Tag Archives: Roger

TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials: The Spies”

The episode starts with a reminder that “The Gobblers” are kidnapping children—and keeping them in nets, cages and locked rooms—and have been discreet, until the Gyptians started to track their movements. Meanwhile, Mrs. Coulter abuses her connections with the Magisterium in order to find Lyra. And, it’s obvious that while Mrs. Coulter wants Lyra back, she’s doing it in a way which presents her in a way everyone can see why Lyra ran away from her in the first place. 

            Lyra Belaqua is rescued and taken into the care by the Gyptians. They have connections to Lord Asriel and are planning to rescue the missing children—as soon as they discover where they are being kept. It is during her stay with them that Lyra learns more about her origins and the alethiometer. Her reaction to the truth about her parents is believable and appropriate. Mrs. Coulter’s reaction to Lyra running away from her is not. Even the Magisterium is horrified by what Mrs. Coulter does in order to find her. It seems that it’s not only the alethiometer that the Magisterium has aversions against. 

            The Gyptians are willing to do more to figure out what’s going on with the missing children than the authorities. They have a plan—and allies—waiting to be carried out. Two of the Gyptians decide that having concrete evidence is better than traveling on gossip, so they continue their investigation against orders. At this point, it’s clear that the Magisterium is involved, but as to the how and the why, viewers will have to wait and see. 

            In our world, Lord Carlo Boreal—the man who works with the Magisterium—continues his search into the identity and the mystery of Dr. Stanislaus Grumman and whether or not he managed to “crossover” from one world to another, a theory Lord Asriel insists is the truth. The results his informer uncovers is interesting and shocking. This scene is essential to the plot of the story because it delves more into the idea of “other worlds” and why it remains a mystery to everyone. Book readers will know exactly what I’m getting at, but that’s all I’ll say, for now.  

            The Spies is the episode in which the plots in London wrap up and the story and the characters travel to the North to rescue the children and to learn why they were taken in the first place. This is the shift in the story in which the audience—both readers and viewers—have been waiting for since the cast was announced. This episode reiterates the dangers Lyra has been shielded from her entire life, but with her recently acquired knowledge, she knows she cannot return to Jordan College without Roger. 

TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials: The Idea of North”

The episode wastes no time resuming where it left off. Lyra Belaqua arrives in London with Mrs. Coulter, and Roger arrives in London to where the other kidnapped children are being held, including Billy Costa. Both children have no idea why there are wanted, but they have no choice but to go along with their circumstances. But, it’s clear that Mrs. Coulter is NOT to be trusted. 

            Mrs. Coulter is a villain whose motivations remain unknown, for now. Yet, this adaptation presents her in a way that wasn’t seen before in the movie or in the books. It’s obvious Mrs. Coulter is struggling with both the actions and the position she’s found herself in, but she is hard to read by everyone, so she remains a mystery. As of right now, Mrs. Coulter is breaking because for all of her composure, she has moments of rage. Something Lyra experiences firsthand, and it scares her. 

            Meanwhile, the Magisterium is investigating Lord Asriel’s “discovery” and the true purpose of his research. The crypts at Jordan College seem to be a very popular place because everyone finds themselves there eventually. I would use the terms heresy and hypocrisy to describe the Magisterium. While it is obvious the scholars at Oxford wonder about Lord Asriel’s theory about Dust and other worlds, it appears that the Magisterium has some knowledge about it already, and they use it to their advantage. 

            Billy and Roger are minor characters whose roles are emerging into the plot. The Gyptians are searching for the children in London, but they always arrive just too late to rescue them. After they are moved, Mrs. Coulter arrives and a scene from the books is presented for the readers; then again, the viewers see more of Mrs. Coulter’s character in the scene as well. 

            Lyra is known for being an explorer, like her uncle(?), and she knows something is going on with Mrs. Coulter. However, everything is kept under lock-and-key, so Lyra finds another way to get the information she seeks. What she finds leaves more questions than answers, but she knows that she’s not safe, especially with the Magisterium hanging around Mrs. Coulter. 

            The Idea of North is an episode that focuses on world-building and character development. A lot of it comes from the books, but there are several additional scenes that embellish the adaptation further. The episode moves towards the darker side of the story, the same dark side that Lyra was shielded from at Jordan College. We get a look into what is happening in London, in Oxford, and in Oxford (not a typo). Lyra, Mrs. Coulter, Billy and Roger, the Gyptians and the Magisterium are participating in something bigger than they believed originally. And, there is more to come. The plot develops too, but this is the chance to learn how the characters fit into the plot as it continues to develop.

My Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Media Adaptations to Consider: “His Dark Materials”

As a lifelong fan of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust trilogies (only 2 books out so far in the latter series), I was excited to hear that the BBC was doing a television adaptation of the first book: The Northern Lights/The Golden Compass. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the 2007 movie. I was disappointed in the interference and the “controversies,” which led to the movie having significant scenes of the story cut from the movie. Fans of the series suffered from this poor adaptation of the book. Now, the wait has been worth it (so far) as we get the adaptation that matches both the mood and the tone of the series—His Dark Materials. 

            The opening scene is from the book—La Belle Sauvage—well, the end of it anyway, when baby Lyra Belaqua is brought to Jordan College by her uncle, Lord Asriel. 12 years later, Lyra runs the routes, the roofs, and the passages of the college with her daemon, Pantalaimon, and her friend, Roger. Meanwhile, Lord Asriel has made a breakthrough in his research up in the far North, and he has returned to Jordan College to give an update to the scholars, and to ask for more funding to continue his research. 

            Meanwhile, the Gyptians, a community of people who make their living on the sea, have been the victims of the Gobblers, a mysterious group who have been going around kidnapping children. You do NOT want to mess with the Gyptians because they work together to protect their own. After Lord Asriel leaves, Lyra gets another visitor, Mrs. Coulter—a “buffer” between the Magisterium and Jordan College. Her interest in Lyra is unknown, but when she tells Lyra that she wants to take Lyra to the North with her, Lyra agrees. However, it is when Roger disappears that Lyra sees the opportunity as a chance to save her friend. 

            “Lyra’s Jordan” is an amazing introduction to the miniseries. Readers will appreciate the inclusion of what was omitted from the movie—characterization, world-building, conflict, etc.—while viewers who are not as familiar with the series will be able to follow along with the story that is being told in this episode. Unlike the movie, the TV show sticks with the grittiness of the story and the ends some of the characters are willing to go to in order to justify the means. The cast of actors not only present the characters as they are in the books, but also they put enough of themselves within them that they stand apart from the actors who played them previously. 

            This episode presented us with the microcosm that Lyra is leaving behind. This is crucial because the audience realizes that Lyra has been sheltered from the governmental influence of the Magisterium and the dangers both orphan and outcast children experience. The events of “Lyra’s Jordan” starts the coming-of-age journey Lyra will have now until the end of the series. As Lyra learns more about her world, so will the audience. For now, this episode is the beginning of a transcending bildungsroman. 

My Rating: 9.5 out of 10.