Review of Season One of “His Dark Materials”

Season one of His Dark Materials, based on The Northern Lights/The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman has completed its run on the BBC and on HBO, and they didn’t alter the ending! Overall, season one was a great adaptation to the books and some of the “fillers” worked well for the narrative that was presented to the audience. Readers got to enjoy scenes that were denied to them from the 2007 movie and viewers were able to grasp the demeanor of all of the characters thanks to both the actors’ portrayals of the characters and the “fillers” which were added for additional context. 

            It should be mentioned that the TV mini-series was a better adaptation than the movie, but this is due to the fact that neither the studios, nor the test audience (these are based on rumors, which have circulated over and over again) interfered with the editing of the series. The order of the events presented matched the way they occurred in the books, the “true” ending of season one ended the way it does in the books, and the revelations of what was happening to the missing children weren’t glossed over. Yes, the movie did get a lot of things right, and those were repeated in the series, but the TV series is more in tandem with the books.

            The issues I have with the series so far should be mentioned as well. First, is the aging up of some of the younger characters. Lyra, Roger, and Billy were all close to the age of the characters they portrayed (between 10 and 12 years-old), but Will Parry was aged up to 15 years-old (he’s around 12-13 years-old when readers first meet him). I want to say this was because of the age of the actor who is portraying Will, but it’s difficult to determine whether or not this is the case. Yes, there have been some cases in which the age of the character(s) have been altered due to the actors that play them, but there have been even more examples of when it’s happened because the studio(s) believe it’ll make the narrative “more believable.” If it’s the former, then I have no complaint; but if it’s the latter, then they should stop making it so obvious. 

            Next, were the ways the proximity of daemons were presented to the viewers. While in the books, it is unclear what the actual distance a human can be “away” from their daemon, it is clear that the proximity has to be very close in order for human and daemon to maintain their bond and their lives. However, there are moments when the proximity is unclear and that is due to the way some of daemons are presented. Sometimes they are far enough for the individual not to experience pain, and then they are so far away that you wonder whether or not they could be similar to a witch’s daemon. I hope the network and the studio corrects this misconception for season two because it became very confusing between each episode. 

            Last, was the way Dust is presented throughout the season. The mystery of Dust was portrayed better than the knowledge of it. The explanation provided in the season finale is straight from the books, but the “danger” of someone outside of Jordan College and the Magisterium having knowledge of what Dust is—which, was presented better in the movie—wasn’t demonstrated in the series the way it should have been, in my opinion. Then again, Dust is supposed to be remain a mystery throughout the series until the end. 

            Besides the casting and the special effects, there were several things that I enjoyed about season one from the titles of the episodes—based on chapters in the books—to the way the parental figures were portrayed in the series. Presenting both Mrs. Coulter and Mrs. Parry as “damaged” individuals who try to balance their demeanor with their desire to be mothers to their children was presented extremely well. The issue of succession and power amongst the panserbjørne and the Magisterium—which, are both essential to the plot of the story—were presented (with the details given throughout the books) with the hypocrisy immensely. And, the motives of Lord Asriel and his reasons for doing everything he does comes back full circle. Lord Asriel is what keeps the narrative moving along and the series makes sure that the viewers do not forget it. Yet, it was Ruth Wilson’s portrayal of Mrs. Coulter that grasped the viewers’ attention the most. 

            Overall, season one of His Dark Materials was the adaptation fans of the books waited for patiently, and the wait was worth it. All of the details that were omitted from the 2007 movie were included, the pacing matched the books and were appropriate for a TV mini-series, and the inclusion of source material from other books in the Philip Pullman’s universe—both The Book of Dust and The Subtle Knife—enriched the narrative more than expected and it worked well for the audience, both readers and viewers. Season two was announced by the BBC (with HBO promising to continue showing the series in the U.S.), which is great because this news is what book fans have been waiting for the most! The adaptation of The Subtle Knife will not only continue Lyra’s story, but also continue the narrative from the multiple cliffhangers this time around. Yes, the books should be read, but knowing that the mini-series will continue makes book fans as excited as the viewers more than anyone else can imagine! 

If you want the reviews of each episode, then you can click on each of the episode titles below:

S1, Ep.1: Lyra’s Jordan

S1, Ep. 2: The Idea of North

S1, Ep. 3: The Spies

S1, Ep. 4: Armour

S1, Ep. 5: The Lost Boy

S1, Ep. 6: The Daemon-Cages

S1, Ep. 7: The Fight to the Death

S1, Ep. 8: Betrayal

My Rating: 8.5 out of 10! 

TV Episode Review: “His Dark Materials: Betrayal”

The season finale of Season One begins with both Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel—Lyra’s parents—preparing for what they’ve been planning for since the first episode. The former is planning to kill Lord Asriel under the orders of the Magisterium, and the latter is planning something that involves the aurora—a.k.a. the northern lights—and this involves his strange interest in Roger. 

            Lyra’s reunion and confrontation with her father does not go the way she wants it to go. Lord Asriel admits that he is Lyra’s father, but he’s not going to be the sort of father she wants him to be. Meanwhile, Mrs. Coulter admits that her abandoning Lyra was a mistake and she’s been trying to rectify it. Lyra goes from being an orphan to knowing she’s an abandoned child, and she doesn’t know how to deal with either the knowledge or the rejection of it. It is Roger who comforts her when she doesn’t know how to deal with her feelings. Roger tells Lyra that they can “pretend to be orphans” again, knowing life for them has changed and things won’t ever be the same. 

            Lord Asriel makes the decision to explain to Lyra the purpose of his research and his reason for him being absent. The discussion of Dust and its origins comes from the novel. The Magisterium believes that Dust is Original Sin and that it begins to affect humans once they start puberty. Lyra begins to understand why the Magisterium conducted the experiments on the missing children, and Lord Asriel explains his beliefs on Dust and his discovery about the aurora and Dust—it can build a bridge between worlds. He asks Lyra if she wants to go with him, but Lyra has already decided to return to Jordan College with Roger. 

            Meanwhile, Lord Carlo Boreal continues his search for the Parrys and the letters. Will is hiding in town knowing that the police are looking for him because of the man he killed. What Will doesn’t know is that the reason he’s being tracked is because Lord Carlo Boreal is using the police to find him. It’s interesting how far the power of the Magisterium stretches across the worlds. Will manages to stay hidden, but he knows that it’s only a matter of time before he’s found, and he needs to hide somewhere where no one can find him. 

            Lyra wakes up when the Magisterium has arrived to arrest her father, but her father has already left taking Roger with him to the peak of the mountain. Lyra realizes that her father didn’t need the alethiometer, but Roger. Lord Asriel needed a child whose daemon hasn’t settled yet in order to use the energy from the bond to create a bridge. Similar to how Mrs. Coulter wouldn’t sacrifice Lyra to the intercision, Lord Asriel refused to sacrifice Lyra. This could be viewed as a twisted type of love parents have for their child.  

            Lyra rushes to save Roger. She dodges the Magisterium’s attacks thanks to Iorek Byrinison and the other panserbjørnes; however, not even Iorek can travel across the thin bands of ice. Lyra Silvertongue says goodbye to Iorek not knowing what will happen once she reaches the top. Pantalaimon tells Lyra that Roger is in a cage similar to the one at The Station and Lyra knows what her father plans to do. Unfortunately, she’s too late. Lord Asriel creates the bridge at the cost of the life of his daughter’s best friend. 

            Mrs. Coulter arrives too late as well, but she resists her orders to kill her former lover. Lord Asriel tells her of his plans to end the Magisterium and asks her to join him. It’s a brief, yet strange, reconciliation between Lyra’s parents (in which, Lyra witnesses firsthand in the book). However, Mrs. Coulter rejects Lord Asriel in order to stay with Lyra. Lyra regains consciousness in time to avoid her mother and she goes to say goodbye to Roger. Lyra decides that she needs to find Dust before her father and the Magisterium. At the same time, Will goes to the park, the same one where Lord Carlo Boreal travels from, where he finds a cat that disappears into thin air. Lyra and Will go through the bridges at the same time not knowing where they’ll end up. 

            Betrayal is an appropriate season finale because it wraps up all of the plots throughout the season going back to the events of the first episode. All of the questions asked from that first episode are answered. The deviation from the books works for this episode as well because it fits with the adaptation presented to us by the BBC and HBO. The only question left is “what happens next?” There will be a season two, which will be based on The Subtle Knife. Hopefully, the next season will continue to follow the darker tones left by season one.

My Rating: 9.0 out of 10. 

TV Episode Review: “Deadly Class: Kids of the Black Hole”

Note: There are some minor spoilers in this review. You have been warned. 

            It’s the buildup to the final showdown and the kids decide to have fun before the big fight, which is during Christmas Break. Chester has gathered his posse at the house he has taken over and continues his torture, with Chico’s head still in the ice. Saya is able to track down Chester to his hideout, which he’s turned into a fortress. Chester is expecting a retaliation from Marcus and his friends for his actions. Marcus has been making plans in order to get revenge and to prove his conviction. 

            When Willie decides not to take any part of the upcoming showdown between Marcus and his former roommate, it’s a reminder to the audience that the characters do have a choice to their actions. Maria and Marcus made decisions because they believed they didn’t have a choice. Saya chooses her friends over the assignment Master Lin gives her. Willie does have a choice and his decision to leave is vital; at the same time, we know that Willie isn’t one to abandon his friends completely. 

            Meanwhile, Master Lin’s efforts to protect his family has reached its end. Yes, he didn’t want his daughter to have the same upbringing and lifestyle as his sister and Saya, but he underestimated the need for his family to be able to defend themselves. It is not clear who tipped off Chico’s father and the rest of the Cartel, but the cliché narrative about the consequences of secrets and making the decision that should have been made in the first place will play out in the season finale. 

            Kids of the Black Holegives viewers the title of the episode. The lifestyle of assassins sucks people into a vortex. And, when presented with the opportunity to avoid that vortex, the decision to either go in, or stay out can be a matter of life and death. And, like with every decision every character has made throughout this season, there will be consequences for all of those involved. 

TV Episode Review: “Deadly Class: Rise Above”


            This episode is about revelations. Viewers learn about what happened to both Marcus and “F**kface” at the shelter, Maria’s “ranking” within the Cartel and how her troubles are not over, and Master Lin’s (family) secret. While the conflicts involve the outside world, everything still revolves around Kings Dominion. Marcus, Saya and Billy hunt for “F**kface” with one of their teachers; Maria continues to play her role within the Cartel by pretending to grieve for Chico and following his father’s quest for vengeance; and, how and why Master Lin kept his family hidden away from his sister. 

            Readers and viewers are treated to another motion comic about Marcus and “F**kface’s” relationship and why Marcus made his decisions when he escaped. However, things did not go as planned and Marcus is still dealing with the consequences, which have carried over into his school. The motion comic serves two purposes. One is to limit the live action violence. And two, to provide content from the graphic novel, directly. Readers get the “straight from the pages” content and viewers get more of the artistic style and the narrative structure of this series.

            The consequences of Chico’s murder are split into twofold. Marcus, worried about what his former roommate will do, puts together an excursion with his friends and his teacher in order to track him down, which they do. However, and for TV purposes, “F**kface” escapes, but knows he’s being hunted. At the same time, Maria continues to lie to save herself. Unfortunately, she is unable to let her schoolmates, who are not members of the Cartel, know what is going on. So, her actions by the end of the episode will single her out due to all the secrecy. Finally, Master Lin is avoiding his familial responsibilities, with good reason. He allows his emotions to cloud his thinking and his sister discovers Master Lin’s life outside of Kings Dominion. 

            Rise Aboveis an interesting buildup to the upcoming season finale. And, while it’s obvious what is going to happen with one of the storylines, it is difficult to imagine how the other two conflicts get resolved by then. Revelations and its consequences were central to this episode, but that doesn’t mean that it stops within this episode. Outside groups are interfering with the structure of Kings Dominion, so it’ll be interesting to see how the school responds to these outsiders. 

TV Episode Review: “Deadly Class: Stigmata Martyr”


            The fun ends and the consequences are mounting up in this follow up episode. A student died—due to “unknown circumstances”—and Kings Dominion is investigating because the family of the student wants to know what happened, which is understandable. However, no one is talking and the school, and the student’s crew, is losing patience. 

            The school administration conducts the investigation into how and why the student was killed off campus and why the body has not been found (a change from the graphic novel). In addition, the investigation observes the conduct of all of the classes and since it’s being done subtlety, some of the instructors find themselves in a position of compromise. One class in particular may or may not get a new instructor. 

            Maria, feeling both guilt and relief, decides she doesn’t need her medication anymore. This is a bad idea for several reasons the most obvious being that her behavior keeps changing and everyone at the school is watching her. A combination of emotions and mental health, including trauma, is not good for Maria. At the same time, Marcus’ former roommate, who survived the fire also, continues his desperation to gaining what he believed Marcus “stole” from him. Now, that someone outside of the school knows about the events in Las Vegas and the school’s existence, Marcus and his friends have to figure out a way to make another problem go away.

            In all, Stigmata Martyrreminds viewers that there are rules, consequences and conduct associated within a school, even ones for assassins. The fighting sequence on the school grounds was one of the episode’s highlights as well as Billy’s temperament in one of his classes. Marcus, Saya, Maria and Billy handle the circumstances in their own way, which makes us realize that they’re slowly becoming desensitized to murder. Yet, the friends will need to be desensitized in order to be ready for what’s about to come. 

TV Episode Review: “Deadly Class: Saudade”


            This episode was taken straight from the graphic novel! Anyone who has read the series knows what to expect from this episode of the television adaptation, and readers will not be disappointed. Yes, there was one minor change from the graphic novel for the episode, but the change and the foreshadowing was well done in this episode. Once again, readers know what to expect before the viewers.

The visuals of this episode are what make it worth watching. The hallucinations Marcus has throughout the episode, the scenery of Las Vegas in the 1980s, and the fight scene at the end illustrate the efforts in the cinematography. I have not seen a drugged scene play out so well on television since BoJack Horseman. Marcus’ “trip” lasts throughout most of the episode, which means viewers get a mural from Marcus rather than a soliloquy.

            The main theme surrounding this episode was victims of abuse. While it’s obvious that Marcus and his friends all have baggage from their pasts, we learn of the affects on other victims of abuse, and why their pent up emotions could have devastating, yet understanding effects. Marcus’ drug trip puts him out of commission for most of the episode, so the focus is more on Billy and Maria. It was Billy’s idea to take a road trip to Las Vegas in order to kill his father. And, Maria is making her plans for disappearing from Chico—and his family—permanently. The literal demons attack Marcus, Billy and Maria leading to some heart-wrenching consequences for them and their classmates.

            Saudadereturns the story back to the graphic novels. Now that the fillers provided more insight into each of the main characters, the school, and Marcus, viewers and fans have a better understanding of what to expect for the rest of the season. And, as of right now, viewers have seen the murders committed by 3 students (on screen), the death of 2 students, and the journey of the single psychopath who is getting closer and closer to our protagonist.    

TV Episode Review: “Deadly Class: Mirror People”


            This episode diverted from the overused references of 1980s pop culture, finally. Instead, viewers learned more about the students at Kings Dominion. Similar to The Breakfast Club, different students, including Marcus, find themselves in detention for their actions during the school dance. Only, this episode does not end with reconciliation and understanding.

            Mirror Peoplefocuses on Saya, Billy, and Chico. Saya and Chico find themselves in a weekend’s long detention with Marcus and a few of their other classmates, and they decide to break into the “Confiscation Room” for some fun. The students suddenly find themselves under attack; they soon realize that it’s not a “test,” but a real attack. Saya recognizes the attackers immediately, but is willing to fight back in order to protect her classmates who have become innocent bystanders. Saya is the target, but for some reason she isn’t ready to forgo her education to leave with them willingly.

            In the midst of the attack, Chico continues to show his true demeanor. He allows one of his classmates to die, he leaves the other two to bleed out, and he locks Saya and Marcus within the dungeon in order to save himself and to forgo his remaining punishment. All of his actions are noticed by his classmates and Master Lin, but viewers are left wondering if Chico is acting on his instincts, or if he’s really afraid of not living up to his family’s potential as a member of the Cartel. 

            Away from the Detention Crew, viewers learn more about Billy and how he ended up at Kings Dominion. Billy’s father is involved with some dangerous people everyone is familiar with, but he’s incompetent with his responsibilities to his job and his family. Billy’s actions determines the treatment of his mother and his brother, at least that’s what he allows himself to believe. This storyline will pickup in the next episode, but viewers are left wondering whether or not parents are responsible for their children’s circumstances. Family expectations and upbringing are the subplots of this episode. 

            In all, Mirror People is the turning point to this series. While Kings Dominion is a school, it is a school that trains future assassins. And, because the parents—those who have them—enroll their children within the school, their families know the school’s location. This means that whenever something happens, the students are not safe. Viewers knew that anything could happen to the characters outside of the school, but now they know that anything can and will happen inside the school. Also, now that a student has died within the school from outside forces, viewers are left wondering which of the main characters will be the first to die.