Adapts the short story "The Last Wish" from the anthology The Last Wish.
Geralt is troubled by his entanglement with destiny in the Cintran royal court, so he seeks out a Djinn. After a disastrous first encounter with the Djinn, he seeks out medical help for Jaskier, who was injured in the event. This leads to his first encounter with Yennefer of Vengeberg, who sees an opportunity to address her own troubles. Meanwhile, Ciri contemplates staying in Brokilon Forest, but her Nilfgaardian pursuers hatch a plan to flush her out.
Tropes present in this episode:
- Actually Pretty Funny: When Geralt's being beaten up in the mayor's dungeon, the guard doing the beating starts telling a derogatory joke about Witchers. After hearing the set-up, Geralt says he's heard this one before and starts chuckling.
- Adapted Out: Several prominent characters from the short story "The Last Wish" do not appear on the episode, most notably the would be elven innkeeper Errdil, the half-elf knight Vratimir and the priest Krepp.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Geralt yells at Jaskier, but when he gets hurt, Geralt immediately carries him to a healer, and then a mage when that's not enough. After Yennefer heals him (and mind-controls Geralt into humiliating some local officials), Geralt still risks himself to save her life, solely because she saved Jaskier. Even Jaskier doesn't think that's a good enough reason.
- Baby Be Mine: Yennefer is willing to explore the depths of magic to try and have a baby, pointing out to Tissaia that just because she doesn't know if it's possible doesn't mean that it isn't. Turns out she's even willing to play host to a Djinn if it will mean she can have a baby, which is probably beyond anything even Tissaia would have believed of her.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Geralt and Yennefer, though they, ahem, cut the tension by the end of the episode.
- Candlelit Ritual: Yennefer attempts to capture the Djinn by performing a Magical Incantation over a nine-pointed star glyph with candles at the points. They blow out in a magical wind when the Djinn possesses her instead.
- Comical Overreacting: Jaskier's look of outrage at Geralt deriding his singing is as hammy as the rest of him.
- Composite Character: The mayor of Rinde featured in the show is a combination of two characters from the short story "The Last Wish": Neville (who was the mayor in the story) and the Novigradian merchant Beau Berrant (whose house Yennefer took possession of and was put under her spell).
- Darker and Edgier: Compared to "The Last Wish" short story the episode is based on. The original story is mostly comedic in tone, and while Yennefer is shown to be manipulative in it, she also displays a conscience as she tries to have Jaskier use his last wish to free Geralt of the crimes she made him do. Meanwhile, the episode plays out under a more sinister guise, and Yennefer comes across as downright diabolical, mind-controlling people to take part in an orgy for her amusement, intimidating Jaskier into using up his wishes, and not caring at all what happens to Geralt once he's thrown in prison.
- Dramatic Irony: Ciri trusts the "Mousesack" who shows up at Bokilon Forest, while the audience knows that he's a doppler commissioned by Nilfgaard.
- Fantastic Racism: The healer Chireadan tried to stop Geralt when he was under Yennefer's mind control. Unfortunately, he's an elf, so the guards just assumed he was in league and threw him in jail too.
- Full-Frontal Assault: Jaskier awakens from his healing coma only to get assaulted by a bare-breasted Yennefer demanding he make his final wish so she can get her hands on the djinn.
- Friendship Denial: Geralt is still denying that he and Jaskier are friends, which is clearly nonsense. As Jaskier puts it, do they need to know each for another decade to be friends? Geralt then spends the rest of the episode trying to save Jaskier's life, even willing to let a "malicious" witch name her price for a magical remedy.
- Glad-to-Be-Alive Sex: Geralt and Yennefer indulge in this... after a bit of arguing over who's more responsible for the djinn nearly killing them both.
- Groin Attack:
- When Jaskier keeps delaying about making his presumed final wish, Yennefer grabs his crotch and starts crushing to compel him.
- While mind-controlled, Geralt apparently kicked the apothecary in a sensitive spot.
- Hanging Judge: Chireadan mentions that the officials whom Geralt humiliated while under mind control will also preside over his trial. They will of course order him killed.
- I Need to Go Iron My Dog: Jaskier stumbles out that he left his cat on the stove when trying to escape Yennefer.
- Indy Ploy: When Geralt tries to claim that his plan worked, Yennefer calls him out on the fact that anyone could see he was making it all up as he went along.
- Jackass Genie: The djinn will give you whatever you want. No, really, whatever you want—before you even say it out loud, whether you actually meant it to be a wish or not. The djinn interprets Geralt's unspoken desire for Jaskier to shut up as a wish, and nearly kills Jaskier in "fulfilling" it. Naturally, Geralt doesn't get to use any of his wishes on the problem he actually wanted the djinn for.
- Lame Comeback: Jaskier's biting response to Geralt insulting his singing, after several seconds of comically horrified gaping:Jaskier: You... need a nap!
- Lampshade Hanging: Jaskier's comment early in the episode is clearly made to lampshade the deliberately vague timeline of the series:Jaskier: What's it been? Months? Years? What is time, anyway?
- The Loins Sleep Tonight: The couple Yennefer assists are full of passion for each other, but the man suffers from issues of "a mechanical nature" i.e. he can't get it up. Yennefer provides them with a spell that instantly rectifies his problem.
- Mundane Utility: Geralt seeks a jinn, a magical creature who can bestow immortality, riches, power of many kids etc. to cure insomnia.
- Naked People Are Funny: The old pudgy mayor, entranced by Yennefer's orgy spell, goes out to get some juice and remains entranced as Geralt and the stricken Jaskier wonder what the hell is going on. Later, after Yennefer dispels the trance, everyone in the orgy suddenly gets embarrassed that they're buck-naked.
- "No Peeking!" Request: Yennefer has shed her dress to get into the bath with Geralt and warns him not to look the moment he starts to turn his head. Geralt's eyes then land on a conveniently placed mirror... which Yennefer then tilts away with magic. Geralt remarks that this is cheating.
- Mr. Fanservice & Ms. Fanservice: A double-course as Yen and Geralt have a bath and a conversation together.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: We see a rare instance of the normally stoic Geralt raising his voice; his mess with the Law of Surprise is really getting under his skin.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Yennefer and Geralt start sniping at each other within about five seconds of meeting each other and never manage to stop.
- Time Skip: It's been about a decade since Jaskier and Geralt first met. Yen then shows up in Geralt's timeline, which means there's been an even more significant time skip for her. Lampshaded by Jaskier's "What's it been? Months? Years? What is time, anyway?"
- Unusual Euphemism: Jaskier, confused by waking up in Yennefer's bed after her healing spell finishes up, states that he did not "butter that biscuit."
- What Did I Do Last Night?: Yennefer enchants Geralt to stop him interfering with her capturing the djinn. He wakes up some time later in a local jail cell with no memory of how he got there. Chiraedan, who tried to stop him but got arrested too, tells him he went on a "rampage," humiliating several members of the local council who are trying to get rid of Yennefer.Chiraedan: Any of this ring a bell?
Geralt: Like a faded dream. - Your Head Asplode: Geralt inadvertently causes this to happen to a guard beating him up, as he unknowingly invokes his second wish from the Djinn.
