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

It’s a long time since I read the first 3 books but I don’t remember the “crossing” they’ve just been discussing.

Ok, I’ve googled. I need to read the second two books again.

And there’s Will!

Too soon!

Oh no! I’m not watching yet but - Will??? Already? There’s no Will in the publicity for this series, is there?

So is the plan to run their two stories concurrently?

I don’t understand why they’re doing it this way. Surely you’d begin season 2 with Will travelling to Cittagazze and the audience learning about his past/connection to Lyra’s world as he does? What will be the point if we know it all already?

I agree, I'm struggling to see what'll be left to tell if they keep running the two stories so closely together and giving away all the best reveals from the second book.

Ok I'm going to say it. I can't be the only person who thinks this is all abit shit?

I just don't care about any of them. And I adore the books.

Intrusive music. Gyptians like New Agers (what was that footstamping malarkey?). Lyra has no charm. At this point, Mrs Coulter is by far the best thing it has going for it.

So disappointed

I haven’t read the books but I’m really not enjoying this

Lyra just reminds me of Greta Thunberg

I don’t mind the introduction of Will etc. The adaptation is His Dark Materials, not Northern Lights. If they already have another season ordered, I dare say they didn’t want to start it concentrating on one new character and have people asking what had happened to Lyra! I remember that’s how the Subtle Knife started, and I didn’t particularly like it.

I used to get really annoyed when film/tv adaptations of beloved books changed things around. Then I saw the first couple of Harry Potter films that are basically filmed chapter for scene from the books. And they were terrible! What works in a book or a book series doesn’t necessarily work well on screen. As long as they don’t change major storylines (eg if they’d said Lyra was really the daughter of Ma Costa or something), I’m happy for them to juggle the order of events.

Not happy with the crappy alethiometer though.

Ok so the daemon disappearing is exactly how I've always imagined it. That's a tick in the box for me.

@BuckingFrolics I can totally see where you're coming from. I do think there's some incredible acting going on but the Lyra of the books is so cheeky and spirited and naive and worldly all at once that it's hard to see her onscreen in quite the right way.

Is there confirmation that there are three seasons of this? Starting to wonder whether there will be two 8 episode seasons instead and that's why it's all mashed together.

I've not read the books but I'm happy to say that I'm liking this

Appalling adaptation. They have added so much stuff not in book. This is why reading the books first is so important. The series is utter bilge.

I have read all the books but I have no clue who any of you lot are getting all het up about!

I only recall Lyra, Pan, Mrs Coulter and the Polar Bear!

I have no idea how you recall it all in so much detail!

I gave it a chance. But i'm not even sure I want to watch next weeks episode. It's so out of step with the original story, introducing Will before we've even met Iorek Byrnison, it's just farcical.

A lot of people suffer from S.A.D, Seasonal affective disorder during the winter months. I'm suffering from my own version this winter, Shockingly Absent Daemons.

I mean where the heck are they. For most of this episode they were missing. There were periods of 10 minutes or more which featured no Deamons. Daemons are an integral part of the story line, why should I care about what's happening in the North if I don't understand or relate to the connection between Daemon and human.

I thought it would be difficult to do worse than the film adaptation, but this series is doing a pretty good job of trying to fuck up more than the film.

I can see how the Parry timeline overlaps into Northern Lights. This feels a bit early to introduce as there's not that much to feed in until the two plots converge after the Northern Lights plot.

I'm enjoying it. It's a difficult, complex story to adapt and do justice to and I think it's a good job.

I've read the books a few times and I'm enjoying this series

Finally something apart from Jurassic Park and Outnumbered that we can watch with both our sons (9 & 15) and everyone enjoys.

Why are we still waiting to meet Serafina Pekkala?!

I think Lord boreal is AMAZING! A great level of menace and suaveness. I have known a few black and Asian guys from extremely wealthy families (worked as a lawyer in Magic Circle law firms so an obvious career to be pushed into) and while it certainly wouldn’t protrct them from pure institutional or common or garden racism (of which there is too much), in social settings, they had a truly hypnotic charm. Much more than the equivalent posh white guys ive known (of which there were far too many). I really enjoy seeing him n the role and properly owning it.

I was initially surprised by the casting, but he is doing the role brilliantly. The parking clamp following the tickets has amused me. Good job the warden's not around for their own wellbeing

I'm gutted. I loved the books so much that I suppose this was bound to be a disappointment. It's actually BORING in lots of places when it really shouldn't be. And some of the acting is really wooden... a bit British Thespian. But my main objection is all the massive bloody plot reveals!

It is interesting that people who haven't read the books seem to be enjoying it more. I actually think it's better to watch a TV/film adaptation first, when you can enjoy it for what it is, and then read the book which is usually much better and richer.

@Piggywaspushed, I’m with you! I can barely remember it after reading it years ago. I’m enjoying it though and my 2DD (young teens) are able to follow it too. I don’t think we need to see daemons in every scene, we know they are there.

Will? Where?