The episode opens with the devastation left behind by the Magisterium on the witches, who swear vengeance against them. However, the clans acknowledge that their priority is to search for Lyra Silvertongue before the Great War begins. Unfortunately, they have no idea where she could be.
Lee Scoresby continues his search for Lyra—in his world—by searching for Doctor Stanislaus Grumman, in which rumors say that he is in possession of a “weapon” that offers protection. It seems that Scoresby is more of a gunslinger than an aeronaut in this adaptation, yet his conviction for finding Lyra and helping the witches continues to bring out the best in him. His interrogation with Mrs. Coulter is very interesting because viewers gain more understanding of Lee’s character as well as how and why he became an aeronaut (on the TV series anyway). As for Mrs. Coulter, I believe it’s safe to say that she recalls what it’s like to have the Magisterium looking for you.
Meanwhile, Lyra decides to return to Will’s (our) world, without him, which leaves Will searching through the World of Specters for her. These scenes are altered so that Lyra appears more careless in Will’s world and disregards Will’s warnings about “people searching for them.” Lyra loses the Alethiometer because she ignores her instincts and does what she shouldn’t do. In the books, Lyra is unaware anyone from her world is familiar with Will’s world.
Dr. Malone continues her research on Dark Matter based on what Lyra told her about Dust. In these scenes, viewers learn more about her character, including her lifestyle as a scholar, and what she must do in order to make the breakthrough in her research. And, she’s closer than she realizes.
As Will continues to search for Lyra, he meets up with Angelica who continues to warn Will about the Specters. Angelica explains to Will why the Tower is so significant in her world. It seems that scholars are very significant to the plot of this story. The scene at the movie theater is straight from the books. After Will finds Lyra, they go in search of the man who took the Alethiometer. They find the man who stole the Alethiometer, and he offers to trade it for another item, which both Will and Lyra have to retrieve.
In all, this episode is more in line with the chapters from The Subtle Knife. The expansion of character development and dialogue demonstrates where all of the characters stand at this point in the mini-series. Readers of the books know what to expect in the next episode, but the viewers are about to learn more about the workings of Dust.
My Rating: 8.5 out of 10
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