His Dark Materials

[AllGoodDogs]

New BBC adaptation, looks so good, can't wait trailer here -

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10162256439035553&id=683285552&sfnsn=mo

I’m more bothered how nippy the traffic is in ‘our’ Oxford. I’m unfazed by the lack of racial cohesiveness among the Gyptians or Boreal’s distracting good looks and inter world coffee habit or the fact that Lyra’s not dirty blonde or Asriel looking more like an antsy postgrad with a chapter due, but buses belting up and down St Aldates’? Seriously???

I’ve never met or conversed with a single other human being who’s even aware of The Three Hostages, never mind secretly casting the adaptation.

We read it at school. I can't remember much of the story though! Should revisit.

Boreal popping into other worlds for a coffee? Classic Boreal.

I was expecting the monkey to grab the children's letters and throw them into the fire.

Overall I'm enjoying it. Especially Mrs Coulter's apartment and her clothes! The biggest problem as PP have said is the human/daemon relationship, it's really not well established at all.

Only just realised there's a thread on here! I've found my people!

I'm enjoying it so far. Questionable casting choices though. Mrs Coulter is perfect but I always pictured Lord Asriel as bigger (than James McAvoy), wider shoulders and taller, so not sure about the casting there. Also while I like Anne Marie Duff as an actress, she wasn't the Ma Costa I imagined.

Other than that though, I really like it. I disagree about the relationship between people and daemons being unestablished - it was explained at the start of the first episode that they are a persons soul in animal form, its been mentioned by Lyra and Pan that they can't go too far from each other (both being shocked that the golden monkey can be in a separate room to Mrs C) and when Mrs Coulter's daemon attacks Pan, its clear its painful for Lyra.. just my opinion though. If they get the chance to make book 2, they might cover it in more detail during the bits with Iofur Raknison.

I think they're doing a better job than with the film, at the very least.

I can't wait to see who is cast as the Gallivespians.

I think they're doing a better job than with the film, at the very least.

In all fairness the film set a very very low bar. They'd have to do something pretty drastic to end up with a worse result than the film.

I think that they need to make more of the daemons during book 1 though chevalier. Otherwise people are going to miss the horror of what’s happening in this book.

There is a bit of it woven into the bear story — what's he's prepared to do to get a daemon of his own.

Also the alethiometer is quite definitely round, not square as depicted, such a pointless change.

YY. I couldn't remember if it was described as round in the books, but that's definitely how I imagined it. I saw it as rounded and tactile, soft gold that wamred in the hands, that felt natural and comfortable to hold. This one looks like cheap brass and awkward to hold. The film one was much more how I imagined it.

The alethiometer was such a magical object in the book, I wish they had got it right in this adaptation.

It should be extremely covetable... this one isn't. It looks too much like a ship's rather drab navigation instrument.

Just read the BBC link a PP had given - the bit that tickled my fancy was that they gave Mrs Coulter (who I think it very well cast) a female-appearing monkey (and I quote) "because of male genitalia - not going to lie"

I'd never even given this a thought, but when I did, I really am glad that there weren't monkeydanglies all over the screen!

I read somewhere that they deliberately changed the shape of the alethiometer to make it look more like a mobile phone - more relatable apparently.

Oh FFS!

I read somewhere that they deliberately changed the shape of the alethiometer to make it look more like a mobile phone - more relatable apparently.

FFS I hope that's not true. I always imagined it like a beautiful large gold pocket watch. I agree the one in this adaptation is ugly.

I always imagined it like a beautiful large gold pocket watch.

Yup!

And I second the FFS!

I read somewhere that they deliberately changed the shape of the alethiometer to make it look more like a mobile phone - more relatable apparently.

Yes. I often find myself whipping out my phone to establish the truth. It is also solid gold. Obvs.

And anyway - the whole point of Lyra’s relationship with the alethiometer is that it is unique - she is unique amongst children in her ability to read it. It isn’t supposed to be relatable - the opposite, in fact!

She does end up finding it an object of comfort though.
I'm hoping that's not spolierish unless someone is assuming that she ditches it into the nearest bin

We got a bit nt that it might become useful after she asked it about finding Roger and then flung it across the floor in frustration and while she was crying/sulking, the camera panned to the alethiometer which was whirring and doing something, but only we saw, Lyra didn't notice.

We got a bit of a hint...

(It cannot be more useless than my autocorrect.)

I agree about the alethiometer!!

Just finishing reading The Subtle Knife.

Hurry up and get strictly finished...need episode 3 !

Where are their bloody daemons?? This is infuriating.

So a massive book 2 reveal just casually thrown into episode 3?!

Well, there it is... John Parry 🙄 It's just too early for me, it's bordering on spoiling it and I'm trying so hard to see it separately from the incredible stories Phillip Pullman wove.

Agree all the Parry stuff is being introduced far too early.