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The first season of His Dark Materials has finally reached its conclusion and the finale is one of the best episodes the series has produced so far. Lyra (Dafne Keen) and her friend Roger (Lewin Lloyd) have arrived at Lord Asriel’s (James McAvoy) northern scientific facility. Lyra believes their quest is over and she and Roger can […]
After watching two episodes of Netflix’s new fantasy series The Witcher (an adaptation of the novel series and video game of the same name), I almost threw in the towel. As someone with zero knowledge of this fantasy world, I was confused by the characters, I didn’t understand the politics, and I was bored with […]
The temperature has plummeted (to shockingly low depths here in Chicago, starting my annual ritual of wondering why I continue to subject myself to this weather), the holidays and 2020 are just around the corner, which means it’s time for that time-honored annual tradition: The Critic Best of List. 2019 was an interesting year for […]
I don’t just watch TV (gasps aloud). I teach English. I frame AP Literature as a study of gender through works such as Ethan Frome and Anna Karenina. Jane Eyre and Medea. Beloved and King Lear. If I eavesdrop on a conversation a group is having, I may ask an essential question like “Is Bronte […]
So, I’ve avoided reviewing The Mandalorian these last few weeks because, frankly, I didn’t have all that much to say about the show. It had fallen into a predictable pattern: Mando and Baby Yoda reach a new planet, they run into a friend/foe, Mando defeats the foe, they make a new friend, they leave the […]
Following two fairly focused episodes, the penultimate episode of His Dark Materials sets up all the pieces ready for the big finale. After freeing the children that were held at Bolvangar, Lyra (Dafne Keen) gets captured for a third time – this time by the bears of Svalbard. Lyra has to use all her wits to do […]
My favorite type of ending is one that refuses to tie everything up in a little bow. It’s Buffy looking out over the crater of Sunnydale, offering a small smile, while refusing to answer any of the myriad of questions being thrown her way. It’s not knowing just what fate will befall Paige Jennings as […]
“The Dæmon Cages” sees His Dark Materials go into horror territory as Lyra sees the full scale of the Magisterium’s operation. Lyra (Dafne Keen) has been captured (again) and taken to Bolvagar, the Fields of Evil. She gets to reunite with Roger (Lewin Lloyd) and she plans to start a jailbreak, knowing the Gyptians are coming. However, […]
I have a confession to make: I broke down and asked Twitter to explain just what was happening with His Dark Materials. Not everything, mind you. I get the basic machinations of the plot (Magisterium bad, Asriel flighty, polar bears awesome, daemons = the soul of the person, people can travel between universes, Lyra is […]
Despite being in the era of Peak TV, where there is more than enough television to sate anyone’s particular appetites, there is one area where supply is not meeting demand: Science Fiction. Considering how the past decade has made more “nerdy” interests mainstream (see the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Star Wars films), that same […]