The cast announcement of Cassie Clare as Philippa Eilhart was made prior to Season 2 of The Witcher dropping but viewers did not get to see this character until the very last episode aired.
However, Philippa was there prior; she was merely in disguise.
So, who is Philippa and what does this mean moving forward into Season 3 of The Witcher?
Philippa Eilhart was disguised as an owl
Early on in Season 2 of The Witcher, newcomer Dijkstra (Graham McTavish) was seen talking to an owl.
At first, there was some confusion among viewers who have only ever partaken of The Witcher on Netflix.
However, those who have either read the books by Andrzej Sapkowski or who have played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, will know that these conversations were actually with Philippa Eilhart.
And, in the Season 2 finale of The Witcher, we all finally got to see Philippa in her physical form as it was finally revealed when Dijkstra looked at her through a mirror.
Who is Philippa Eilhart?
Philippa is a sorceress who can polymorph, hence her appearance as an owl in Season 2 of The Witcher.
She was also a trusted advisor to King Vizimir II before he died. It is highly suspected that she was the one responsible for his death.
It is believed that this character is at least 300 years old and she has caused plenty of chaos in her time.
Not only did she kill a king but she also formed a coup against the Brotherhood of Sorcerers. She’s not all bad, though, as she also helped found the Lodge of Sorceresses.
In the video games, Philippa appears a little differently from the TV show. She is shown wearing a cloth over her eyes and this is because she actually had her eyes plucked out with a spoon in the second video game.
This is because she was blinded by King Radovid V as he has a distrust for mages.
CBR explains that Radovid had known Philippa since he was a boy and he believed that she tormented him mercilessly and that is why he hated her so much.
What to expect in Season 3 of The Witcher
In Season 3 of The Witcher, it is likely that a book storyline involving Dijkstra and Jaskier (Joey Batey) will play out.
“Bring me the bard. It’s about time he paid back his benefactor,” Dijkstra said to Philippa in the Season 2 finale of The Witcher.
For those who don’t want any potential spoilers, now is the time to look away. For everyone else, read ahead.
In the books, Jaskier (who also goes by the name Dandelion) is employed by Dijkstra thanks to some leverage that he has over the bard.
Dijkstra wants intel on Geralt (Henry Cavill) and while Jaskier does supply some, he does so under duress and uses his way with words to say plenty but reveal little.
If this storyline plays out in Season 3 of The Witcher, it will mean that another from Geralt’s close circle will betray him. In Season 2, it was revealed that Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) lured Ciri (Freya Allan) to Voleth Meir in order to regain her powers.
As to how Geralt will respond to this new potential betrayal remains to be seen and viewers will likely have to wait until Season 3 premieres in order to find out more.
Season 2 of The Witcher is currently available to stream on Netflix.