Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, the creator of The Witcher, has done a fantastic job in both seasons. However, Henry Cavill felt that The Witcher showrunner was not doing justice for Roach’s death. Thus, Henry took the matter into his hands and wrote a scene for the death of Roach in The Witcher season two.

Geralt is a witcher who has special powers, but those do not include transportation. As a result, Roach, Geralt’s mare, takes care of his transport duties. So, let us look at how Henry came up with the heartfelt scene.

The death scene of Roach from The Witcher

The showrunner wanted to give the mare a heroic ending. But Lauren thought of adding a bit of meta-comedy for the fans of the books and games. However, Henry, an ardent fan of the franchise, felt it was inappropriate, and he did the job himself. The showrunner explained Henry’s disappointment and how she gave him a free hand.

“Henry was so unhappy with the line,” Lauren said. “Finally I said, ‘You know what, you come up with something. I trust you, you know this material so well, you know the book so well, you don’t even have to pitch it to me.’ And he came back the next day with a beautiful speech that’s at the end of Sword of Destiny when Geralt is facing death and it’s such a pitch perfect moment.”

“Roach is much more than a horse, She’s an anchor to Geralt’s tried and true self, because he gives that name to every horse he has… She’s the one access point he has to humanity.” Henry Cavill described Roach at the San Diego Comic-Con 2019.

A little more about Roach from The Witcher

This might come as news for the viewers who have neither read the books nor played the game. But Geralt has had several mares, all of them have the same name, Roach. Geralt, being a witcher, has a longer lifespan, and unfortunately, the horses perished. The same name helps Geralt cope with the loss.

New viewers might also find the name odd, but there is context to it. Andrzej Sapkowski, a Polish writer, is the brain behind the story. Thus, Geralt calls the mare a ‘Plotka’, a version of ‘Ploc’, and Ploc translates to Roach in English.

Zeus, a male horse, played the role of Roach in The Witcher, which meant extra work for the post-production team. However, the team has done a great job of hiding the genitals while also making the horse look better.

What was your reaction to Roach’s death? Let us know in the comments.