His Dark Materials – The Lost Boy Review (A Newbie’s Perspective)

So just when I start to think I’ve got a grasp on the story, it goes off and introduces a new character that is apparently crucial to the story and the mirror to Lyra (who is clearly the special child of the magical realm). I don’t know if the books introduce Will to the story this late in the game, but to throw in a character of this importance with three episodes remaining in the season is jarring to someone without a grasp of the story. Yes, the voice over designated Will as someone we should care about, but I don’t think we have enough time to form any sort of bond with the character.

And here’s my main problem with His Dark Materials (now that we’ve passed the halfway point in the season): As a non-book reader, I feel I’m struggling to understand the nuances of the story in a way a book reader wouldn’t (and looking at my book reader co-worker Kieran’s reviews, it’s clear he’s enjoying the series a great deal more than I am). I’ve heard from several people who’ve read they book that they feel it’s un-adaptable, and with “The Lost Boy,” I certainly started to see that point.

That’s not to say that the series hasn’t done amazing work with special effects and production design – they absolutely have. The polar bears are sensational works of CGI and the daemons have begun looking better and better with each episode. (Hot Take: Pan is the best character on the series and if Lyra listened to him more, she wouldn’t be in half the scrapes she gets into. Plus, my man only wants to get a good night sleep and keep Lyra safe. That shouldn’t be so hard to do.) Some of the show’s characters have made a serious impact with only a small amount of screen time*, while others continue to fall flat despite tons of screen time (Lyra, I’m looking at you). But the real problem is the sprawling plot makes it incredibly hard to follow the story.

*James Cosmo’s Farder Coram remains one of the best elements of the series, and I continue to believe a series just about his life would be more interesting than the whole of what we’ve seen so far.

I still don’t understand the aims of the Magisterium, other than the fact that they don’t seem to want anyone else to know certain things (although I’m fuzzy on just why and what those specific things are). Not understanding the villain’s reasons for doing things is troubling. My best guess at this point is that they want to use the children to find the castle in the Dust and find the portal to another world, which I think is right, but could also be completely wrong. Mrs. Coulter has also been absent more and more as the story has gone on, which has also hurt the story as she’s one of its most interesting (and complex) characters. And then there’s Asriel, who hasn’t shown up at all after the premiere, meaning all we know about him is confined to a single hour (and whatever other people have told us about him, which is not a great tool for visual storytelling). Presumably, the clash between the Magisterium and Asriel is central to the story (with Mrs. Coulter playing a major role in that), yet these elements of the story are the least defined. Spending time with the Gyptians is great and it gives us a team to root for in the upcoming fight, but when your villains are undefined, it means we don’t really care what happens to them.

I also don’t really understand the mechanics of the John Parry storyline. He’s a human from our world who crossed over to the magical one, got a daemon when he arrived, and then traveled back and forth. It is presumed he found a portal up North, as he constantly went on expeditions to the Arctic. He seemed to know he wouldn’t make it back from his last trip, so he left his family a stipend of money. His wife has apparently had some sort of mental breakdown (possibly from a past association with people from another world stalking her?), and his son is special for some reason. Beyond trying to find his entry point (which Boreal is super invested in), and exploring how someone not of the magical world could get a daemon, I don’t understand why this matters. I suppose I need to know more about these portals and why they are so important to everyone (besides the obvious fun of switching worlds). Is there some religious component? Do they want to conquer worlds? Do they want to protect theirs from others? I feel like I’m missing something important here.

And that about sums up how I’ve felt watching His Dark Materials over the past five episodes: There’s something just out of reach that I’m not connecting with. I can appreciate elements of the series (the craftsmanship, a number of strong performances from great actors, some really cool effects and story points), but I just don’t feel the series has managed to put it all together. Which is a troubling realization to make at this point in its run. I definitely have hope that it will pull things together in these final episodes, but there’s just as much chance that we’ll never get to that point.

Final Thoughts:

— Losing a child character is always a rough moment for a series, but it’s particularly rough for a show that’s aimed at kids. In the grand scheme of things, Billy Costa was less of a character and more of a totem (the thing everyone was searching for), but it’s still sad to have a kid die.

— So Lyra can read the alethiometer because she’s special, and that’s all we’re getting on that front? You’d think the Gyptians would be way more protective of her if she has such a valuable skill.

— I want to know more about these witches, who seemingly live for centuries without much trouble. Are there other magical beings? Are witches born into it or do they learn?