Why Did They Kill Eskel In The Witcher TV Show?

Season 2 of The Witcher was a big hit and is arguably far better than the first season. The second season also introduced a host of new characters, which include the remaining Witchers in the continent. One of those Witchers was Eskel, who we saw had a good bond with Geralt but ended up dying in episode 2. So, why did they kill Eskel in The Witcher TV show?

Geralt had to kill Eskel in The Witcher show because he was possessed by a tree-like creature called a leshy and was similarly turned into a tree-like monster as well. Knowing that his friend was already gone, Geralt had to make the hard choice by killing Eskel to save everyone in the keep.

Eskel is actually one of the most popular Witchers in the entire Witcher lore, as he played a bigger role in the books than he did in the show. It is unknown why the showrunners decided to change the plot of one of the most popular secondary characters in The Witcher books. But fans were not entirely happy about the decision to kill Eskel early. Still, it would be a good idea to talk more about how he died.

Why Did They Kill Eskel?

Season 1 of The Witcher was more of an introduction to the central characters of the Netflix adaptation. It showed us the backstories of Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer while also introducing some of the major secondary characters as well.

However, it was only in season 2 that we got to see more secondary characters getting introduced. In episode 2, when Geralt and Ciri went home to Kaer Morhen, which is the secret keep that the Witchers call home, we were introduced to the other remaining Witchers or what’s left of the order of monster hunters. 

The most prominent of those Witchers is Vesemir, who is a father figure to the remaining Witchers and was the one responsible for training and turning Geralt and the other remaining Witchers. Vesemir is also the protagonist of the animated prequel film Nightmare of the Wolf. Meanwhile, we were also introduced to the other Witcher brothers, which included Lambert, Coen, and Eskel. 

However, we saw as early as the end of season 2 that they decided to kill Eskel, who we saw was a good friend to Geralt. So, why did they kill Eskel?

When Eskel was introduced, he talked about how he spent hours trying to kill a monster called a leshy. While he failed to kill it, he even brings home a part of that leshy, which is a tree-like monster that lives in the forest. However, something was off about Eskel as he wasn’t acting like himself to the point that he tried to drown his pain using women that he invited over to the keep.

As Eskel was enjoying himself with one of the women right after having an argument with Geralt, he eventually transformed into a tree-like monster that resembles a leshy. What happened was that he was actually infected by the leshy, and that was the reason why he was feeling off.

Eskel began attacking everyone in the keep, and it was up to Geralt and Vesemir to stop him. The entire time, the duo of Witchers were trying to knock some sense into Eskel because they believed that they could still bring him back. However, when it was clear that there was no longer a way to save their Witcher companion, Geralt and Vesemir had to kill Eskel.

Who Killed Eskel In The Witcher TV Show?

In The Witcher TV show, when Eskel was attacking both Geralt and Vesemir, he was able to corner the older Witcher, who was trying to call out to him in the hopes that he could still bring Eskel back. You would understand why Vesemir was reluctant to kill Eskel, as he treated all of the younger Witchers as sons.

When Vesemir was about to fall at the hands of the creature formerly known as Eskel, Geralt had no choice but to deal the final blow to his friend. He did so by putting fire through Eskel’s heart, as he was able to do what Eskel forgot to do to the leshy he encountered in the forest. In short, it was Geralt who killed Eskel when the tree-like creature was about to kill Vesemir.

Does Eskel Die In The Witcher Books?

So, while Eskel died quite early in The Witcher series, what about the books? Does Eskel meet the same fate as he did in the series?

For those who never read the books, you would be surprised to know that Eskel’s death is actually one of the major changes that the showrunners introduced to the series. That’s because Eskel never died in the books.

In fact, in the books, Eskel was the closest Witcher to Geralt, as the two treated each other like brothers. Eskel even had a big role in one of the future events of the books following his introduction to the story. 

This means that he will no longer be able to fulfill that role in the series, as the showrunners made a big change that will force them to make some other changes in the story in the future as well. However, while Eskel did play a big role as a secondary character in the books, what we can assure you is that his death does not change the overall outcome of the story.  

Does Eskel Die In The Witcher Games?

Because the games are actually closer to the books than they are to the series, the games also never killed Eskel. Similarly, he also plays a good role as a secondary character in the game version of The Witcher.

Of course, considering that there are more fans of the games than of the books, the fans of the video games took to the internet to air out their frustration about Eskel’s death. It seemed as if Eskel’s introduction to the series was somewhat useless because he was only introduced as a character that would eventually be killed off in only a few minutes of screen time.