His Dark Materials – The City of Magpies Review

His Dark Materials has returned for a second season. “City of Magpies” was a much stronger start than the first episode of Season One.

Lord Asriel has opened a portal to the City in the Sky. His actions have started a massive chain of events. The witches believe that this is the start of the prophecy that will lead to Lyra saving all existence. The witches prepare for war, and The Magisterium suffers from infighting.

Lyra had gone through the portal and discovers an abandoned city. She also finds an ally in Will Parry and both set out to find out what happened to the city as well answer the question ‘what is Dust?’

“City of Magpies” was a setup episode. Its job was to introduce the new characters and show the impact of Asriel’s actions. It was an episode that showed both the smaller and intimate story of Lyra and Will in Cittàgazze and the adult characters focusing on the big picture.

Lyra and Will’s storyline was a personal story as they tried to figure out whether to trust each other as well as the lay of the land. Their first interaction was Lyra pinning down Will which showed Lyra’s ability as a fighter because she was able to take on an older boy who knows how to box. Most of their interactions in the episode was explaining each other’s worlds because they were so alien to each other.

Will got to show his kind heart by cooking for Lyra, fixing a shower, and saving a cat. Lyra does try to reciprocate – but her efforts show the impact of their different upbringings. Will had to care for his mother so had to become self-reliant whilst Lyra was allowed to run free. Lyra had an arc in the episode because she was grieving over Roger and felt guilty because she felt she led him to his death. Because of this Lyra refused to use the Alethiometer.

“The City of Magpies” introduces Angelica (Bella Ramsey), the de facto leader of children of the city. In the books, Angelica was a minor character but considering Ramsey’s fame she will get a more prominent role as a secondary antagonist in the show. Her cruelty was shown by leading an attack on a cat. The episode showed the horror of some who had been attacked by the Spectres. One man was nothing more than a living shell.

Cittàgazze was different from how I pictured it in my head. I saw it as a small Tuscan-style city. In the show, it was the city looked more like the paintings of the Tower of Babel. This was done for two reasons: first was the religious symbolism, the second was to make Cittàgazze a little more otherworldly. The buildings and rooms were built on top of each other. It allowed for some creative production design.

The reaction of The Magisterium was an interesting take. Cardinal Sturrock was such a zealot that he was in denial of the events that just happened. Mrs. Coulter had a more pragmatic view because the portal has opened and there was nothing they can do about it.

The witches’ side of the city had more of a Lord of the Rings vibe to it. The leaders of the witch clans came to discuss their next course of action. Serafina Pekkala acted like Galadriel because she gave Lee Scoresby a gift that he can use in a time of great need. Ruta Skadi has been changed for the TV show because she was made out to be more of a warmonger and calls out Serafina Pekkala for having a neutral stance when in the book Serafina makes a speech about all the suppression witches have suffered. Ruta Skadi did get a cool action scene when she had to go on a boat to show the swift speed witches were capable of.

“The City of Magpies” was an excellent start for the second season. It allowed the audience to meet two new characters, continues the dark tone of the show, and had a little bit of fantasy action.