Tag Archives: Ruth Wilson

Review of Season Two of “His Dark Materials”

Season Two of His Dark Materials, based on The Subtle Knife—the second book in His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman, has ended. And, I want to thank both the BBC and HBO for thinking ahead and to start production of Season Two as soon as it was announced. It’s because of this decision to move ahead with the production they were able to release this season during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, it was announced during San Diego Comic Con 2020 that there was an “interlude” episode they couldn’t film because of the shutdown—it’s supposed to follow Lord Asriel’s travels leading up to his reappearance in the Season Finale—but, they hope to film and to release it ahead of Season Three. Yes, we’re getting the 3rd and final season!

            For those of you who haven’t read the books should know The Subtle Knife is the shortest and the most fast-paced book in the trilogy. The book focuses on introducing Will Parry to readers, introducing Lyra Silvertongue to new worlds—including ours, following up on the aftermath of Lord Asriel creating a bridge to a new world and his plans to end The Authority, Lee Scoresby and the Witches search for Lyra, the Magisterium losing control within their world, and learning about why Lyra’s task is so urgent as well as what Will being The Bearer entails. The TV mini-series takes the time to work on character development and plot development. In addition to everything mentioned, the audience learns more about the characters and the ongoings in all of the worlds and how they are related to each other. 

            The main change and the majority of Season Two focuses on Mrs. Coulter, Lyra’s mother. In the books, readers are aware the mother is searching for her child, and she learns of Lyra’s role in the upcoming Great War. However, readers are ignorant to her actions throughout The Subtle Knife until the very end of the book. In the mini-series, the audience learns of Mrs. Coulter’s motives and her reasons for committing all of the heinous acts she does throughout the season. This doesn’t make Mrs. Coulter a “good” person, but observing her actions and her decisions make her more emphatic; which, is why Lyra tries to avoid her at all costs.  

            While most of the episodes are straight-from-the-books, the time spent expanding on the characters and the world-building is admired. For example, because Will was introduced in Season One, his character was able to develop further into what readers already know he’ll become in by the end-of-the-season. Dr. Mary Malone’s scenes were insightful as well because not only is she able to make the connection between Dust and Dark Matter—while explaining them in a way the audience can understand: physics—but also the audience is able to understand her struggles with separating knowledge and thought before she can make the breakthrough in her research, which sets her on her quest to play the role of “The Serpent.” 

            The screen time with Lyra and Will are what drive the season, but it’s the screen time with Lee Scoresby and Dr. Stanislaus Grumman—a.k.a. Jopari, a.k.a. Colonel John Parry—who enhances it. The former are the adolescent protagonists who are destined to change the worlds using their skills and their tools. The latter are wayward travelers who realize what their destinies are and decide to act on them and protect the “Chosen Ones.” The more time the audience spends time with both pairs, the more they learn about their strengths, their flaws, and their resilience. 

            Overall, I enjoyed Season Two slightly more than I enjoyed Season One. One reason for this is because I spent more time comparing Season One to the movie, The Golden Compass, while distinguishing the mini-series separately. This time around, I was able to enjoy the mini-series without making more comparisons. Another reason is because the readers within the audience witnessed the dedication to the books throughout Season Two. That being said, some of the same issues are there—unnecessary changes which led to plot holes and/or too much character development—but it was a great season to watch. The performances by Dafne Keen, Amir Wilson, Ruth Wilson and Lin-Manuel Miranda have made these beloved characters their own, and I can’t wait to see how the mini-series ends when Season Three—based on The Amber Spyglass—is released, whenever that may be.           

            If you wish to read the reviews for each episode, then you can click on the episode titles to access them.

S2, E1: The City of Magpies

S2, E2: The Cave

S2, E3: The Theft

S2, E4: Tower of Angels

S2, E5: The Scholar

S2, E6: Malice

S2, E7: Æsahættr

My Rating: 9 out of 10

Review of Season One of “His Dark Materials”

Season one of His Dark Materials, based on The Northern Lights/The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman has completed its run on the BBC and on HBO, and they didn’t alter the ending! Overall, season one was a great adaptation to the books and some of the “fillers” worked well for the narrative that was presented to the audience. Readers got to enjoy scenes that were denied to them from the 2007 movie and viewers were able to grasp the demeanor of all of the characters thanks to both the actors’ portrayals of the characters and the “fillers” which were added for additional context. 

            It should be mentioned that the TV mini-series was a better adaptation than the movie, but this is due to the fact that neither the studios, nor the test audience (these are based on rumors, which have circulated over and over again) interfered with the editing of the series. The order of the events presented matched the way they occurred in the books, the “true” ending of season one ended the way it does in the books, and the revelations of what was happening to the missing children weren’t glossed over. Yes, the movie did get a lot of things right, and those were repeated in the series, but the TV series is more in tandem with the books.

            The issues I have with the series so far should be mentioned as well. First, is the aging up of some of the younger characters. Lyra, Roger, and Billy were all close to the age of the characters they portrayed (between 10 and 12 years-old), but Will Parry was aged up to 15 years-old (he’s around 12-13 years-old when readers first meet him). I want to say this was because of the age of the actor who is portraying Will, but it’s difficult to determine whether or not this is the case. Yes, there have been some cases in which the age of the character(s) have been altered due to the actors that play them, but there have been even more examples of when it’s happened because the studio(s) believe it’ll make the narrative “more believable.” If it’s the former, then I have no complaint; but if it’s the latter, then they should stop making it so obvious. 

            Next, were the ways the proximity of daemons were presented to the viewers. While in the books, it is unclear what the actual distance a human can be “away” from their daemon, it is clear that the proximity has to be very close in order for human and daemon to maintain their bond and their lives. However, there are moments when the proximity is unclear and that is due to the way some of daemons are presented. Sometimes they are far enough for the individual not to experience pain, and then they are so far away that you wonder whether or not they could be similar to a witch’s daemon. I hope the network and the studio corrects this misconception for season two because it became very confusing between each episode. 

            Last, was the way Dust is presented throughout the season. The mystery of Dust was portrayed better than the knowledge of it. The explanation provided in the season finale is straight from the books, but the “danger” of someone outside of Jordan College and the Magisterium having knowledge of what Dust is—which, was presented better in the movie—wasn’t demonstrated in the series the way it should have been, in my opinion. Then again, Dust is supposed to be remain a mystery throughout the series until the end. 

            Besides the casting and the special effects, there were several things that I enjoyed about season one from the titles of the episodes—based on chapters in the books—to the way the parental figures were portrayed in the series. Presenting both Mrs. Coulter and Mrs. Parry as “damaged” individuals who try to balance their demeanor with their desire to be mothers to their children was presented extremely well. The issue of succession and power amongst the panserbjørne and the Magisterium—which, are both essential to the plot of the story—were presented (with the details given throughout the books) with the hypocrisy immensely. And, the motives of Lord Asriel and his reasons for doing everything he does comes back full circle. Lord Asriel is what keeps the narrative moving along and the series makes sure that the viewers do not forget it. Yet, it was Ruth Wilson’s portrayal of Mrs. Coulter that grasped the viewers’ attention the most. 

            Overall, season one of His Dark Materials was the adaptation fans of the books waited for patiently, and the wait was worth it. All of the details that were omitted from the 2007 movie were included, the pacing matched the books and were appropriate for a TV mini-series, and the inclusion of source material from other books in the Philip Pullman’s universe—both The Book of Dust and The Subtle Knife—enriched the narrative more than expected and it worked well for the audience, both readers and viewers. Season two was announced by the BBC (with HBO promising to continue showing the series in the U.S.), which is great because this news is what book fans have been waiting for the most! The adaptation of The Subtle Knife will not only continue Lyra’s story, but also continue the narrative from the multiple cliffhangers this time around. Yes, the books should be read, but knowing that the mini-series will continue makes book fans as excited as the viewers more than anyone else can imagine! 

If you want the reviews of each episode, then you can click on each of the episode titles below:

S1, Ep.1: Lyra’s Jordan

S1, Ep. 2: The Idea of North

S1, Ep. 3: The Spies

S1, Ep. 4: Armour

S1, Ep. 5: The Lost Boy

S1, Ep. 6: The Daemon-Cages

S1, Ep. 7: The Fight to the Death

S1, Ep. 8: Betrayal

My Rating: 8.5 out of 10!