His Dark Materials Review: The Idea of North (Season 1 Episode 2)

A stay in London leaves Lyra feeling lost and with a need for allies on His Dark Materials Season 1 Episode 2, “The Idea of North.”

The star of the episode, as it turns out, isn’t the wonderful visuals or the gaining-in-prominence story; it’s the characters, so well-defined by the adaptation and through Jack Thorne’s writing, when combined with the perfect casting.

Mrs. Coulter is far and away the most fascinating part of the episode. She is both cruel and unruly, but with a sliver of kindness and regret behind some of her worst actions. This isn’t to be taken as full regret, though, as she watching the letters of the kidnapped children burn up with a sense of satisfaction.

It’s that Coulter sees others not quite as on her level, but rather as cogs in a machine she wishes to control. Her treatment of Lyra comes as tough love at first, but quickly descends into abuse, much like she treats her daemon.

It isn’t clear yet if this is her taking out her anger, or that she simply expects the best of everyone. Her tears after an argument with Lyra make it look like she cares, or maybe it’s simply frustration bubbling up.

Coulter’s one weakness, at least so far, is her anger. Lyra can see right through it, and this could be an interesting line to take their characters as they likely run into each other again one day. Lyra using Coulter’s anger against her would be a wonderful comeuppance, especially with her now being known as the leader of the Gobblers (or at the very least, a high-ranking supporter of the cause).

The Magisterium and their plans are still nebulous, but their use of the portals to alternate worlds, and their allegiance to Coulter in some form, brings a larger form of malice to their presence than initially. Their interest in Asriel’s work, and potentially needing the children Coulter and the Gobblers have taken, have them a number of steps ahead of Lyra.

The alternate world glimpsed during the episode looks just like our own in the present day. Are all worlds completely different, or are they similar but with different magical properties? Keeping out of book spoilers, it’s interesting to see how calmly and easily the crossing can be for someone, and how the Magisterium are using it for intel currently when it could be used for so much more.

One aspect of His Dark Materials that is rather refreshing is that the main character doesn’t have all of the clues, and is struggling to understand the larger picture. There are times when shows take liberties and allow characters to know things earlier than they should, and so Lyra knowing a few pieces but not grasping what Coulter and Asriel and the Magisterium are up to is an exciting way to take her character.

Lyra’s skills are highly capable, though, with her traversal and knack of getting out of bad situations. But she is still only a child with much to learn, leaving her to be captured during the last moments of the episode. Though it does appear to be the Gyptians, if eagle-eyed viewers notice, and so perhaps the pursuit for Roger will finally lead Lyra north, as she always wanted.

The two scenes that make characters become terrifyingly frail is when Lyra stands up for herself, and when the journalist is murdered for her questioning of Lyra. Both scenes show how distinct the bond between daemon and human are, and how pain felt by one is felt by the other. Even ending one’s life ends the human’s, leaving their survival and bond as an essential factor.

Characters are far more vulnerable than initially suspected.

There is still much to learn for Lyra, especially with the alethiometer still figuring itself out, and the realization that Asriel is her father rather than her uncle. Now that she is out of Coulter’s grasp, perhaps Lyra will head north with the Gyptians, and the search for the missing children will lead to Asriel and more answers that she desperately needs.

His Dark Materials Season 1 Episode 2, “The Idea of North,” does a wonderful balancing act of telling its story while investing immensely into its characters. The connection of daemon and human becomes a delicate bond, but the episode reveals more about how trust is a fickle beast on the show. There is always something to hide, and with the adventure only beginning, secrets may be some character’s undoing.

 

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His Dark Materials airs Mondays at 9/8c on HBO.

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