His Dark Materials Review: Betrayal (Season 1 Episode 8)

Lyra finds a new path on His Dark Materials Season 1 Episode 8, “Betrayal,” as the moral compasses of her parents become further skewed.

It may be a path of heartbreak and uncertainty, but it’s a path forged on her own. The season has given Lyra a push toward her destiny, but it’s on other’s terms. This episode opens up her world and while it shows how hollow and cruel it can be, and how the people she wishes to trust the most are the ones who can hurt her the most, it’s teaching Lyra that she must push forward and find her own way.

Lyra and Roger get to have one last evening as kids, at least. Building a fort and sharing time like the old days feels almost like a dream, with what both have been through. They both have a chance to forget about their worries, even if it’s for a few moments, and it’s one of the more touching moments of the episode.

The difficult relationship between Asriel and Lyra comes down to fundamental differences between them. Asriel’s view on the world is just as harsh and cruel as Mrs. Coulter’s, even if his aim is to change the world for the better; at the end of the day, he’s still more than willing to do terrible things to achieve his goal.

Even as Lyra tries her best to connect with him, it always comes down to the mission rather than the emotion, Asriel even going so far to cut off their talk by calling it “sentimental,” when it’s bonding. It’s not quite clear if something has caused Asriel to feel this way (though his talk with Mrs. Coulter provides some hints), but he refuses to allow himself a shred of humanity if it isn’t in step with his plans.

There is a scene where the wall breaks between Lyra and himself, but it still falls to talking shop rather than connecting to one another. It’s a fascinating angle for both characters, as their chilled relationship will never be what either wants, when Mrs. Coulter is nothing but honest about her need for Lyra when Lyra sees nothing but contempt for her now.

It’s the great irony of both parents, that they both are doing bad things for reasons they believe is right, and both do not intend to hurt Lyra in the process; but by continuing their plans, it will hurt Lyra no matter what. The loss of Roger is the titular betrayal, and it’s not Asriel who looks back at Roger, but Mrs. Coulter, who almost looks remorseful for a split second, as she knows how much he means to Lyra.

Roger’s severing from his daemon is one of the more disturbing moments His Dark Materials has done, as it’s the clear moment where Asriel crosses a threshold and where the person that matters most to Lyra is taken from her. But it is also a moment for us, as the audience, to see the violence and heartache of losing one’s daemon when they mean so much, beyond being a human’s soul.

His Dark Materials has struggled a small amount with keeping the bond between human and daemon as paramount as needed. The importance of daemons is shown through how easily life can be taken, but the meaning of a daemon to their counterpart has been a little downplayed. There are times when daemons feel like companions that don’t interact much beyond being a moral compass.

There have certainly been cases to the contrary, but it isn’t until His Dark Materials Season 1 Episode 5, “The Lost Boy,” where their importance becomes very clear with what happens to Billy Costa after being severed from his daemon. It’s a hollowing out, a loss of self.

The moment where Roger and Salcilia are separated makes it a harrowing moment of pleading and desperation that makes it more clear than ever the bond between human and daemon. It’s the hardest moment the show has portrayed of how much each means to the other, and helps solidify Lyra’s bond to Pan even more by proxy. They are their soul, after all, their very being.

Lyra taking off to find out the meaning and use of Dust will send her on a collision course with her parents, but it’s finally becoming her journey, and in the name of Roger’s sacrifice. It’s the most meaningful direction the show could take, and leaves open a large world (or worlds, plural) to discover on her way to the truth.

As Lyra steps into those new worlds, Will steps into the one we know. His world grows dangerous by the day now that Boreal can see his importance, though stepping through into Boreal’s world can certainly leave Will in a much worse position. His arc is likely heading toward discovering the fate of his father, and hopefully he learns, like Lyra, of his importance and his place in the story.

An interesting piece of Will finding the bridge is that a cat leads him to discover the opening. It’s not Will’s cat, but does open up whether or not Will has an affinity to cats as his potential daemon, now that he is in need of one. They are his protector of sorts, after his cat helped trip Boreal’s henchman on His Dark Materials Season 1 Episode 7, “The Fight to the Death,” and now with sending him in the right direction.

His Dark Materials Season 1 Episode 8, “Betrayal,” does a remarkable thing: it gives itself time to breathe up front, to allow for a sense of security. We know the airships are on their way, but there’s hope in those moments spent together in the mountains. But it’s only a snapshot before the pain comes again.

The episode takes away the person most meaningful to Lyra, and that her own father is the cause changes her fundamentally. It’s another parental betrayal, sending Lyra further inward so that she can only trust Pan now. Her friends, including Iorek, Lee, and the Gyptians, may not be following her through the gateway, but for now, perhaps it’s only in herself that Lyra can find solace now.

A new world can mean anything. The show smartly lets our imagination play out while we wait for the real answer, and leaves Lyra heading toward a world of possibility. His Dark Materials, as an adaptation, has been a wonderful season that touches on authority, trust, and destiny, and this episode in particular continues to show how great this show can be.

 

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

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