This is the third episode in this first series of the adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy children novels. What this episode does is build up for the next episode, as a result, not much happens. With that being said, there are good moments and scenes within this episode but the pace is much slower compared to the previous two episodes.
In this episode, the search for Lyra has begun. At the end of the previous episode we see Lyra getting kidnapped by the Gobblers but she is rescued by the Gyptian boys. Lyra stays with the Gyptians and by the end of this episode they are on their way to the frozen north. Whilst in our universe Lord Boreal (Ariyon Bakare) is still enquiring after something but we don't know yet what he is after. In the last episode Lyra discovers who her father is but, in this episode, Lyra discovers how to read the alethiometer without books (which is a very important thing) and learns another secret of her childhood involving her mother and why she is so important to Mrs Coulter.
Keen who plays Lyra is a very good physical actor, she can be expressive however when it comes to the emotional side like the revelations of her parents this is the moment Keen could have played better. These revelations come to a great shock to Lyra yet Keen lets this opportunity to put on an incredible performance slip her by. This may be due to the fact that Keen isn’t experienced enough to know how to really react if she received news like that or she is trying to overact this situation to make it a create a bigger impact. Yet by overplaying a moment like this it makes that moment feel flat, therefore these moments aren’t giving the impact they should.
Ruth Wilson's character, Mrs Coulter, puts on another stunning performance this week. Her character is so complex and we got to see a more troubled character this week. With her being troubled she was still a fierce character to watch. Wilson is a great actor and she continues to put on fantastic performances, it is exciting to see what this character will be like next week. Each episode we have seen different sides to this character and this is the character we all look forward to watching, this is all down to Wilson and her amazing characterisation.
This episode was good but there isn't much to say on it as not a lot happened. More information about Lyra is revealed, we see Coulter on the hunt and the Gyptians make their way to the north. Performances were good but this isn’t the most engaging or exciting episode, it is just building up to the next episode which just by the trailer already looks a lot more exciting. In the next episode, Lyra will face the armoured polar bears, powerful witches and we finally meet Lin-Manuel Miranda's character, Lee Scoresby, a character fans have been waiting to meet.
