His Dark Materials – Lyra and Her Death Review

The final season of His Dark Materials has reached its halfway point with Lyra and Will going on their most treacherous mission.

Will and Lyra have arrived in the Land of the Dead but find themselves trapped in Purgatory. They attempt to navigate Purgatory to find a way to the next stage of the afterlife, but Will and Pan have doubts. Mrs. Coulter arrives at the Magisterium’s headquarters and offers her services, but they question her real motives.

Will and Lyra’s journey into the Land of the Dead was one of the darkest and most interesting in the novels. They were pretty much going to Hell and back. The TV show had a different interpretation to these events than in the books. In the show the Land of the Dead was shown to be a desolate wasteland before going into a rundown building. The interiors of the building were covered in titles and brightly lit, a bit like the Ministry of Love in the 1984 film adaptation of Nineteen-Eighty-Four.

In the book when Will and Lyra arrived in the Land of the Dead it looked like the world they just left, but it was filled with the recently deceased. As they walked with the dead the world became darker and the decay became more apparent.

Will and Lyra’s navigation of the Land of the Dead becomes a bit like a Terry Gilliam film. The pair had to deal with bureaucracy as they get caught by officials and must hand a note at a reception desk. It made The Land of the Dead more like a doctor’s office or a government building, not the dark void that was in the novels.

Will and Lyra’s journey in the Land of the Dead had two parts. There was the physical challenge to find the route to the next stage of death and the pair had to ask for help. The other challenge was personal because Will and Pan questioned Lyra’s logic. They pleaded with her to return to the Land of the Living. Lyra does come off as belligerent because she wanted to find Roger to apologise and make amends. As it was pointed out to her lots of people would want to see lost loved ones but will never get the opportunity

Pan’s objects were particularly poignant because it led to a heart-wrenching moment when Lyra had to decide who was more important, Pan or Roger. Lyra couldn’t take Pan on the boat to the next stage of the afterlife. Lyra pleaded with The Boatman (Peter Wight) to let her take Pan with her, then Pan pleaded with Lyra before the great betrayal. Kit Conner’s voice performance was on point as his character expressed fear throughout the journey in The Land of the Dead and hurt when Lyra chose Roger. My theory that the TV version of Lyra knowing she will leave Pan was unfounded. It was a bit on the nose when Lyra said her heart hurts after she betrayed Pan.

Peter Wight also gave an excellent performance as The Boatman. He was calm and friendly when Will and Lyra approached him, but he was harsher when Lyra tried to defy him.

The TV Series did make some changes to the story in the Land of the Dead. The biggest involved Lyra’s speaking with her death. There was a gender change with Lyra’s Death and only Lyra could see her own death. These changes make logical sense and the conversation between Lyra and her death was made more personal. However, by making Lyra’s Death only visible to Lyra meant Will didn’t feel additional guilt about the men he killed since he realised their deaths were always nearby.

The other change was in the Book Lyra and her party saw a frog rolling around in agony. They debate whether they should put the creature out of its misery but decide not to because they don’t know if death is worse. It was a small moment but important, similar to “The Lost Boy” where they cut the dæmonless child desperately holding on to a fish.

Mrs. Coulter was on fire in this episode. She was cool and confident considering she was going back to the Lion’s Den. Her actions in the episode include announcing her return, letting a priest ‘fetch support’ when she was defying him, and examining Dr. Cooper’s new device. Dr. Cooper was clearly uneasy around her former boss.

Mrs. Coulter had to form an unholy alliance with Lord Roke, one of Lord Asriel’s spies. They know not to trust each other, but they also needed each other to get out alive. They had a fun dynamic as their relationship evolved from hating each other to becoming something warmer.

“Lyra and Her Death” saw Mrs. Coulter finally make her transition to an anti-hero. She went into The Magisterium as a move to protect Lyra. Mrs. Coulter had turned her back on the organisation she had devoted her life to and was willing to do whatever it takes to protect Lyra. Now she’s channelling her energies in the right way.

Finally, it was a small addition, but I really liked it when Mrs. Coulter told Father MacPhail that Lord Asriel had killed an angel. Father MacPhail’s reaction said it all because his faith was confirmed and shaken by this revelation.

“Lyra and Her Death” didn’t quite match the heights of “The Intention Craft” but was a more focused episode because it had two storylines. Mrs. Coulter’s storyline was captivating.