Triss Merigold Is Almost Unrecognizable in Netflix’s The Witcher. But Was It for Better or Worse?

After years of waiting for a high quality film or television adaptations, fans of The Witcher video games and novels seem to finally be getting their wish with the Netflix show. The Henry Cavill led Witcher adaptation is getting positive reviews from both critics and audiences and, despite some big differences from the books and games, the first season seems to be a very strong start.

Although changes to Ciri received a lot of attention at first, fans of the video game may have also noticed some big alterations to Triss Merigold’s character. Triss is a fan-favorite character in the video game community thanks to her key roles in the first two Witcher games, so some of the changes to her character may not land well with fans who only know her from CD Projekt Red’s adaptations.

First, there is the matter of Triss’ physical appearance. This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, since the casting was public knowledge months ago, but the Netflix series went with an actress who likely won’t remind fans of the video game version of Triss. Netflix brought in the talented Harry Potter veteran Anna Shaffer to portray Triss in her season one appearances.

Triss Merigold’s Physical Appearance

The first difference that some fans will likely notice is that video game Triss has light skin, blue eyes, and red hair, while Shaffer brings dark hair and brown eyes to the role. In the books, Triss has unspecified skin tones, but is described as having chestnut-red hair and cornflower blue eyes. Although some fans may be disappointed that Triss isn’t a ginger in this adaptation, her looks don’t really impact the character very much at all.

The changes to the character beyond her physical appearance are a lot more interesting though. Fans of the video game series are sure to be aware that Triss is Geralt’s primary companion through the first two games and part of an intense love triangle in The Wild Hunt. Fans of the game who are coming to the show with hopes of that dynamic are going to find themselves pretty disappointed with both Triss’ amount of screen time and her relationship to Geralt.

Triss and Geralt’s Romantic Relationship

In the Netflix Witcher series, we do see Geralt have multiple romantic interactions with different women over his lengthy timeline, but the romantic focus definitely seems to be on the Geralt/Yennefer ship once the two finally connect about halfway through the season. Yennefer has quickly become a fan favorite character from season one, so the show runners may have been on to something by keeping the focus on her. We actually do see Geralt interact with Triss before he meets Yennefer, but their interactions are hardly romantic.

Triss first pops up in episode 3 (see our Betrayer Moon review here) to help guide Geralt towards his encounter with the Striga. The two characters do get plenty of screen time together during this episode, but there are not a whole lot of romantic sparks involved. Some fans dedicated to shipping Triss and Geralt may interpret a few of their interactions as flirty, but there is no clear romance between the two. Triss does return later in the season, but her interactions are primarily with Yennefer at that point (aligning more with the books).

The removal of the romantic element of the Geralt/Triss relationship in the Netflix adaptation may feel disappointing to some fans of the video games, but keep in mind that the first season was only eight episodes and had a ton of world-building and character work to do. With season two already confirmed, it certainly seems possible that Triss could become a bigger character, and a romantic interest, in the future of the show, depending on the direction of the next season. There are tons of Witcher stories that the show could explore next, so fans may need to wait until we learn more about the direction of the second season before making any predictions or finding out how big of a role Triss Merigold may or may not play in Geralt’s next adventures.

That said, it’s also worth taking note of Triss Merigold’s role in the original source material. Although Triss is Geralt’s primary love interest in the first two video games, she never really had that role in the original stories. In the novels, Triss and Geralt do have a romantic relationship, but it’s mostly one-sided with Triss lusting after Geralt and him not being interested (most of the time). Triss and Geralt do work well together in the stories, but she’s actually much more of a companion to Yennefer than Geralt and her romantic interest in the witcher acts as a foil to the friendship between the two mages.

If a love connection between Triss and Geralt does develop in future season of The Witcher it will be interesting to see if it used as a plot device to cause tension between Triss and Yennefer and whether or not Geralt will reciprocate the feelings or if he will need to be tricked into falling for her like in the original source material. Either way, it will be exciting to follow along and see what happens next in the adaptation.

The Witcher season two is scheduled to begin filming soon, so fans will likely learn more about what is next for Geralt and company in the near future. Be sure to check back for updates and, until then, don’t forget to toss a coin to your Witcher.

The Witcher television series can be streamed now on Netflix, and The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt can be played on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.