His Dark Materials Season 3 starts sunday 18 December 2022 7pm BBC1

[IwantToRetire]

I'm starting this thread as I dont think anyone else has for this third series.

Mainly because I got really confused watching earlier episodes and am hoping others will take part and patiently explain things.

Not sure if will be on iPlayer after 1st episode or whether we will all have to watch at tv pace.

Me too. Although I did think Malcolm's crush on Lyra in instalment 2 very strange. Not only did he have charge of her as a baby but he was later her lecturer. This would be worthy of a whole forest of MN 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩

Also that whole subplot was clumsily and unconvincingly written IMO, which is very uncharacteristic of Pullman.

I'm liking the series though, despite this shortcoming.

I think I will need to re read them.

I haven’t had the chance to watch yet! Recently reread the third book with DS as we love the series, it’s our shared thing. I was a bit concerned about how they’d manage s3 because Lyra and Will look so much older to me!

Is the Book of Dust series worth reading? I’ve loved the original trilogy since I was a teenager but something always held me back from the follow ups. I think it’s the Cursed Child thing - now I’m worried it will ‘spoil’ the originals 😂

Plus I’ve heard some not great stuff about it too.

Do you think maybe because of his character he would be encouraged not to post anything about it? Considering that many people may not have read the books and such?

I’ve only seen ep1 but the cutting between worlds thing is explored in the second book when they steal the alethiometer back - they have to be in exactly the right place where the worlds line up so if the chapel is supposed to be on an island they need to get there in whatever world.
not sure about the angels stealing Lyra back - they’re a bit vague and ethereal for actual kidnap aren’t they?

Yes you have to be lined up with worlds with the knife including ground level so you can't be in, for example, Oxford in Lyra's world and cut through to New York in Will's. The angels in the books are far less solid, you can't really see them properly in daylight but I'm assuming that would be tricky to work with on screen.

Agree this is explained in the books but not sure if it’s actually explained in the TV show. But then I think the connection between humans/daemons isn’t explained as fully or maybe just isn’t as impactful in the TV show.

Yes the angels are much more ethereal in the books. Barely visible.

Finished!

So much for resisting temptation and making it last all week …

Beautifully done - they managed to convey / portray abstract concepts and unimaginable creatures really convincingly.

Well having started this thread to be able to discuss I forgot to check whether the tedious football had changed the schedule so i sat down to watch episode one only to be faced with endless foot ball pundits. So cross.

Have now watched episode 1 and as i suspected am struggling with all the charcters ie remembering who they are, what has happened and so on.

Am thinking I might binge watch over Christmas / New Year as I think waiting a week for an episode will just mean I am never up to speed at the start of each episode.

I hadn't noticed before, or maybe it was different, but during the opening credits a lot of the image looked inspired by Blake.

So have read everyone's comments with interest but dont feel able to contribute as I am so adrift in grasping it.

Also, I have seen a lot of publicity about this new series, maybe because I watch BBC so they have had endless trailers, and have seen promo articles in papers and online.

If I hadn't I would never have noticed a programme scheduled for 7pm on a Sunday!

Not sure if there are enough of us to have a week by week thread and a binge thread, but maybe anyone who has binged or got ahead of the tv schedule could just start their comment with SPOILER and then anyone who doesn't want to know can skip and come back later.

I absolutely loved this season, so beautifully done.
Definitely something to watch to give you a break from real life.

I definitely got a Blake vibe which I don't remember from previous opening titles.

Father Gomez is a lot dishier than I remember him being described in the books!

I absolutely loved the way they portrayed the Magisterium - it may well have been my favourite thing in the show this time. The colours and shapes and the filming of characters to underline their sneaky secretiveness. And they were all so intense there.

My only wish would have been for another glimpse of Will and his mother’s house - it had the most glorious interior. I want to know where it is so I can persuade someone to buy it for me …

I've just watched the first three episodes, and will probably watch more tomorrow 😄. Where's everyone else up to?

I cried like a baby throughout the last episode. They did the novels justice.

The last 3 episodes I shamelessly cried like a baby lol.

Will's house is in Dinas Powys.

I've got the last 3x episodes to watch.

Watched the second one today. It is well done. I think changes so far have been a necessary part of taking the story on a screen rather than a page. The dc are all enjoying it too, I got in trouble because the 16 year old was gaming online with mates so I left him to it and when he realised we were watching without him he was not impressed.

Thanks, @Petrarkanian . Was that the Interior or exterior, or both? I did wonder if it was actually just one house, because inside and outside didn’t seem to match.

But I may have to make a pilgrimage, either way!

I loved the books and the first 2 series. I've given up on this last lot though, struggling to care or make sense of it. Just seems really pretentious and nonsensical. Gutted. I think my opinion on the author has translated into my hating the series.

However Ruth Wilson is fabulous. And my favourite character died so maybe I'm missing him. I just couldn't get into it, it was droning on in the background and I was just thinking 🤔 this is shit. Damn. Now what do I watch?

Watched episode 3 and have had to tell dd about a million times that it is an adaptation and can she please stop living out all the differences and get on with enjoying it and actually just please shut up dd I love you dearly but shut up!

While internally saying exactly the same thing she was.

I was lucky enough to see the plays at the National Theatre where they did the three books over two plays. I think that helped me be more open to the adaptations as I’ve already read/seen two versions so a third doesn’t jar too much.