His Dark Materials is back with their second series which follows the second book in the His Dark Materials trilogy written by Philip Pullman. A perfect distraction in the midst of this crazy year.
At the end of the first series, our leading lady Lyra played by Dafne Keen has witnessed her friend Roger (Lewin Lloyd) die at the hands of her father, Lord Asriel (played by James McAvoy). Lyra unsure what to do next decides she needs to learn more about dust and steps into the unknown doorway created by her father and into a new world. Series 1 followed the Northern Lights book in the trilogy and in this new series we are following the Subtle Knife, the second book in the series. Hints to the knife are shown in the title sequence and mentioned at the very end of the first episode.
Series 2 starts off with Lyra and Pan/Pantalalimon (Lyra's shapeshifting daemon, voiced by Kit Connor) on a journey searching for answers. It is nice to see Pan having a more active role in this first episode, giving Lyra advice on what to do. He seems to be her voice of reason and helping her while she is struggling to cope with her past events from series 1 and her untrusting nature of the alethiometer. Soon the duo meet Will Parry (played by Amir Wilson) who has also come from another world, a world we would recognise more than Lyra's world. In Will's world in series 1, we saw that he was a carer for his mother but has recently gone on the run after unintentionally killing an intruder who broke into his home. However, the intruders had been watching Will and his mother for a long time before they made their move, they were after something which is something to do with Will's dad and the work he did. The meeting between Lyra and Will in Cittagazze has been long awaited, now these characters must learn to trust each other so they can both get what they want.
Dafne and Amir both put on fantastic performances in this first episode, they both bounce off one another hence watching their character interact is beautiful and engaging to watch. Both characters are heroic with a strong sense of morality and doing what is right. It is clear that even though both characters work well together there are little things that they are clash on which is nice to see. Lyra is very head strong and can be fiery, while Will has a front on but also seems calm yet has a huge heart. It was incredibly enjoyable to see these characters finally together and it will be interesting to see how Dafne and Amir progress through the series and if they can keep their relationship engaging to watch.
This episode is split between Lyra and Will in Cittagazze with the spectres, Mrs Coulter and the Magisterium by the doorway opening made by Asriel and the witches who are meeting to plan their next move to help Lyra. Cittagazze is pretty much an abandoned town except all that is left is the children who have decided to stay. The adults have either run away or been taken by the spectres. We aren't given much information about the spectres in this first episode except only adults can see them and they take the adults. We don’t know what they are but it is clear that they are something of importance which we will learn more about in future episodes. If you have read the books then you already know the important of the spectres. We get a glimpse of what a spectre may look like at the end and we see what a spectre may do to an adult which is quite horrible to see as they look dead yet just living.
Ruth Wilson is back as Mrs Coulter and nothing has changed. She is still a woman who will do anything to get what she wants, which happens to be Lyra. She wants to track her daughter down. Mrs Coulter may be a dark character but we do see moments of light when it comes to her daughter and in this episode when she is looking at pictures of Lyra as a child and baby. In this episode we see how far Mrs Coulter will go to get what she wants; we see her torturing a witch for information and making a deal within the Magisterium. Wilson plays Mrs Coulter so well; her performance is faultless and really captivating to watch.
Lee Scoresby played by Lin-Manuel Miranda is back and doing all he can to help Lyra. He has heard of a weapon or object with great power that protect its owner will be safe. He is on a mission to find Doctor Stanislaus Grumman. The object he is seeking is the knife but he doesn’t know it yet. Scoresby tells his plans to the witches who agree as they also want to protect Lyra. We don't get much screen time with Scoresby which is a shame as Lin-Manuel Miranda puts on a great performance when he is in a scene.
The witches including Serafina Pekkala played by Rita Gedmintas get more screen time. At first their look reminds you of dementors from Harry Potter but once we get a better look the witches look incredible. The witches are strong and full of mystery as they know more than any of us of what is happening and why. In this first episode we are introduced another witch-queen Ruta Skadi (played by Jade Anouka). Ruta has a powerful entrance and it is made clear to us to not to mess with this queen. She is incredibly passionate and fierce. Anouka's performance is striking, we see the real anger of the character which is full of concern for the witch that is being tortured. She only has a short sequence near the end of the episode but this sequence is so good it is one of the standout moments of this episode.
His Dark Materials is providing some fantasy relief in these uncertain times. This first episode sets up the worlds and introduces us to what to expect in upcoming episodes and the series. Not a lot of action happens in this episode but enough does happen to keep you engaged. All the performances are strong, which is encouraging and makes us hopeful for the rest of the series. It is hopeful that some characters will get some more screen time in the next episode and hopefully we will get some more action. With that being said this first episode is so enjoyable to watch, we saw characters coming together, worlds being discovered and mysteries being discovered. This first episode was so enjoyable and makes you excited for the next to see what will happen next and how much of the book will the series follow.
The opening of season 2 also teases the introduction of Spectres, terrifying beings that anyone who has read the book trilogy will know are to be greatly feared. While Lyra and Will are currently safe from their grasp – as Spectres are only a danger to adults – we have no doubt, spine-chilling scenes await us this season. Verdict: The season 2 premiere of His Dark Materials sets up the rest of the season nicely, gently introducing viewers to new worlds, characters and concepts. While the excitement in this season will undoubtedly reach far greater heights as the story progresses, the return of the show is exactly what we all need as we turn to TV for diversion during lockdown.
