His Dark Materials (2×01) The City of Magpies Review

The reimagined Golden Compass series His Dark Materials is back for season two and looks to build on the world created first season and deliver an epic adventure.

Synopsis: Lyra and Will explore a new world. The Magisterium take action on past events. Lee Scoresby embarks on a mission. (HBO)

After a crazy season 1 finale, it is time for Lyra and Will to finally get acquainted in a new world while the others are left to deal with the fallout of Lord Asriel’s actions, resulting in a gateway in the sky and leaving the world in chaos. This was merely the beginning of the much maligned prophecy that could destroy all of existence or make it anew.

The City of Magpies picks up right where the last episode left of as characters were still dealing with the emotional fallout of that finale. The new world that Lyra found herself and Pan in left her reeling but she quickly found hope in the form of a coastal town just beyond the outskirts of the jungle (matching a postcard from Lord Asriel). Unfortunately, that town appeared completely deserted. Having lost her faith in her trusty alethiometer, Lyra was adamant of going forward on her own (though that will inevitably change). This would be until she encountered Will in a nearby cafe and was simply looking for food just as she was. They were both startled by the other, Will by Pan and Lyra who simply didn’t trust them (though Pan was more trusting). They were merely from different worlds and found themselves in a third world different from their own. Suffice it to say that those differences and their different personalities created a learning curve for them throughout the episode (and possibly longer).

Like it or not, Lyra and Will had to work together. Later, they found the truth about the whereabouts of the town’s inhabitants. Spectres have been ravaging the town, stealing the innocence of adults and turning them into mere shells of their former selves. Kids were immune for whatever reason. In the end, as different as they appeared to be, Lyra and Will had a lot in common, primarily that they were each from a version of Oxford. Thinking that Will’s Oxford could get her answers about dust, she asked him if they can go there for which he agreed as he had plenty of reason to go back, including his mother.

Scoresby was determined to find a magical weapon that could help Lyra. His journey found him in a witch ideological struggle between Queen Serafina Pekkala and Queen Ruta Skadi (Jade Anouka). Meanwhile, the Magisterium was in the middle of a power struggle while deciding the best way to proceed. Mrs. Coulter continued to do all she could to force her way in. She perhaps took out her frustrations while torturing a capture witch in an attempt to acquire information about Lyra’s whereabouts (she clearly still missed her). As her captive was about to reveal Lyra’s real name, she was saved by Ruta Skadi who killed the leader of the Magisterium for good measure. Mrs. Coulter saw this as an opportunity but being female. she knew she couldn’t do it alone, turning on her power of persuasion.

Going back to her alethiometer, Lyra learned of Will’s past and how he was a murderer and also how they were connected to this third world as the episode cut to a creature following him from behind.

There’s definitely something going on in this third world but the addition of Will with Lyra makes for an interesting dynamic that will hopefully pay off come later into the season. We still don’t know all that much yet.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.