His Dark Materials Season 2

[SimonJT]

(I didn’t see another thread)

Is anyone else watching?

[chillied]

She was removing cloud pine from the witches skin. In the books I got the impression that the cloud pine was the witches broom. In this TV adaptation the witches just fly and that scene showed the magical cloud pine as being part of them. Perhaps it was seen as a more family friendly form of torture?

[CaffiSaliMali]

Yes having read the books I also imagined the cloud pine as like a broom. At the Witches Consulate at Trollesund the Consul asks Lyra to identify which piece of cloud pine had been used by Serafina Pekkala and she identifies it correctly thanks to asking the alethiometer. So that suggests the cloud pine is external.

In the book Mrs Coulter tortures the witch on the boat by breaking her fingers. I guess that was a bit much for a pre watershed programme so they switched it to removing cloud pine from the skin instead.

[FlibbertyGiblets]

And so to tonight's episode. Packed in a LOT tonight.

I like Mary v much.

[CalmConfident]

Is no one watching this?!!

[CalmConfident]

I liked Mary too!

[ViSovari]

Mary was amazing! From that part of the episode onwards I was immersed totally and felt like I was living the books. So well done.

[Wtfdidwedo]

Absolutely loved this episode! So nice to watch a book adaptation done well.

[SallySaidHi]

Really enjoyed tonight's episode. A hugely ambitious production but they're pulling it off! My DC worked on it and I got to have a tour of the studio and the Cittagazze set, which was amazing.

[CrystalTits]

Felt like episode 2 really picked up the pace from last week. Absolutely love it in our household (3 x mid-late teens) and have been waiting all year for it to come back!

[SimonJT]

I agree, a much better pace last night,

[AaronPurr]

@SimonJT

I agree, a much better pace last night,

I agree. The first episode felt very slow and the recap took up quite a lot of time. Although I understand why they included it. Last nights episode was a much better pace and Mary was very was brilliant.

[nibdedibble]

Only seen ep 1 of new series but Cittagazze was exactly like I’d imagined! And I think the cartoonish aspect of the daemons in S1 has been toned down. I felt they really fucked up the daemons previously, the biggest visual gift any adaptation could be given, but iirc the producers said it was down to cash, animation is expensive etc.

Whoever the team is that does art direction and costume: they are amazing. Every set is perfect.

I always thought Will was a bit older in the books? Agree, the actor’s really good. So is Lyra.

[GrishainDisguise]

DS and I love it. He would really love to know Lee Scoresby's fate, so I had to bite my tongue.

So sad that they could not do the standalone Asriel episode, it would probably help to set up the next season.

Since I realised that Will Keen (Father MacPhail) is Dafne Keen's (Lyra) father, I can see the resemblance.

[HesterLee]

I've used this username for years on various message boards. My two favourite characters.
This adaptation is just wonderful and so far each character fits in with the way I imagined them from the books.

[Wtfdidwedo]

Now you've said that HesterLee did anyone used to be on the Bridge to the Stars forums back in the day? I think it was probably early 2000s that I used to post there.

[EwwDavid]

Lots more going on in this episode. Some additions not in the book - will meeting his grandparents, the whole storyline with the magisterium. This wasn’t in the books at all, but I suppose it adds a lot more background and shows the power of the magisterium.

Will is a fabulous actor, I can’t wait to see him show the struggles and growth he goes through. Lyra is a good actress but I’m not getting the rude, savage, rough little girl vibes that were so prevalent in the book.

[AlexaShutUp]

DD and I love it. It's so well done, but I can't bear having to wait a whole week for the next episode!

This is the BBC at its best!

[HesterLee]

Can't say I remember that one Wtfdidwedo

[PoulePouletteEternellement]

Aha! I was about to say I don't remember Will going to meet his grandparents in the book. Glad it wasn't my memory that was wrong! But it worked perfectly well on screen.

It's interesting - both Will (who is beyond splendid) and Lyra look slightly but discernibly older now, so their words carry even more weight and they seem to have more agency.

The whole thing is remarkably beautiful, and a much better depiction than anything I'd imagined. Just wish there wasn't a week between episodes.

[Stradivari]

@PoulePouletteEternellement yes, the frustration of weekly waits is something I haven’t had in a very long time!

[Merlincat07]

I really like this season but I wish they would stop finishing Mrs Coulter's scenes with Ruth Wilson striding down corridors towards the camera in slow motion.

[LaBelleSauvage123]

Physically, Mary Malone is exactly as I pictured her when reading the books - I mean absolutely exactly. I don’t think that’s ever happened to me before. I’m loving this second series even more than the first - that moment on the bench!

[scissy]

Confession time - I haven't read the books
However this series is a brilliant piece of TV in its own right. I'm really enjoying S2 so far (and enjoyed S1). For those who said episode 1 felt slow, the truth is I didn't watch the first series again in anticipation so the pace felt perfect to ease me back into the story. Maybe I'll get round to reading them as a comparison at the end .

[PoulePouletteEternellement]

That'll be interesting, scissy - you'll already 'know' what the characters look like and how they navigate their environments.

I found the books weirdly hypnotic - their effect on my psyche was much stronger than the mere words on the page ought to have been. I find myself missing their atmosphere and needing to reread them not infrequently.

My very favourite episodes and characters haven't appeared on screen yet - I'm trusting that I'll be awed and overwhelmed.

[superoz]

Not sure what the addition of the grandparents were for other than to signpost Will was wanted by the police.
Had to do a double take of Mary Malone, she looks like a younger Susan Sarandon!