This Christmas will see the climax of a very well conceived BBC drama series, in the fine tradition of their adaptations over the years of famous books for children and young adults, all of which contain some element of fantasy or magic. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Box of Delights, The Phoenix and the Carpet, Gormenghast– these are the ones I remember most. But His Dark Materials has been very special, having loved the books so much as an adult reading them to my daughter. I have a relationship with this remarkable story, and I would not have settled for anything as weak and disappointing as the 2007 film adaptation, which missed almost all of the point for the sake of accommodating bad CGI and some very miscast actors.
Phillip Pullman’s epic work is profound and finely woven on so many levels. It needs patience and an understanding of its final destination; it needs the characters to play their part with specific goals in mind. And it must not deviate in any detail for fear the whole tapestry unravels. Season one did a remarkable job of cementing the key elements; Daphne Keen as Lyra and Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter being especially good in two of the most important roles. The effects were subtle and well handled, the narrative tight and focused, the action rivetting. Considering the directing duties were shared between several relative unknowns, it is some acheivement for the whole to be so coherent. And the blend of sensibilities between the BBC and co-profucers HBO seems only to add to the brew.
Season two was therefore much anticipated, coming at the end of lockdown in the build up to Christmas. It felt like a gift, comforting and warm. And I loved the waiting episode to episode for cliffhangers to be resolved, rather than being able to binge it all at once. Social distancing had apparently cut short some of the filming plans, and that became apparent towards the latter episodes when things unfortunately began to feel a little rushed. But nevertheless, some remarkable visual and emotional moments hit their mark 100%.
The highlight once again for me was Ruth Wilson, whose layering of this fascinating character was expertly done. She has made Mrs Coulter alive on the screen, fully three dimensial and multi-faceted – a human villain of rare depth; a devil and a loving mother both one and the same. But they are all good. Simone Kirby as Mary is another great bit of casting. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ruth Gedmintas both look and feel the part in two essential roles; in fact the entire cast are hard to fault.
Of course, a lot comes down to Will and Lyra, as they are so central to the story. We spend a lot of time with the two teenagers, and whilst Daphne Keen and Amir Wilson may not be the best most experienced actors in the show, you get a great sense of them growing as they share the screen – just as the characters learning and growing basically is the story. So that works.
Much of series 2 is based on my favourite book of the trilogy: The Subtle Knife, and in that book the story of the knife itself is most memorable. How Will finds it, how it comes to be his, etc. With the help of a very welcome Terrence Stamp in a guest role those scenes are indeed very memorable. In short it works. Almost to the point of being a relief. I was always ready to jump up and scream that they had ruined an integral part of it, but they never did. It does still have a very made for TV feel about the production. Not in the sense that it seems cheap, but just that it feels self consciously episodic, which at times halts the pure flow of the story.
Far too much detail is crammed into the last 2 episodes, but it is well documented that Covid was to blame, with James McAvoy’s involvement as Lord Asriel most sadly cut shorter than intended. The happy accident of that is that it sets up the excitement and potential of season 3 nicely! Who doesn’t want to see him get really biblically pissed off!? I cannot wait. Season 3 is based on by far the longest book, and must establish a lot of new ideas, new moods and new characters in a short space of screen time. I don’t think they will fail or fall at this point – the whole production seems somehow blessed or protected. And once complete I believe it will be a treasure trove to be embraced as a classic for many generations. It doesn’t matter to me that it has some minor faults. What is already great about it is enough. I can’t wait to savour the new episodes. I love it when a final season is built up. Please don’t let me down BBC / HBO – for me this is the potential watching highlight of my entire Christmas 2022.
Rating: 8/10
The Wasteland 