His Dark Materials Season Two: What to Expect

His Dark Materials is coming back for a second season. The first season was a critical success, especially for its casting, production values and special effects, but the audience reaction was a bit more mixed. As a fan of the novels it seems like a good time to explain what can be expected.

Season One ended on a downbeat point. Roger had been killed by Lord Asriel and Will had to go on the run after accidentally killing a man. Lyra and Will go through the portals in their respective worlds. Season Two will start with the youngsters meeting in Cittàgazze, the city in the sky.

Cittàgazze is an Italian style city, the name is City of Magpies in Italian. It is only in inhabited by children because when people turn 18 people get attacked by Spectres. Spectres are ghost-like creatures that were only visible to people above the age of 18. There are the worst creatures imaginable because they literally eat the souls of adults, making their victims into husks – like the children who had their dæmons cut from them. Because there are ghost-like there is no defence against them except for one item: The Subtle Knife.

The Subtle Knife was the item that the second novel was named after. As the title suggests The Subtle Knife is important. It was forged 400 years ago, and it can through anything, including the fabric of reality so people can make portals between worlds. The knife can only be used by one person – similar to the Elder Wand in the Harry Potter franchise. Because of this, The Subtle Knife becomes a highly desirable item for The Magisterium, Asriel’s rebellion, and the residents of Cittàgazze.

The bulk of the plot sees Lyra and Will travel between Cittàgazze and Will’s Oxford. Lyra will continue her investigation into Dust leading her to meet Mary Malone, a physicist based at one of Oxford’s many colleges. Mary studies Dark Matter and her dealings with Lyra leads to the unassuming scientist becoming a target of the Magisterium and clandestine forces within the British government.

Lyra and Will also cross paths with Lord Boreal who takes up the identity of Sir Charles Latrom. As Sir Charles, Boreal had established himself as a British civil servant and former spy who has powerful connections. He blackmails them to steal The Subtle Knife for him.

Besides Lyra and Will, the novel showed what other characters were up to. Serafina Pekkala aimed to unite the witch clans. Mrs Coulter leads a Magisterium into the other world after finding out how important Lyra is. Lee Scoresby searches for Stanislaus Grumman who has ties to the other worlds. There were subplots like a witch wanting revenge against John Parry and Will trying to find out what happened to his father.

The Subtle Knife introduces numerous new characters. Will Parry, John Parry and Lord Boreal/Sir Charles Latrom have already introduced in the first season despite not appearing in the novels until the second one. Season One ended where The Subtle Knife began – when Will kills an intruder. Mary Malone plays an important role in the second and third novels and Ruta Skadi, one of the witches plays a pivotal role in the story. The biggest piece of casting for Season Two was Terence Stamp as Giacomo Paradisi. Giacomo was the protector of The Subtle Knife and his role in the was novel small but pivotal and I expect he will only appear in one or two episodes.

The other big bit of casting for the season was Bella Ramsey as Angelica. Angelica was one of the inhabitants of Cittàgazze and was a minor character in the novel. Ramsey is known for her roles in Game of Thrones and The Worst Witch, so it would be assumed that Angelica is going to have a bigger role in the series.

The final characters to be introduced in this season will be Baruch and Balthamos. Baruch and Balthamos are angels who join Asriel’s rebellion. In the novel, they only appear right at the end. In the TV series, there are properly going to be introduced earlier. They could be our eyes to the build-up of Asriel’s forces and show their journey to find The Subtle Knife.

The first season did make changes from the novel. One change that will have an impact is Lord Boreal’s role. In the novel, he had established himself in our world for a long time and became a powerful, shadowy figure. In the first season, he was a recent arrival – he didn’t have a townhouse or the contacts with the government like in the novels. He only had a few hired goons in his employ. The second season is going to have to resolve this change.

Like the first season, the second season will have additions. The Subtle Knife was the shortest of novels and its meant to sustain a seven-episode season. Some elements from The Amber Spyglass will properly be introduced. One example of this was the environmental damage Asriel caused when he opened his portal. In The Amber Spyglass, the Arctic ice cap melts which causes havoc for the Panserbjørn. The second season can also show what The Gyptians get up to since they have recused the children from Bolvangar and find out what happened to the children who severed from their dæmons. It wouldn’t be surprising if the second season shows more of the political manoeuvring within The Magisterium and show some for the build-up for Asriel’s rebellion. As a fan, it would be fun to see some flashback showing John Parry’s journey through the worlds.

The pandemic has had an impact on the second season. The second season was set to have an episode focusing on Lord Asriel but it was left unfinished, so the season has been reduced to seven episodes. This has led to James McAvoy to having a reduced role in the season and what has been filmed will properly be edited into the other episodes.