The Witcher Season 3: Do Jaskier And Radovid Get Together In The Books?

Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Witcher Season 3

It’s no secret that Netflix has taken creative freedom over The Witcher’s source material in order to warp canon into an original piece of television. However, these changes are often met with hostility by fans, and reports also suggest that these changes may have fueled Henry Cavill’s departure from the show.

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Season 3 has recently been released on the streaming service, and more changes from Andrzej Sapkowski’s work are inbound, particularly around the lovable bard, Jaskier (Joey Batey), and a new-found love interest. Here’s everything you need to know about Jaskier and Radovid’s (Hugh Skinner) relationship in the show and book series.

Jaskier Meets Prince Radovid In The Witcher Season 3

Jaskier and Prince Radovid meet in Redania during the fourth episode of season 3, titled The Invitation, after Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) sets up a Conclave with the Brotherhood of Sorcerers. Later at the Queen’s funeral, Yennefer convinces King Vizimir (Ed Birch) to send Dijkstra (Graham McTavish) and Philippa (Cassie Clare) to the Conclave, alongside his younger brother, Prince Radovid (Hugh Skinner).

From the minute Jaskier and Radovid meet, there is noticeable romantic tension between them, which isn’t a huge departure from the flirtatious bard we’ve come to know these past two seasons. On Jaskier’s side, the bard sparked an interest in the prince simply because he couldn’t read him, but Radovid had ulterior motives. Instead, the prince began flirting with Jaskier to learn where Ciri and Geralt were by suggesting Ciri would be safer under the protection of Redania.

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Even though the bard has another love interest in Vespula, Jaskier, and Radovid end up sharing a kiss before the camera cuts. It’s implied that the pair spend the night together, but since neither character makes an appearance in episode 5, we’ll have to wait until part 2 of season 3 releases at the end of July to find out how the relationship played out.

Do Jaskier And Radovid End Up Together In The Books?

Jaskier and Radovid do not end up together in the books, nor do they share any romantic connection, and there are a number of reasons why the pair never cross paths in this manner that highlights Netflix’s departure from the source material.

Firstly, Jaskier isn’t canonically bisexual or pansexual but is instead portrayed as more of a ladies’ man entering into several relationships with a host of women, including Anna Henrietta and Essi Daven. One relationship that has been carried forward from the books is Jaskier’s connection to Vespula.

Speaking to Gay Times, actor Joey Batey expressed the importance of including a queer character within a series of this grandeur, and despite this change being a leap from the source material, it’s one that fits the character arc of the live-action bard:

“He’s canonically queer in the TV show, which is a departure from the books and the games, as far as I know. It was wonderful to see a panromantic or pansexual person in such a flagship show as this.”

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Secondly, Prince Radovid has a notorious reputation for being a vile character in the source material, and his horrendous acts are amplified even more during The Witcher: The Wild Hunt video game. In the books, Radovid also becomes the mad king of Redania, which has yet to transpire in the adaptation.

There’s a chance that the show’s creators are luring viewers into a false sense of security with Radovid, who will then slip into his source material skin in season 3 part 2, or later in season 4, but changing his character altogether is a crucial departure from the source material which hasn’t gone down well with the fandom.

Radovid Was King Vizimir’s Son In The Books

Another glaring change Netflix enforced from the book series is the fact that Radovid V the Stern is actually King Vizimir and Queen Hedwig of Redania’s son, who also has two older sisters, Dalimira and Milena. In the series, Prince Radovid is King Vizimir’s younger brother and right-hand man instead.

Radovid also sports a bald head in The Witcher video game series, instead of his long, brown hair on the show, and he’s notorious in the source material for being a master strategist and fearless general, despite others labeling him a madman.

Other major changes from the book include Geralt and Yennefer never discovering the mage Vilgefortz’s plans, nor did he try to create a duplicate of Ciri through his experimentation. Additionally, Jaskier never accompanies Ciri to lure in Rience, nor is he asked to babysit her either, and in the books, Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer all traveled together to Thanedd Island instead of splitting up.

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