Advance Review: His Dark Materials Continues It’s Dark Fantastical Journey In Season Two
His Dark Materials is set to kick off its second season and fans are in for a delicious treat. Darker and grittier than season one, the season premiere dives headfirst into the author, Philip Pullman’s fantasy world and never resurfaces.
Lyra (Dafne Keen), with Pan (Kit Connor) at her side, has crossed over to a brand new world, that honestly looks like Westeros from Game Of Thrones In this new world, children run free and adults are being hunted by creatures known as Spectres, who basically take everything that makes humans, humans, and leave them as emotionless voids. It is here that she meets her soon-to-be partner in crime, Will Parry (Amir Wilson). Parry has crossed over into this strange new world, from his own entirely different world for reasons yet to be revealed.
As this story is progressing, another, darker story is unfolding with Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) at the helm. She is determined to do whatever it is necessary to find out what the witches are guarding and what the split in the sky means. The witches, on the other hand, are going to do all they can to protect Lyra and the prophecy, even if it means trusting Lee Scoresby (Lin-Manuel Miranda) with tracking down Stanislaus Grumman, a man who may hold an object that will help Lyra in her journey.
The introduction of William Parry to the season has been a long time coming for fans and they will not be disappointed. For much of season one, writer Jack Thorne had to rely on the relationship between Lyra and her daemon, Pan, to bring about a more emotional side to Lyra. However, now with the introduction of Parry, fans get a chance to see the heart of Lyra, even though she refuses to see it herself. He tests her wits and forces her to slowdown and question every decision, which can sometimes be a good thing for the headstrong hero.
Wilson takes on the role of Parry and does a darn good job at it. Where Keen’s portrayal of Lyra is forceful and intense, Wilson’s portrayal of Parry is gentler and more reserved. The two bring out the best in their characters, and it’s when they are together when the story truly shines. Wilson returns as the devious Mrs. Coulter, who can only be described as up to no good, while Miranda reprises his role as aeronaut, Lee Scoresby, who is determined to help Lyra every chance he can.
Filming on the second season of the HBO show was pretty much a done deal when the pandemic began back in March. To keep to the planned released schedule, the eight-episode season two was cut down to a seven-episode season. Fans of the book series won’t be too heartbroken about this decision because the episode was focused solely on James McAvoys’ Lord Asriel and would have included new content not featured in the books. The new season returns darker and more fantastical, which will give fans a nice distraction from the world we are living in today.