His Dark Materials - Season 2 |OT| BBC - 8th Nov, HBO - 16th Nov [TAG BOOK SPOILERS]

[WadiumArcadium]

Based on author Philip Pullman's beloved trilogy, His Dark Materials follows Lyra, a brave young woman from another world. Lyra's quest to find her kidnapped friend leads her to uncover a sinister plot of a secret organization, encounter extraordinary beings and protect dangerous secrets.

MAIN CAST

Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua
Amir Wilson as Will Parry
Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter
Ariyon Bakare as Lord Carlo Boreal
Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby
Andrew Scott as Colonel John Parry
Ruta Gedmintas as Serafina Pekkala
Will Keen as Father MacPhail
James McAvoy as Lord Asriel Belacqua
Jade Anouka as Ruta Skadi
Simone Kirby as Dr. Mary Malone
Terence Stamp as Giacomo Paradisi
Bella Ramsey as Angelica
Ella Schrey-Yeats as Paola
Oliver Monaghan as Baruch
I-Kay Agu as Balthamos

VOICE CAST

Kit Connor as Pantalaimon, Lyra's daemon
Cristela Alonzo as Hester, Lee Scoresby's daemon
Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Sayan Kötör, John Parry's daemon
David Suchet as Kaisa, Serafina Pekkala's daemon
Peter Serafinowicz as Iofur Raknison
Helen McCrory as Stelmaria, Asriel's daemon

SCHEDULE

Season 2 was intended to feature eight episodes like the first season, but a stand-alone episode focusing on James McAvoy's Lord Asriel was left unfinished because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of Magpies
Directed by Jamie Childs
Written by Jack Thorne
8th November (UK) / 16th November (US)

The Cave
Directed by Jamie Childs
Written by Jack Thorne & Francesca Gardiner
15th November (UK) / 23rd November (US)

Theft
Directed by Leanne Welham
Written by Jack Thorne & Sarah Quintrell
22nd November (UK) / 30th November (US)

Tower of the Angela
Directed by Leanne Welham
Written by Jack Thorne & Namsi Khan
29th November (UK) / 7th December (US)

The Scholar
Directed by Leanne Welham
Written by Francesca Gardiner
6th December (UK) / 14th December (US)

Malice
Directed by Jamie Childs
Written by Jack Thorne & Lydia Adetunji
13th December (UK) / 21st December (US)

Æsahættr
Directed by Jamie Childs
Written by Jack Thorne
20th December (UK) / 28th December (US)

MEDIA





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[WPS]

A fairly enjoyable first episode I thought. Some nice moments between Lyra and Will, and I feel the CGI has stepped up. It was quite slow paced and mostly set-up for the rest of the series though.

Spoiler: Other thoughts - Only mild spoilers

It was interesting seeing the introduction scene from the opposite point of view. IIRC book 2 was entirely from Will's point of view for like the first quarter, until they finally run into each other here.

Red-Panda!Pan was a nice highlight.

I do wonder how Will's smart phone was still with battery after at least 3 days though.

Since I imagine the week delay in the US will mean not much episode discussion, I was wondering if someone who remembers the books better than I do could answer me something:

Spoiler: Books 2, 3 and 5 spoilers

Was Mrs Coulter's ability to seperate from her daemon painlessly a plot point in book 2 or 3? It was a weird throwaway in series 1 that definitely wasn't in book 1, so I'm wondering if this is them wanting to introduce sequel trilogy plot points as part of the show, especially since the very beginning of the series was a flashback to the end of book 4.

 

[WadiumArcadium]

I thought it was a strong opener. Lyra and Will's interactions gave it a different flavour to last season, especially that omelette. Will's story started to drag a bit in the first season, so it was nice to see him thrown into a new situation.

I haven't read the books so I've got no idea where the story is headed. It's a change compared to most adaptations I watch.

 

[Fatmanp]

Just started watching this on iPlayer and holy shit the HDR in this is fantastic.

 

[Mars People]

Is this adapting the second book?

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Is this adapting the second book?

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Yes

 

[Feign]

I did not know there was even a first season. How is it?

 

[WadiumArcadium]

I did not know there was even a first season. How is it?

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It had a good reception. I can't judge it as an adaptation but I really enjoyed it.

 

[AzorAhai]

I did not know there was even a first season. How is it?

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An overall good adaptation minus a few missteps in pacing, presentation and dialogue. Season 2 should be better (better and richer book, bigger budget, more experienced crew and cast), I personally can't wait.

 

[Ithil]

Feels like they stepped up the production design, or maybe it's that it's just a richer location from the book. The location filming plus I assume digital additions for Cittàgazze were very striking visually, with the varying colours and twisting streets.
Their daemon CG continues to be excellent considering it's TV. You know it's working when there's a serious exchange between two talking birds and I don't bat an eye.

It's also getting to be funny the increasingly baggy outfits they have to put Dafne Keen into to try and conceal that she's very obviously not a kid anymore. She'll be in a sack by season 3.

 

[Vic_Viper]

How many episodes is season 2?

Was Asriel in the first book more than he was in the first season, or was that about the same? Feels like they could only afford to pay McAvoy for the 2 or 3 episodes he was in lol. Wonder if they are going to wait until the finale for him to appear in this season, if he does at all.

Also I wish they had shown more of what life was like for the average normal citizen under the Magisterium. We got a little bit at the end of season 1 with the kids in that facility, but more often than not they would talk about it rather than show it.

 

[Mortemis]

So this is delayed a week in the US? Bummer. See y'all next week.

Good to hear the first episode is strong. I enjoyed season 1 so I'm excited to see more.

 

[Teiresias]

Wait, this is HBO Max now not regular HBO? Does that mean I won't be able to watch it through my HBO Channel on Amazon like I could Season 1?

I can't watch Raised by Wolves for that same reason (but Lovecraft Country is available).

 

[Ithil]

How many episodes is season 2?

Was Asriel in the first book more than he was in the first season, or was that about the same? Feels like they could only afford to pay McAvoy for the 2 or 3 episodes he was in lol. Wonder if they are going to wait until the finale for him to appear in this season, if he does at all.

Also I wish they had shown more of what life was like for the average normal citizen under the Magisterium. We got a little bit at the end of season 1 with the kids in that facility, but more often than not they would talk about it rather than show it.

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Seven episodes. They had eight planned, but a fully standalone episode following Asriel was not able to be shot thanks to COVID, so it will be moved to next season.
As far as McAvoy, Asriel really doesn't appear in the books any more than McAvoy has so far, he doesn't appear at all in the second book and we don't find out what he was up to til the third.

 

[Weegian]

So ready for this! The first season wasn't perfect, but it was a million times better than the movie, and the season finale was excellent.

 

[Jakenbakin]

Had no idea this was even coming so soon. Makes sense the pace of filming is probably quite fast though lol. Definitely checking it out tonight, I loved the first season and love that there's finally an adaptation going past the first book.

 

[Lotus]

I'm here for more of Ruth Wilson

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Wait, this is HBO Max now not regular HBO? Does that mean I won't be able to watch it through my HBO Channel on Amazon like I could Season 1?

I can't watch Raised by Wolves for that same reason (but Lovecraft Country is available).

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It's airing on HBO in the US!

 

[Malverde]

First season was my favorite TV show of last year, can't wait to dive back in. With everything else going on I didn't even realize this was coming back.

 

[Vic_Viper]

Seven episodes. They had eight planned, but a fully standalone episode following Asriel was not able to be shot thanks to COVID, so it will be moved to next season.
As far as McAvoy, Asriel really doesn't appear in the books any more than McAvoy has so far, he doesn't appear at all in the second book and we don't find out what he was up to til the third.

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Oh ok, thats a bummer then about the stand alone episode. I guess thats probably why they went with a more famous actor as Asriel, since they knew going in he wouldnt appear all that often.

I really want to read the books. Ive just got a couple others I want to get to first.

 

[Teiresias]

It's airing on HBO in the US!

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OK, thanks. The thread title says HBO Max, which has some exclusive content not on regular HBO.

 

[WadiumArcadium]

OK, thanks. The thread title says HBO Max, which has some exclusive content not on regular HBO.

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Sorry for the confusion. I was going by what the promo material said. As a BBC viewer I didn't know the difference.

RatskyWatsky would you mind changing the title to include HBO instead of HBO MAX please?

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Sorry for the confusion. I was going by what the promo material said. As a BBC viewer I didn't know the difference.

RatskyWatsky would you mind changing the title to include HBO instead of HBO MAX please?

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Sure :)

 

[Viriditas]

First episode was pretty solid. Looking forward to the next. Will and Lyra were a very nice bit of casting.

I have some gripes about the show here and there but overall, I think it's quite good. First season held up well to my excessive re-watches and tbh I'm just happy we're getting ANY adaptation of the second book.

I'm not optimistic that they'll get to do the third one, but I'll be so very glad to eat crow if I'm wrong.

Mrs. Coulter is the goddamn MVP though. Every time she's on screen I'm like

 

[shaneo632]

For a series based on beloved lit I'm shocked how dull the dialogue has been throughout both seasons so far. Just reams of soulless exposition but little in the way of wit. Makes it feel like a real slog to get through each episode.

 

[WPS]

As someone who loves the city of Oxford but hasn't seen much of it due to the pandemic, episode 2 hit pretty hard. It was so weird seeing the streets back to their old selves, full of tourists, cyclists and students all getting in each other's way. It helped that I think they filmed more of it on location than last time, last series's Oxford was a combination of cgi and classic BBC pretending Cardiff is every other place on the planet.

... though that giant building site they ran into wouldn't fit into the centre of oxford, let along a college there :p.

Spoiler: Minor episode 2 spoilers

There was another book 5 plot point hidden within this episode again...

 

[Ithil]

I wonder if they got a budget beef up this season, there seems to be a lot more location filming and a lot more daemons appearing, and in general the set design has been more striking. Those Oxford gardens are a mighty boon to the show, given their importance in the book, they look wonderful on screen.

They retain an issue with the writing being awfully dry, but the actors do much of the heavy lifting needed.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

First episode was pretty solid. Looking forward to the next. Will and Lyra were a very nice bit of casting.

I have some gripes about the show here and there but overall, I think it's quite good. First season held up well to my excessive re-watches and tbh I'm just happy we're getting ANY adaptation of the second book.

I'm not optimistic that they'll get to do the third one, but I'll be so very glad to eat crow if I'm wrong.

Mrs. Coulter is the goddamn MVP though. Every time she's on screen I'm like

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Mrs. Coulter acts too much like Alice Morgan tho

 

[Lotus]

Mrs. Coulter acts too much like Alice Morgan tho

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I see nothing wrong with this

 

[Qvoth]

2 episodes so far but feels like it's already better than previous season
Maybe because they need to introduce the characters in season 1

 

[Miles Iz Ded]

This is excellent. The Subtle Knife has never been done on-screen before so it feels fresher. I think familiarity with the first book and movie made the previous series a bit too familiar. I can only hope they renew soon for the final series as it would suck if we only got the incomplete story (again). The kids will be aging fast.

 

[Deleted member 80231]

I did not know there was even a first season. How is it?

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It was quite good, in my opinion. I think the series actually did a better job at times than the book, especially at showing character's motivations and the way their views and feeling shift and take form through the season. The original book has a lot of really cool concepts, but I found characterization to be a bit on the weaker side. They also gave a bigger role to a few minor characters.

They also included a plot thread that deals with a second main character, that you only meet in the second book, so it'd have a bigger presence on the first season. It's not bad, even if it hurts the pacing a bit, but in my opinion it kind of spoils the sense of wonder you get in the first book, which was exclusively focused on Lyra.

I didn't know the series was out. I'll watch it (should be HBO in Spain) after I finish Lovecraft Country.

 

[Feign]

It was quite good, in my opinion. I think the series actually did a better job at times than the book, especially at showing character's motivations and the way their views and feeling shift and take form through the season. The original book has a lot of really cool concepts, but I found characterization to be a bit on the weaker side. They also gave a bigger role to a few minor characters.

They also included a plot thread that deals with a second main character, that you only meet in the second book, so it'd have a bigger presence on the first season. It's not bad, even if it hurts the pacing a bit, but in my opinion it kind of spoils the sense of wonder you get in the first book, which was exclusively focused on Lyra.

I didn't know the series was out. I'll watch it (should be HBO in Spain) after I finish Lovecraft Country.

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Interesting. I'll definitely have to check it out. I'm fine with experimentation like that for a Television show since the medium requires different storytelling devices.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

First two episodes of the season were good. I like the actress they got to play Mary

 

[Viriditas]

I like the actress they got to play Mary

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Ooh same!

She was my fave from the books -- not in the sense of being the most exciting character, but rather the one I identify with the most -- so I was super looking forward to her introduction and I was not disappointed. I think the casting for this show has been pretty great overall.

Also I love the whole sequence when Lyra starts using the Cave. The changes in lighting, the music, Lyra's expressions and mannerisms -- most excellent. My feelings are adroitly moved.

Will's finely-tuned bullshit-detecting skills are gratifying. Grandma got precisely two missteps in before he fuckin' bolted. I cheered a little bit, lol.

Edit:

I think the casting for this show has been pretty great overall.

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Yeah I'm fully aware that this shit came outta my figurative mouth while Lin Manuel Miranda is arguably very miscast as Lee Scoresby.

But hear me out.

He...makes a damn sexy Scoresby. That's it, that's my rebuttal.

He's the Adam Driver to my John Oliver.

I can't look away.

 

[Viriditas]

Mrs. Coulter acts too much like Alice Morgan tho

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Haven't watched Luther, sorry. Ergo...

I see nothing wrong with this

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Also, I think I could watch her play this kind of character for a good long while. Kinda like Mads Mikkelsen in Hannibal. Don't overthink a good thing, I guess is what I'm trying to say. Her performance is captivating AF

 

[Deleted member 83599]

Like the books, I so badly want to love this show. The story is ambitious and the cosmology is fascinating.

But like the books, I find it all so stiff. Other than Mrs. Coulter, I've never found HDM's cast of characters particularly compelling. It always feels like they're being dragged along by the narrative instead of pushing it forward themselves.

I think they've made a number of very smart choices in the adaptation, most notably the incorporation of Will into the first season. But it's kind of disappointing that they haven't succeeded in making it more engaging than the books. I'm with it til the end for sure; I just wish I were enjoying it more.

Ruth Wilson is freaking great, though. Props to her.

 

[Pau]

Saw the first episode a few days ago. Will is absolutely adorable. Really excited for the rest of the season.

Spoiler: SERIES END SPOILERS PLS ONLY OPEN IF YOU FINISHED THE BOOKS

Spoiler: FINAL WARNING

I'm going to be absolutely destroyed by the ending, aren't I? Won't be able to look at a bench without crying.

Almost two decades after and I am still not over it. I think as I've gotten older I've gotten even more upset that Will and Lyra don't get their happy ending.

I still cry whenever I read this quote (even right now in posting it):

I will love you forever; whatever happens. Till I die and after I die, and when I find my way out of the land of the dead, I'll drift about forever, all my atoms, till I find you again… I'll be looking for you, every moment, every single moment. And when we do find each other again, we'll cling together so tight that nothing and no one'll ever tear us apart. Every atom of me and every atom of you… We'll live in birds and flowers and dragonflies and pine trees and in clouds and in those little specks of light you see floating in sunbeams… And when they use our atoms to make new lives, they won't just be able to take one, they'll have to take two, one of you and one of me, we'll be joined so tight…

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[Leeness]

Saw the first episode a few days ago. Will is absolutely adorable. Really excited for the rest of the season.

Spoiler: SERIES END SPOILERS PLS ONLY OPEN IF YOU FINISHED THE BOOKS

Spoiler: FINAL WARNING

I'm going to be absolutely destroyed by the ending, aren't I? Won't be able to look at a bench without crying.

Almost two decades after and I am still not over it. I think as I've gotten older I've gotten even more upset that Will and Lyra don't get their happy ending.

I still cry whenever I read this quote (even right now in posting it):

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Yeh.

Spoiler

Please don't quote the ending of Amber Spyglass as it makes me cry too much lol.

 

[Tochtli79]

Loved the books, liked the first season, really liked the season 2 premiere! I'll be hopefully watching episode 2 tomorrow. Really excited to see the rest of the story on the screen for the first time, can't wait for shit to get crazy.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

Hey, folx. I didn't read any posts yet, so I'd appreciate anyone quoting me for an answer to avoid spoilers. How is season 2 so far? I thought the first was okay, but nothing special. I also haven't read the books.

 

[Dr Doom]

liking the build up so far.

Episode 3.... alethiometer 2.0

 

[eyezsac]

Hey, folx. I didn't read any posts yet, so I'd appreciate anyone quoting me for an answer to avoid spoilers. How is season 2 so far? I thought the first was okay, but nothing special. I also haven't read the books.

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From someone that's read the books - the second season is definitely better and compelling than the first so far. Seen the first three eps here and I'm enjoying it a lot. The second season's expanded scope is working really nicely. Don't really think I can write more without spoiling it?

 

[Deleted member 17184]

From someone that's read the books - the second season is definitely better and compelling than the first so far. Seen the first three eps here and I'm enjoying it a lot. The second season's expanded scope is working really nicely. Don't really think I can write more without spoiling it?

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Thank you so much!

 

[Pau]

How are folks already on the third episode? I'm guessing HBO Max is behind?

 

[eyezsac]

How are folks already on the third episode? I'm guessing HBO Max is behind?

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Pretty sure they're watching from the UK - we're an episode ahead!

 

[Pau]

Pretty sure they're watching from the UK - we're an episode ahead!

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Ah gotcha. Jealous! ;-;

 

[Razmos]

Managed to watch the first 2 episodes of season 2 so far and enjoying it, Will and Lyra have some great moments so far

 

[AzorAhai]

This season has been getting better and better for me. The increased budget is doing wonders for atmosphere, scope and deamon interactions.

Spoiler: Episode 3 spoilers

Episode 3 was great, especially that Lee/Marisa scene. Not a fan of the way they adapted the alethiometer theft though.

I hope they stick the landing.

 

[Viriditas]

This season has been getting better and better for me. The increased budget is doing wonders for atmosphere, scope and deamon interactions.

Spoiler: Episode 3 spoilers

Episode 3 was great, especially that Lee/Marisa scene. Not a fan of the way they adapted the alethiometer theft though.

I hope they stick the landing.

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I know one of the criticisms mentioned here about the first season (and one which I share) is that they didn't show/flesh out enough the relationship between daemons and their humans.

Spoiler: S2 E3 Spoilers

Like when Lyra and Pan are let out of the cutting machine at Bolvangar, they should have immediately held each other close -- but instead, Lyra barely acknowledges him when she's freed, focusing nearly exclusively on Mrs. Coulter instead.

So I especially liked the Lee/Marisa scene because I think the aftermath -- their emotional reactions and trauma, echoed in and supported by their daemons -- was a big improvement on what we've mostly seen so far in this regard. When Mrs. Coulter is faced against the wall holding her daemon's hand, when Lee is on the floor while Hester nuzzles and consoles him -- that's something that's been sorely missing. Daemons aren't pets or familiars, they're part and parcel of someone's very soul.