His Dark Materials Season 2

[SimonJT]

(I didn’t see another thread)

Is anyone else watching?

[purpleme12]

While I probably don't quite get everything in the programme I don't think it detracts from the enjoyment. (Haven't read the books but tempted to now)
I did cry at Lee and Hester dying
I thought it was really creepy at the end when she had Lyra in the box
I thought it was a good ending and made you really want to watch the next series and see what happens

[stumbledin]

Sorry, have realised more and more that I jumble things up in tv series. Is it any wonder I get confused.

Yes I meant Witches, but that was also because I first respond to costume and so on. Not saying they had to be all dark and dingy, but my response was "fairies".

Beginning to think I need to have hyperlinks available when watching shows. Then I could freeze the story, click on an active link for a character and get a quick reminder.

I was often distracted when watching but the sets and costumes ... !

[PoulePouletteEternellement]

The script written for John Parry was a bit of a weakness, definitely. Just gave him very little to use to convey genuine feeling. Will dominated their scenes together.

(And that bullet would surely have gone straight through both of them!)

[LaBelleSauvage123]

Came on here to see if there had been any discussion of Andrew Scott’s portrayal of John Parry. DS and I found this the only disappointing part of the series - why was he so monotone? To be honest I think he is physically wrong for the part - I visualised John Parry as a larger, more imposing man - but he’s such a good actor that he could have got over that with a more imposing performance. DS was making jokes about him being stoned all the way through his scenes and he did come across as a faded hippy rather than the awe-inspiring figure I’d imagined from the book.

[PoulePouletteEternellement]

Presumably the pp meant Angels? Or witches?

[Belepheron]

What fairies??

[PoulePouletteEternellement]

Think we were meant to notice that, Isola.

[IsolaPribby]

Have just caught up this evening. I thought the scene where Lee and Hester die very sad.

Did anyone else notice how the Magisterium soldiers looked very similar to Nazi soldiers?

[stumbledin]

[ImAllOut]

From my memory of the books, all that stuff is not actually explained in great detail until the final book. In fact the TV series shows more of the Magisterium than I remember being in the books, but it's been about 15 years since I read them last.

I would imagine any fan sites would give away quite a lot of spoilers about the Amber Spyglass and the later books unfortunately!

[stumbledin]

I suppose what I meant was something quickly explained the Magisterium their powers, the rebellions, and then the other worlds of Fairies, how the interact. Like a quick history.

I know I struggle with remembering everything delivered via dialogue.

Even in the White Queen when in theory I knew the history I sort of hoped they would keep a little family tree on display in one corner so I could be reminded of who was related or married to who, and who moved up the line of sucession after each death!

Maybe there's a fan site where this has been done?

And yes, maybe as suggested up thread COVID did disrupt the original plan for how the series would end.

[trickyex]

ShowofHands thank you for the explanation.
I didnt really notice the lack of speech until DS pointed it out and then it bugged me!

[AaronPurr]

Beginning to think adaptation like this need some sort of quick briefing before they start, ideally with diagrams and maps, to explain the world(s).

I understand where you're coming from, but I don't think it would be possible to give any more information than they already have done, especially not as a quick briefing. The books were released between 1995 - 2000 so people have had a long time to read them. I know they won't be for everyone, and heck even those who have read them will have struggled to understand parts or missed key information, so a TV adaptation trying to summerize the events was never going to be easy.

[scissy]

Haven't read the books either @stumbledin and agree on the two in the balloon! However I'll give them that the ending did feel rushed compared to the rest - hearing they had to cut it short due to COVID (It is telling that the last few mins are individual shots) I'm guessing they lost an episode?

[stumbledin]

As one of those who haven't read the books, I am beginning to feel that hard as the BBC has tried it obviously haven't conveyed all the feelings let alone ideas of the book(s).

And the men in the balloon who I found boring last week I am afraid to say didn't move me that much this week . Will's dad just seemed a failure (have never rated the acto that much so could be that). Poor Will, all this effort to find his dad and this is all he got. And the Lee Scorsby character was just a pantomime figure. Was sadder for the rabbit / hare than him!

I find both Will and Laura believable, and really wanted to get more in touch with the fairies but didn't.

Beginning to think adaptation like this need some sort of quick briefing before they start, ideally with diagrams and maps, to explain the world(s).

Now I feel its just turned into one of those perilous journeys, like the Hobbit (or do I mean Lord of the Rings).

Sigh.

[Castiel07]

That was a very sad episode, I was gutted that Lee with Hester died.
What a series though, and considering covid they did bloody well!

[Newgirls]

Ah makes sense if they had to lose filming time

[CountFosco]

Oh, the relationship between Mrs Coulter and her dæmon is so interesting, particularly having read the later books. And I like Lin Manuel Miranda as Lee, it makes sense to have a Hispanic Texan and he brought a warmth to the role I liked.

Hope they get to film series 3 soon, it has been so brilliant and I don't want the child actors to grow too old before it finishes, they have been so fab. Bloody Covid.

[CountFosco]

In the books we don't see Mary Maloney or Mrs Coulter in Citagazze itself, we just see them in that world. But I quite like that we are seeing stuff that's consistent with the main story but that fills out the background in the books.

DD1 (13) has read the first book but not the second, she said to me last week 'they better not kill Lee' and she needed lots of cuddles while we were watching it poor thing. In the book you can stop reading at that point but in the series it went straight to the next death. It's pretty bleak really. Then that quick flash of Roger at the end .

[JayAlfredPrufrock]

Hello Nettle. I’m re reading the books. There is a lot that has been changed. I don’t remember Mrs Coulter being in Cittagazze for a start.

[Nettleskeins]

Asriel is like a noble "good" Lucifer talking to the other fallen angels in what looks like smoky burnt out "hell" scenery.
Tbh I don't remember much of this from book.
Have they translated themes into visual images?
And Mrs Coulter certainly didn't put Lyra in a trunk? The beginning of Amber Spyglass is her in a cave dreaming. The trunk is very repressive image. Must go and check the book!!

[Nettleskeins]

Ruth Wilson's Mrs Coulter is more and more compelling. The bit with monkey scared of the spectres and her telling him to stop whingeing this constant battle with her own instincts, sometimes good sometimes bad instincts.
Felt very sorry for Will, so long waiting for father to look after him and hand over responsibility for his vulnerable mother only to be told he had an enormous NEW responsibility as knife bearer. Felt quite cross with the father and Scott flat tones.
MacAvoy was wonderful in voiceover. Milton and Paradise Lost.

[JayAlfredPrufrock]

It was Lee and Hester’s death that made me understand dust.

Don’t we read of their souls joining in the stream of dust?

[longtompot]

From the book

"Lee saw the fireball and head through the roar in his ears Hester saying, "That's the last of 'em Lee."
He said, or thought, "Those poor men didn't have to come to this, nor did we."
She said, "We held 'em off. We held out. We're a-helping Lyra."
Then she was pressing her little proud broken self against his face, as close as she could get, and then they died.”

I utterly sobbed when I read this and could read no more

[BogRollBOGOF]

I was pre-armed with a box of tissues as I can never get through certain chapters with a dry eye. Meanwhile trigger-happy DS next to me witters on about rifle calibres!

It looked earlier in the series like the young, jilted witch was set up to reappear in this episode, but Covid cutting it to 7 episodes would make sense to the way it was done. It wasn't critical, although Will was enraged that his father was killed out of thrawted love just as he finally found him.

Bloody good series. It's hard to bring alive a complex book with a loyal fan base and the tweaks along the way feel in keeping with it. It's well set up for the Amber Spyglass.

There is an explanation in the book that John Parry became lost in a blizzard, went through the window and simply could not find it again.

Roger will become clear next time...