The tension is building up in this episode, alongside some amazing performances and interactions between characters.
At the start of this episode we are introduced to a mysterious hooded figure who attempts to summon Lee Scoresby. Lyra loses her most prized possession, while Will is still having strange dreams. A particular highlight of this episode is the prison cell scene between Mrs Coulter and Less Scoresby.
Will and Lyra continue to learn to trust each other and we really see that near the end of the episode and how much of a team they have become. Dafne Keen (Lyra) again gives us another confession about her grief she is going through due to the death of Roger. This happened in a cinema while Paddington was being played, Pan's reaction to the bear is so sweet. Lyra and Will are discussing trust and Lyra can't stop eating the popcorn. Moments like this and at the end between these two characters we see how different they are in the way they approach situations but we see how both these characters are a good match for each other. They help each other and they may be different but it works really well thus it is a joy to watch.
The prison cell scene may not have been in the books but it is a fantastic addition to the series. The chemistry between both actors in this scene is faultless. Both actors are perfect and we really believe into both of their backstories about their parents and their love for Lyra. It is obvious that Mrs Coulter is a very complicated character and woman but we get a further insight into why she may the way she is. Ruth Wilson is always amazing when in a scene. Her physical performance is always incredibly strong and she gives off so much. She is always a joy to watch as you aren’t sure what she is going to do next. Her character is always so cruel and ruthless, she barely shows any compassion, especially towards her daemon. The moment when Coulter's daemon grabs her hand is quite sweet as they never have any physical contact normally and it is a very tender and emotional moment.
We discover Mrs Coulter and Lee Scoresby had similar childhoods in the sense of childhood abuse yet Lee turned out the opposite to Coulter. He isn’t cruel but has a sense of adventure yet what connects both characters is love for a child. It was great to have some more screen time with Lin-Manuel Miranda. Scoresby is a great character and Lin-Manuel Miranda brings so much to a scene he is in. It is exciting to know we will get to see more of this character and Miranda's acting in the next episode as he goes in hunt for the mysterious man, Dr Grumman.
We uncover the true intentions to Boreal, played by Ariyon Bakare. We see a much darker and manipulative side to this character which isn’t too surprising as he has been very mysterious so far. There are hints throughout this episode that Lyra should be cautious with him. At the end of the episode, Boreal gives Lyra and Will a deal, they must retrieve the knife so they can have back what is theirs to help find Will's father.
Overall, this episode raises the stakes for our main two characters and we get a gem of a scene between Coulter and Scoresby. We are finally getting to the source of what this second book and series is about…the knife. This episode has some fantastic acting and is the best episode of series 2 so far. It is exciting to see what will happen next as we are getting further into the story. The acting was fantastic in this episode so now we want this super high standard to remain in the remaining episodes as we start to reach the climax of this series. We have been building up for the past three episodes towards the knife and hopefully we will get some insight into its purpose and why it is so special next week.
