History Recap / TheWitcher2019S01E04OfBanquetsBastardsAndBurials

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Geralt implies realizes how much trouble Pavetta's sudden vomiting is going to cause him, and lets out a quiet and tired "fuck" momens later. Then he leaves in what will be a vain attempt to avoid the trouble.

* MamaBear: Between Kalis and Yennefer, the latter does everything he can to save the infant princess from the assassin. The former, the infant's own mother, tries to sacrifice her to save herself.

* BigNo: Pavetta reacts to Calanthe trying to knife Duny this way. It's also the moment her latent magic kicks in (see TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening).

* RefugeInAudacity: Eist has asked for Calanthe's hand three times, and been turned down every time. When she acknowledges Duny's claim to the Law of Surprise, Eist steps up and says she accepted his marriage proposal, meaning Skellige stands with her. She's clearly impressed with his audacity and just goes with it.

* ScarilyCompetentTracker: The assassin stalking Yennefer and Kalis ''always'' finds her. Yennefer eventually realizes that Kaliss has something signaling their location on them.

* AdaptationExpansion: The subplot with Yennefer and Queen Kaliss being pursued by an assassin was not in the short story. Yennefer does not appear in "A Question of Price", and Kaliss was created as part of the lore for CD Projekt Red's ''Thronebreaker'' video game.

* AintTooProudToBeg: When Yennefer abandons her to her fate, Kaliss tries to beg for her life, offering her infant daughter in exchange for herself. The assassin's only response is to magically [[SlashedThroat slit her throat]] with a thrown knife.
* AssholeVictim: Given her treatment of Yennefer and the fact that she was willing to trade her own daughter's life for her own, absolutely nobody was sorry to see Queen Kaliss get her throat slit.
* BabyFactory: Queen Kaliss complains that she's this for her husband. After failing to provide a male heir, [[TilMurderDoUsPart the king hires a mercenary to kill her]].

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Kaliss initially seems somewhat spoiled and coddled but basically a nice person, worn down by [[AwfulWeddedLife her terrible husband]] and [[HeirClubForMen his endless demands for a son]]. Then she calls the sorceress who's trying to save her life "useless" after ''multiple'' teleports leave Yennefer exhausted, and when Yennefer leaves her behind for that little jab, attempts to bargain with the assassin by offering up ''her infant daughter'' in exchange for her own life.

* DeathOfAChild: Queen Kalliss's daughter doesn't survive the episode despite Yennefer's best efforts.

** Queen Kaliss' husband orders her assassination for failing to provide him with a suitable male heir.

* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: Yennefer leaves Queen Kaliss after one insult too many. She eventually comes back to rescue the baby.

* ScarilyCompetentTracker: The assassin stalking Yennefer and Kaliss ''always'' finds her. Yennefer eventually realizes that Kaliss has something signaling their location on them.
* SurroundedByIdiots: Fed up of her guards' failure to deal with Duny and Geralt, Queen Calanthe seizes a sword from one of her guards and [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething wades into the fray to put a stop to the madness]].

* BabyFactory: Queen Kalis complains that she's this for her husband. After failing to provide a male heir, [[TilMurderDoUsPart the king hires a mercenary to kill her]].

** Duny absolutely ''will not'' let Geralt walk away without being repayed for saving his life, so Geralt invokes the Law of Surprise just as Duny had years earlier, not expecting anything to come of it. Doing so links his fate to that of the child no one knew Pavetta was carrying.

* NotSoDifferent: Calanthe tries to do this with Geralt, believing that he is a BloodKnight like her, living for the thrill of battle and conquest. Geralt quickly shuts her down, telling her in no uncertain terms he takes zero pleasure in what he does and doesn't get off on killing others the same way she does.

* MorningSickness: Pavetta throws up immediately after Geralt claims the Law of Surprise from Duny. Everyone present takes it as a sign that she's pregnant.

** Everyone in the banquet hall reacts his way when Geralt nonchalantly claims the Law of Surprise as payment for saving Duny. Considering the brawl that kicked off as a result of Duny claiming Pavetta via Law of Surprise you can see why the room reacts so poorly to Geralt's request, even if he wasn't serious.

* AdaptationalJerkass: Inverted; Geralt's motivation is altered subtly but substantially, making him ''less'' of a Jerkass in the series than the original short story. There, it's heavily implied Geralt had guessed from the way Pavetta was acting toward Duny that she was already pregnant, and he decided to invoke the Law of Surprise as a way to try and gain a recruit for witcher training. In the episode, he's just as ignorant as everyone else about Pavetta's delicate condition, and only invoked the Law as a kind of dark joke when Duny wouldn't let him go without repayment.