The season finale for Season Two opens with the witches talking about the attack from the Specters. Will and Lyra are with the witches as they all agree that they should leave Cittàgazze right after they find Will’s father. Meanwhile, Ruta Skadi overhears a group of creatures talking about the army Lord Asriel is building up and what that means for them. It turns out, a similar war occurred millennia ago, but the Authority was victorious. They say that without the Æsahættr, Asriel will lose the war.
Lyra and Will talk about their few—or, lack of—friends from their worlds and early childhoods. Both Lyra and Will admit being around each other has led to some changes in themselves for the better. Will is beginning to understand everything his mother told him about his father while growing up without him.
Mrs. Coulter and her daemon continue to wander through the city of Cittàgazze, which is now deserted—the children have returned to the mountains to be reunited with their parents (which doesn’t happen in the books)—and she finds more clues to her daughter’s whereabouts. She comes across one of the witches, and Mrs. Coulter tortures the witch to learn of Lyra’s location and her role in the upcoming events—which is why the Magisterium is targeting her. Mrs. Coulter believes she has a reason to protect her daughter.
Dr. Mary Malone escorts the children back to their parents before continuing onward with her quest. Dr. Malone continues to consult her books—both reference and spiritual—as she determines where she should go next. Blue flower petals keep appearing wherever she goes.
Ruta Skadi and Serafina Pekkala discuss what Ruta has learned about Asriel’s war. While they agree Lyra is the child of the prophecy, they realize the Authority could win the war again, so they go their separate ways hoping to meet up again during the Great War. Meanwhile, Serafina gets called to help another ally. This leaves Lyra and Will alone with one witch. Then, Will leaves.
Lee Scoresby and Doctor Stanislaus Grumman—a.k.a. Jopari, a.k.a. Colonel John Parry—survive the attack on the balloon, but they can no longer fly in it. The Magisterium soldiers are gaining ground, and the two travelers hurry to find the children. Lee and Jopari flee from the Magisterium until they have no choice but to hold them off for as long as they can. Lee Scoresby stays behind to fight while Jopari continues to end his search for the Bearer. This heartbreaking end is straight from the books, Lee and Hester have their last moments together knowing it’ll be worth it—for Lyra.
Will answers the calling which leads him straight to his father. Dr. Grumman cannot believe his teenaged son is the Bearer. Will cannot believe his father has a daemon. This reunion while different—and brief—in the books, is more meaningful and more heartfelt in this episode. They catch up on everything: Will’s mother, John’s travels, Will’s travels, the Subtle Knife, the Great War, etc. Then, the last soldier from the Magisterium appears and takes aim.
The episode ends with Seraphina Pekkala giving Lee Scoresby his last rites and Will burying his father. Lord Asriel makes his manifesto to the Angels for wanting to go to war; and, they stand with Asriel. Mrs. Coulter reunites with Lyra and takes her away from her allies. Unfortunately, Mrs. Coulter has Lyra and Pantalaimon drugged and locked inside a trunk. During Lyra’s unconsciousness, she hears the voice of a friend.
In all, this is one of the best episodes of Season Two. The season finale almost matched the last few chapters in The Subtle Knife to a tee. Yes, there are more questions viewers will want answered, but overall all of the plots and the subplots were wrapped up to where they had to be, and the presentation made it clear the Æsahættr episode ended the way it had to. I’m looking forward to Season Three.
My Rating: 9.5 out of 10.
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