The Witcher S3: Jaskier Is Attracted To Radovid's Intelligence Underneath His Facade

Contains spoilers for "The Witcher" Season 3

Partway through "The Witcher" Season 3, vivacious bard Jaskier (Joey Batey) develops a significant romantic interest for the first time in the series when he meets Redanian prince Radovid (Hugh Skinner). Viewers familiar with either its literary source material or the popular video game adaptation that preceded the Netflix show will recognize that the "Witcher" TV series' Radovid differs from how the games and books portray him in a few notable ways. Chief among these is his romance with Jaskier, which has no precedent in any prior incarnation of "The Witcher."

In order to provide fans with some additional insight into this altogether new storyline for both Jaskier and Radovid, Collider asked Batey to detail just why he thinks Radovid appeals to his character. Batey then described Radovid as someone accustomed to masking his inner self with an artificially constructed persona. "[Jaskier] knows what it's like to wear one of those masks and to hide behind apparent buffoonery, behind a facade of, perhaps, jokes or debauchery," Batey said. "He sees the cracks in the porcelain and is intrigued by the intelligence behind that facade. That's what initially draws him. What progresses their intimacy together is the game of who's going to lower that mask first."

By Batey's estimation, then, Jaskier sees plenty of himself in Radovid. Accordingly, he's attracted to the intelligence he knows Radovid is hiding based on the fact that he's doing the very same thing.

In the same piece revealing Joey Batey's thoughts on why Jaskier is interested in Radovid, Collider likewise asked Hugh Skinner for insight into his character's perspective on this brand new "Witcher" Season 3 romance. Skinner responded by characterizing Radovid as someone bored by his lot in life prior to spy Sigismund Dijkstra (Graham McTavish) and mage Philippa Eilhart (Cassie Clare) deciding to ally themselves with him in an attempt at amassing political power.

"The bad that comes with that also means he makes this connection with Jaskier," Skinner said. "He's captivated by him from the beginning. I think it's about truth, and it's about seeing each other. In a world of lies and deceit, there's a truth there, and that's really beguiling to Radovid."

Truth, then, is key to how both Jaskier and Radovid see one another. Whereas Jaskier wants to meet the genuine Radovid hidden underneath his artificial surface, Radovid may simply be compelled by the fact Jaskier is a genuine human being, in contrast to everyone else in his immediate vicinity's obsession with politics and power above all else.