for a considerable period of time, as evidenced by the events recounted by Tissaia de Vries in Episode 5, "Bottled Appetites."
In that episode, Geralt encounters Jaskier once again, who comments that at least a decade has passed since they last saw each other in Cintra. It's thought that Geralt has been haunted by nightmares all this time, since binding himself to Pavetta and Duny's child, which is what prompted his search for the djinn in the river. That, in turn, brings him and Jaskier to Yennefer of Vengerberg in Rinde and results in Geralt impulsively binding himself to yet another powerful woman.
It's a bit difficult to determine exactly how much time passes between the events of "Bottled Appetites" and Episode 6, "Rare Species," but it should be about a year. That's how much time Geralt and Yenn spend living together in the novels and it seems to fit Netflix's timeline. However, while the same amount of time has passed, the two make it clear that it hasn't been spent in complete bliss. They've reunited and parted several times since Rinde. After sharing momentary joy together in their search for the Golden Dragon, they part ways, torn apart by the truth of Geralt's last wish.
After this, Geralt returns to Cintra for the child surprise, Ciri. Netflix places this in 1253. As he says in Episode 7, "Before a Fall," it's been 12 years since he last set foot in this region. His encounter with Queen Calanthe and Eist does not go well, and the witcher is imprisoned. He remains in a Cintran cell during the banquet in "The End's Beginning." He's kept there for several days, in fact.
During that time, Calanthe is informed of Nilfgaard's approach, the queen and Eist fight and see defeat at the Battle of Marnedal and Nilfgaard sacks Cintra, which is when Geralt escapes. Ciri manages to get away, too. She flees from Cahir into the woods. From here, the remaining events of the series' first season take place within the span of about a week.
Around this time, Yennefer meets with the conclave and prepares for battle with Nilfgaardian forces at Sodden. As that happens, Ciri meets Dara, spends a brief amount of time with Cintran refugees, rests in Brokilon Forest, travels with a doppler, has her vision and is taken in by the merchant's wife, Zola.
The three main characters' timelines more or less match up in the season finale, "Much More." Geralt and Yurga witness the battle between Nilfgaard and the mages of the Northern Realms from a distance -- a battle that ends with Yennefer unleashing her chaos and disappearing. Meanwhile, not too far away, Geralt and Ciri finally meet.
The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Ciri and Joey Batey as Jaskier. Season 1 is now available on Netflix.